Join the movement for more representative, equitable journalism in the U.S.
On our third birthday, we came together to redefine how we will shift systems of power and inequity in journalism. We need 33 sustaining members to put our plan in action. Will you join us today?
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After the summer of 2020, a slew of journalism organizations committed to change in terms of how they cover historically underrepresented communities, as well as how they treated and hired staff from those same communities.
But their failures were not new. We’ve heard it time and time again: journalism organizations making public statements denouncing the treatment of historically underrepresented communities. Those same organizations committing to change how they cover and treat staff from those communities. And then… nothing.
Despite holding themselves up as “objective” and “impartial” for generations, mainstream American newsrooms have almost always been defined by homogenous teams that fail to account for race, gender, class, disability, and sexuality.
We founded The Objective in June of 2020 as a volunteer collective of journalists concerned with systems of inequity in newsrooms.. Our small newsroom relies on donations to hold journalism institutions accountable and advocate for journalism that’s understanding of power dynamics and intersections of identity.
Your donation goes to paying our contributors equitably and ensuring we can continue to publish independent reporting and media criticism.
What does The Objective do?
We publish reporting, media criticism, and Q&As with the goal of building collective and narrative power for communities (and journalists) that have been misrepresented or dismissed in order to change the way journalism is practiced in the U.S.
To us this means two things:
- An expanding number of media reporters and critics, primarily from demographics historically marginalized by the journalism field, are visible to the journalism field. Beyond that, we want all journalists to feel more comfortable offering public, fair, and well intentioned feedback to the newsrooms they work for and read.
- People historically marginalized, distorted, and misquoted have a forum to read about and express their own concerns about journalism’s production in the U.S.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Q&A: Alan Chazaro of KQED’s ¡Hella Hungry!
Q&A: Emily Ramshaw of The 19th*
Bad-faith coverage of trans issues — who does it serve?
Who supports The Objective?
The Objective is supported by our readers, as well as charitable foundations and organizations. You can view a list of our founding supporters here.
Here are just a few of the organizations that have supported our work:
We maintain a public list of all donors that give more than $5,000 in a year and do not accept donations from political parties. If you would like to discuss a major gift, please contact us at majorgifts@objectivejournalism.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my contribution be considered a charitable donation for tax purposes?
The Objective is a fiscally sponsored project of the Institute for Nonprofit News, a 501(c) (3) charitable organization, EIN 27-2614911. deemed tax-deductible absent any limitations on deductibility applicable to a particular taxpayer.
Can I send you a check in the mail?
Yes! And please feel free to let us know if you do, so we can confirm with you when we receive it.
Donation Checks should be made out to INN (our fiscal sponsor) with “The Objective” listed on the memo line and mailed to:
Institute for Nonprofit News
8549 Wilshire Blvd #2294
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
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If you would like to cancel your monthly or yearly support, please log into Stripe here. Still having trouble? Get in touch by selecting “Customer Service” on our contact page.
I already contribute. How can I update my credit card?
If you would like to update your credit card information, please log into Stripe here. Still having trouble? Get in touch by selecting “Customer Service” on our contact page.
What if I have a different question?
Get in touch on our contact page.
The Objective is a nonprofit newsroom examining systems of power and inequity in journalism: how newsrooms treat their employees, how journalists interact with their community, and what new forms of journalism can look like. We are written by and for those underrepresented in journalism.
