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How can we reach beyond the local news choir? Spotlight PA’s founding editor has ideas
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June 11, 2020, 2:40 p.m.
Audience & Social

“I continue to have nightmares that I still work there”: Many, many journalists speak out about racism in newsrooms across the country

“My boss — sitting next to me in a meeting with his boss — stretched out his leg to lower the chair I was sitting in while I was speaking. A seat at the table is not enough.”

Over the last week, journalists of color have been talking about the racism and discrimination they’ve faced while working in newsrooms.

Many journalists have shared their stories on Twitter, often risking job security and violating NDAs to do so. One story is one story, but as the stories pile on top of each other, it becomes obvious that racism in news media is institutionalized across the United States — from newsrooms large and small, in towns and cities, at legacy publications, television stations, and digital startups.

Nieman Lab is amplifying these stories in this thread, which we’ll continue to update indefinitely. Please read (or read in unrolled form here), and if you’d like to share your story or point us to one you’ve already shared, we’ll add it to the thread.

Photo of receipts by Ben Osteen used under a Creative Commons license.

Laura Hazard Owen is the editor of Nieman Lab. You can reach her via email (laura@niemanlab.org) or Bluesky DM.
POSTED     June 11, 2020, 2:40 p.m.
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