Using diverse sources builds trust with your readers, helps unearth unheard perspectives, and most importantly it is just good journalism.
As head of a team at the Washington Post responsible for increasing reach among younger, diverse audiences, Neema Roshania Patel has spent time thinking about how to make reaching new voices part of your reporting routine.
In an article for Poynter, she summarises her top five tangible tips for action, including ensuring that your work includes the voices of the people directly affected by the issues you report on, and reviewing the assumptions you currently hold about your readers.
You should also think about when you are approaching people outside your usual network - are you contacting them as experts as well as citizens, and do you listen to the voices of marginalised groups on topics that are not explicitly about their identity?
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