Amanda BeckerVerified account

Allyship applies to newsrooms. Do not watch as your colleagues of color fight these fights. Fight alongside them. Or don't even wait for the fight to begin. Challenge rules. Challenge standards. AND: document everything. 2/

I know our industry feels & can be tenuous. Some mgmts will use that as an advantage. But this is a fight worth having. Fairness & truth are why most of us got into this biz. We can't just put our heads down & 'do the work' if our newsrooms do not reflect those values. 3/

I first would encourage every big newsroom to consider unionizing - especially if you feel there are not systems in place to protect employees who 'run afoul' of newsroom mgmts. I was a proud member of the @nyguild in my last newsroom & they fought for salary & diversity data 4/

Do you have a high-profile beat? Does your mgmt love to put you on panels etc? This is YOUR fight. Use your power. Ask for answers about diversity & not just in hiring but assignments & promotions. Use of social media to improve working conditions is NLRA protected activity 5/

Look at your internal style guides & guidance. Does it reflect a "view from nowhere" or is that view very much from a POV that reflects the demographics of mgmt? Challenge it. Find examples. Send emails. Go as high up as you need to go. 6/

Is your mgmt banning a word - let's say the use of 'racist' to describe an action or phrase but not a person - but using other words such as 'misogynist' or 'anti-Semitic' w/o the same hemming & hawing? Well, that is not a 'view from nowhere.' That is a POV. Call them on it. 7/

They won't always - or ever - listen to you. But maybe they will. And it doesn't mean the fight isn't worth taking on. It is worth creating discussion & discomfort because that is how people - and institutions - grow. 8/