OPB Signs Up To Participate
We are pleased to announce that OPB has joined the Public Media for All initiative as a participating organization, becoming part of an effort to raise awareness of the negative impacts of the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in public media while also sharing solutions among organizations and individuals. OPB is one of the first public media stations to join this initiative along with other industry organizations, including Greater Public, Public Media Women in Leadership, and AIR.
Steve Bass, CEO, offered the following comment when we asked why OPB decided to join us.
“I hope that our involvement will encourage other public media organizations to join Public Media for All. ‘Public’ is part of our name and it means more than free and equal access to radio and television signals across the Northwest’s landscape. ‘Public’ requires amplifying unique voices and experiences, helping people in the Northwest and beyond hear and understand the perspective and experiences of others and truthfully covering Oregon’s history of systemic racism, which is very much out in the open (but some pretend does not exist). An organizational culture that values diversity and centers equity and inclusion will help OPB live up to its promise.”
OPB began its DEI work two years ago. Among the actions they have taken to date that align with Public Media for All:
Hiring the Center for Equity and Inclusion (a Portland-based DEI consultancy)
Creating an equity team of OPB staff to steer its DEI work
Conducting and sharing the results of an anonymous cultural assessment survey
Providing DEI training to all regular staff conducted by the Center for Equity and Inclusion
Eliminating unpaid internships, paying existing interns, and creating the Joan Cirillo Emerging Journalist Fellowship and the Roger Cooke Legal Fellowship
Commissioning a pay equity study by an outside organization
In recognition of Public Media for All’s day of action and education on November 10th, OPB is offering its regular status employees an extra day off to be used on this day or anytime in the next three months. OPB is encouraging its staff to regularly make space in their lives for rest, reflection, reading, volunteering, or some other way of focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion in a way that is meaningful to them.
