WCP228 Archives: Anti-racist reporting

Black lives matter, today and every day. This is not always reflected in the media. Today we look at how an anti-racist approach to reporting helps us get closer to the real truth of what is happening in the stories you cover. An anti-racist approach works both in stories that explicitly cover racism, as well as so-called softer stories where you may not have initially identified a racial angle. This process will require you to confront biases in society as well as within yourself. In No Name in the Street, James Baldwin wrote, “Well, if one really wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected—those, precisely, who need the law’s protection most!—and listens to their testimony.” Listening is the foundation of good reporting, and anti-racist journalism that challenges the status quo. Get quiet enough in your own head to listen to your own responses to what’s happening. Ask yourself how you’ve chosen the people you’re interviewing (see Baldwin above if you don’t like your answers). Listen closely to what the people you’re talking to have to say. 🔗 Mentioned on this episode … Writing Coach Podcast Greatest Hits Playlist on Spotify Ramaphosa calls 11 lockdown deaths and 230,000 arrests an act of ‘over-enthusiasm’ ‘Unarmed Black Man’ doesn’t mean what you think it means Erin Brown on Instagram @ecce_b Apply to work with me: rebeccalweber.com/coach 🎁 Download my free guide on how to pitch freelance article ideas, “5 Proven Steps to Writing Queries that Sell.”   www.rebeccalweber.com/howtopitch ⭐ Support the Writing Coach Podcast by leaving a review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Let other writers know why you listen. ❤️ Share the podcast with other writers via your newsletter, blog post, article, or on social media.   ✏️ Work with me in Freelance Writer Bootcamp Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my group coaching program have used the proven Bootcamp processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Ms., Nat Geo Travel, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more.  Apply now for the next session: www.FreelanceWriterBootcamp.com 🔥 Work with me 1:1 Private coaching is for the writer who wants a personalized agenda and transformative breakthroughs. You’ll experience new clarity about what’s been holding you back and choose new patterns of thinking and behavior to propel you forward toward your writing goals.  Apply for private writer coaching: www.rebeccalweber.com/coach 📝 More info and complete show notes: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast228