Recruitment: Broaden your reach.
- Partner with diverse professional organizations, utilize inclusive job boards that prioritize women, veterans and people with disabilities and attend job fairs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and community colleges.
- Rewrite job descriptions with inclusive language that incentivizes diverse candidates.
- Develop paid internship and career programs.
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TEGNA's producer-in-residence program for graduating college seniors is designed to develop the next generation of broadcast and digital producers for newsrooms. This two-week producer boot camp is followed by a two-year, full-time producer position at a local station and gives graduates ownership of a show. |
Image description: A large group of students wearing black t-shirts pose in front of a large orange screen with the words TEGNA Innovation Summit and an abstract design.
Unconscious Bias Training: Raise awareness surrounding prejudiced attitudes, which can result in a more inclusive culture and ethical news gathering.
- Provide hiring managers and staff with unconscious bias training to identify and mitigate subconscious prejudices in the hiring process and keep it out of news coverage.
- Hire credible and experienced professionals to conduct training and facilitate any follow-up conversations.
- Keep training consistent and ongoing so the information is top of mind and available for new employees.
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Bonneville received positive feedback from its employees on their unconscious bias training, which included self-guided sessions and 12 small group, peer-facilitated discussions or "team talks" focused on three pillars - identifying bias, connection and taking action. |
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It is not only important how you present training to your employees, but also give them a heads up and prepare them for what to expect. We start off with a pilot of volunteers that watch the trainings and fill out a questionnaire to ensure employees are engaged in the process. |
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Jan Goldstein, senior vice president, Human Resources, Gray |
Mentorship Programs: Increase productivity and engagement, improve leadership skills and develop future leaders and decision makers.
- Establish mentorship programs that connect experienced professionals with underrepresented talent, fostering career development and retention.
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Cox Media Group implemented a successful mentorship program designed specifically for sales professionals. Through this initiative, middle managers were paired with directors and vice presidents across the company's radio and TV markets. The primary goal was to empower these middle managers by helping them build a professional network and boost their confidence as emerging sales leaders. |
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Allen Media Group's WAAY 31 station creates mentorship opportunities for employees. They pair them with industry leaders outside the station with similar backgrounds. |
- Ongoing training for managers on how to be a better leader can improve employee relationships, especially for providing and receiving feedback.In addition to mentorship programs, invest in external professional development opportunities to help employees access training and resources for skill advancement.
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The NAB mentoring program pairs rising talents from coordinator to director levels with senior executives starting from vice president level and above. Participants engage in monthly sessions featuring internal or external speakers on topics like managing up, presentation skills and project management. The program culminates in a capstone presentation where participants pitch ideas directly to the CEO and senior executives, with many of them implemented post program. Its aim is to empower participants to leverage their skills for both personal growth and organizational advancement within NAB. |
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Michelle Duke, chief diversity officer, NAB, and president, NAB Leadership Foundation |
Remove Accessibility Barriers: Remove obstacles so that persons with disabilities can have the same experiences as others.
- Conduct routine audits on your website, job board and other digital sites to ensure the information is accessible. Many electronic job boards that have poor digital accessibility features exclude those who may have vision issues or limited mobility functions.
- Make the effort to install or implement reasonable accommodations essential to persons with disabilities. The absence or availability of a wheelchair ramp, automatic door or assistive technology such as Braille devices can be the sole deciding factor on whether someone can work at your company.
- Removing accessibility barriers can also be worth the investment for employees who may benefit from more accessibility in the future.
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NAB and the NAB Leadership Foundation hosted a panel session where experts highlighted innovative approaches to overcoming barriers faced by individuals with disabilities during the Workforce and Inclusion Forum in September 2024. One expert shared that it is important for people with disabilities to be represented in leadership positions to ensure that decisions are made with accessibility and inclusion top of mind. |
