Thirteen news organizations are starting 2023 as part of a cohort assembled by the American Press Institute to track the diversity of people quoted in their stories through Source Matters, API’s award-winning source diversity tracking and analysis tool.
Included in this cohort are 10 news organizations that received a free one-year license to use Source Matters through API’s Election Coverage & Community Listening Fund announced last year. API selected them because of their interest and commitment in expanding their reach into communities that have been underserved or undercovered–and their willingness to publicly discuss what they learn from using the tool and how it helps improve their coverage of their communities. Part of this work in using Source Matters will allow them to track who is quoted in local stories and assess if the sources they quote accurately reflect the communities they serve. The remaining three news organizations are participating in the cohort through other API programs, such as the Table Stakes Local News Transformation Program and by working directly with the API Product Strategy team.
Many of the participating news organizations are looking for ways to:
- Build more accountability into their reporting practices to better reflect the communities they want to serve, reach and engage with
- Expand audiences with diverse communities
- Broaden sourcing
- Ensure diverse sourcing practices align with diverse hiring practices
- Find new perspectives and voices that reflect their communities
- Replace homegrown source trackers that have not had enough success internally
This cohort will meet monthly for one year and participate in onboarding, training and facilitated conversations aimed at identifying shared goals and fostering peer learning on how to change sourcing habits and practice more inclusive journalism. This group will not only share their own ideas and editorial experiments but they will also listen and learn from experts and leaders representing news organizations from across the country.
Along the way, these news organizations and API will publicly share the lessons learned in an effort to support any newsroom working to identify gaps and opportunities to broaden sourcing and find ways to better reflect the deep diversity of communities in their coverage.
The participating news organizations include:
- Bloc by Block News
- City Limits
- Minnesota Public Radio
- San Antonio Report
- Alaska Public Media
- The Tributary
- VT Digger
- Conecta Arizona
- Epicenter-NYC
- Black Voice News
- KPBS
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Record Journal
The cohort accounts for $90,000 in total funding from API to local news organizations for their use of Source Matters. API contributed the largest share of funding. Additional contributions, which came from the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund, allowed API to include two alumni of Table Stakes programs. API selected the recipients and is designing the program.
Source Matters is accepting new partners. For anyone interested in learning more about source diversity tracking or seeing a demo, please contact support@sourcematters.com or reach out to our News Products Education Manager Katie Kutsko.
For the latest updates and insights from the cohort, subscribe to API’s Need to Know newsletter and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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