Advancing Equity in Local News Convening

Colorado Media Project invites you to join us for an informal kickoff and preview of the Advancing Equity in Local News convening, sponsored by The Colorado Trust. Meet speakers and guests arriving early from out-of-town, tour the Colorado News Collaborative Newsroom at the Buell Public Media Center, and connect with CMP grantees from across Colorado.

Aurora is Colorado's most diverse city, with a rich cultural landscape that is home to immigrant communities from around the globe. Local media plays an important part in the social fabric and information ecosystem of Aurora, especially for non-English speakers. What can Aurora's newsroom leaders teach us about covering and connecting with diverse communities? What roles do ethnic media play within their respective communities, especially during times of crisis? How do they build trust and serve their communities? Where do they see opportunities to partner with other journalists and nonprofits - both to uncover and illuminate inequities, and also to uplift and inspire?

In recent years, Pueblo - like most Colorado cities - has seen a significant decline in the number of local reporers covering local issues. Learn how CSU Pueblo and the Pueblo Star Journal are establishing a student-led community news bureau and reporting project, and building relationships with local communities to fill news gaps.

In this session, Asian American journalists will discuss the impacts of COVID-19 media coverage on Asian communities. Images of Asians used by media in COVID-19 stories perpetuated the narrative that Asians were to be blamed for the virus. This contributed to the increased discrimination and racism targeting this racial group. Additionally, division between Asian and Black communities worsened due to the media's images of Black perpetrators attacking Asian people. What role and responsibility do media have to ensure their stories don't cause harm or misrepresent marginalized communities?

From water rights to public education to healthcare access, Colorado's Indigenous residents and tribal communities often have unique perspectives on the state's most critical issues. How are Indigenous perspectives being lifted and represented in today's local media? In this session we'll hear about new and recent reporting and storytelling projects in Southwest Colorado, a national collaboration led by the Institute for Nonprofit News, and deep dive into the opportunities, challenges, and ideas emerging from Native and Indigenous residents across Colorado participating in a COLab working group.

One in five residents of the Roaring Fork Valley — a central Colorado mountain region that includes communities from Aspen, Basalt and Carbondale, to Glenwood Springs, New Castle and Silt — identifies as Latino or Hispanic. Over a dozen news outlets serve the area — but huge gaps in access to information persist for Spanish speakers, in an area that has among the state’s highest number of English language learners in schools. In this panel discussion, we'll hear how newsrooms and community groups are working to bridge information gaps in the Roaring Fork Valley, starting with new data from a 2022 survey to understand the Latino community’s perspective on local news coverage, what’s missing, and what they would like to see more of moving forward.

Where do local communities get their news? Are Colorado news deserts expanding or shrinking - where, and for whom? Which non-traditional news sources are filling information gaps - Facebook pages, WhatsApp groups, TikTok accounts, subreddits - and in many cases, eclipsing the audiences of local journalism? Join Corey Hutchins to learn about the Colorado News Mapping Project, and meet some of these local news pioneers and disrupters from across Colorado.

As local news gaps widen, more non-journalists are stepping in and stepping up to create content that enlightens and informs Colorado residents. Some of the best are from historically marginalized communities, and these path-leading storytellers are bringing fresh perspectives that demand our attention. How can newsrooms help amplify these voices, not only through "coverage" but through authentic partnership and curation? What are the mutual benefits - and caveats - of doing so?

Independent, nonpartisan coverage of public meetings is an important part of local newsgathering that underpins government transparency and civic engagement. But with fewer reporters now covering city hall and county commissions, local school and water boards, and other civic bodies, those decisions are too often made with no one watching. In this session, we'll hear about two projects pushing back - with citizen-powered, independent, nonpartisan coverage of public meetings. City Bureau's Documenters program was recently awarded a $10 million Stronger Democracy Award, and the League of Women Voters of Larimer County is preparing to scale up its Observer Corps program in partnership with Open Media Foundation, the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, CSU's Center for Public Deliberation, and local news outlets in Northern Colorado.

