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CREATING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

The Seattle Times is making it a priority to create a respectful and productive environment where our employees can feel safe and supported. We embrace different perspectives, and we know that we all benefit from the diversity of our workforce and life experiences. Our commitment is also reflected in our corporate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, comprised of employees in departments across the company, and in prioritizing time for comprehensive DEI training for all employees.

IN THE NEWSROOM

The Seattle Times has consistently ranked among the most diverse newsrooms in the country. The organization received a National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Award and an Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Leadership in Diversity Award for “Under Our Skin,” a multimedia video series about race that evolved out of candid newsroom discussions and led to the creation of the company’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. Seattle Times Assistant Managing Editor Stefanie Loh received the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists’ Excellence in Sports Writing Award for “Meet Seattle Sports’ Newest Power Couple: Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe.”

The employee-led Diversity and Inclusion Task Force ensures that our content serves our diverse audience and develops strategies to support retention of journalists of color and female journalists. Managing editors meet every two weeks in an open and ongoing dialogue to assess these priorities. The Task Force establishes guidelines for inclusive language in our reporting and regularly reviews them, making recommendations and adjustments as language and society change. Materials include proactive guidelines for photographers, reporters, editors, web producers and designers to emphasize equity, inclusion and representation in the stories we tell about our community.

 

IN THE COMMUNITY

The Seattle Times champions diversity and inclusion to boost local businesses. The Community Connect grant program is part of our commitment to increasing the visibility of our region’s underrepresented communities, particularly BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color)-owned businesses. In 2021, we awarded a total of $300,000 in marketing and advertising services, print and digital advertising through six grants of $50,000 in services each to local business applicants selected by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force to empower their growth and boost their success. Meet the grant recipients.