An effort to bring more veterans into newsrooms

How many military veterans are in your newsroom?

For that matter, how many are in journalism altogether? How did they get there? What obstacles have they faced in getting hired? And how can we keep them there?

A new research initiative called “Bridge the Divide” from the group Military Veterans in Journalism digs into those questions. As part of a collaboration with the University of Alabama’s Veterans and Media Lab funded by News Corp. (and with feedback from API), the group asked newsrooms across the country how they view and hire veterans. It also asked journalists who are veterans about their experiences.

The results provide insights into what the group calls a “military-civilian divide” that affects the industry.  Having veterans in newsrooms can be an asset that broadens perspectives and experience. Yet the year-long process found that “while many veterans are well-positioned to transition into journalism careers where teamwork and deadlines are critical, some found the cultural adjustments difficult to overcome.”

The report also offers five ways newsrooms can get more veterans into journalism jobs, including teaching hiring managers about the transferable skills veterans bring to news. “Veterans shouldn’t have to explain this intuitive fact,” the group said.

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> NPR sues Trump over executive order to cut funding (CNN)

National Public Radio and several NPR stations from Colorado have sued the Trump administration over its attempt to defund the network, saying it violates “the expressed will of Congress and the First Amendment’s bedrock guarantees of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association.” CNN’s Brian Stelter explained that the core of the suit is its assertion that the administration is engaging in retaliation against the network for what it perceives as bias.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> Bloomberg rethinks diversity programs (Semafor)

Bloomberg editor John Micklethwait has told the newsroom that its inclusion programs “will no longer be specifically focused on underrepresented groups,” writes Max Tani. The company, which renamed its DEI team the “HR inclusion” team, is “making sure that all of our programs are inclusive of everybody as opposed to being specifically built for particular underrepresented groups,” Tani quoted Micklethwait as saying in a recent staff meeting. 

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Text messaging service leads to trust, higher engagement (INMA)

Two news organizations — the Chicago Sun-Times and the Texas Tribune — described experiments involving direct engagement with audiences via SMS and found success in the process, writes Amalie Nash. They discussed their work at the recent Collaborative Journalism Summit hosted by the Center for Cooperative Media in a session on building trust with unconventional apps and tools. The “article” format isn’t always what people want, said the Sun-Times’ Ellery Jones, and “can blind us to what they are asking for.”

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Revenue & Resilience

>> As news deserts spread in Michigan, Lenawee County an unexpected oasis (Bridge Michigan)

There is a bright spot in local news in Michigan, Justin A. Hinkley writes for Bridge Michigan.  Lenawee County, in the southeastern part of the state, now has just as many newspapers as neighboring Washtenaw County, a much larger neighbor (home of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan). “Local news is the name of the game and people want to know what’s going on in their community,” said Doug Donnelly, editor and publisher of the Advance in Blissfield.

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What else you need to know

✂️  Washington Post offers new round of voluntary buyouts (Ben Mullin, Bluesky)

🤝 Journalists, collaborate to better understand your community (Trusting News)

📱 Almost: Meeting Gen Z where they scroll (Editor & Publisher)

🗞️ They’re 15. Wait until you read their newspaper. (The New York Times)

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