In early 2021, Coloradans from across backgrounds, generations, regions and professions began meeting to tackle a series of questions: What would it take to ensure that local news coverage reflects, respects and reaches out to the state’s communities of color? What actions must newsrooms, community members and funders take to create a future in which communities of color share and shape the power of local news media? Our lunch keynote features members of the Black, Latinx, Asian-American and Pacific Islander, and Native and Indigenous Voices Intiative Working Groups to spotlight their reports and recommendations for a more equitable, accessible, and just local media ecosystem in Colorado.

The concept of objectivity, once an irrefutable pillar of professional journalism, is being challenged and deconstructed in newsrooms across America. How do journalists' personal identities influence, enhance, and/or provide context to their coverage? In this panel discussion, we'll invite real talk from Colorado journalists wrestling with and defining the power of identity and representation, where they see gaps in coverage, and how they see their place within their newsrooms and local coverage.

When newsrooms have inclusive workplace cultures, they can successfully recruit, retain and promote reporters who represent the communities they serve, and are better equipped to cover communities with the respect, nuance, and completeness they deserve. That's a key premise behind the Maynard Institute's Fault Lines workshop, which in the summer of 2022 helped more than 100 Colorado journalists from 22 newsrooms examine their own internal biases, workplace culture, and reporting practices. Join Maynard's Martin Reynolds and three Colorado newsroom leaders for a "behind the scenes" peek at their work to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their newsrooms - and how communities are responding.

"Name and acknowledge how local news coverage and media institutions have negatively impacted Black Colorado communities." That was the top recommendation from the Black Voices Colorado working group report in 2021. What does it look like, for newsrooms to publicly address a history of racism, build trust, and move forward alongside historically underserved or misrepresented communities? Hear about current projects in Colorado, as well as the University of Maryland's Printing Hate Project, and the Philadelphia Inquirer's A More Perfect Union Project.

Colorado community leaders and mediamakers gather to discuss the launch of the Black Voices Leadership Coalition. Facilitated by Natalie Williams, CEO of About Belonging. This is a closed session, for invited participants. 

This is the second meeting of this group, and will provide an open space for conversation about group priorities and potential avenues for support. One topic of interest to newsrooms: What might it look like for Colorado's ethnic media outlets to form an advertising network?

The Maynard Institute's Martin Reynolds will host this session for journalists and newsrooms who participated in this summer's Fault Lines training. Others who are interested in joining the discussion may attend as well, under Chatham House Rules (respecting privacy of individuals and organizations).

This is a closed session for Colorado funders to share takeaways from the day's sessions, and discuss opportunities for investing in local news that advances equity by lifting up community concerns, and increasing public transparency, engagement and accountability.

This is a closed session for members of the Latinx Voices working group to connect, facilitated by Tina Griego of COLab and Rossana Longo-Better of KGNU.

Join the League of Women Voters, City Bureau and other partners to help design an Observer pilot program that will engage diverse residents to cover public meetings in Larimer County. All are welcome!

What would it take to create more internship and apprenticeship opportunities for Colorado students - possibly even a statewide student news bureau? Join higher education leaders as they swap ideas for working with local newsrooms in service of Colorado communities.

In July 2022, CMP and Corona Insights ran a statewide survey of Colorado news audiences, in Spanish and English. This survey collected data on news consumption habits, trust in local news, payment and subscription behaviors, what drives audience members to support local news, opinions on various local news media funding models, and more. Join Jim Pripusich and Maria Cuevas to learn about the survey results, and an opportunity for your newsroom to collect similar data on your own audiences.

Bring your questions and join Corona Insights' Jim Pripusich for an interactive deep-dive into the Colorado News Audience Survey data, answering your specific queries about trends in local news consumption and support in Colorado.

Under increasingly intense newsroom demands, reporters often find it difficult to cover the complexity of topics that deal with racial and social inequality. Join Sally Lehrman and Venise Wagner, Authors of Reporting Inequality: Tools and Methods for Covering Race and Ethnicity, for a workshop on effective reporting strategies that equip journalists to investigate disparity’s root causes.

What's next on the horizon for your newsroom, and what resources are available to support you? Join this workshop with CMP funders to brainstorm and workshop projects for the 2022 Advancing Equity in Local News grant program, and other funding opportunities. We'll answer questions to funders about their priorities and focus areas, and help each other hone ideas inspired by the sessions of this convening into fundable, implementable projects.

Come prepared to brainstorm or propose your project ideas for CMP's 2022 Advancing Equity in Local News grant cycle, and other funding opportunities!

