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INW x The Chronicle

Assessing Editorial and Reporting Practices to Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

INW Executive Director Dan Egol with next-gen leaders Kunal Deodhar, Ana Lievano, and Alyson Fraser Diaz supported The Chronicle of Philanthropy by conducting a DEI assessment of the organization’s reporting from 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Background

The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a preeminent source of information and practical advice for nonprofit professionals, foundation executives, board members, and others, has embarked on a multi-faceted initiative to center DEI in their reporting and editorial practices. A component part of this effort entailed assessing its recent reporting through the lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Challenge

The Chronicle lacked a data-driven benchmark against which to understand the current state of its news, features, advice, analysis articles, and opinion pieces in terms of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Approach and Solution

In collaboration with The Chronicle's Editor and members of the reporting team, INW: Set an internal DEI baseline for the organization’s editorial content by reviewing the demographic composition of all individuals quoted in news pieces and authors of opinion content from 2017, 2018, and 2019. We then benchmarked that data against the broader field by comparing the Chronicle's outputs against the diversity amongst nonprofit leadership, boards, and foundation staff as well as that of another news organization; Created an extendable database to digitally house demographic information about each source to which Chronicle staff can contribute to track future trends and progress; Produced a report with recommendations for goals to improve The Chronicle’s editorial practices with respect to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Facilitated two virtual meetings with the entire Editorial/Reporting teams to debrief the assessment findings and associated recommendations for sustained engagement and next actions.
Outcomes

As a result of this assessment, The Chronicle now has an expandable database containing three years’ worth of data comprising over 1,200 news stories and over 300 op-ed pieces. Individual reporters and editors also have the means to run additional reports using this data to better understand the demographic trends of The Chronicle's reporting. Individual reporters are working with a DEI coach to further embed these values into their work and can use this assessment as a baseline to measure progress, individually and organizationally, going forward.

Project Team

Dan Egol, he/him

Raised in a multi-cultural home with strong ties to both Cuba and Israel, I grew up passionate about social justice, community building, and global affairs. I openly identify as a member of the LBGTQ+ community and am committed to using the many privileges and opportunities in my life to foster equity and belonging.

Following my graduation from Middlebury College in 2013, I spent five years working at Cook Ross, a diversity & inclusion consulting firm. There I held various roles including Project Manager, Chief of Staff, and Client Success Manager. Prior to Cook Ross, I interned at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Cuba desk of the Washington Office on Latin America, the Racial Justice Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, and worked as a part-time contractor for the Atlantic Philanthropies. As a way to provide direct service to my community, I served on the Board of Shepherd’s Table, a Silver Spring-based organization that provides basic, essential services to vulnerable community members, particularly those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.

In May 2020 I graduated with an MBA from the Yale School of Management, where I served as the Community & Inclusion Officer in student government, co-chaired the Yale Philanthropy Conference, and co-founded & Society - a weekly discussion forum for social justice topics not covered by the core curriculum

KUNAL DEODHAR, he/him

Kunal Deodhar is a first-generation immigrant from India who arrived to New Jersey, USA via Maharashtra, India when he was two years old in 1993. Raised by a single working mother, he has spent most of his life pursuing subjects in math, science, engineering, and computer science. These endeavors culminated in a career as software engineer at Amazon after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

After five intense years of working on a fast-paced, high-iteration development team, Kunal decided that the monotony of a desk job and the lack of impact felt through his work did not align with his long-term plans, despite the intriguing challenges he got the opportunity to solve and the highly capable coworkers and mentors he got the opportunity to work with.

Through business school at the Yale School of Management, Kunal is looking to pivot his career to a more entrepreneur-facing role – he spent this past summer working closely with a portfolio of twelve Nairobi-based entrepreneurs. He built trust-based and sustainable relationships with each of them and helped them tackle a broad spectrum of strategic problems. He is currently searching for full-time opportunities within the venture ecosystem.

ALYSON FRASER DIAZ, she/her

Alyson is a Newark based communications designer, strategist, and social impact designer. She has a diverse educational and professional background which has greatly influenced her interest in social design.

After graduating from her undergraduate program with a B.A. in Leadership Studies, Alyson served a year in AmeriCorps working with middle school students in Newark, NJ. She then focused her work in the nonprofit sector for several years with organizations like Girls Inc, The Urban League, and The Children’s Defense Fund. Alyson held a variety of roles from Program Coordinator to Designer where she learned to design systems, develop program strategy, build community, and communicate messages clearly. These unique experiences have inspired her multifaceted perspective on how design can be used to create better outcomes. She is currently earning her MFA in Design for Social Innovation from The School of Visual Arts.

ANA LIEVANO, she/her

Immigrating to the United States at age 12 from Mexico has been the most impactful experience in Ana’s life. It is also a formative driver of her passion for understanding IDEAS.

While most of her teenage years were comfortably spent growing up within the large Hispanic/Latinx community of Southern California, Ana had to say goodbye to that familiar community to pursue a degree in Business & Economics at the University of California Santa Cruz. As a woman of color, first-generation immigrant and first-generation college student, Ana is drawn to personal and professional opportunities to cultivate a more nuanced understanding of how identities and the intersectionality of those identities shape our experiences and opportunities.

For the past year, Ana has worked with the United Nations Mid-Peninsula Chapter to develop ways for communities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. There she designs and executes social media strategies that aim to bring awareness to different issues of inequality. She is most proud of her efforts to recruit social media interns/volunteers and guide their involvement in passion projects. To further her passion for education, Ana is currently obtaining a certification from the University of San Francisco School of Management in collaboration with the United Nations San Francisco Chapter.