Feature

By Francisco Vara-Orta, IRE & NICAR When I think about the future of diversity, belonging, equity and inclusion in the journalism industry in these uncertain times, I remind myself it’s nothing new to those who have studied and been a part of this work that has been going on for more than seven decades. DBEI…

By Amanda Morris, The Washington Post Growing up, I did not have friends who wore hearing aids like me. As a mainstreamed kid — who went to regular public school with hearing people instead of going to a deaf school — my only frame of reference for my experiences was my older brother Brett, who…

By Jennifer LaFleur, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism Imagine a broad group of people regularly excluded from social, governmental and employment activities because systemic and structural barriers keep them out. A pretty important story, right? Yet it’s one that too often goes uncovered. For investigative reporters, it’s an opportunity to do data-driven stories that…

By Doug Meigs, IRE & NICAR Journalist and scholar Tom Koch built his career writing at the intersection of public health and social justice. Now, the longtime IRE member is helping a new generation of public health reporters and journalists working with disabilities. Koch himself has low vision, and he had to fight for fair…

By Denise-Marie Ordway, The Journalist’s Resource Until recently, I rarely told anyone I have a disability. I didn’t share that information with editors or even fellow journalists at the news outlets where I’ve worked during my 20-plus-year career. For one thing, I was ashamed. I’m keenly aware of the stigma and stereotypes associated with having…

By Doug Meigs, IRE & NICAR; Mike Reicher and Lulu Ramadan, The Seattle Times; Amy Silverman, Arizona Daily Star; Beth Hundsdorfer and Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois ProPublica supports local and regional investigative projects through its Local Reporting Network. These newsroom collaborations have exposed myriad failures by systems meant to support the most vulnerable members…

By Patrick Garvin, independent journalist and accessibility consultant I’ve spent more than four years speaking at journalism conferences and talking to newsrooms about making news sites more accessible to people with disabilities. When I speak with journalists about this, I rely on two sets of credentials: the accessibility certifications I’ve earned in the last four…