Equity & Inclusion

We work with focused intent to honestly examine and overcome unconscious and explicit biases; we know that without disciplined effort they do not get corrected. To this end, we invest in the ongoing individual and organizational work of aligning our words and actions with our values and commitment to equity across race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability and other lines of difference. Our aim is to ensure that all our colleagues and partners feel welcome and deeply appreciated, and can safely and joyfully bring their whole selves to their work with SJN.

As a journalism organization, we acknowledge that negative, reductive and denigrating coverage of communities outside the dominant majority — especially those of color — has caused immense harm to those communities and to society as a whole. We are taking action to help bring an end to reporting practices that perpetuate bias and stigma. We teach, support and promulgate reporting methods that:

• Strengthen newsrooms and journalists led by and serving people from historically excluded communities, especially those of color;
• Help all journalists cover excluded communities, especially those of color, in ways that accurately and respectfully reflect community members’ agency and aspirations;
• Frame stories and choose language to counter biases and report on all communities equitably;
• Report on successful attempts to counter racism and other forms of bigotry, helping people imagine and build a more equitable society.