Marcus Riley, senior director of content strategy for Scripps Local Media's northern region has added "inclusive journalism" to his title, with a charter to oversee the company's effort "to place more emphasis on inclusive journalism and representing all sectors of our audience in our newsrooms," according to Sean McLaughlin, VP of news for Local Media.
E.W. Scripps is one of the largest TV broadcast groups in the country, with 61 TV stations in 41 markets.
In the wake of the country's racial reckoning following the death of George Floyd, companies across the spectrum have been looking to heed that call for change. Scripps said it has been conducting research to "learn how to be more inclusive in its news coverage and connect better with the people who live in our communities."
McLaughlin said that Riley will be working with all of Scripps' local news operations to implement its research findings.
“Content strategy is about more than how to cover news,” Riley said. “It’s about how to engage with a community and connect on new and important levels so we’re reflecting our audiences – how they look and how they feel. Scripps is committed to getting better and better at that, and I am committed, too.” ■
