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Media Releases
The Power of Listening: Audience, Employees, and Community Partners Tackle Women's Financial Security
Written by Linda Miller Director, Network Journalism and InclusionMPR News recently partnered with the Twin Cities chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) to host Women Empowering Women: A Conversation About Financial Security at MPR's UBS Forum in downtown St. Paul.The idea for the June 29 event came from a Public Insight Network questionnaire that asked women how they are doing financially and what would help them do better. We heard from women working to overcome student loan debt, pay for childcare, save for retirement, live within their means, confront bias in the workplace, and have difficult conversations with loved ones about finances. We also heard from women with a lot of knowledge to share - about setting financial goals, creating budgets, negotiating a raise and eliminating credit card debt.Their insights sparked interesting on-air conversations with MPR listeners – something that is common for PIN sources to do. But when we asked the 170+ women what they wanted, the response, overwhelmingly, was to be in conversation with other women.Convening conversations is something that is second nature to MPR. Our show hosts do this every day, as do our digital and social media producers. And we have a strong track record of hosting community engagement events like Policy and a Pint, Talking Volumes, the Top Coast Festival and Conversations on the Creative Economy.Most often we invite authors, academics, journalists, politicos, pundits, thought leaders or other authoritative experts to answer questions, provide commentary and, in some cases, dole out advice. Here, however, women were asking for something different: an opportunity to learn from each other.To understand how a conversation like this might play out, we used the questions from the PIN survey to spark discussions among professionals at MPR through our Women's Employee Resource Group. Our conversations were deep, illuminating and cathartic, and many of us learned more about each other in two hours of conversation than we had in years of working together.Inspired, we reached out to our friends at NABA and asked if they would co-sponsor an event and help recruit their members to attend. About 25 women of diverse professional and personal backgrounds signed up and showed up, including a few MPR employees.
Arts reporter Marianne Combs, co-chair of the MPR Women’s ERG, and PIN engagement and inclusion manager Annie Anderson facilitated the two-hour-long workshop, which started with networking and a Jamaican dinner catered by Pimento in Minneapolis. We did not record the event for broadcast, live-blog, stream or tweet it. But we did establish some values to guide our discussions:1) Everyone is an expert in her own lived experience.2) Everyone has insight to share.3) When you are curious, you cannot be judgmental.4) To be inclusive means to listen.We spent an hour circulating among tables labeled with topics the women most wanted to discuss, starting each conversation by sharing stories about steps we had taken to better understand or improve our financial futures.We spoke about our relationship to money and the role money plays in our relationships. We talked about debt, divorce, and online tools for creating and maintaining a household budget. We talked health care, retirement planning and philanthropy, about obstacles we are facing and hardships we have overcome. And we talked about how to talk about all of these things with children, parents and spouses.At the end of the night, we reflected on what we had learned and pledged to take one more action, write it down in a “memo to self,” and seal it in a self-addressed envelope to be mailed back to us in 30 days. Several women lingered to continue their conversations and swap contact information, and many have since offered written feedback on the event itself.“It was really incredible to speak with other women and hear about their struggles,” wrote 31-year-old Kristin Campbell of Minneapolis. “Money is one of those things that no one talks about so it's easy to assume you're the only person who's made poor choices or been through rough times or that those times are permanent. Here was a group of women in various stages of their lives, all who have struggled and worked and made their financial situations better.”“It was reaffirming that most women seem to want the same thing--to have financial independence and to give back,” wrote Elizabeth Dickinson, a 56-year-old life coach and writer.Andrea Jauli, 28, said she learned a lot from the older women about planning for kids and retirement, and she has since connected with women she met at the event. Next time, she suggested, build in more time for women to network.Speaking of next time, all of the women who have provided feedback so far would like MPR to host more events like this on topics ranging from gender equality at work to parenting for safety to empowering female heads of households to cultivating a practical spirituality.One of my big takeaways is that, by creating safe spaces for people to share their insights, especially on taboo topics like finances, Minnesota Public Radio can create learning opportunities with the potential to change the way we relate to one another. The experience also reaffirmed the founding principle of PIN®: It’s amazing what people will tell you if you bother to ask, and remarkable what we all can learn if we take the time to listen.
Linda Miller became a journalist in the small towns of Wyoming, where newspapers were pieced together with hot wax and held together by trust, transparency and a partnership with readers. As the Director of Network Journalism and Inclusion, she is still helping journalists deepen relationships with the communities they serve, albeit with better technology.
