Confront the reality, based on past experience, of an administration that may be hostile to a free and independent press. Tell people you won’t stand down on values. You won’t self-censor. You won’t doubt whether the First Amendment matters any more. You won’t be bullied. You won’t refrain from calling out misinformation or devolve into false equivalencies. You won’t water down high-impact reporting for fear of retribution. Don’t just tell your staff about that; tell your community, too.
Show your commitment by bulking up your legal resources, your membership in organizations like IRE, and your training on FOIA, fact-checking, and evidence-based, solution-focused journalism.
Review current beats with staff (health, immigration, state and local government, race and ethnicity, the courts, the economy) to plan for coverage that tracks the impact of the new administration. Look for new beat possibilities. The expression “elections have consequences” should be a call for reporting that shows the full range of those consequences, for better, for worse, and for whom.
Tags: Career, Leadership