The Poynter Institute reported that the Knight Foundation has announced it is donating $1.2 million to try to make America's newsrooms more diverse.
The Poynter story said the money is going to the Maynard Institute, whose mission centers around newsroom and coverage diversity. Poynter reported that in the program’s pilot phase, two organizations will see a specialist embedded in their newsrooms for six months to consult on improving content, including better informing underserved communities, and focusing on hiring and retention.
The Shop Talk panelists discuss the program and the challenges to diversifying newsroom staffs and coverage.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier; Jason Parrott, who is Tri States Public Radio’s correspondent based in southeast Iowa; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.