Public Radio Inclusion: First, We Must “Do The Numbers”
Submitted by Linda MillerDirector, Network Journalism and InclusionAt American Public Media, we understand our viability depends on our ability to rapidly expand efforts to become as relevant to emerging audiences as we are to our loyal listeners and members today, and to ensure that the faces, voices and programming of Minnesota Public Radio are inclusive of the communities and individuals who call our state and country home.As part of that effort, we recently hired Eric Garcia McKinley to the newly created position of Senior Research Analyst for Engagement and Inclusion, a position funded through the American Council of Learned Societies Public Fellows program.Starting Aug. 1, McKinley will help us develop and implement a system to measure and track the race, gender, age, religion and political persuasion of news sources throughout both broadcast and digital MPRNews content, and to grow, diversify, and use the Public Insight Network (PIN) to drive more inclusive content and programming.McKinley has a PhD in history from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. During his interviews, he demonstrated a deep commitment to data-driven analysis, diversity and inclusion in his research, teaching and writing, as well as a passion for storytelling, context and the broad mission of public media.Our goal is not to build a bigger network of sources. It’s to know whose voices are being included and excluded and to use this research as a catalyst for a broader conversation about what topics we choose to cover, who we choose to hire, the importance of cultural competence, and how we can and must do better.As NPR’s chief diversity officer, Keith Woods, so aptly put it: [Public media’s] diversity deficit may be a complex problem, but the path to solving it is pretty clear: Find out how we’re doing, figure out why it’s turning out that way and do something bold to change it.”In the article below, Keith describes the myriad of factors that play into public radio's diversity deficit in clear terms. Clear, but not easy. Read on for a system-wide perspective on what's needed for public radio to truly serve the public. http://current.org/2016/07/focus-on-sources-race-wont-be-enough-to-close-public-radios-diversity-deficit/
APM Wins Academy of Podcasters Awards
In Memoriam: Toni Randolph
This week we're mourning the sudden loss of our dear colleague, veteran journalist Toni Randolph.Toni's work impacted so many people... the outpouring of memorials offer us some insight into the depth of Toni's impact and the strength of her relationships.We're sharing just a few of them below.
Excerpts from Toni's full obituary at mprnews.org:
"She was crucial in her work connecting us to new audiences around the state and training the next generation of young reporters," MPR News executive editor Nancy Cassutt wrote to staff on Sunday.
She had a special devotion to young journalists — and steered the stories and reporting of countless high school and college students through MPR News' Young Reporters Series and the University of St. Thomas' ThreeSixty Journalism high school program, whose board she joined in February. At the time of her death, she was in the midst of preparing for the fall season of Generation Next's [sic] young journalist classes. Her Young Reporters Series was honored with a 2015 Gracie Award by the Alliance for Women in Media.
"Just as Toni inspired countless young people, she has been one of the strongest voices for diversifying newsrooms — including our own," Cassutt said Sunday. "May we all follow Toni's example and build on her amazing legacy."
Excerpt from Insight News:
“Toni embodied the true mission of NABJ by working to diversify public radio and by serving as a mentor to countless numbers of young NABJers,” said National Association of Black Journalists President Sarah Glover. “On behalf of the entire NABJ family, our heartfelt sympathies go out to those who loved her. Her memory will continue on through the lives that she has impacted.”
Excerpt from We Know How This Ends: Living While Dying, written by MPR colleague Cathy Wurzer:
This morning, as I stood in front of Toni Randolph's desk, I noticed a small turtle, carved from a piece of pipestone, just above her computer keyboard.
The pipestone is sacred to Native Americans and the turtle spirit symbolic of health and longevity. It's hard shell signifying protection and perseverance. Ultimately Toni wasn't blessed with longevity nor protected from the ravages of cancer, but she leaves behind a bright legacy, certainly in the body of work she created, but most importantly in the people she helped nurture and mentor.
Finally, words from Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, via mprnews.org:
Lt. Governor Smith and I extend our deepest condolences to the family, many friends, and colleagues of Toni Randolph as they grieve their tragic loss. During her 13 years with Minnesota Public Radio, Ms. Randolph told the stories of our citizens and communities, which contributed greatly to the recognition of our shared values and aspirations. The many young journalists, whom she inspired and mentored, will continue her legacy through their own careers for many years to come.
Photo and words by Cathy Wurzer: This is Toni Randolph's desk in the Minnesota Public Radio newsroom. It is filled with notes, files and the other detritus accumulated by a news editor. It looks as if Toni will come back at any time, settling in behind the keyboard to edit newscasts and reporter's stories, especially the stories of the fledgling reporters she loved to work with. Toni was a valued mentor and a champion of including more ethnically diverse voices in our stories and in the newsroom.
