Diversity Pledge Institute launches pilot program with the News Revenue Hub

Across the industry, many newsrooms say they want their staff to be more diverse and represent the audiences they serve, but they don't tend to walk the walk very well. That's why the work of the Diversity Pledge Institute is so important — and why we're so happy to partner with them to help our clients lead in this area.”

Tristan Loper, co-founder and chief operating officer, News Revenue Hub

The Diversity Pledge Institute has partnered with the News Revenue Hub to launch a pilot program that will actively increase diversity and test and modify DPI’s Inclusive Journalism Survey through a collaborative process within the journalism industry — starting with our newsroom clients.

The Diversity Pledge Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving hiring practices and retention rates associated with diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in newsrooms and supporting journalists’ career growth.

In addition to helping newsrooms recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds, DPI provides the guidance and tools organizations need to improve internal policies and processes. This approach helps ensure people from diverse backgrounds are not only included, but empowered, in the workplace.

We know the quality of DPI’s work firsthand. Earlier this year — before launching this partnership — we worked with DPI to find a project coordinator for our consulting team. We hired Nikki Taylor from a stellar pool of DPI applicants. She seamlessly stepped into the role, eagerly jumping in to help our newsrooms and build out our internal infrastructure.

“Across the industry, many newsrooms say they want their staff to be more diverse and represent the audiences they serve, but they don't tend to walk the walk very well. That's why the work of the Diversity Pledge Institute is so important — and why we're so happy to partner with them to help our clients lead in this area,” said Tristan Loper, the Hub’s co-founder and chief operating officer.

Transforming a newsroom’s culture isn’t just about identifying diverse talent and bringing them on board.

“To change the fabric of how the journalism industry has historically approached diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA), our very foundations need to be transformed. This can be a slow process for many newsrooms — and that’s where DPI comes in. They provide the knowledge and accountability for news leaders to do the work in earnest at a consistent pace,” Loper said.

DPI was founded by Larry Graham, a veteran journalist who spent more than a decade of his career as a sports writer and editor before becoming a director at the American Press Institute, an adjunct professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and now, a nonprofit entrepreneur.

“Once we were introduced to the News Revenue Hub team, it seemed like a natural fit for us to introduce our changes to the hiring process to a small group of Hub newsrooms,” Graham said. “By tapping into the Hub community, we won’t be working with just anyone, we know that the candidates we share will end up going to equitable and inclusive newsrooms.”

Hub newsrooms that opt into the pilot program will be connected to a pool of vetted candidates from the DPI network. To help create lasting change within the industry, pilot participants will have to make three commitments: pledge to diversify their newsroom, participate in DPI wraparound services — which include 360 check-ins for both hired journalists and hiring managers and help creating inclusive job listings — and complete DPI’s inclusive journalism survey.

DPI’s inclusive journalism survey is a product of internal and external conversations with newsrooms, journalists and experts within the field. Through these conversations, DPI noted an information gap in the journalism field around navigating diversity and the impact of DEIA initiatives within newsrooms and has developed its own inclusion survey instrument that will capture and analyze this data.

The results of this study will benefit the journalism industry by establishing a common language and understanding of DEIA. It will also allow for the development of necessary tools and strategies needed to eliminate the barriers to diversifying newsrooms and move beyond good intentions and toward meaningful, positive change.

“We're not recruiters; we focus on creating a more inclusive hiring process, while also stressing the importance of retention because just bringing in people isn't good enough,” Graham said. “They need to want to stay. We're trying to help create those types of environments that make folks want to stick around and grow in a healthy newsroom.”

As part of this partnership, Hub newsrooms in the pilot will get access to DPI’s services at a nominal rate.

About The Diversity Pledge Institute:

The Diversity Pledge Institute is a nonprofit, 501 (c)(3) dedicated to research, analysis and education related to diversity in journalism. Our goal is to solve the diversity pipeline problem; improve retention rates associated with diversity, equity and inclusion; and support journalists’ career growth. We prioritize peer-to-peer training and career learning for journalists while offering ongoing organizational support for diversity and inclusion efforts in media.

About News Revenue Hub:

News Revenue Hub is a nonprofit B2B that helps news organizations build membership and crowdfunding programs. The Hub provides strategy and technology to our partners — everything from developing messaging to implementing custom tech. The organization also train partners on industry best practices and provides support along the way with the goal of giving its partners more bandwidth. Learn more about News Revenue Hub on its website.