Thinking about #inclusivity and #diversity
When it comes to inclusiveness and diversity, I thought it was interesting the publications that the Society of Professional Journalists released. For example, their recommendation is that we should reach out to sources from different backgrounds. I completely agree with this, as if you talk to sources who are very similar to a particular situation, you may not be getting the full story.
When it comes to word choice and journalism, I think it’s super important that the reporter uses the correct language as they can double-check with a source, or when it comes to pieces around Native Americans, they can check with that particular tribe. With the internet and the phone, it should be easy enough to follow up with your source or consult another reference. Back to our course outcomes, you could lose your reputation if you publish something inaccurately and you can never get it back.
I think that solutions journalism is very true with what we see with the media today. The media reports problems and gets a side of the story that is usually negative and often one-sided.
For example, a year or two ago in my hometown (it was actually the night before UMD move-in day), there was a police standoff a mile away from my house. The story got a lot of media attention (not much in Plymouth, Minn. gets the attention of the media when it comes to “crime”), but the story had a negative connotation and was one-sided. Sources came from police and witnesses, but nothing with the suspect involved or sources close them or there was no comment (there wasn't a statement that said that they declined to comment).
When problems make the news, solutions journalism could lead to new laws being passed by congressional leaders or new business ideas. According to the video, most journalists would be more comfortable reporting on negative news over a possible solution. For example, a business plan could be an example of solutions journalism. I might see this as more public relations for a company, but there could very well be copy/text within that tells a story.
At the summit, one of the sessions I attended was Stepping Into Collective Power. Mayor Emily Larson, Alicia Kozlowski, and Carl Crawford were the speakers for this session. I learned a lot about the culture that these city leaders are trying to create within the City of Duluth.
From this session, my biggest takeaway was that city leaders are trying to listen to Duluthians as much as they can. During this session, they gave us the opportunity to participate in a listening session, where we could bring our issues up to them.
Crawford brought up the question, “What does it mean to be human and what does it mean to have rights. For me, I think to be human, it means to be living, regardless of what age you are and to have rights, means that we have little restrictions and to be able to do what we please without the influence of others.
At UMD, I’ve noticed that people can be really self-centered and thinking about the best interests of themselves. I think this issue is important to address when we think about inclusivity. I thought of this issue as when I was in high school, one of the mottoes we had was approaching things with the lens of “less about me and more about everyone else.” I know this is going to sound a little cliche, but you don’t really appreciate something until it’s gone. I think this is true with one of those situations for me, yet it's not a material thing, it’s a culture.
I think part of the issue could be technology. We all have iPhones and fancy earbuds and when we're walking through the halls, we’re all attached to music, videos or even for me, the radio.
Another example where I noticed this is when I walk through the halls at UMD. There are classmates that I might know or people who I have met before, but yet when I run into them most of the time there isn’t an acknowledgment. I always found this the “social norm” within my past experiences to do this.
A story idea could be on could be UMD’s Connection Day, which happened on February 18, 2020. This event encouraged the campus to disconnect from technology and connect with others around that you may have not otherwise talked to before.
Another story could be looking at the current state of UMD women’s hockey. There are people — like Shannon Miller — who come from a different background. Looking at the history of the UMD women’s program as a sports fan and an outsider of the whole situation, I find it strange that the University would inform Miller that her contract wouldn’t be renewed, instead of waiting until the end of the season, which would be the more common way of doing business within the world of sports or terminate the coach right away.
A very present issue today is COVID-19. This worldwide pandemic could relate to our social justice theme as this pandemic has no boundaries, such as race, gender, class..etc.