Making Space for Real Lives at Work
"We want employees to feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work."
This is the latest in a long line of inclusion phrases trending in the Diversity & Inclusion field. In plain language, it means something like "We don't discriminate. In fact, we actually accept people's differences. No, really!"
A lot of folks take issue with this sentiment. First of all, it assumes that bringing your whole self to work is a good idea. (I mean, there are parts of my self even I don't like! Why bring them to work?) Setting that debate aside, I suspect most people don't really want to bring their whole selves anywhere. We have different Selves for different situations, and that's okay, thank-you-very-much. It's why we're not all wearing pajamas right now.
Secondly, most of us don't get to choose who we work with. We're surrounded by people we don't know, or don't know well, or know but wish we didn't. And then there's the power dynamic. Naturally, work isn't always going to feel like a safe place to show one's Self - particularly one's vulnerabilities.
I can count the number of times I've cried at work on one hand. Only once have I not felt completely mortified.That moment was Tuesday afternoon, June 14, 2016, when our staff gathered to talk about the tragic shootings in Orlando and how they were personally affected. For me, this gathering brought the effects of Orlando's violence into sharper relief. It was painful, humbling and hopeful. I am grateful for the brave colleagues who shared their personal stories.
That day I was reminded that we can't *not* bring our whole selves to work. We can hide certain parts, but that's living a lie. If that's not compelling, just think of how much energy is wasted pretending! That's why it's important to work somewhere that gets it - or is at least trying. By the way, even though (and maybe because) I work in human resources, I'm the first to acknowledge that this organization doesn't always get it. But I think if your workplace says it values inclusion and wants you to "bring your whole self to work," that's a call to action for everyone. It's up to all of us to create that culture, one vulnerable moment at a time.
Thanks to MPR employee Annie Anderson for sharing her personal take on our employee gathering below. She also wrote about the Orlando shootings for MPR News.
I returned to work on the Monday after the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando with a heavy heart. I wasn't sure how I was going to get through my workday. My manager, per usual, was outstanding and told me to do what I needed throughout the day to get through it - whether that meant leaving early or diving deep into my work.I knew I had colleagues feeling similarly and I was really hoping we could come together in some way. To do or say what, I didn't know, but to be together to honor the victims and hold space for ourselves.Late that afternoon I had an idea of how this could maybe happen, so I walked down to find the executive sponsor of our LGBTQ Employee Resource Group to pitch my idea. She was away from her desk and I was leaving in an hour. I popped into her colleague's office to see if we could get momentum going. My idea was to provide some sweet treat to employees as they walked into work the next day with a message of acknowledgement that some may have heavy hearts and that APM/MPR recognizes that. Simple really, but I felt it could be incredibly meaningful. But I also knew that if it didn't happen on Tuesday that it shouldn't happen at all.APM can move really fast on a good idea. Tuesday afternoon we had a gathering in our forum space for all employees to acknowledge the hate in Orlando by breaking bread with one another. The bread came from a wide variety of bakeries from around town, many of them representing breads from their home countries. Our COO had sent an email earlier in the day inviting everyone and simply holding space for people to feel what they were feeling. At the gathering, people were able to speak, eat, hug or listen. It was moving. It was cathartic. And it mattered that the organization I work for took this kind of care.
MPR + MNTechDiversity
Minnesota Public Radio is proud to join forces with Minneapolis-based interactive firm Clockwork, led by Nancy Lyons, in its movement to address the under-representation of LGBTQ, women and people of color in tech professions. Nancy explains what it's all about in this one minute video.Like many of the companies who signed this pledge, we struggle to attract and retain talented tech pros. We have some ideas why, but we're likely missing the full picture. And while we've had inclusion & diversity goals in our strategic plan for years, we're not making enough progress. We know we need to do more.The problem is we don't know what we don't know.That's why we're joining in, because collective knowledge is powerful. By signing this pledge, we're adding to the collective momentum of a cultural shift that simply can't happen in isolated geographic, industry or professional pockets. We'll all be more effective as a whole.From mntechdiversity.com:
Clockwork is asking agencies, corporations, small businesses, and software companies to join us in changing the workforce to be more inclusive of underrepresented communities like women, people of color, and LGBTQ.
