Best Practices: When Race Is an Integral Part of the Story
posted on 4.03.2017- Live streamed April 12
Eighteen months ago, TAB kicked off the 2015 Southwest Broadcast Newsroom Workshop with a thought-provoking opening session called "Let’s Talk About Race."
Our goal was to challenge broadcast journalists as to what it takes to report on stories in which race is a key component.
Using examples from Ferguson to Baltimore, presenters Kevin Benz of i-Media Strategies and Deborah Potter of NewsLab discussed lessons learned by newsrooms across the country and brainstormed with attendees to build a capacity for more thoughtful and relevant coverage.
Later this month, the National Association of Broadcasters is going to take the discussion national with a special online presentation Reporting on Race.
This free webinar is available to all broadcast newsrooms online on April 12 at 11:30 CT.
The session will last two hours.
Click here to sign up for the live stream to hear from those who have been on the front lines.
- Learn how news directors decide to cover crisis situations
- Listen to reporters talk about their experiences reporting breaking news
- Understand how social media has changed crisis reporting
- Hear about guidelines and recommendations developed by the broadcast industry to assist the corporate offices, news directors, reporters and videographers covering racially sensitive stories.
TAB and NAB are advocating dialogues such as this because local radio and TV broadcasters are part of the communities they serve.
During times of unrest, we capture and reflect the voices and feelings of those around the community.
We can do the best job of it if we’re willing to examine our reporting practices and identify areas for improvement.
The live stream will originate from the Knight Conference Center at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
WUSA-TV anchor Bruce Johnson will moderate the opening session, Awareness in Reporting Panel: Lessons Learned from Reporting on the Frontlines.
The panel features NPR executive producer Robert Garcia, WUSA-TV reporter Delia Gonalves, KRON-TV assistant news director Janice Gin, and Dave Kurpius, dean of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Among the questions, the panel will explore: How do local newsrooms prepare for unrest in the community?
What precautions do reporters take when reporting in crisis situations?
How do strong community relationships benefit local news stations and reporters?
How does social media influence real-time reporting?
This session will provide guidelines and recommendations developed by the broadcast industry to assist news managers, reporters, producers, photojournalists and broadcast corporate offices for covering racially-sensitive situations.
The online presentation will conclude with a conversation with community leaders featuring former Dallas chief of police, David Brown and the Rev. Kenny Irby, a community intervention director for the St Petersburg police department.
The session will be led by Jan Johnson of Westwood One News.
Brown and other community leaders have led their area through crisis situations and will share how their experiences shape their relationship with local newsrooms and reporters, how social media affects information flow and what media protocols they have used as situations are unfolding.
Click here to learn more about the session agenda and the panelists involved.
Questions? Contact TAB's Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.
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