This April, I was invited to present and attend the prestigious Women in Journalism Workshop at the University of Missouri’s Reynolds Institute of Journalism. Fifty women from around the country gathered for three days of intensive workshops, presentations and some much-needed decompressing. Hosted and founded by Kat Duncan, the workshop brings together women journalists of all experience levels and backgrounds, from early career and student journalists to Pulitzer-winning industry veterans.
I left the workshop feeling energized and excited about the future of journalism and brought back so many ideas I hope to implement at News is Out. Here are four big takeaways from the workshop I wanted to share with you:
The kids are all right. The student and early-career journalists are doing incredible work. Perhaps it was the environment that encouraged a kind of vulnerability and empowerment often missing in mixed-gender spaces, but these journalists have so much from which to learn. Tenacious and curious, they shared their ideas and struggles. They learned ways to better advocate for themselves and their communities. I know the future of the industry is in good hands if these women are leading the way.
Burnout is a big issue. Between the massive layoffs in the media industry, the intense nature of the content many of us produce, and trying to balance family and work, the women in this workshop are feeling the heat of burnout. Attendees expressed feeling overwhelmed and needing to be adequately supported by their industry. The workshop featured an excellent session by Marissa Lang from The Washington Post, called “Innovate and Advocate,” where she shared how to stand up for what you need in the workplace. Stefanie Friedhoff, a Brown University School of Public Health professor, hosted a session on self-care for the resilient journalist, acknowledging the trauma we can experience as journalists and how to give ourselves outlets and grace.
The industry is vulnerable to data breaches. Data is easily compromised, so what does that mean to our industry, where we are trying to protect ourselves, our outlets and sources? Davis Erin Anderson, a senior digital security trainer at Freedom of the Press Foundation, had jaws dropping with her insights on the weaknesses of our data systems and how easily our information can be accessed. Many of the products we use daily on our phones and computers have weaknesses that can lead to treacherous situations. As a queer journalist, I learned how to better protect myself and my data when in anti-LGBTQ+ situations and countries.
We can be agents of change in our companies and newsrooms. All of the sessions at WIJ were quite interactive and led to breakthroughs for attendees. The Appeal’s Tara Francis Chan presented a session called “Centering consensus and care in the newsroom,” which had many attendees fired up to bring back what they had learned. From being more emotionally intelligent and empathetic with our colleagues to flipping the status quo, Francis Chan showed what consensus and the democratic process can bring to our work. We can be better journalists and co-working teams by embracing the centering of worker-led efforts. I can’t wait to try some of what she shared with us.
Overall, the workshop provided an opportunity that women don’t always have in our newsrooms — to share, be heard and advocate for a better future for ourselves and our industry.