National Press Club

Journalism Institute program explores what antiracist journalism looks like, Friday

Holly Butcher Grant

August 15, 2020

As racism and the treatment of people of color in and out of newsrooms surges to the forefront of conversations against the backdrop of a pandemic that disproportionately impacts people of color, journalists face many questions: When do ‘objectivity’ and ‘neutrality’ mask inequity? How do journalists move from covering protests to telling stories that root out racist treatment in health care, education and other social spheres? And how can journalists practice antiracism in their everyday work? 

Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute as Leah Donnella of NPR’s Code Switch, Cassie Haynes of Resolve Philly, and Robert Samuels of The Washington Post discuss “What would antiracist journalism look like?”

Registration is open for this program, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21.

Panelists will explore and help us understand: 

  • How the default frame of journalism/journalists is not neutral or objective;

  • How to reframe the way journalism works so it’s actively antiracist, and

  • How to broaden reach and audience by working more inclusively with community.

Leah Donnella is an editor on NPR’s Code Switch team where she helps produce and edit the Code Switch podcast, blog, and newsletter. She created the “Ask Code Switch” series, in which members of the team respond to listener questions about how race, identity, and culture come up in everyday life. Donnella joined NPR in September 2015 as an intern for Code Switch. Prior to that, she was a summer intern at WHYY’s Public Media Commons where she helped teach high school students the ins and outs of journalism and film-making. 

Cassie Hayes is co-executive director for Resolve Philadelphia, which develops and advances journalism built on equity, collaboration and the elevation of community voices and solutions. Resolve’s newest initiative explores the development and implementation of a framework that will provide newsrooms with products, training and tools to ensure more accurate identification and coverage of individuals and communities, particularly those often misrepresented in the news media. 

Robert Samuels is a national political reporter for The Washington Post who focuses on the intersection of politics, policy and people. He travels the country to chronicle how the political discussion in the nation’s capital impacts the lives of everyday Americans. He previously told stories about life in the District for The Post’s social issues team. Samuels joined The Post in 2011 after spending nearly five years working at The Miami Herald. At the Herald, he covered politics, poverty, murder and mayhem. 

The National Press Club Journalism Institute has added weekly programming, a daily newsletter, a daily writing group, and other support for journalists since March, and has waived fees for everything due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you value what you’ve been learning from the Institute during this time, please consider a donation of $5, $10, or whatever you can contribute.

This program is one of an ongoing series of free conversations. Upcoming:

Watch the video replay or read the recap:

Contact Journalism Institute Executive Director Julie Moos with questions.

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