Applications open for Trust 101: Earning trust with communities of color
The Trusting News team is thrilled to announce a version of our Trust 101 class with a new focus — one we continually hear from newsrooms that they are eager for help on.
In a free, four-week class, we’ll look at concrete steps newsrooms can take to build trust with communities of color.
Since the first offering in 2019, our Trust 101 class has helped journalists and educators understand perceptions of journalism and has empowered them to demonstrate credibility and actively earn trust. The course brings research and real world examples and connects journalists to others with similar goals. It walks participants through creating a plan for their own work, built on transparency and engagement.
With this cohort, we’re excited to drill down on earning trust where it is so often lacking. BIPOC communities often feel that their lives, values and priorities are not reflected in the news, and they often have historic and ongoing grievances that back up those views. In addition, most newsroom staffs do not reflect the diversity of their communities and aren’t making fast enough progress on that front.
Ready to apply? Fill out this form by Sept. 7.
In this class, we’ll:
- identify past and present barriers to trust with communities of color
- work through coverage areas that are often especially problematic
- equip participants with strategies for effective outreach
- talk about how to measure improvement
- coach participants individually as they outline specific problem areas, coverage ideas and next steps for their own newsrooms
Facilitators:
In addition to the Trusting News team, the class will be co-led by Letrell Deshan Crittenden, Assistant Professor of Communication and Program Director at Thomas Jefferson University. Letrell is a former police and government reporter. He’s now an emerging scholar who specializes issues related diversity and inclusion in news, and community journalism.
Letrell wrote a piece in May about how journalists can set meaningful goals and hold themselves accountable for their progress. You should read it: Op-Ed: Why we need a rubric for assessing local news coverage of traditionally marginalized communities
We reflected then on what journalists could do in response, and we’re thrilled to be collaborating with Letrell on bringing our shared ideas to newsrooms.
Details:
- This class will run Oct. 25-Nov. 19, 2021. Participants should be prepared to spend 3–4 hours per week, including attendance at four live class sessions on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET.
- It is open to local journalists in U.S. newsrooms who are willing to make a commitment to better relationships with and service to communities of color.
- This class is 100% remote and is facilitated through live Zoom classes, video recordings, a Slack workspace and assignments.
- It is offered free to journalists.
- The course requires two participants from each newsroom to apply together. This structure will enable the partners to support each other’s plans and ability to follow through on them. We strongly recommend the team include someone in a leadership position, though that is not required. By leadership position, we mean someone with decision-making authority — over the newsroom overall, or over sections or teams.
- We plan to accept up to 15 newsrooms. As we evaluate applications, we’re looking for journalists who have thoughtful observations and seem ready to invest in making changes.
Questions? Email info@TrustingNews.org.
Ready to apply? Fill out this form by Sept. 7.
Looking for more training?
If this particular focus isn’t right for you, fill out this form to be alerted when we’re next taking applications for a Trust 101 class.
And in the meantime, we have a self-paced class that is a partnership with Poynter’s NewsU: How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust. Sign up, then pick the lessons that are most relevant for your work, on your own time.
