The Latest Special Edition: Covering A Divided Nation — Lessons from Black and Brown Media

Jan. 15, 2025

Editor’s note: We are sending this newsletter early today to invite you to a special livestream starting at noon ET.

The Institute and URL Media are hosting “Covering A Divided Nation: Lessons from Black and Brown Media,” a gathering of community and national media focused on finding practical approaches to drastically improving news coverage for all communities.

Our theme: Journalists tell stories, yes. But are we really listening?

This summit features journalists, media executives, and local media owners who will address the lessons learned in coverage of the 2024 Election, including:

The significance and urgency of centering the voices of Black women;
The failure of campaigns to engage Black and Brown media;
What's needed to commit journalism in the new world order.

Featured speakers include:

Don Lemon, journalist and host of "The Don Lemon Show"
Lauren Williams, CEO and co-founder of Capital B News
Cierra Hinton, former executive director of Scalawag; co-founder of The Lorde Society
Jonquilyn Hill, host of "Explain It to Me," Vox
Randall Yip, founder of AsAmNews; president and chairperson of Asian American Media Inc
Solomon Jones, host on WURD Radio; award-winning columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer
Neely Bardwell, staff writer for Native News Online
Jennifer Taylor-Skinner, founder and host of "The Electorette"
Kenya Parham, global VP of community and partnerships at SPILL
Krysta Villeda, chief operating officer at Pulso

We invite you to watch this event, starting at noon ET today. Sessions that will be livestreamed include:

Listen to Black Women (noon): Our kickoff event will examine local and mainstream coverage of the Presidential election in greater detail and center Black women’s perspectives, voices, and expertise; moderated by URL Media Co-Founder and President Sara Lomax.

The Opportunity Before Media Now (2:15 pm): A Q&A with journalist Don Lemon and Kenya Parham, Global VP at SPILL, led by URL Media Co-Founder and CEO S. Mitra Kalita.

Voting Patterns Across Communities (3:15 pm): This conversation will examine different approaches to coverage, Black and Brown media outlets’ connectivity with audiences, and the intra-racial fissures the election amplified; moderated by Femi Redwood, editorial director of Epicenter NYC.

3 ways to handle when a source shuts you down

“Editors should push reporters to do more than merely hit up a source for a quick statement. But airways, newspapers, and websites these days are littered with some variation of the phrase, ‘We reached out to source name and they had no comment.’ Deadlines are tight, pressure is high. It’s not easy. But we should be intentional with our source strategies. …

1. Explain why you chose to make the no-comment a focus — why and how does it impact the lives of your audience? If you couldn’t land a key source, your audience should understand how it affects them.

2. Make sure to note that silence isn’t neutral, and quite possibly an attempt to control a narrative or dodge scrutiny.

3. Explain your job as a journalist , your purpose, and your role in serving your audience.”

-- Fernanda Camarena , faculty at Poynter, excerpt from ‘No comment’: When it’s time to make that the story (Poynter)

Job Search Tip: Timing your inquiries matters

“Every industry has its ebbs and flows, so when considering when to reach out, it’s a good idea to think about the potential peak seasons. Every company isn't the same, but generally, the end of the calendar year and beginning of the new calendar year often see upticks in job-seeking traffic. … Late May sees a spike because of graduation season. Planning your outreach around ‘off-seasons’ — when recruiters/hiring managers are less likely to be flooded with other job-related inquiries — can increase your chances of a response. Plus, if you're not looking for an immediate job, it'll give you a longer runway to find the right opportunity.”

-- Rhema Thompson Bland , deputy director of news talent, culture & training for McClatchy, advice shared via LinkedIn

Resources

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

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The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest. The Institute's tax ID number is 52-1750908.