News and information to help journalists serve the public and stay safe. |
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As racism and the treatment of people of color in and out of newsrooms has surged to the forefront of conversations, against the backdrop of a pandemic that disproportionately impacts people of color, journalists face many questions: When do ‘objectivity’ and ‘neutrality’ mask inequity? How do journalists move from covering protests to systemically telling stories that root out racist treatment in health care, education and other social spheres? And how can journalists practice antiracism in their everyday work?
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The Institute reached out to Elizabeth Dias (pictured), the national religion correspondent at The New York Times, for advice on how journalists can cover stories intersecting with faith.
What are your strategies for covering faith in a polarized environment?
Dias: I am always aware that I am talking to people about what may be the most important part of their lives. Listening and asking open questions is invaluable. Religion at its heart is about people, not just ideas to which people ascribe, and so understanding the whole of someone's life is so helpful for the coverage. I also try to spend more time talking with people than I do reading social media commentary.
What are some of the common mistakes reporters can avoid when writing about faith?
Dias: Specificity matters: Do you mean all evangelicals, or only white evangelicals? Also, it can be easy to assume that the narrative you think you know always holds true. It does not.
What advice can you give local reporters covering other beats like politics, health care or education when the story intersects with religion?
Dias: It might not be obvious that a political or education story intersects with religion, so the first thing is to consider that it might. The United States is in a slow shift away from Christian dominance, and the reach of that is enormous. Also, don't be afraid to engage religion or spiritual themes, even if they feel unfamiliar. Reporting at its heart is asking questions of the unknown.
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Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago
Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership
To fight systemic inequity in organizations, it’s not enough to look at front line managers.
Look up.
Scrutinize the marching orders they get from the very top — from their organization’s boards, strategists, consultants and budgeters.
Frontline managers aren’t given mandates that overtly say “discriminate, pay unfairly, limit opportunities for staff growth, or under-serve certain communities,” but the directives from above can drive those outcomes. How does that happen?
- It happens when jobs are reclassified, when budgets are frozen, and employees are laid off.
- It happens when people are hired in a “downturn” and their low salaries become the baseline for all they earn in the future, unless they get a big promotion. Or leave.
- It happens when businesses bend the budget to hire or keep a “star,” but insist that managers still hit their budget targets, so they must quietly cut elsewhere.
- It happens when business strategies segment the audience by their appeal to advertisers or underwriters, leaving some communities on the margins – under-covered or ignored.
- It happens when analytics overtake editorial judgment and topics that don’t drive sufficient attention can be sidelined.
- It happens when employees are encouraged to be entrepreneurial and pitch new products or programs, but aren’t given sufficient resources to succeed.
- It happens when an organization’s formal process for handling employee complaints is so inscrutable that people don’t trust it.
- It happens when staff development is lopped out of budgets, leaving people to self-fund, find freebies or create DIY training in order to build their skills.
Organizations can hire new managers, add diversity and inclusion directors, conduct unconscious bias training and do listening tours. But unless they address the systemic issues that are created at the very top of the power structure, the odds are stacked against meaningful change.
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Is your breathing on autopilot? Chances are you’ve gone all day without inhaling or exhaling with purpose.
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Alternate nostril breathing: Exhale completely, then use your right thumb to close your right nostril. Inhale through your left nostril, then close it with your fingers. Open the right nostril and exhale through that side. Then repeat, switching between nostrils for inhaling and exhaling. Continue for up to five minutes.
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4-4-8 Breathing: Breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, and release for eight seconds. Repeat several times.
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Belly breathing: Breathe through your nose, allowing your chest and lower belly to rise as you fill your lungs. Exhale and repeat several times.
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Breath meditation: Focus all attention on your breath, closing your eyes and practicing deep inhalation and exhalation.
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Breathing breaks: Take numerous short breaks in the day, raising your arms over your head while you take a deep breath and release it slowly. Or, listen to this playlist that will guide you through breathing.
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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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