Commitment to Diversity

The Georgia Scholastic Press Association’s bi-annual conferences are always a fantastic place to hear an array of opinions and garner a lot of valuable skills. Last year, I had the great opportunity to listen to the University of Georgia’s publication’s editing staff present “Addressing journalism’s biggest challenge early: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” I learned so much from listening to their In this session recruitment, outreach and DEI teams discuss how their student-run news organization is addressing challenges in inclusion through the inception of these three teams. I took away powerful concepts of how to address diversity including the need to look internally & externally (who is on your staff and who are you interviewing), the importance of recruitment efforts, and how to consistently discuss what you can do better. 

Since attending this, I have worked within the staff to discuss correct language to use when approaching sensitive subjects, engage with minority organizations through coverage, and highlight service events for minority communities throughout coverage. Changing the media landscape starts with student media, and we have the unique power to diversify newsrooms.