It’s Friday, New Year’s Day.
This time on The Front Page: We’re doing things a bit differently.
This issue is by Holly Piepenburg and Gabe Schneider with editing by Curtis Yee.
In June, we launched The Objective for a simple reason: We believe objectivity has failed American newsrooms in pursuit of journalism. Instead, objectivity has been used to justify misrepresentation in coverage and the marginalization of staff. Most media publications critique this framework in one-off articles, but we believe this should be the focal point.
In just seven months, we’ve published commentary on how the digital divide excludes readers without internet access, how newsrooms have all but ignored caste discrimination in the U.S., and what happened after “the reckoning” in media.
We have also grown quickly: As of now, our twice-monthly newsletter, The Front Page, has around 1900 subscribers and we’ve had hundreds of thousands of readers on our site. More so: We have a partnership with Nieman Lab, which started republishing The Front Page in September; we partnered with Poynter to start re-publishing some of our pieces; and, assisted by the LION and the GNI Startups Lab, we’ve researched subscription models that will help us grow without shifting our purpose — creating work that’s written by and for those underrepresented in this industry.
All of our editorial team—which includes writers, copy editors, and social media volunteers—have worked on a volunteer basis and we could not have done any of this without them.
If you have something you’d like to write for us, please look over this short guide and pitch us at submissions@objectivejournalism.org
We are, of course, grateful for every person who receives our newsletter, shares our work and connects with us on Twitter. If you have feedback for us as we move into the new year, we’d love to hear from you! Just reply directly to this email.
As we move into the New Year, we are looking to build on all of our efforts this year. First and foremost, that means paying our writers. We’re happy to announce that we are now able to accept tax-deductible donations year-round, courtesy of the Institute for Nonprofit News, which will serve as our fiscal sponsor.
We are actively seeking grant funding, but our goal is to be primarily funded by readers like yourself. We currently do not aim to paywall any of our stories, but we do want to start a membership program next year.
You can donate to The Objective here.
Funds will allow us to pay freelance writers and editors, settle our membership fees with INN, and reimburse team members for out-of-pocket expenses we’ve accrued over the last several months.
We are so grateful for each and every one of your support. We would not be where we are without you all. If you want to stick around, you can read a list of our favorite Objective stories from this year. And either way, thanks for reading!
Our favorite stories of the year
If you’re a new subscriber, don’t feel obligated to catch up on all of our newsletters. However, if you want a starting point, everyone who contributed to The Front Page in 2020 has selected their favorite articles written by other members of the collective.
You Don’t Mean ‘Culture War’ by Gabe Schneider, selected by Marlee Baldridge.
On diversity, college newsrooms don’t get a pass by Marissa Martinez, selected by Siri Chilukuri.
Paid journalism internships are often the best chance to build a career. Are they enough? by Izz Scott LaMagdeleine, selected by Chelsea Cirruzzo.
They spoke up. Now what? by Juwan J. Holmes, selected by Holly Piepenburg.
Questioning journalism’s heroes isn’t disrespectful — it’s just good reporting by Hannah Chinn, selected by Janelle Salanga.
Filipino Americans are watching the Philippines. Why isn’t American media? by Janelle Salanga, selected by Gabe Schneider.
‘There’s no tangible outcome’: The problems with Twitter career advice by Johanna Alonso, selected by Isabelle Yan.
“Who exactly is telling this story?” by Gabe Schneider, selected by Curtis Yee.
If you’re interested in pitching to us this year, you can read more about our process here. All pitches should be sent to submissions@objectivejournalism.org.
Finally, our usual resources
Looking for a job? Here are a few places to look: INN | ONA | JournalismJobs.com | 10 Jobs and a Dog | NABJ | AAJA | NAHJ | NLGJA | @WritersofColor | MEO Jobs | StudyHall XYZ | Opportunities of the Week ($)
How about a style guide? Trans Journalist Association | Diversity Style Guide | Tribal Nations Media Guide | NABJ Style Guide | Disability Language Style Guide | AAJA Guide to Covering Asian America | NAHJ Cultural Competence Handbook
Thanks for reading. We’ll have more for you soon.
Our stories are funded by readers like you.
The Objective is a nonprofit newsroom holding journalism accountable for past and current systemic biases in reporting and newsroom practices. We are written by and for those underrepresented in journalism.
