The Cohort is Poynter’s bi-monthly newsletter about women kicking ass in digital media.
It seems everyone’s talking about equal pay. I read several articles on that topic in the past couple of weeks, including the news that Dow Jones’ male employees earn more than their female counterparts, The Upshot’s astute and depressing analysis on why women continually make less than men, and journo-goddess Ann Friedman’s brilliant three-step solution to keep women in the workplace.
On one hand, these stories are super depressing. I mean, really? It’s infuriating to be reminded that we’ve made such little progress over decades when it comes to closing the wage gap. On the other hand, it’s good to see so many smart people writing about, sharing and debating this topic, giving it the attention and space it deserves. The more we talk openly about issues like equal pay, the more we can start to make a difference.
Salary isn’t the easiest thing to discuss, but it’s an important topic to broach. Start with friends and close colleagues. Join The Washington Post’s newly launched Pay Up community (more info here). Do some research on Glassdoor.comor Julia Haslanger’s Journo Salary Sharer. Take steps to equip yourself with knowledge about what your (male) peers are getting paid so that when you are in a position to talk about salary — at a review period, or during the negotiation stage of a promotion or new job — you’ll know exactly what to ask for. And if there’s an opportunity to push for transparency and a larger conversation about pay within your organization? Seize it.
There’s absolutely no doubt that we deserve to be paid the same as our colleagues. Let’s keep this conversation going.
xoxo
KHG
Things worth reading
News Deeply co-founder Lara Setrakian is a badass for a million reasons, including the fact that she just coined the term “power preggers.” Refinery29 makes the case for flexible working hours in the U.K. (Let’s all move to London and help figure it out!) Surprise, surprise: When data — instead of humans — inform venture capital funding decisions,more women win. My colleague Rick Edmonds caught up with Joanne Lipman, Gannett’s chief content officer, who’s off to a strong start in her new role. And thanks to The Atlantic, I just discovered my latest mantra: Normalize office crying!
Meet Tiffany
As I was emailing this week with Tiffany Campbell, WBUR’s executive editor for digital, she was dealing with a sick 18-month-old, snow, cancelled daycare and a busy news cycle. That ability to juggle has paid off. Tiffany is the product owner of an ambitious website relaunch for WBUR, the NPR affiliate in Boston. She serves as the bridge between editorial and technical — vetting partners, running scrums and sprints, and bringing together project requirements and stakeholders.
The new site, now in public beta, is built as an audio-first experience for a mobile audience. Tiffany says this is “by far the most ambitious technical project the station has attempted.” Audience feedback, which she’s solicited through forms, a newsletter, and regular communication, has been core to the beta launch. “It’s fascinating to learn how people view us, what they expect from us, what they want,” she shared. “And honestly, it’s exciting to start from scratch, build things that are delightful and see how people use them. It’s not often you get that kind of opportunity.” Go check out WBUR’s site and send Tiffany and her team some love.
If you have a project to share, email me at katie@poynter.org or brag on Twitter with #digitalwomenleaders.
The Cohort is part of the ONA-Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media. Props to the wonderful Kristen Hare for her newsletter edits and insight.
