Like any other college or professional publication, the Daily Nexus has its strengths as well as its flaws. As an independent, student-run newspaper, our editors often grapple with difficult decisions regarding journalistic ethics. Many times over the course of the paper’s 90-year history, these decisions have resulted in mistakes or oversights that have caused harm to the diverse communities we report on.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the wave of protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, journalists across the country have ramped up calls for diversity and inclusion in the newsroom. This includes members of our current editorial staff, joining those who have called for changes to the Nexus in past years.
Over the summer, the editorial staff of the Nexus reflected on how our publication can better represent and report on the UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista communities which we serve.
A group of 15 editorial staff members, including the editor in chief and the managing editor, formed a Diversity Task Force which began meeting weekly in June. These meetings have consisted of open discussions about how the Nexus can improve diversity and inclusion in our paper and the concrete steps that we must take for this to happen.
The objectives of the Diversity Task Force consist of the following:
- Ensure that our editorial and general staff reflect the diversity of our community
- Strengthen representation in our coverage by improving relationships with campus and community organizations through consistent outreach
- Provide training on diversity and inclusion for all Nexus staff
We’ve waited to publicly announce the Diversity Task Force until tangible plans for this fall and beyond were well underway. Our ultimate goal is to create an institutional base of knowledge to pass down to future generations of editors so that this essential work continues to be carried out.
Delving further into the initiatives we are launching this fall, here is a summary of our plans:
- Outreach to organizations: Over the summer, the Task Force compiled a list of campus and community organizations, specifically those supporting underrepresented groups. The aim of this endeavor is to build long-term connections with student leaders on campus and open up a dialogue about how we can better cover our campus as a whole. As editors and writers, we have blind spots and miss the mark covering certain organizations. Only through improved outreach can we ensure that student organizations and communities are not ignored or misrepresented.
- Developing a staff survey: This fall, the Nexus will conduct anonymous surveys of our editorial team and staff members to gain a better understanding of the Nexus’ demographics. Survey topics include race, gender and sexual orientation, financial status, major and first-generation status, among other questions. The survey also provides an opportunity for members to assess the Nexus’ workplace dynamics and provide feedback that will be used for the creation of future initiatives. The results of these surveys will be anonymously released in a public report later in the quarter. Our goal is to identify which communities are represented within the Nexus and how we can better recruit writers and editors to mirror the diversity of experiences of our student body.
- Coverage tracker: Starting this fall, each content-producing section of the paper will be tracking the subject matter, source types and other trends in all stories published by the Nexus. This tool will allow editors to identify which stories or groups aren’t being covered in their sections. The editorial staff will meet once a quarter to review coverage tracker progress and examine what changes need to be made in our reporting.
- Staff trainings: Every writer, artist, designer, photographer and videographer who joins the Nexus — whether they contribute a single piece or on a regular basis — should be given support and opportunities to learn about journalism. Each section has different training methods, but the bottom line is that editors should make their sections welcoming and supportive environments. All editors currently train their writers on the fundamentals and ethics of journalism and expectations for their sections. In addition to training for writers, editors need formal training on how to lead a section, along with ethics of journalism, sourcing and skills such as fact checking.The Nexus will be ramping up training for both writers and editors by continually gathering outside resources from experts on diversity and inclusion in journalism. The success of a newspaper is largely defined by the coverage it produces. If a newsroom’s coverage is not representative of the communities it serves, then it is not fulfilling its purpose as a newspaper. The Nexus must promote accountability and transparency by facilitating conversation about its successes and failures. Only by working together as an editorial staff can we ensure that all editors learn from one another’s mistakes.
The Diversity Task Force will continue to meet through the end of Fall Quarter 2020 as it moves into its next phase: the creation of two Diversity and Inclusion Chair positions. These will be permanent, paid editorial staff positions. Once hired, the two chairs will continue and expand the work of the Task Force, including by conducting the staff survey, developing and facilitating staff trainings and overseeing coverage trackers.
We acknowledge that the Nexus is not a perfect organization and we have a long way to go. The Diversity Task Force is composed of student journalists who are dedicated to making the Nexus a more inclusive and representative organization, both in our staff and in our coverage.
This list of changes is far from comprehensive; we are always open to feedback. Please email Harper Lambert, our editor in chief, at eic@dailynexus.com if you’re interested in learning more about the Task Force or if you have any suggestions.
they said diversity Kent will be triggered
Trump and Amy Barrett trigger you. 10/26/2020 Amy Barrett will become Trump’s third Supreme Court Justice to sit on the court. 11/03/2020 Trump will win the election in such a landslide that all the democrat plans to cause confusion about who won will fail. MAGA!
How do I know this? Because unlike UCBS far left wing radicals, I know how to do research. I can find pertinent information and use it.
