Diversity Matters

If you’ve ever wondered why diversity matters, especially in newsrooms, this week’s guest has some answers for you. And then some.

Pauline Chiou is a media executive who cut her journalism teeth as a reporter in local TV and network newsrooms across the U.S.

From there, it was on to Hong Kong and 6 years as an anchor at CNN International. CNBC then lured her to Singapore for 3 years, before she returned to the U.S. and moved into news management

A Mentor to Young Journalists

As a mentor to young journalists, Pauline’s message is simple: be intentional and show up.

And bring your whole self to the workplace.

That diversity of experience and thought is needed more than ever to provide context and accuracy to the range of stories reflecting our complex culture.

Case in point — coverage of the recent wave of hate-fueled violence against Asian-Americans, Jews, Black Americans, members of the LGBTQ+ community and more.

As Pauline explains, reporters who reflect these communities can offer nuanced coverage and perspective others might miss. Perspective that is seminal to our understanding of each other’s way of life.

She shares many examples of this, as well as the challenges she has faced and overcome as an Asian-American woman.

The Impact of Sharing Our Stories

Pauline knows full well how sharing our stories can impact those watching and listening.

In fact, it was the story of a holocaust survivor that changed her life when she was an undergraduate at Yale.

That sent her on a trajectory which took her to Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and her resulting career.

A career where she helps develop the next generation of journalists and newsrooms — showing them, by example, that diversity matters.

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