1. Newsroom Dialogue Boost: Exploring a coverage area

Reporters and editors are not exempt from the charged and polarized environment we are all living in — one that too often dissuades us from interrogating assumptions or challenging orthodoxies. Yet in order to provide accurate, public service journalism about the complicated issues of our day, your newsroom team needs to be able to talk openly and with genuine curiosity. They need to be able to both respect and question each other’s views. In the Dialogue Boost session, we work hand in hand with you to create focused opportunities for your team to engage in supported conversations about a challenging coverage area or topic.

• Who this is for: A newsroom staff or a team covering a specific topic
• What this involves: This offering includes a planning meeting to learn about your team and the topic you wish to explore, 30 minutes of pre-work by each participant to prepare for the gathering, and a 90-minute Zoom with structured conversation for up to 10 participants. We include a check-in call a month later for follow-up questions.
• What you’ll be left with: A guide for future conversations to help support broader newsroom culture shifts.
• Cost: $4,000. 

What past participants have said:

“The conversations we had around values, morals, and objectives are those that I’ve heard many people in the newsroom yearn for. I hope these critical conversations about journalism’s mission and values continue because it’s crucial here and elsewhere. We can’t know where we’re going if we don’t know where we’ve already been.”

“I can also see (this work) guiding us to be more open to a multitude of reads on a story to gain more perspectives and in helping us understand the layers of complexity in stories.”

“I really enjoyed having the chance to meet as a team and take the time to be intentional about journalism values.”

2. Staff Connection: Building relationships and trust

High-functioning newsroom teams rely on each other for brainstorming, critiques and support. With leaner teams and the rise of remote work, too often we don’t know and trust each other. We don’t know very much about each other’s backgrounds, experiences and priorities. And without relationships, we don’t have the camaraderie and respect that make newsroom criticism and debate robust. This leaves staff members less likely to challenge each other and unable to contribute to strengthening each other’s work — which leads to less nuanced coverage. 

• Who this is for: An entire newsroom staff
• What this involves: We’ll meet with leadership first to get some background. Then we’ll host a 90-minute Zoom session for your team that will have you in and out of breakout rooms getting to know your colleagues’ values, ideals and personalities. 
• What you’ll be left with: The group will leave with a renewed energy for their teamwork and with a set of new strategies and routines to continue encouraging connection and collaboration. 
• Cost: $2,000

What past participants have said:

“I absolutely loved the discussion we had on identity mapping and felt that it helped me to understand my coworkers in the room in a much deeper way. I can honestly say in the week since, when I see those coworkers around the office it’s easier to engage, communicate, and build relationships.”

“I think what was most useful was just getting together in person and having conversations with one another about ourselves and about journalism. I don’t think we spend enough time doing that, or even enough time getting to know each other, and that’s where most of our tensions come from. I really enjoyed the one-on-one time and small group discussion where I just got to learn more about my colleagues and chat with them.”

“I loved getting to know my coworkers better and talking with them about big journalism topics. … The experience solidified what I feel I’m missing from my job (human interaction) and why I feel so unhappy at work, even though I’m doing what I love.”

3. Staff Survey: Does your newsroom culture value dissent?

Newsrooms function best when staffers feel free to challenge ideas, to raise concerns about coverage, and to offer less popular / non-dominant perspectives. Yet many journalists, especially with lower levels of authority or social capital, report feeling dissuaded from challenging colleagues — or, worse, feeling penalized for doing so. They then choose to stay quiet, which leads to burnout, homogenous newsroom conversation, and less accurate and less nuanced coverage. Newsroom leaders themselves may also be wary of expressing their ideas and views, which sends a message that caution is more important than directness. We’ll help you understand the complex dynamics in your newsroom and support you in developing strategies for how to change them.

• Who this is for: Newsroom leadership
• What this involves: We’ll work with you to customize our newsroom culture survey and help you deploy it. We’ll analyze and anonymize submissions and send you back themes. Then we’ll meet with you to offer strategies and next steps for acting on what you hear.
• What you’ll be left with: A written summary of staff responses, our analysis of what stands out and suggestions for addressing challenges. 
• Cost: $2,000

What past participants have said:

“The survey revealed some friction points that had gone unsaid in our newsroom. Then our leadership team was given the time and space, through Dimensions of Difference, to talk about those points and to work through them.”