"Advancing Equity in Local News" was the subject of a 3-day convening of Colorado Media Project (CMP) grantees in Denver, September 14-16. KSUT executive director Tami Graham and news reporter Clark Adomaitis attended the gathering designed to elevate what's being done to advance equity in local news, share ideas and concerns, and to draw on new ideas for moving forward. Every session included a diverse mix of perspective and voices, including local journalists, national experts, community members and funders.
Sessions focused and built on work funded by CMP grants supporting Colorado newsrooms, journalists, and media entrepreneurs to strengthen coverage of and service to Colorado's diverse communities of color, as well as rural and low-income residents.
KSUT's Tami Graham was a panelist for the session "Native Lens/Native Voices: Covering Indigenous Issues" discussing initiatives in support of elevating Native American and Indigenous voices. Graham highlighted the work of KSUT's Tribal Media Center and the recent hiring of center coordinator Colten Ashley. Reporter Clark Adomaitis is focused on the Voices From the Edge of the Colorado Plateau project, a CMP supported news partnership between KSUT and KSJD sharing stories from underrepresented voices in the Four Corners region, including reports from the Ute tribes, the Navajo Nation, the LGBTQ+ community, and the Latinx community.
The "Advancing Equity in Local News" convening was hosted by the Colorado Media Project and sponsored by The Colorado Trust.