Special Edition

Think of the last time you struggled to cope after working on a difficult story. Did you speak to a colleague? If so, what made you feel like you could approach them? If not, what kept you from reaching out?

While there are things in our control that can ward off burnout or help us complete the stress cycle, burnout is a workplace issue. It cannot be solved with better self-care — this idea implies the person feeling burned out should be doing more.

We’re almost halfway through the year, and Mental Health Awareness Month is a good time to pause and reflect on our well-being and that of our newsrooms.

Safety from digital attacks, physical harm and political violence requires preparation, and there are often patterns or signs that journalists and editors can recognize and plan for.

Covering election polls, for example, is no longer necessarily the default for local newsrooms. Below, we work through ways to reflect on your outlet’s poll coverage and how it engages your community.

Planning ahead and carefully communicating facts can help build trust and prevent doubt or skepticism from community members about your elections reporting.

Resource-strapped newsrooms can’t offer comprehensive coverage on every person and issue up for a vote, but community listening can help you prioritize the topics that matter most to your audience — and decide what not to cover.

Each week will offer a combination of frameworks to inspire new approaches to your election coverage and strategic suggestions you can put in place right away. Look for an idea that aligns with your organization’s mission or your community’s needs, and dig into resources to try it out.

Belonging is more than feeling welcomed into a room — it is about being recognized as a full participant, with the agency to shape the meeting experience itself. It arises in tension with “othering,” and it prompts us to take into account who has been excluded, why and what systems made that possible.

Conflict is often an emotional state as much as difference of opinions. Resolving it is not possible if all parties don’t feel seen or heard.