The American Press Institute today announced two new initiatives within its Culture & Inclusion focus area: the API Media Inclusion & Impact Survey and the API Leaders Fellowship for Inclusion & Impact. These programs, both evolutions of long-standing journalism industry efforts, reaffirm API’s commitment to fostering a more inclusive, transparent and accountable media landscape. Strategic planning for the two initiatives is being funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
These initiatives build upon longstanding efforts to support news organizations in strengthening diversity, leadership development and community engagement. By expanding these programs under API’s leadership, the organization seeks to equip journalists and local news leaders with data-driven insights and career development opportunities that promote equitable representation in the media industry.
Through these efforts, API will continue to provide tools and resources that help news organizations create more inclusive workplaces and better serve their communities. The survey and the fellowship are part of a broad suite of offerings from API that focus on inclusivity, including custom private training, the API Inclusion Index, which improves how newsrooms cover communities of color by assessing eight areas to reveal inequitable practices, and Source Matters, an award-winning software tool that tracks the diversity of sources in news stories and helps journalists improve coverage.
API Media Inclusion & Impact Survey
The API Media Inclusion & Impact Survey, formerly the Newsroom Employment Diversity Survey, continues the long-running effort to track demographic diversity in U.S. newsrooms. First launched by the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) in 1978, the survey became a key industry benchmark for measuring newsroom representation. In 2025, API acquired the survey from the News Leaders Association (which was formed from the merger of the American Society of News Editors and the Associated Press Media Editors), ensuring its continuation under a new name and expanded focus. The News Leaders Association dissolved in 2024.
For decades, the survey has provided critical insights into workforce composition, including race, ethnicity, gender, leadership representation and industry-wide diversity trends. API is committed to modernizing the survey’s methodology, improving participation rates, and making the findings more practical and actionable for news organizations striving toward greater inclusivity.
API has made historical survey data publicly available on its website, preserving more than four decades of newsroom diversity reporting. API is working with its Media Insight Project partner, NORC at the University of Chicago, to revamp the survey and its methodology. Future updates on the survey’s relaunch will be shared via API’s newsletter and website.
API Leaders Fellowship for Inclusion & Impact
The API Leaders Fellowship for Inclusion & Impact is an evolution of the Emerging Leaders Institute for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, a program originally developed by the News Leaders Association in 2012. After NLA dissolved in 2024, API acquired the fellowship to continue supporting news leaders who champion resilience, cultural competence and effective community engagement.
Historically, the fellowship has helped accelerate the careers of journalists from underserved backgrounds, equipping them with the leadership skills needed to advance in the industry. Alums of past cohorts have gone on to become news directors, managing editors, executive producers and other senior newsroom leaders.
API plans to relaunch the fellowship with an updated curriculum focused on inclusive leadership, newsroom transformation and community engagement. Previous participant rosters and program history are now available on API’s website.
Stay connected for updates
Both the API Media Inclusion & Impact Survey and the API Leaders Fellowship for Inclusion & Impact will officially relaunch in the coming months. In the meantime, explore historical program data and stay updated on new developments.
To receive the latest updates on these initiatives, subscribe to API’s Need to Know newsletter.
To inquire about how you may support this work with funding or other resources, please reach out to Michael D. Bolden, API’s CEO and Executive Director, via bolden@pressinstitute.org or Kevin Loker, API’s Senior Director for Program Operations and Partnerships, via loker@pressinstitute.org.
About the American Press Institute
The American Press Institute supports local and community-based media through research, programs, and products that foster healthy, responsive, and resilient news organizations. API envisions an inclusive democracy and society, where communities have the news and information they need to thrive. API is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization affiliated with the News/Media Alliance.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and the American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. Learn more at KF.org.
