May 13, 2021

Today INN published a new case study, How Injustice Watch expanded its commentary to amplify Black essential voices, by Ariam Alula. 

This case study is the third in our series on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the nonprofit news industry. The case spotlights how Injustice Watch, a news outlet based in Chicago, created a new editorial series called Essential Work that centers the experiences of young Black activists in Chicago. 

In this case study, you will find: 

• The three questions Editor-in-Chief Adeshina Emmanuel asked that helped guide Injustice Watch’s shift in coverage.

• The process the Injustice Watch team went through to determined the best way it could provide a service to its audiences. 

• Advice on how to find the right editorial partners and collaborators. 

• How the outlet’s new editorial series, Essential Work, impacted its contributors, the community, and the outlet itself. 

Why these news outlets, and why these stories? The organizations spotlighted here represent some of the groups who sat down with our team and opened up — telling us their challenges, what they’re doing now, and where they get stuck. In conversations with our case subjects, we kept hearing this disclaimer: I know we’re not doing enough. We want to acknowledge that the news outlets highlighted in these case studies don’t claim to have it all figured out (in fact, they are quick to say they do not). Instead, they are willing to show us what it looks like to be in the middle of important, continuous DEI work.

INN’s other DEI work and resources 

In tandem with our DEI case study series, INN recently launched the Racial Equity and Inclusion in Nonprofit News Program (REINN) for its members. Supported by the Knight Foundation and led by INN’s Sara Shahriari and several expert partners (including Inspiring Change), REINN offers frameworks, tools and implementation support for members seeking to advance racial diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations and their journalism.

If you have any questions about INN’s case studies, please reach out to INN’s research director, Emily Roseman at emily.r@inn.org.