ONA Weekly #337: Thank A Mentor

By on December 2, 2020

Thank a mentor: Shout outs from the ONA Community

This week we’re dedicating this space to community members who wanted to thank the mentors who’ve supported their careers. Take a look, and collect some ideas to try out with your own mentees or colleagues.
I would like to thank my friend and ally Minerva Canto. We met as journalists in Santa Fe in our early 20s and have helped each other plan the trajectory of our careers, giving each other feedback on our resumes and cover letters, lending support through times of difficulty or tough choices. — Sharyn Obsatz, Journalism and Media Studies Professor, Santa Monica College
When I worked in Los Angeles for CBC News as a network reporter, my supervisor and mentor Ilana Banks (based in Toronto, Canada) was an exceptional mentor. She encourages employees to bring their whole selves to work, to set boundaries for work/life balance and most importantly, supports story ideas even when others in the room might not. After I moved on from the company, she still continues to check in with me to make sure I’m thriving. She’s a true gem in the industry. — Zulekha Nathoo, Multimedia Journalist
Doug Mitchell has been my mentor since 2007. For 13 years of my career (all of them) he has pushed me, carried me, and supported me—and I’m just a drop in the Team Doug bucket. There are literally dozens of kids like me who benefit from Padrino’s knowledge and kindness. He’s a hero in the community for journalists of color and more folks should know about Doug! — Emma Carew Grovum, Founder, Kimbap Media
I’d like to give a shoutout to Joe Amditis, who is an excellent role model and mentor. Some of the many ways I feel blessed to have Joe in my network and as a resource: He experiments with and shares ways to harness new tech and approaches that can help tell good stories. He reaches out to women and ethnic minority colleagues when opportunity presents to include us in important initiatives. — Kimi Wei, CEO The Wei LLC
Want to find a mentor or become one? Explore these mentorship resources:
P.S. Later this month, we’ll use this space to feature revenue experiments from 2020—whether it was virtual events, membership programs, merch or something else. Reply to this email with 2-3 sentences about something you tried and we’ll include as many as we can!

How to recreate relationships with local audiences

“It’s a responsibility as a news website…not just [to] have the reader come to you, you have to go to them,” Andrea Valencia, Interpreter and Translator at Mission Local told attendees during ONA20. The session How to Recreate Relationships with Local Audiences dug into the ways that her organization, along with BoiseDev and Honolulu Civil Beat, are adjusting their messaging, listening to feedback and getting out into their communities to connect with readers. Explore the notes from the session, or register to watch the recording. 

Upcoming events

ONA Local groups regularly host events for digital journalists all over the world. Find a group near you or learn how to start a new one. Note: All ONA Local events are currently happening online, and open to all regardless of where you’re located.

Career opportunities

ONA’s Career Center is an excellent resource for jobs, fellowships and internships in digital journalism. Recruiters, intern managers and fellowship directors: Use code 8MZC8ACQ for 25% off any single or three-pack of listings (on top of your ONA member discount). Stock up now, you don’t have to use the listings all at once. Recent postings include:

On our radar