In March, we published what we’re doing in 2017 to foster diversity, both at ProPublica and within investigative journalism.
In support of those goals, we’re pleased to announce that we’ll be continuing the popular Diversity Mentorship Program at the Online News Association conference in Washington, D.C., in October. We want to make it easier for journalists from underrepresented communities to connect with people at the top of the field. Part of how we do that is this event, now in its third year, which pairs people seeking mentors with senior journalists from around the world.
We’ll host a hot breakfast at ONA for 50 people on Oct. 6, from 8-9:30 a.m. We stick to a 2:1 ratio of mentees to mentors for this event, which means we’ll accept about 33 mentees.
Anyone from an underrepresented group — including people of color, women, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities — is welcome to apply. We’re only considering applicants who are attending ONA and who will be available the morning of Friday, Oct. 6. You can apply via this form.
Mentors for this event will be managing editors, executive editors and other leading professionals in the industry. We do our best to pair people with mentors based on the issues that interest them.
You’ll have time during the breakfast to talk with your mentor, as well as other mentors and mentees. The hope is that these relationships will endure well beyond this event.
The deadline to apply for the Diversity Mentorship Program has been extended to Tuesday, Sept. 12. We’ll let you know if you’ve been matched with a mentor by Wednesday, Sept. 20. We’ll do our best to match everyone with a mentor, but bear in mind that space is limited.
Special thanks to News Republic for sponsoring the Diversity Mentorship Program with us. Their financial support makes this event possible.
Questions? Address them to Hannah Birch at diversity@propublica.org. You can also read more about steps we’re taking to increase diversity at ProPublica and in journalism in general.