Local journalism is a vital public service, but journalists are notoriously reluctant about telling their own stories. How can your newsroom articulate the value you're bringing to your community? In this session, you'll learn tried-and-true strategies from public media and nonprofit fundraising, to help you demonstrate your impact, humanize your team, and connect with community members and businesses who are just waiting to be asked for their support.

What does it look like to report on equity gaps by bringing community members and reporters together from the get-go: story: brainstorming, group interviews, open access and input on the story spreadsheet. Chasing Progress is putting that proposition to the test. What’s working? What isn’t? Plus, what the data does and does not tell us and the challenge of finding the “why” driving the “what.”

What's next on the horizon for your newsroom, and what resources are available to support you? Join this workshop with CMP funders to brainstorm and workshop projects for the 2022 Advancing Equity in Local News grant program, and other funding opportunities. We'll answer questions to funders about their priorities and focus areas, and help each other hone ideas inspired by the sessions of this convening into fundable, implementable projects.

Come prepared to brainstorm or propose your project ideas for CMP's 2022 Advancing Equity in Local News grant cycle, and other funding opportunities!

Recognizing the importance of diverse perspectives and identities in the newsroom, what should news organizations do to prepare to be safe, supportive workspaces for the more diverse teams they hope to hire? How can we make hiring processes and pipelines for training and apprenticeship opportunities more equitable and accessible? What opportunities exist for newsrooms to lead in creating a more equitable and inclusive workforce?

Join Maria Hinojosa, Emmy-Winning & Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist, for her keynote speech addressing representation, identity, and equity in news media, followed by a conversation with Maria, Rossana Longo-Better (KNGU Community Radio) and May Ortega (Colorado Public Radio), and an audience Q&A.

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As a reporter who was the first Latina in many newsrooms, Maria Hinojosa dreamt of a space where she could create independent, multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diverse American experience. She made that dream a reality in 2010 when she created Futuro Media, an independent, nonprofit newsroom based in Harlem, NYC with the mission to create multimedia content from a POC perspective. Futuro does this in the service of empowering people to navigate the complexities of an increasingly diverse and connected world. Hinojasa’s Pulitzer Prize winning podcast, “Suave”, focuses on her relationship with David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, in addition to telling the story of thousands of other people sentenced to die in prison for a crime they committed as a minor. “Suave” is gut-wrenching, deeply personal, and full of heart.

As the Anchor and Executive Producer of the Peabody Award-winning show Latino USA, distributed by NPR, as well as Co-Host of In The Thick, the Futuro Media’s award-winning political podcast, Hinojosa has informed millions about the changing cultural and political landscape in America and abroad. Her new book, Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America, Hinojosa tells the story of immigration in America through her family’s experiences and decades of reporting, painting an unflinching portrait of a country in crisis. She is also a contributor to the long-running, award-winning news program CBS Sunday Morning and a
frequent guest on MSNBC.

Hinojosa’s nearly 30-year career as an award-winning journalist includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN, NPR, and anchoring the Emmy Award winning talk show from WGBH Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One. She is the author of two books and has won dozens of awards, including: four Emmys, the John Chancellor Award, the Studs Terkel Community Media Award, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club, and the Ruben Salazar Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAHJ. She has been honored with her own day in October by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and has been recognized by People En Español as one of the 25 most powerful Latina women. Additionally, Hinojosa was the first Latina to anchor a PBS FRONTLINE report: “Lost in Detention” which aired in October 2011 and was the first to explore abuse at immigrant detention facilities, garnering attention from Capitol Hill as well as both the mainstream and Spanish-language media.

As a reporter for NPR, Hinojosa was among the first to report on youth violence in urban communities on a national scale. During her eight years as CNN’s urban affairs correspondent, Hinojosa often took viewers into communities rarely shown on television and continued that work longform on Now on PBS. At Futuro Media, Hinojosa continues to bring attention to experiences and points of view that are often overlooked or underreported in mainstream media, all while mentoring the next generation of diverse journalists to delve into authentic and nuanced stories. In 2018 she was a Fellow at Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School and is a frequent speaker across the country. In 2019, she was named the inaugural Distinguished Journalist in Residence at her Alma Mater, Barnard College. She lives in New York City with her husband and
two children.