The Latest: Washington Post pay & diversity numbers; Locating Austin Tice; Writing octaves

April 13, 2022

■ ‘Our analysis of company data, based on Guild-covered employees only, reveals a truth that’s indisputable: The Washington Post operates with systems that perpetuate inequalities .’ (Washington Post Guild) / ‘While The Post has made some progress closing the pay gap since our last study, women and people of color are still paid less compared with their male and White colleagues.’ (Washington Post Guild) / ‘Forty-five percent of Newsroom employees who left in 2020 and 2021 were people of color‘ (Sophie Ho) / ‘The people who fought the hardest to push the Post to evolve are the ones who had to leave, ultimately, because it is such an exhausting job ’ (Columbia Journalism Review) / ‘New hires are often told The Washington Post is a place where they can grow and succeed. Yet over time, many feel short-changed, stuck and sometimes pushed out of a place that was once their dream company. Too often, these employees are people of color.’ (Washington Post Guild) / ‘It’s crushing. Journalism is appealing to me because its role is to challenge power structures. We have a frightening resistance to challenging our own ’ (Sarah Kaplan) / ‘We do these studies not because we hate The Post. quite the contrary. We do these studies because we know The Post can be better and we want it to be because we want to work here.’ (Steven Rich)

■ First migrant bus from Texas arrives in DC , drops them blocks from Capitol ‘in front of the building that houses Fox News, NBC News, and C-SPAN’ (New York Post)

■ West Virginia reporter ‘attacked’ by goose in Florida (WOWK via WTRF) / Snake found in 9News Queensland newsroom (9News)

■ Opinion: The argument over Twitter's edit button is all about vibes (Washington Post)

■ Opinion: When you hear the F-word , try picking up more than one meaning (New York Times)

Press Freedom

■ Trial date set in defamation suit against Fox News over US election claims (Reuters)

■ Media organizations sue Gov. Youngkin for allegedly violating FOIA law (Washington Post)

■ Ethics complaint filed after reporter barred from Mississippi House GOP Caucus meeting (Mississippi Today)

■ US asked Israel for help locating American journalist Austin Tice (Axios)

■ Romanian journalists call for action after facing threats, intimidation (POLITICO)

“Language has its own register , like music, and depending on the ‘octave’ or the tone that you’re using, there are connotations, there are meanings, implicit in tone. It’s important for me to figure out and embody these moods or these colors before I sit down to write.”

-- Ocean Vuong, poet, on “Taking the time you need to write”

3 tips for leaders to navigate tough conversations

Managers often struggle with difficult conversations. They put off talking about performance issues because they don’t feel fully prepared, don’t believe it will make things better, or just don’t like confrontation.

We’re not helping people when we keep our concerns to ourselves; we’re denying people a chance to learn and grow. It doesn’t mean they’ll accept our negative feedback unquestioningly, in fact, they may be defensive and unhappy. It happens. That’s why it’s important to be prepared to provide objective data — examples, specifics — not to beat people up with “gotchas” but to offer measurable things they can change.

But even with that goal, of being clear and specific in negative feedback, you need to bring a few more goals into each tough conversation.

Respect the human dignity of the person you’re talking with. This isn’t about punishing people. Avoid sarcasm, hyperbole, and condescension.
Don’t expect rainbows to appear at the end of tough talks. Some people may thank you for pointing out a gap in their performance or sharing the news that they didn’t get the promotion they wanted. But don’t count on it. People need time to process negative information. If you’re a person who wants to be liked, prepare for people who are unhappy to act that way toward you in the moment.
Think of tough conversations as part of a continuum of feedback. Be sure you are giving a healthy diet of the positive stuff, so people know you are as apt to cheer their accomplishments as you are to tell them when they’re getting in their own way.

Keep in mind that we tend to remember negative feedback more than positive, because criticism touches some sensitive nerves.

So, build your social capital by providing specific and sincere positive feedback whenever possible. Enlist colleagues in making sure you, as a busy manager, don’t miss knowing about something praiseworthy. When people know you are as willing to acknowledge what works as well as what needs work, they may not love being on the receiving end of your corrective conversations, but it will make them at least a little less tough for all parties.

Watch next: How do I give feedback to someone who may not take it well?

-- Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

Get more career advice: Read Jill's columns | Watch Manager's Minute videos

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This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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