February 7, 2022

How is nonprofit news meeting the needs of communities of color? INN’s member newsrooms tell us how in a new Q&A series launching today. In a series of interviews that we’ll post over the next several weeks, we are seeing how journalism leaders are creating new coverage areas, distribution channels, partnerships and fellowships to serve communities of color. Above all, they are working to create trust in the communities served.

As Ron Smith, editor of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, put it, “You can’t listen to the community if you are not in the community or providing a safe place for leaders to interact with your newsroom,” he said. See here for the full Q&A with Smith. 

INN will publish a Q&A with a different INN member news organization for the next four Mondays. Coming up: India Currents, Dallas Free Press, Charlottesville Tomorrow and Cicero Independiente.

This Q&A series emerged from an INN Index finding: 90% of INN member newsrooms make specific efforts to serve or primarily serve communities of color. Our research team conducted a follow-up survey to better understand what those efforts look like in practice. See takeaways from the latest survey in our Medium post.