Assessing Bias & Ensuring Diversity of Sources

Covering Diverse Voices and Communities in a Politically Volatile Moment

After working for years to include missing voices and communities in our stories, writers are now discouraged from elevating the narratives and stories of marginalized and vulnerable communities. There is a clear backlash against journalists, documentarians, entertainers and comedians who point out historical inequities, elevate the voices of immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community and religious and ethnic minorities. Whether you are working in journalism or entertainment, documentary/nonfiction, or narrative, you need tools to identify diverse perspectives, listen to their stories and communicate your own intentions as a storyteller. In this workshop, we’ll learn how to imagine stories from a variety of perspectives and how to identify and compensate for our own blind spots. We’ll explore how to ethically navigate the power imbalance as you work to arrive at true informed consent. And finally, we’ll examine techniques to insulate our work from political attack.

During this 90-minute session, we’ll address:

• Balanced Reporting
• Working with Vulnerable Sources
• How to Discuss and Monitor Issues of Race & Diversity in Content
• When is Race Relevant and How to Justify the Work to the Audience

Kelly McBride is a journalist, consultant and one of the country’s leading voices on media ethics and democracy. She is senior vice president and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at The Poynter Institute, where she guides professional news organizations in the best practices for serving citizens, building trust and elevating democracy. She also serves as NPR’s Public Editor. In that role, she and her team listen to audience feedback and hold NPR accountable to their mission to serve the American public. In a previous life, Kelly was a newspaper reporter covering crime and religion. She’s worked as a public editor at ESPN and co-edited the book, The New Ethics of Journalism: Guiding Principles for the 21st Century. She lives with her family in St. Petersburg, FL.

NOTE: Completion of an intake form from the Consortium for Worker Education is required for participation in this program. A link to the confidential form will be provided to you in your confirmation email, and the form must be submitted prior to the event in order for you to attend; if you do not complete the form prior to the event, your registration may be cancelled.