Project manager Diversity and New Colleague Daniel S. Ogalde:
"News is about perspective, the more the better"
Why is diversity important in the media?
“There are a number of different advantages with increased diversity in the media. News is about perspective, the more the better. It contributes to us as readers and viewers who consume news, gaining a greater understanding of complex topics and events in Sweden and the world. Something that counteracts, for example, disinformation, misinformation and information influence and gives us a nuanced worldview anchored in facts and thus the conditions to become active citizens in a democratic society.”
“Even for the journalists at our media houses, a wider network, greater language skills and cultural understanding of, for example, developments in the Middle East and Asia means that you produce more qualitative content. In this way, you both increase trust among target groups while reaching new ones. In this way, it is not only a matter of good practice but also an economic possibility.”
What is diversity according to Fojo?
“There are a number of different ways to define diversity. On the one hand, what diversity actually is, but also how it should be applied, so to speak. At Fojo, we work with an intersectional perspective, which means we look at a number of different aspects, such as gender, ethnicity and age, and what effect these have on the individual and ultimately society.”
“For Fojo, gender equality has long been a central and prioritized part of our international work, and now adding more perspectives deepens our efforts based on both need and effect.”
How does Fojo work with diversity?
“In many ways, diversity is a contextual challenge. Therefore, it is important that we work with local partners who understand the context in which they operate. This means that we can prioritize and design our efforts in a strategic and long-term way.”
“In concrete terms, we work with everything from programs like New Colleague, where we help foreign-educated journalists to become part of the Swedish media industry, to initiatives in Ethiopia and Bangladesh where we map the participation of minorities in the media industry. Knowledge dissemination is also an important large part of all the work we carry out where we encourage dialogue and share best practice. Diversity is a process and every small step contributes to our vision of strengthening quality journalism for a democratic and sustainable world.”
