NAHJ Investigative and Data Journalism Task Force Launches Strategic Plan to Hold Newsroom Leaders Accountable for Hiring

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

November 8, 2021

NAHJ Investigative and Data Journalism Task Force Launches Strategic Plan to Hold Newsroom Leaders Accountable for Hiring

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ (NAHJ) Investigative and Data Journalism Task Force is working in solidarity with a group of affinity journalism organizations on ways to increase the diversity of newsroom investigative reporting teams and among investigative editors. As part of this newsroom leader accountability initiative, the task force is inviting a dozen top editors at some of the country’s major news organizations to meet and discuss their hiring record, the demographics of their investigative units, and to learn about efforts underway to ensure their investigative ranks reflect the changing demographics across the country.

To that end, the NAHJ Investigative and Data Journalism Task Force will:

• Meet with top editors at U.S. major news organizations to discuss their hiring record on an annual basis, and hear what they are doing to bring more Latino journalists and other journalists of color into their investigative ranks.
• Publish a survey and index each year holding every major newsroom in the U.S. accountable in real time regarding hiring and promotion practices in the investigative ranks.
• Push for public recognition of the best and worst newsrooms in the index each year at an annual conference awards luncheon.

Members of the NAHJ task force in collaboration with members representing allied journalism organizations, including the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association, will participate in these discussions with editors. These meetings are the first in a series of editor discussions that will continue in 2022. The working group’s aim in meeting with editors is to review each newsroom’s record, discuss any challenges, and to serve as a resource to help ensure that newsroom investigative teams accurately reflect the communities they serve.

Investigative journalism sheds light on society’s darkest corners by investigating abuse, corruption, and waste. Moreover, investigative journalism that is inclusive and equitable should also shed light on the underlying causes of racism and inequality in our society. The task force operates under the premise that diversity is meaningless without equity, power, and justice.

The NAHJ invites other journalism allies to join us in this ongoing effort. NAHJ’s Investigative and Data Journalism Task Force is chaired by General At-Large Officer Mc Nelly Torres, and has three subcommittees: the Investigative & Data Journalism subcommittee, chaired by Mc Nelly Torres with collaboration from Region 8 Director Cristy Fajardo; the Management subcommittee, chaired by Yvette Cabrera, NAHJ vice president, digital; and the Academic subcommittee, chaired by Jessica Retis, general academic officer.

This newsroom leader accountability initiative includes members of the task force management subcommittee and NAHJ’s journalism allies. They are:

Yvette Cabrera, NAHJ vice president, digital

Maria Carrillo, senior deputy editor/enterprise, Tampa Bay Times

Fernando Diaz, lecturer, Medill School of Journalism

Kimbriell Kelly, Washington bureau chief, Los Angeles Times

Dianna Náñez, executive editor, Arizona Luminaria

Monica Rhor, story editor, Chalkbeat

Norberto Santana, publisher & founder Voice of OC

Mc Nelly Torres, NAHJ at-large officer, and editor, Center for Public Integrity

Marina Walker Guevara, executive editor, Pulitzer Center

Francine Compton, president of the Native American Journalists Association

Dorothy Tucker, president of the National Association of Black Journalists

Walter Smith Randolph, NABJ treasurer and investigative editor, Connecticut Public Broadcasting

Asian American Journalists Association

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