The stress inherent in newsrooms can lead to negativity, but it doesn’t have to.
Kevin Benz, writing for RTDNA, is offering these tips for how news teams – and their managers – can make our newsrooms better places to work, a little at a time, every day.
Benz was also a presenter at the last WBA Summer Conference.
The Poytner Institute is offering sexual harassment training geared toward newsrooms.
#UsToo: Building Trust in Newsrooms is designed by journalists for journalists.
“It applies the most current best practices and research around workplace discrimination to a newsroom setting, diving into issues unique to working in media.”
Learn more here.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is one of numerous groups making public statements Monday after it was revealed that there was a video that depicts a meme of President Donald Trump shooting, stabbing and otherwise assaulting members of the news media and various political opponents.
“This video is dangerous and disturbing. It gives further fuel to the president’s anti-press position, suggesting that violence against journalists is acceptable and even humorous,” said SPJ National President Patricia Gallagher Newberry.
The White House Correspondents’ Association, Radio Television Digital News Association, National Press Photographers Association, and CNN are among those condemning the video.
The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is scheduled to hold one of its quarterly meetings on Thursday, Oct. 17. The meeting will be held at Capitol Newspapers on Fish Hatchery Road in Madison. The meeting is open to the public.
The agenda can be found here.
Among the topics up for discussion will be recent legislative developments on open records issues, a review of access within the current gubernatorial administration, and the practice of charging high fees to locate requested records.
Many newsrooms continue to have an uneasy relationship with the comments section on their website and social media channels. RTDNA is addressing the toll it’s taking on newsrooms in this article.
The article suggests that newsrooms should take into consideration what comment moderation does to the moderators who spend time sorting through hundreds of negative messages.
The key advice is to not let up on moderation. It’s a vital task for any web service that’s providing users with the opportunity to comment.
Newsroom jobs can be stressful and there’s evidence that those who work there could be subject to PTSD symptoms.
RTDNA wants to help by providing newsrooms with a mental health resource guide.
The guide includes articles about covering disaster and trauma, planning for disaster coverage, and preventing burnout.
A low-cost webinar scheduled for this Thursday is aimed at getting journalists and citizens an understanding about how impeachment works.
PolitiFact journalists will explain the nuts and bolts of impeachment, lessons to be drawn from past history, and the current political dynamics.
Poynter is producing the webinar. Learn more and register here.
RTDNA is drawing attention to what they’re calling the essential skills for newsroom leadership.
The article lists seven attributes that start with “emotional intelligence” which is necessary for managers to connect with others in a meaningful way.
A few of the other skills: Collaboration, authenticity, and technical savvy.
News Engagement Day was earlier this week and RTDNA is hoping local newsrooms will use the occasion to engage with their audiences on how journalism works.
“This year, we encourage newsrooms to think about their role in encouraging engagement with news and educating audiences on the journalism profession’s principles.”
The article argues that local journalists are best to carry this message. Read more here.
A Port Washington attorney is launching the Wisconsin Transparency Project, Wisconsin’s only law firm dedicated to enforcing open records and open meetings laws.
The Project’s mission is to provide no- and low-cost legal representation to people and organizations around the state facing issues with government transparency. It’s run by attorney Tom Kamenick.
“Open government is not a partisan issue,” Kamenick said. “We see violations on the left and the right and everywhere in between. At the Wisconsin Transparency Project, we will represent any person, seeking any record, from any custodian, regardless of political persuasion.”
WBA Newsroom