How to be inclusive and diverse in journalism?

With movements like MeToo and Black Lives Matter, there has been an increasing focus on inclusion and diversity in society and the media. But how can journalists approach these issues? This question was the focus in the third online meeting of the Nordic Forum in November.

Author and journalist Lotte Rosdahl from Denmark has developed a journalistic method of  Inclusive Journalism, taht deals with who is in the media and how they are described. You can watch the video of the talk here (12 minutes).

Rosdahl pointed out that working inclusively is not a task for a small group of journalists only, but something every journalist and editor needs to take into account. As our own bias and the very DNA of journalism risk reinforcing prejudices and stereotypes, these mechanisms influence journalists in their different assignments. Lotte Rosdahl described that to succeed we therefore need to rethink our understanding of journalists and editors as objective. And need a new awareness about all our everyday choices.

After this, the participants discussed and exchanged experiences from their own fields. For example, possibilities to utilize algorithms for measuring diversity of coverage before or after publication, was addressed.

The fourth Forum Talk will be held on Thu 21.1.2021 at 18:00 (CET) / 19:00 (Finland). Journalist and author Vigdis Holmaas from Norway will focus on constructive journalism in Norway. You are welcome to join via zoom!