Photo of a person filming a news segment

By Louisa Avery, MJE

Along with Black History Month, February also brings Scholastic Journalism Week — Feb. 21-25.

This year’s theme is Amplifying Voices, so it is fitting that we use this time to examine the work of Black journalists in the past and now, as well as how race has been depicted in the media. This could lead to deeper conversations that consider how publications might accurately cover issues in the Black community and in those of other underrepresented groups.

Editorial: An examination of The Times’ failures on race, our apology and a path forward

This piece from the Los Angeles Times is a great read for advisers and editors to examine how one publication was transparent with their audience about their journey toward more equitable coverage. Staffs might consider their own coverage and write their own editorial or policy outlining their goals in this area. 

How Did We Get Here? 163 years of The Atlantic’s writing on race and racism in America

This collection of reporting shows how a publication’s coverage of race has evolved throughout history, and how they have continually covered issues facing marginalized communities. Staffs can examine their publications to curate their own collection of work. 

How Implicit Bias Works in Journalism

This is a great article from NeimanReports for advisers to read and share with students that explains implicit bias, how to recognize it, and strategies for overcoming it. 

Race and the newsroom: What seven research studies say

This resource from NiemanLab discusses the different perspectives of objectivity and how race can affect coverage. Being aware of these issues is the first step in making changes to address them.

Black journalists face challenges that stem from systemic racism

The Columbia Journalism Review recaps discussions a group of Black journalists had about their experiences in the industry. Advisers can read this to help them understand what it may feel like for our students so we can better support them. 

The Black Press

In this supplementary site, PBS includes information about Black newspapers and biographies of Black journalists in history and present day. (Note: This site is a bit older, so some of the other activity links don’t work. However, the pages mentioned above do.) 

Additionally, JEA members can access the lessons on the history of Black journalism available in the JEA Curriculum Initiative. 

Reckoning with race in journalism

This 42-minute episode of “It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders” on NPR is dedicated to the challenges Black journalists and other journalists of color face, and how this affects their communities. 

Journalism’s racial reckonings: How funders and publishers confront systemic bias.

This recap of the 2021 Knight Media Forum includes videos of many of the sessions which discuss the challenges of reporting about race responsibly while addressing prejudice inside the industry. 

Handling Race and Ethnicity

Poynter created this self-directed course that can help advisers and student editors think more critically about word choices when describing people.

National Association of Black Journalists Style Guide

This style guide can provide more guidance to staffs on language use. Advisers and editors can utilize the guide to ensure your coverage meets their guidelines. It can also serve as a model for staffs to update and add to their own style guides. 

The work of Amplifying Voices should also be mindful of other underrepresented communities. To help with that here are additional resources to broaden the conversation:

  1. National Association of Hispanic Journalists Resource Center includes a link to a very useful Cultural Competence Handbook.
  2. Native American Journalism Association Resources section includes multiple Reporting Guides, including a Reporting and Indigenous Terminology guide.
  3. Asian American Journalism Association is currently revising their style guide, but in the meantime, they recommend consulting the Conscious Style Guide and the AP Stylebook entry for race-related coverage.  
  4. South Asian Journalism Association shares content from the SAJA Awards 2021, including links to the winning stories and a panel discussion titled “Hope and Resilience” between four South Asian women who are leaders at their respective journalism organizations.
  5. NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists Resources include a Stylebook on LGBTQ Terminology, which can be consulted when writing about the LGBTQ+ community. 

How is your staff #AmplifyingVoices? Let us know here to be featured on social media during Scholastic Journalism Week.

Lindsay Porter

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