Blog
ASNE/JTM diversity initiative to engage diverse communities
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 12/05/2013 12:37:47
- In: Diversity
ASNE's Diversity Committee is launching an innovative initiative for journalists to engage diverse communities in meeting their news and information needs.
This effort offers new ideas and strategies to meet ASNE's longstanding commitment to diversity in newsrooms by enhancing a newsroom's capacity to accurately reflect and authentically cover the communities they serve.
ASNE's Diversity Committee is launching an innovative initiative for journalists to engage diverse communities in meeting their news and information needs.
This effort offers new ideas and strategies to meet ASNE's longstanding commitment to diversity in newsrooms by enhancing a newsroom's capacity to accurately reflect and authentically cover the communities they serve.
ASNE is partnering with Journalism That Matters, a nonprofit that convenes conversations to foster collaboration, innovation and action so that a diverse news and information ecosystem can thrive. Since 2001, the organization has hosted "unconferences" that have inspired hundreds of widely varied media initiatives around the nation.
The initiative combines ASNE's convening power in local communities with JTM's expertise in hosting creative conversations among diverse parties to generate innovative outcomes. The engagement methods include face-to-face, social media and other digital solutions.
The initiative will develop an online learning hub of new ways journalists can engage diverse communities. This hub will provide an interactive "toolkit" of templates and models, as well as an exchange of ideas among participating newsrooms to broaden the commitment and reach of diversity efforts.
The key components of this innovative effort:
2. Insights and practical takeaways from the community-based conversations, including templates or models for conducting future conversations in other communities, will be available in the online learning hub. The hub will also support an ongoing exchange among participants for shared learning across sites, answering such questions as why do it? And how do we get started?
3. Progress to date will be shared through an interactive program that mirrors some of the community engagement strategies at the joint ASNE/APME 2014 convention. The programs will also be offered for conventions of other journalism organizations. The purpose of the interactive programs is to inspire attendees to launch their own community-based conversations and participate in the learning hub to report their progress and learn from others.
The initiative leaders are:
ASNE Diversity Committee co-chairs:
- Karen Magnuson, editor and VP/News, Democrat and Chronicle Media Group, Rochester, NY.
- Manny Garcia, editor, Naples Daily News, Florida.
- Mike Fancher, ASNE member and Journalism That Matters board member, Seattle, WA.
JTM leader:
- Peggy Holman, Journalism That Matters co-founder and board member, Bellevue, WA.
ASNE members interested in working with the committee, including those who might want to conduct community-based conversations, should contact Magnuson at KMAGNUSO@rocheste.gannett.com or Fancher at Fanch@mikefancher.com.
This initiative grows out of ASNE's 2012 report, "The Future of Diversity in the News," which called for transformation. It said:
In the future, success for those who care about diversity involves seeking content that conveys something of interest about, for, and to all types of communities.
It will require a more strategic approach to identifying and then serving diverse audiences. New technological communication tools must be employed. More sophisticated distribution channels will be essential. Fresh outlets must emerge...
Diversity must go beyond being a goal. It must become an act.