Good thing you weren’t triggered and had a rational reasonable measured response. Not the response of a ranting unhinged crazy person. You give conservatives a bad name with your fascist white supremist brand of conservatism. Why cant you move on from UCSB ? Why is your life so empty that you left but cannot move forward? HOw empty and meaningless is your life that you spend your time doing time venting the voices in your head onto a college newspaper comment section with responses that never have anything to do with the article that you read
Amy Barrett has been nominated and I know that the UCSB diversity team all hate this type of diversity on the supreme court.
HOw do you “know” this do the voice in your head tell you or do you mean you think that they would?
be honest stop asserting things that you make up as the truth
Saying George Floyd has been murdered is a lie and UCSB can be held liable for that lie if this article gets out. George Floyd had a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system at the time of arrest. One murder charge has already been dropped against Derek Chauvin. At most he may get a manslaughter charge and that’s doubtful.
Those are the facts. Your opinion that someone was murdered isn’t a fact. UCSB is known for being a research university. You could have done some basic research before writing lies into your article and making yourself look foolish.
Hahaha- thank you for not holding back on your triggered snow flake response. Even for Alabama you are ignorant, racist and beyond dumb. You should hold your breath for the liable charges to be filed. How many other stupid non sequitur comment can you make as you become more and more unhinged?
For anyone else reading this who cant tell, Kent is what an incel sounds like.
But incels have a brighter future than you. You’ll not be having fun after family court in the future and owing child support, alimony and living in your car while your student loan debt keeps skyrocketing because you’re on minimum payments. Then your driver’s license will be suspended because you can’t pay the child support and you’ll be in jail.
Im glad that you think your incel future is better than mine. Thank you for tacitly agreeing with me that you are an incel. Your imaginary scenario is very creative. A few big holes in it no student loan debt, no children. I ove how you just make up responses to every story none of them have a drop of reality nor do they have an ounce of truth. Please get help stop reading the daily stormer and only getting your news from QAnon. It only proves how ignorant and stupid you are. Why do you still post here? We… Read more »
Imaginary scenario? You obviously have no background in doing research. In California the divorce rate is about 60% for first time marriages. Only about 10% of the rest are content and the other 30% stay together for the kids, religious reasons and other reasons though they’re unsatisfying marriages. You think its a good deal for a man to get married these days when you have at least a 50% of having the rets of your life messed up? I don’t and more men are waking up to the feminist game that has conspired against them. They don’t want to end… Read more »
Yes imaginary because you said it was my future and there were huge wholes in the story. Then instead of understanding anything you start spouting menist rhetoric. You show a lack of understanding what feminist even means. You arent a man and no one will ever marry you. You being an incel, im not sure why you are worrying about these issues that will never affect you. Other than issues that affect your moms basement you wont be affected
Clearly black-pilled Kent thinks everyone has the exact same life scenarios as his. Not everyone will be a loser like you, Kent. Stop using feminist theory as an excuse because you don’t have the balls to hold any accountability and responsibility of being a good and decent man who is capable of genuine love and compassion towards women. His psychosis starts acting again and all he does is projecting and blaming everything else for his own downfall, coward. Go blame your mom for not loving you adequately. I feel pity about your daughter that she will have to learn one… Read more »
thank you for saying this perfectly
Shot gun ad hominem attacks on me only show that you’re pathetic, twisted and a lunatic. You have a list of things you can shoot out at people in hopes of one of them sticking, but that doesn’t work on people like me because I know all about what makes you tick. Your grandiosity, projection, self loathing and attempts to get narcissistic supply are so evident. The best way to handle you from here on out is to do to you what you fear the most: abandonment. Lol!
yes please abandon us and leave UCSB never comeback and stop posting so we will suffer never having to see your posts again
Are you talking about yourself Kent? Clearly you are the only one here who exhibits all of those characteristics you just described in your own words. We obviously could care less since we don’t have those layers of issues like you do, only you will start lashing out and start talking nonsense when people are condemning your racism and sexism. Just grow up, the world is not your childs play.
Kent, only you have abandonment issues here..
Obviously someone as toxic as you has a future that isn’t bright and will be filled with abandonment. Your shotgun ad hominem attacks is further evidence of your inability to handle people who are happy with their lives. Fascist such as yourself can’t handle that and its why you want the government to control every aspect of life.
You talk about govt control but you live off the American government. You let them pay for your education definitely not self reliant. You want to control what women can do with their bodies, who can vote, who has rights. you want to control everybody but but lie about it and dont care about anyone but your self and other white people you racist, white supremist, nazi supporter, piece of shit. this is why even your family is embarassed by you.
We are happy with our lives, only you come here and start ranting and complaining about democratic policies and laws and blame everything on leftism, you must be so miserable being a far right angry white supremacist and woman hater b/c you just can’t form any genuine bond with anyone, you poor soul.