Lunch Break: Navigating journalists and their many beats, the Facebook to Meta transition, and more!

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Welcome back, Lunch Breakers! 

This week, we’re talking about navigating journalists and their many beats, the Facebook to Meta transition, and the importance of addressing intersectionality of participants when creating diversity and inclusion efforts. Let’s talk about it! 

Journalist Beat(s) 

Every journalist walks to the beat of their own drum…or should we say beats? Following the massive newsroom layoffs across the country over the past two years, journalists are being forced to take on the work formerly delegated to their colleagues, making many journalists responsible for multiple beats. Despite the heavy workload that journalists face daily , they are now required to report and become an expert on beats they may have never covered before. 

According to Cision’s 2021 Global State of the Media Report, nearly 50% (46.8%) of all journalists are responsible for five or more beats. You heard that right…on any given day, the journalist you are pitching might be scrambling to cover news for five separate niches, many of which are likely not their areas of expertise or interest.  

Ultimately, keeping this in mind when pitching media can be the difference between securing coverage and being ignored. Taking the extra time to research a reporter’s current beat can ensure you reach the journalists most likely to cover your story and avoid bombarding a journalist who is not the right fit. Further, this allows you to hone in on a reporter’s many beats to curate a pitch designed specifically for them. 

Facebook —> Meta 

As you’ve inevitably seen by now, Facebook recently announced its rebrand to Meta. However, this seemingly sudden change had us PR folks curious as to how this will affect one of the primary social platforms on which we do business.  

According to a recent article on Marketing WeekFacebook decided to rebrand in an effort to shift to a “social technology company” that develops virtual worlds, commonly known as the metaverse. 

Despite this massive shift, the apps we all know and love will not be rebranded. Facebook, Instagram, What’s App and others under the Facebook umbrella will remain as they are, while the other arm of the overall corporation, Meta, develop future technologies. 

The Intersectionality of Participants in Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives 

Diversity and inclusion are two terms that have become increasingly prominent in life and the workplace. Despite the commonality of hearing these terms in the modern workplace, the success of diversity and inclusion initiatives are not as simple as instilling workshops on ‘the advancement of women’ or ‘diversity in leadership’.  For a company to effectively instill lasting change, it must address the intersectionality of the individuals who will participate in the programs.  

Fast Company recently published an article on this, in which they go into great detail about the need for these programs to be intersectional, comprehensive and embedded. But what does this really mean? 

It means that the leaders and HR representatives that are developing these diversity initiatives must address the potential intersections that could cause a specific effort to marginalize a person. Thus, instead of creating a blanket effort to support women in the workplace, it is important to consider the various identifying factors that each woman may have that could make the program unfit for them (e.g. a physical disability, personal goals, pregnancy, retirement plans, etc.). 

Incorporating thoughtful DEI initiatives is crucial in the modern workplace, but putting in the proper considerations to ensure it offers equitable opportunity to all involved, can make or break its success. 

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