As philanthropy works to support the rebuilding of local news in communities across America in a variety of ways, many funders are also aware of this persistent problem: the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in media organizations. Part of building journalism that serves everyone is ensuring that newsrooms look just as diverse as the communities they serve.
Funders are continuing to respond with a variety of grants that support DEI efforts in media organizations, and this webinar will focus on a few major recent initiatives.
In this webinar, we’ll hear from:
- LaSharah S. Bunting, Director of Journalism, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, on Knight’s support of $1.2 million to the Maynard Institute to develop an in-depth transformation program for news organizations to help them establish more equitable and inclusive workplaces.
- Farai Chideya, Program Officer, Creativity and Free Expression, Ford Foundation, about the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, which is a pooled fund, created and supported by several MIF-member foundations, to increase the capacity and sustainability of news organizations led by people of color, and to increase civic engagement for communities of color.
- Jon Sawyer, Executive Director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, about the educational outreach partnership between Pulitzer and the New York Times on the 1619 project, which re-examines the legacy of slavery in the United States.