Diverse Storytelling: Seek out and develop stories that showcase a variety
of voices, experiences and backgrounds.
- Be deliberate and seek out stories that resonate with the communities you serve.
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Bonneville launched a diverse community board that meets with TV and radio content leaders and general managers quarterly. Their website allows diverse community members to share their local stories. |
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iHeartMedia's "Next Up" program brings diverse voices to the podcast ecosystem through a six-month training program for people from all backgrounds that have a creative podcast. |
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PBS KIDS is committed to making sure all children in America see themselves authentically represented in our content. This has been part of the DNA of public broadcasting from the beginning, when shows like 'Sesame Street,' 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' and 'The Electric Company' broke barriers around diverse representation in children's television. |
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Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager, PBS
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Image description: A group of Sesame Street characters including Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo pose next to the words "See Us Coming Together" for an advertisement graphic.
- Run announcements, vignettes and public service announcements (PSAs) focused on topics of diversity, equity and inclusion.
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Kensington Digital Media, a group of radio stations in Tennessee and Indiana, ran announcements and vignettes on the benefits of diversity and inclusion during diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) month. |
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NBC affiliate station KHQ developed "Finding Home," a bimonthly, one-hour radio series focused on issues facing "New American" immigrants settling into New Hampshire. In 2022, they created "Race Class," a monthly radio series hosted by Arnie Arnesen and Boston University law professor Jonathan Feingold exploring issues of race and racism in American society. |
Diversify Newsrooms: Ensure that your staff reflects the diversity of the communities you serve.
- Seek Census Bureau data to understand the demographics of your audience and when building teams, prioritize newsgathering team members and on-air personalities that reflect the demographics of your audience and the stories you tell.
- Create a DEI committee for the news operation to make sure diverse perspectives and communities are represented in journalism.
- Rethink rather than retrofit your organizational structure and culture to ensure diverse points of view are represented at every level. This will create a sense of belonging that allows each employee to be productive and teams to operate more effectively.
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When aiming to diversify its leadership team, iHeartMedia developed career frameworks that included levels and skills for each role. |
Cultural Sensitivity: Provide cultural sensitivity and awareness education and training to ensure respectful and authentic on-air representation and a work environment that promotes inclusion.
- Include cultural sensitivity training as part of your onboarding process to create psychological safety, boost innovation and foster empathy among co-workers.
- Review and update your education and training tools regularly to ensure they're always relevant. Make sure it fits the way your workforce likes to learn, whether it's through PDFs, training modules, in-person discussions, videos, individually or through a collaborative learning approach.
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Starting in 2021, the E.W. Scripps Company launched an annual EDI Symposium, a weeklong event featuring internal and external speakers talking to employees about topics related to equity, diversity and inclusion. |
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WBHM offered a five-part series of diversity education courses to their staff to create a baseline understanding about diversity and inclusion topics. |
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Gray Television found that ongoing training is key for managers and developed a customized training program for its employees centered on diversity. To create a cycle of continuous improvement, they created discussion groups of employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences to brainstorm ways the company can act for a more inclusive and respectful career experience. |
- Leverage NAB's Awareness in Reporting toolkit initiative to access toolkits that can help meet the growing challenges of covering stories that involve sensitive topics, such as race, ethnicity and religion.
Supplier Diversity: Hire diverse-owned businesses, suppliers and vendors to drive innovation, improve the quality of work, drive down costs by
inviting competition and make an impact in the communities where you do business.
- Supplier diversity is one of the most effective strategies to create a more equitable and inclusive economy. Implement a supplier diversity program that aligns with your business goals to keep your leadership engaged and invested.
- To support the growth and success of diverse-owned businesses, establish best practices and equip them with resources, tools and mentorship opportunities.
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NBCUniversal offers recurring information sessions through workshops and webinars for businesses interested in working with them and learning how to become a certified diverse-owned business. |
- Actively seek and engage diverse suppliers through partnerships with community organizations. You can look to these third-party certification organizations across the U.S. to verify that companies meet the diversity criteria in ownership, operations and control:
