Gather: Whew, election day is over! But are we ready to “bridge divides” yet?

Before I can bridge divides, I have to be where I am

Dear Gatherers,

It feels more natural for me to write ya’ll a letter! Imagining all of you on the other end helps ground me, especially when I’m at a loss for words.

The U.S. is a polarized nation. While the results of the election offers some relief, what's lingering in my mind is the fact that if we are to put in the work of creating a more equitable, relational democracy, connecting across divides will be a key piece of the work.

After discussing this broadly with the Gather team, I realized that I’m not personally ready to think about how to bridge divides just yet. If it weren’t for the ongoing organizing work of Black women, Native women, and Latinx women (with my understanding that “Latinx” is too broad of a term), our near-future would have been dangerous for democracy. Andrew DeVigal shared that he’s been thinking about Michelle Obama’s tweet: “Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division. We’ve got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us.”

With this sentiment in mind, here are some resources around “bridging divides” that the Gather team is drawing on right now:

Spaceship Media’s Dialogue Journalism Toolkit and 7-steps method came up immediately. They have been walking the talk of “bridging divides” for the last four years and have a wealth of experience and resources to offer. Spaceship Media just published their book “Guns: An American Conversation” that digs into their dialogue work around this heated topic.

Since this is Gather, you can re-visit our lightning chats “Bridging Divides with Online Conversations” and “Bridging Divides Face-to-Face” (login to re-watch), or read the case study on how The Evergrey bridged political divides in Oregon and Washington in 2017.

22 Questions that ‘Complicate the Narrative’ by Solutions Journalism is instructive gold and inspired by Amanda Ripley’s essay on complicating how journalists cover controversial issues.

“Why We’re Polarized” by Ezra Klein offers more context on our current situation. If you’re finding it hard to read long pieces these days (like me), Ezra's conversation with Jamelle Bouie seems worth a listen.

Finally, if you are producing journalism right now, here are tips from Trusting News on ways to navigate the next few weeks to be seen as a credible source.

If this question resonates for you, how are you thinking about “bridging divides” right now? I’d love to know - write me a note or tag me on Slack.

— Alisha Savson, Gather community manager

Lightning Chats

Discuss a shared challenge, brainstorm ideas for a project, or learn more about a case study! You can subscribe to a lightning chat calendar on Google calendar or on iCal or revisit past chats in the archive (login for full access).

Catch up on Alicia Bell’s 30-minute chat on Media 2070 for Media Reparations! Learn why 2070 is in the name, read their essay on media harm, hear what “winning” looks like for the project, and check out their ongoing process to co-design future actions.

Jobs, Fellowships, and Funding
Shoutout to Caroline Bauman for posting this on Slack! (Caroline can answer any questions.) Check out the #jobsandinternships and #grantsandfunding Slack channels to see what other opportunities Gatherers are sharing.

2021 Summer Reporting Interns, Chalkbeat: “Are you a motivated undergraduate or grad student interested in telling the story of education in America? Our newsroom has bureaus in eight cities — Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Newark, New York City, and most recently, Philadelphia — plus a national team. We cover the effort to improve schools for all children, especially students in the United States who have historically lacked access to a quality education.” Location: See above bureaus (minus Newark). Deadline: Review begins 12/1.

Community Updates

The Gather Slack is the thriving hub of our community, where we brainstorm together, ask for and offer advice, and connect with each other. Sign up as a Gather member to join Slack.

Trying new things? One Gatherer asks, “What new thing did you try for your election coverage?” Or what aspect of someone else’s work have you been nerding out over? Share your wins here.
Upcoming deadlines: Last week’s The Local Fix newsletter offered a deadline roundup of upcoming grant and professional development deadlines.
#PublicMediaForAll: Yesterday (Nov. 10) was the #PublicMediaforAll day of action. jesikah maria ross wrote a blog post on paying attention to how inequity plays out in newsrooms and committing to anti-racism.
Election SOS Fund: Do you have post-election coverage needs that could use support? Apply for the Rapid Response Fund for a grant from $500-$10,000 from Election SOS.

Hot Read: "The Social Media Managers Are Not Okay" by Gatherer Marta Martinez
for OneZero. (This is the Gather community's most-shared story on Twitter this week. Look for other 'hot reads' in Friday's Nuzzel newsletter and in the #reads channel on the Gather Slack.)

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In this week's newsletter:

Before I can bridge divides, I have to be where I am

Lightning Chats

Community Updates