Last week, our Report for America program announced that it will place nearly 60 reporters and photojournalists in new positions at local newsrooms across the country this summer. Report for America has now matched more than 650 journalists with local newspapers, public radio stations, digital platforms, and television outlets, since its launch in 2017.
“Report for America extends a welcoming hand to journalists from diverse backgrounds, encouraging them to add their experience, perspective, and talent to local newsrooms nationwide. These storytellers help ensure that under-covered communities and issues receive the attention they deserve,” said Earl Johnson, vice president of recruitment and alumni engagement at Report for America. “Here, journalists find not just a job but a calling—a chance to make a profound difference where it matters most.”
Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e5WzmDEU#localnews#journalismjobs#journalism#reporters
A lot of great ideas from Trusting News.
The biggest need and priority for news publishers is to increase engagement practices in newsroom routines so that coverage reflects the whole community. This can be done by building relationships with more diverse communities, such as rural, conservative, BIPOC, and younger audiences.
Newsrooms that want to evolve can do targeted community listening, host events, and interact more online and in real life. Do more than just report about and for the community. Report with the community. Make sure all voices are being heard and all issues are being addressed.
"Listening to and engaging with your community is foundational to building trusted relationships."
This post from the Trusting News team is full of good ideas, but possibly the most crucial effort is challenging the newsroom echo chambers. Think about it.
- If journalists can't have difficult conversations with their own colleagues, how can they have them with the leaders and power brokers they're covering?
- Many journalists who challenged the status quo in their traditional newsrooms have left those jobs and joined organizations that truly are working to sustain journalism for the future. That's a huge loss for those mainstream newsrooms that need visionaries to survive.
- Young journalists need to experience debate and constructive criticism in order to grow and improve. If you want better young journalists, have better conversations.
Dorothy, Can you speak to journalists who may be having an issue in their newsroom? Can you speak to the support the National Association of Black Journalists provides its members?
''The word advocate is really important to us.
Some journalists are not necessarily aware of what we do and the conversations we have with news managers.
We actually will sit down with a number of different news leaders on behalf of that journalist, on behalf of what's happening in the newsrooms.
If you Google NABJ criticism, complaints, disappointment. Attach it to the ABC, NBC, the Washington Post. The list is long of conversations that we have had.
We have publicly put on social media, 'We are not happy with this particular company, and we have sat down with this company. We're asking for better represent. We're asking for better treatment of our members. We're asking that our member be promoted. We're asking that they hear our members.'
We do get results.
A lot of times you may not know all the results we get. Some of them are obvious. We sat down with the Miami Herald after an incident happened. Shortly after that there was a black woman who was appointed to the first Editor-in-Chief at the Miami Herald.
We had conversations with ABC News. Ultimately, you saw a Black woman became the first Black female to be President of ABC News.
NBC, there were changes in their lineup after we had conversations with them.
The list really is long.
Sometimes it's not public. Sometimes our members call us and they don't want us to put it on social media, and it doesn't work to put it on social media.
But we will just have a conversation. We will have a series of meetings, and you will see change. Our conversations, our advocacy have resulted in promotions. People who should have been promoted long time ago finally get their desired promotions. It might result in new hires.
We work hard.
When I was president, I started an anonymous complaint that you could fill out to say what was happening in your newsroom. Let us know if you wanted us to make your name public, if you wanted us to call you, or just want us to call the managers.
We were able to get an idea of what was happening around the country.
The committee then would just split up. The VP of Broadcast would make those phone calls, the VP of Print would make those. And Digital.
We would reach out to members. It wasn't something that was widely exposed. It was happening behind the scenes.
I really do encourage our members to let NABJ leadership know what you're going through.
The first line of defence is the regional directors. We have four of them. They should call their regional directors. If not, call their Chapter Presidents.
Let someone know, and we will step in.
In Chicago, we're about to meet next week with one of the television stations because some of the members have been raising some issues.
Email NABJalerts@gmail.com'' - Immediate Past NABJ President
https://lnkd.in/gxV3xz5U
This post from the Trusting News team is full of good ideas, but possibly the most crucial effort is challenging the newsroom echo chambers. Think about it.
- If journalists can't have difficult conversations with their own colleagues, how can they have them with the leaders and power brokers they're covering?
- Many journalists who challenged the status quo in their traditional newsrooms have left those jobs and joined organizations that truly are working to sustain journalism for the future. That's a huge loss for those mainstream newsrooms that need visionaries to survive.
- Young journalists need to experience debate and constructive criticism in order to grow and improve. If you want better young journalists, have better conversations.
Last week, the 2024 Medill State of Local News report was released and the findings are concerning for anyone who cares about the future of local journalism. The report found that local news deserts expanded in the U.S. this year with 127 newspapers shuttering, leaving nearly 55 million Americans with limited to no access to local news.
This means that 55 million people don’t have access to critical information. From news about natural disasters to their local elections, their schools, and the decisions that their elected representatives make. Without sustainable newsrooms and journalists on the ground, people are missing data and stories that can help them make informed decisions about their future.
It also is a reminder about the importance of The GroundTruth Project’s Report for America and Report for the World programs, which support journalists all over the world to cover stories that would otherwise go untold.
