On Wednesday, APSE Diversity Committee Chairman Larry Graham announced the Diversity Pledge: A member organization can receive a free job ad at www.apsportseditors.com with a strong social media promotion if its sports editor (or newsroom equivalent) pledges to interview at least one diverse candidate for that job.
In order to receive the free ad, the sports editor is required to have a short phone conversation with Larry at some point during the recruiting/hiring process. The organization is not required to bring candidates in for on-site interviews, although that is strongly preferred (a phone interview or something similar will satisfy the requirement).
APSE has also built a database, which it continues to fortify, of diverse candidates for a variety of sports journalism positions. Organizations participating in the Diversity Pledge can discuss the database and candidate recommendations with Larry, but are also encouraged to discuss potential candidates to add to the database. Journalists do not have to be APSE members to be included in the database.
The organization is not required to interview candidates from the database in order to receive the free ad.
“Expanding our database, sharing more diverse candidates with our membership, and working with groups like the AAJA and NABJ Sports Task Forces, these are all initiatives that make our newsrooms better,” Graham said. “This is just the beginning.”
To receive a free job ad, or to ask questions about the initiative, contact Larry Graham at larrygrahamis@gmail.com.
