ONA Weekly #406: DEI Efforts In North American Newsrooms

Replay: DEI efforts in North American newsrooms

“It is thought that inclusion may be the work of one person or the work of a specific team, but it must be the work of the company itself to be successful.” That’s one key point Ashley Alvarado, Vice President of Community Engagement & Strategic Initiatives at KPCC, delivered in a conversation with Anita Li, Founder and CEO of The Green Line, on leading DEI initiatives in journalism.

The discussion, one of the sessions ONA organized at the International Journalism Festival, provided inspiration, frameworks and practical resources for engaging underrepresented communities. Watch now: How North American newsrooms are operationalizing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

FAQ: What makes for a good ONA22 proposal?

Our #1 tip for pitching to the ONA conference: Be specific. We are looking for pitches that show planning and thought on how in-person and remote audiences would participate during a session, what they will take away and how they might apply it to their work. Suggest a title that is direct and descriptive, and tell us about format options to consider—e.g. Is someone presenting a case study? Are attendees creating a template or practicing with one?  

Read the ONA22 Suggestion Box Guide for detailed tips and more FAQs. Plus, set your calendar reminder now: Session pitches are due April 21, 9 p.m. EDT (01:00 UTC).

On the calendar

• April 13: Belonging in the News with Versha Sharma 
• April 21: Deadline: ONA22 Suggestion Box
• April 21: Deadline: HBCU Digital Media Fellowship at ONA22
• April 21: Deadline: Mentor Applications ONA22 Student Newsroom
• May 5: Submissions open for 2022 Online Journalism Awards

Career opportunities

ONA’s Career Center is an excellent resource for jobs, fellowships and internships in digital journalism. Recent postings include:

• Vice President, Product Strategy, American Press Institute
• Digital Producer – Spectrum News NY1, Spectrum Networks
• Associate Director, Audience Development, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Editor, Princeton University
• California Student Journalism Corps Editor, EdSource
• Editorial Fellow, Education News (2022-23), The 74 Media Inc.
• Chief Digital Officer, C-SPAN
• Senior Product Manager, Ad Tech/SaaS, The Atlantic
• Director of Technology and Events and Membership Manager, Online News Association Join our team!

On our radar

• A toolkit for newsrooms to better serve the disability community, Hannah Wise for RJI
• In a vulnerable media economy, journalists are demanding ownership of their work, Alex Sujong Laughlin (2016 MJ Bear Fellow) for Poynter 
• Tips from the ‘Guardian’ on live-blogging and covering breaking news on Ukraine, Eduardo Suárez for Reuters Institute
• Women in Journalism: Q&A with Mandy Jenkins, Kyra Miller for The Lenfest Institute
• Meet the 1,300 librarians racing to back up Ukraine’s digital archives, Pranshu Verma for The Washington Post

Directory spotlight

Dozens of technology companies, foundations, consultants and journalism organizations contribute to ONA’s mission throughout the year. Explore our Industry Directory to discover new tools and potential partners, or learn how to get listed.