Medill Local News Initiativehttps://lnkd.in/eNAaQeEh#localnews#localnewsdeserts#newsdeserts#journalists#media#journalism#groundtruth#newspaper
📰 Are you aware of the local news landscape in your area? A recent analysis by political scientists for Nieman Journalism Lab sheds light on the stark disparities in access to local news across the United States. Wealthier, urban Americans tend to have greater access to local news outlets, while roughly half of US counties have only one outlet or less.
The findings reveal a troubling reality: where you live and how much you make significantly impact whether you live in a "news desert" or a "news oasis." This inequity not only affects communities' access to information but also has broader implications for democracy and civic engagement.
The challenges facing local news outlets are multifaceted. The migration of advertising revenue from print to digital platforms has left many outlets struggling to sustain themselves financially. In 2023 alone, over 130 print newspapers closed their doors, further exacerbating the decline in original local reporting.
Despite these challenges, there are signs of hope. Initiatives focusing on collaboration, philanthropy, and public policy are emerging to address the inequality in local journalism. Organizations like The Daily Yonder and Press Forward are leading the way in supporting local news in underserved communities.
As we navigate the ever changing media landscape, it's crucial to recognize the importance of local journalism in fostering informed communities and holding power to account. Check out the full article for an in-depth look at the state of local news in the US and potential solutions: https://lnkd.in/e6HfJt8R#LocalNews#Journalism#MediaInequality#NewsDeserts#CommunityEngagement#MediaEcosystem#DemocracyBuilding#NiemanJournalismLab#StateOfLocalNews
Sometimes you just get lucky. I’m forever thankful to Allison Davis, a true visionary who was a driving force behind the beginning of news on the internet. Allison hired a small group of 5 to figure out how to cover 24 hours news on this new thing called the internet. Dubbed NBC Supernet, I don’t think NBC knew exactly what to do with us at first – our first offices were on the Saturday Night Floor after all. Many people asked if I could fix their computers. With Allison’s knowledge of the NBC News bureaus, we soon found pockets of producers and correspondents willing to help us. We covered presidential summits, hurricanes, the Iowa Caucuses. We shot our own video, coded interactives. Under the leadership of Allison, along with Bert Medley, our team worked with the shared purpose of using this new medium to benefit people’s lives. I recall one of the first live chats we conducted with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, where he ended the Q&A by saying perhaps this thing was a little closer to god. Of course he also laughed when he said it.
Frequently, when I reported in the field, telling people where the story would appear, they were keenly interested in what news on the internet was. At the time, there was kind of a magical mystery surrounding the internet – so much so that it became a running joke for NBC News producers and correspondents looking for an answer to a random question to: “Go ask the cyberjournalist.”
Supernet was all a precursor to the formation of MSNBC, the joint venture between Microsoft and NBC (eventually unjoined). Many people today don’t know that the MS in MSNBC stands for Microsoft. When the joint venture was formed, all of the NBC News programs’ websites were hosted on MSNBC.com, so our team launched Today, Dateline, Nightly News, and Meet the Press online. Navigating these two very different corporate cultures had its challenges. But we went on to create really innovative journalism as part of these shows and won some of the first digital news awards. In particular, I’m proudest of the interactive databases we created at Dateline that gave people new ways to access consumer information that really made a difference in their lives.
I do think inflection points often give opportunities to those who might not normally have a straight career on-ramp, since folks who are more established in their careers might not want – or need – to risk embarking on an uncertain career journey. Working at the dawn of internet news allowed me to accomplish much more, more quickly, working in a new medium and for that I not only owe Allison my career, but the ability to earn what I would call a professional living. Like I said, sometimes you get lucky. Cheers to Allison Davis, Rachel Chamberlin Schwanewede, Mike Wu, Stephanie E. Bostic, Matt Butcher for this fun look back. Thanks NBCU Academyhttps://lnkd.in/eQCeQsWw
Journalists -- Do you miss precedented times?
It's been a wild time to be in news. And while you are all working hard to get your reporting out to the world, so are those looking to spread confusion and misinformation.
We're a platform dedicated to making real journalism as accessible to our audience as social media is. We're a news feed for news, where anyone can sign up to follow along, but only real, verified journalists post.
Whether you cover local news, national, or a specific vertical, we'd love to have you (and your newsroom) on board. Let's chat.
#journalism#journalists#newsroom
READ: Seven things @news24 did to attract and retain Gen Z journalists, born between 1997 and 2012. This ensures newsrooms are well equipped to produce news that speaks to the nation.
https://lnkd.in/d-jJEvEN
#WorldNewsDay Story Spotlight 🌐
Journalism is Society’s Safety Net
By David Walmsley, Founder of World New Day, Editor in Chief of The Globe and Mail
David Walmsley notes that a record number of newsrooms have joined World News Day 2024, uniting over 600 media outlets and professionals worldwide to raise awareness about the crucial role of journalism in uncovering truth and holding power to account. Amid increasing attacks on journalists and the rise of biased interest groups, the day serves as a reminder of the bravery and resilience of independent journalists who face personal risks to report the facts. World News Day emphasizes the vital connection between journalists and their communities, ensuring that the truth, no matter how uncomfortable, is shared and preserved for the public good.
Read more: https://lnkd.in/drFgByMc
Join the global media industry for World News Day on Sept. 28: worldnewsday.org#JournalismMatters#TruthMatters#ChooseTruth#WND2024