RJI opens ONA22 with hands-on workshop exploring source diversity in journalism

The session also introduced a new tool, co-developed with Chalkbeat, that helps newsrooms audit their source lists to identify overrepresented and underrepresented voices LOS ANGELES (Sept. 21, 2022) — The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) helped kick off the first day of ONA22 — the Online News Association’s annual conference, held this year in downtown Los Angeles — today with a workshop examining how newsrooms can expand the diversity of their sources. It’s a topic that has gained increased attention as the industry works to make coverage more representative of the communities it serves. Kimbap Media founder Emma Carew Grovum joined Will Lager , RJI Senior Editor & Project Manager, to talk through challenges and solutions with journalism professionals, while Chalkbeat’s Caroline Bauman and RJI Director of Innovation Kat Duncan directed that conversation toward a real-world application: a new source diversity tool developed by Chalkbeat in partnership with RJI. For Carew Grovum, source diversity is a priority, not an option. Much as journalists choose stories based on the news values of timeliness and impact, she argued that prioritizing less important work over source diversity means missing the boat on one of the most significant current issues in the industry. “If it’s neither urgent nor important, why are you doing it?” Carew Grovum said as she walked attendees through ways to map out their newsrooms’ priorities. “Not enough organizations are asking themselves: ‘what should we stop doing?’” RJI Director of Innovation Kat Duncan, left, and Caroline Bauman of Chalkbeat address attendees at ONA22 in Los Angeles. She also highlighted the importance of buy-in from everyone in the newsroom, an issue highlighted earlier this year when news organizations largely failed to participate in an industry-wide diversity survey conducted by the News Leaders Association. She emphasized that participation isn’t just about organizations as a whole taking part in the industry conversation, but about individuals at each organization taking responsibility for their own role in developing solutions. … Organizer: Reynolds Journalism Institute — https://rjionline.org/news/rji-opens-ona22-with-hands-on-workshop-exploring-source-diversity-in-journalism/

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