ODYSSEY Diversity Statement
As updated by June 20, 2024
Intro
Journalism is a powerful medium. It has the ability to uplift voices, make change and bring accountability to those in power. It’s important that we, the ODYSSEY Media Group, as the student news organization for Clarke Central High School and the broader Athens community, use this medium purposefully. As such, our coverage ought to shed light on important issues, give a platform to underrepresented figures and organizations, and accurately reflect the diverse experiences of the communities we serve.
In so many words, the OMG believes that diversity, equity and inclusion is crucial to the purpose of our work.
Definition
The ODYSSEY Media Group defines diversity as the intent to identify and cover people from a wide range of backgrounds, including but not limited to differences in ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, social status, race, appearance and religion.
Diversity of stakeholders
The ODYSSEY actively looks for equitable and accurate representation when choosing stakeholders, including but not limited to the consideration of a stakeholder’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, sex, experiences, position/grade, economic class, ability and ideology. We strive to be fair, accurate and balanced by including multiple relevant perspectives in everything we publish.
Diversity of coverage
As the publication for a diverse school community, the ODYSSEY aims to reflect that diversity in all areas of our coverage. When writing, we consider the impact the piece will have on our community, the interest our community will have in the piece and the sensitivity of the topic in question? Throughout the writing and editing process, we consistently evaluate the areas of our school and surrounding community that need to be heard and work to do so effectively and accurately.
Diversity of recruitment
The ODYSSEY strives to recruit members for both our Journalism I and Production classes that reflect the diversity of our school district, including from both of our feeder middle schools. Recruitment is an ongoing process for us, and as such, we are committed to continually creating a staff environment that is representative of all aspects of our school community.
Inclusion
Alongside diversity, creating an open, inclusive environment is very important to us. During class, the ODYSSEY facilitates discussions on diversity, access, privilege and identity. We acknowledge that our staff comes from a range of different backgrounds and strive to make sure that everyone feels comfortable and seen. For those outside of our space, we strive to be open to feedback and newcomers entering our space.
Holding ourselves accountable
We have multiple protocols in place to hold ourselves to the outlined standards. Firstly, we’ve recently instituted a Diversity and Representation Editor position on our staff. The person in this role is not only tasked with ensuring the factual accuracy of stories, but to audit our coverage to ensure that we’re representing the diversity of our community.
Furthermore, the OMG has an internal representation audit that records data about both the story and stakeholders in it. The audit asks staffers the name and position of their stakeholder, and then to input their stakeholder’s racial and ethnic identity, pronouns, academic track and gender identity. The audit also asks questions about the stakeholders’ prominence in the story and whether they were photographed. On the back end, the Diversity and Representation Editor leads a weekly presentation to the Editorial Board to look at this data to compare it to that of our school community. The Diversity and Representation Editor also presents every cycle to the entire staff to educate them on the importance of equitable and accurate representation. With these presentations, we can determine whether we are over or underrepresenting certain groups, and if a single stakeholder appears too often, we don’t allow the staff to interview them unless absolutely necessary.
Lastly, the OMG engages with various national diversity presentations and initiatives. Every member of the staff participates in the Journalism Education Association’s Diversity Audit, which aims to broaden staffers’ perspectives and understanding of diversity and identity. Outside of that, many staffers are encouraged to attend regional and national conferences on diversity, equity and inclusion – in the past, some staffers have redelivered these presentations to the OMG staff at large.
Conclusion
The ODYSSEY Media Group has been striving for diversity since its founding in 2003, but as a program, we feel it has long-been time to create this diversity statement as a public commitment to our goals.
We assess ourselves in these different areas regularly and engage in discussions and initiatives within and outside of the staff based on our findings. We are always open to feedback on our opportunities for growth as we strive to accurately reflect and convey the unique and diverse CCHS and Athens communities.