A white letter O centered on an orange background.

The Objective will hire a Democracy Correspondent

Right now, at one of the largest and oldest legacy newsrooms in the U.S., you can say you believe in democracy, but you can’t publicly say you believe you should have representation in Congress. Journalism and democracy are intertwined, but if you’ve watched the way legacy and cable news have covered rising authoritarianism and attacks […]

Young Muslim women, some hijabi and others not, sit on the steps of Trafalgar Square talking and laughing.
Misconceptions about Muslims have shaped the way I approach my journalism career — but I’m no longer overexplaining

In an effort to get a byline, I began to conform to expectations of what audiences would want to hear from me.

A headshot of Betsy Ladyzhets. She stands in front of a brick wall.
Q&A: Betsy Ladyzhets

A conversation with the creator of the COVID-19 Data Dispatch.

A shot from the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art of City Hall.
The Front Page: Inquiring about The Inquirer

Why are there no Black men reporting for the Philadelphia Inquirer (except on the the sports desk)?

A headshot of Caitlin Dickerson
Q&A: Caitlin Dickerson

The Atlantic writer shares advice for immigration reporting.

A spray bottle labeled Neutralizer and partially filled with magenta liquid sits atop a newspaper splashed with the same neutralizing liquid.
Mainstream newsrooms’ emphasis on “objectivity” continues to harm trans people — and that needs to change now

A commitment to appear objective while covering the social and legal fate of trans people often fails to communicate the severity of transphobic violence and results in further marginalizing trans journalists.

Front Gate at American University
Student journalists just want their credit

Local and national reporters have based huge stories off the uncredited work of student publications.

Objective letter "O" on a blue background.
The Front Page: 50 issues

Issue 50: Reflecting on two years.

Two red-gloved hands look through an open file cabinet. The body of works filed under “European Art” dwarfs the other section, titled “Other.”
Dismantling the unbearable whiteness of critique

Critics of color, who are vastly outnumbered by their white colleagues, are key to the advancement of their entire field.

Quantifying the I-Team opportunity gap

How having a yearlong fellowship helped me understand what it looks like when people want your story to succeed. Here’s a breakdown — and some hard numbers — on the cost of an investigation.