About Diversity
Diversity is one of SPJ’s primary areas of focus. We need to be vigilant of the makeup of our newsrooms as well as ensuring that diverse points of view are reflecting in our reporting and writing. Here are a few resources to guide you in both those areas. There are many more; if you have specific areas of interests or questions, please email us and we will do our best to steer you toward sources or data you need.
The Diversity Style Guide is a resource to help journalists and other media professionals cover a complex, multicultural world with accuracy, authority and sensitivity. This guide, a project of the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism at San Francisco State University, brings together definitions and information from more than two dozen style guides, journalism organizations and other resources.
The guide contains more than 700 terms related to race/ethnicity, disability, immigration, sexuality and gender identity, drugs and alcohol, and geography.
The Journalists of Color Resource Guide
A compilation of resources for journalists looking to level up their career and the newsrooms they work in.
From CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.
The Trans Journalists Association Style Guide
The Trans Journalists Association’s Style Guide is a tool reporters, editors and other media makers can use to begin to improve trans coverage. It gives insight into appropriate language, common shortcomings, and steps journalists can take to make their coverage better.
The SPJ Race and Gender Hotline
SPJ has partnered with experienced Black and LGBT journalists and educators, including the Trans Journalists Association. They’ll offer concrete advice for your specific situation.
The Radical Copyeditor’s Style Guide for Writing About Transgender People
The purpose of this guide is to help people of all gender identities and experiences practice more care toward those on the margins. Trans people must be understood as the authorities on ourselves and the language used to describe us. Not only does this mean that cisgender (non-trans) people need to practice humility and care toward trans people, but it also means that trans people—particularly those with educational, financial, and/or racial privilege—need to practice humility and care toward other trans people—particularly those who are folks of color, low-income, less educated, and/or elders.
The MSW@USC Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege
This toolkit is meant for anyone who feels there is a lack of productive discourse around issues of diversity and the role of identity in social relationships, both on a micro (individual) and macro (communal) level.
Everybody In: A Journalist’s Guide To Inclusive Reporting For Journalism Students
This is a thought-provoking and practical guide to help you make sure your reporting includes your whole audience.
Slides from the Investigative Reporters and Editors 2019 conference on how to cover hate groups and other issues.
SPJ Houston Pro Chapter 