NewsBeat

4 NewsBeat October 2018 You're Not Really Listening M ost journalists think they are pretty skillful listeners — particularly reporters and others who interview sources for a living. But often when we're listening, we're really just looking for that next opportunity to ask another question. We think we know why we're talking to this source, usually an expert or a community member, and our job is to get the information that will help us construct the most accurate story we can, often on a tight deadline. But what if that isn't always our job? Or what if we've done such a poor job representing communities or understanding their experiences (or even ignoring some communities altogether) that our old ways of listening form a barrier to sharing important, diverse stories? That's when we need to change our mindset and broaden our view of what listening really means. At SRCCON 2018 in Minneapolis, David Plazas of the Tennessean in Nashville and I facilitated a session ("Talk Less. Listen More.") on listening and how it can help journalists begin to repair relationships with marginalized or neglected communities. Our session was based on work that the American Press Institute, where I work, has done in this space. That includes a series of essays on what four different newsrooms have done to explore what we call "focused listening" — efforts to hear from particular populations newsrooms recognize they need to better understand, reach and serve. Our belief is that anyone in a newsroom can — and should — learn how to listen to the many varied communities that they serve, no matter which communities they personally identify with. Diversity is the work of everyone in the newsroom, not just a few. What Focused Listening Looks Like David, the Tennessean's opinion engagement editor, works with his colleagues to plan and facilitate events with different community and affinity groups, including young American Muslims, veterans, and older gun owners. This work is part of a larger effort by the Tennessean's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which David leads. Through their listening and engagement efforts, they have not only invited community members into their space but also partnered with community members to host events and conversations. Other non-traditional ways that news organizations are listening to their communities (pulled from a series of essays commissioned by the American Press Institute): The Boston Institut for Nonprofit Journalism st up newsrooms in neighborhoods around the city and at community events to hear from different groups of people about the issues affecting them. They showed how listening efforts don't have to cost a lot: They started out with just a desk, some chairs, a box filled with minimal office supplies and a carpet. The Richland Source put on a community baby shower to provide new and soon-to-be parents with resources about healthy pregnancies and babies. The event was an outgrowth of the news organization's coverage on the high infant mortality rates in Richland County, Ohio. As part of the event, they set up a Listening Post to capture two kinds of information — 1) from expectant mothers: what they were most nervous about and what they were most looking forward to and 2) from experienced mothers: what advice would they give to new mothers. So, they were able to serve their community with valuable information and resources at the same time as they were able to learn more about participants' thoughts and feelings about motherhood. The Alabama Media Group set up a news deputy program as a way to diversify their sources throughout the state, using GroundSource's text messaging platform. The texting-based system allowed Alabama Media Group to reach people where they are a lot of the time: on their phones. By AMY L. KOVAC-ASHLEY How journalists can talk less and listen more, to serve communities better (Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.)

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