Perhaps Minnesota Public Radio doesn't strike you as a "tech company" but think about it: how is that audio reaching your ears? How many devices can you find us on? How do those live broadcasts sound so great - from all over the world?And really, how can we pull off an entire day of programming (and host a dance party that night) in honor of Prince, within 24 hours of his passing?We employ a lot of technical - and passionate - people. That's how!The public media industry, in general, lacks diversity. It's been widely and accurately criticized on this point for years. We're on a journey to address this within our own organization, but we can't do it alone. We're reaching out to partners, within and outside the industry, to gain momentum. That's why we're excited to join this initiative launched by Clockwork!Full disclosure: Clockwork's CEO Nancy Lyons is on MPR's Board of Directors. Does this have anything to do with our decision to sign the pledge? Not really. Within about an hour of this post on LinkedIn, employees were forwarding it to each other, their managers, HR, and our CEO with comments like "Cool! We need to DO this!" That's not politics, it's galvanization. Nancy's an influencer in her own right.What does this all mean? I'd like to think it means we're ready to be enlightened, vulnerable, and brave about admitting that we don't have all the answers. Today we launched an internal working group of leaders and employees working in Digital Services, Information Technology, CRM and Human Resources, and we'll be sharing updates here.Learn more about the MN Tech Diversity Pledge here.
Marketplace’s Lizzie O’Leary and Krissy Clark Named 2016 Gracies Award Winners
Los Angeles, March 21, 2016 – Marketplace Weekend host, Lizzie O’Leary, and Marketplace correspondent, Krissy Clark, were named as honorees of the 2016 Gracie Awards, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation. The Gracies recognize exemplary programming created by women, for women and about women in all facets of media and entertainment, as well as individuals who have made contributions to the industry.O’Leary was recognized with The Gracie Award for her work as host of a national radio news program. She is the host of Marketplace Weekend – the Marketplace portfolio’s newest program, which O’Leary helped launch in 2014. As host, O’Leary combines her strong journalistic skills with her ability to bring the economy to life for audiences to better understand complex economic topics in an interesting and relatable way.Krissy Clark is the senior correspondent for Marketplace’s Wealth & Poverty Desk, where she helps make sense of some of the most fundamental shifts happening in the U.S. economy, including the growth of the low-wage service sector and the shrinking of middle-wage, middle-class jobs. Krissy tracks the widening gap between rich and poor in the U.S. and what it means for economic mobility in America. Clark won two awards – one highlighting her work as a reporter and correspondent for Marketplace’s daily radio program, and another for her in-depth reporting on gentrification, in a series called “York and Fig.”“It’s such an honor to see two of our incredible journalists recognized for their outstanding work,” said Deborah Clark, vice president and executive producer, Marketplace. “Both Lizzie and Krissy are compelling storytellers and help break down the macro economy by telling stories at the micro level – about the real people who make up our economy.”O’Leary and Clark will be honored at the 41st Annual Gracie Awards Gala on May, 24, 2016 in Beverly Hills. The event benefits the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, a charitable non-profit that creates educational programs, charitable activities and scholarship initiatives to benefit the public and women in the media.About MarketplaceMarketplace® is produced and distributed by American Public Media™ (APM), one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world with a portfolio reaching 19 million listeners via nearly 1,000 radio stations nationwide each week. Produced in association with the University of Southern California, Marketplace® programs (Marketplace, Marketplace Weekend, Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Tech) are currently broadcast by nearly 800 public radio stations nationwide and heard by more than 12 million weekly listeners and Marketplace, the weekday evening program, is the largest business news program, on radio or TV, in the country. Marketplace programs are noted for their timely, relevant and accessible coverage of business, economic and personal finance focusing on the latest business news both nationally and internationally, the global economy and wider events linked to the financial markets. For more information on Marketplace visit marketplace.org. Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio and StreamGuys. Data are estimates only.
MPR News and Next Generation Radio
Next Generation Radio is a series of one-week student radio training projects co-sponsored by NPR member stations and several journalist and media organizations. The projects are designed to give students who are interested in radio and journalism an opportunity to report and produce their own radio and multimedia stories. Our own Laura Yuen of MPR News participated as a mentor and shared her admiration on the students' work:"On Saturday, the students presented their audio stories at the annual convention for College Broadcasters, Inc. The final products made me incredibly proud, yes, but also won my admiration. I’ve lived in Minnesota for more than a decade and was surprised to learn so much about my own community. These non-narrated pieces focused on individuals doing extraordinary things: a Minneapolis woman reclaiming lacrosse for the indigenous people who invented it, a Hmong community member sharing his personal tale of exodus and rebuilding, a blind woman who’s learning literally to find her way, a Native American kid who’s attending a magnet school that’s trying to close the achievement gap, and more."Explore the Next Generation Radio stories online.