Teaching journalism students to root out toxic workplaces

What a Friday I had, road-tripping around sunny Southern California with one of my favorite journalists and professional mentors.

I had the pleasure of escorting Dr. Kathleen McElroy, director of the Center for Ethical Leadership in Media at the University of Texas, as we toured three Los Angeles-area journalism schools.

Dr. McElroy is a former New York Times editor and was once the head of the University of Texas journalism school. Now, she’s promoting the value of ethical workplaces and attempting to root out toxicity within professional newsrooms. CELM’s mission is “to advance culture in the news industry through training, research and education” by:

• Working with media leaders, professionals and students on issues surrounding harassment and workplace rights, leadership development and the future of work.

• Offering free and flexible higher ed curriculum to help the next generation of media professionals cultivate ethical practices. 

• Providing customized professional programs designed to assist organizations with self-assessment and workplace culture.

• Using and supporting research to ensure evidence-based approaches.

Our tour included stops at USC’s Annenberg Media Center, a Cal State Fullerton faculty meeting, and Santa Ana College’s el Don newspaper, where we asked faculty and students what they think the industry must do to cultivate employee-friendly newsrooms.

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