Power Shift Project for Workplace Integrity

The Power Shift Project is a free training program designed to improve the quality and future of journalism by enhancing the diversity, equity and culture of news organizations. The goal is workplace integrity, which is defined as environments free of harassment, discrimination and incivility and filled with opportunity, especially for those who have traditionally been denied it.

The project’s training opportunities include:

• Workplace Integrity: Train the Trainers workshop
• The Inclusive Leadership webinar
• The Do You Qualify as an Ally? webinar

All components are currently taught via Zoom.

The curriculum was designed by Jill Geisler, the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago, in consultation with Cathy Trost, Chief Engagement Officer/Senior Vice President of the Freedom Forum. Geisler is a renowned leadership trainer and coach and a former TV news director.

In 2017, the #MeToo movement forced the media industry to reckon with toxic, abusive newsroom culture. The Power Shift Project then was launched in January 2018 when the Freedom Forum convened more than 130 newsroom leaders, editors, reporters, educators and advocates in Washington, D.C., to discuss solutions to end sexual misconduct and promote opportunity for all.

The Workplace Integrity: Train the Trainers workshop was specifically created to help the news industry and journalism education organizations based in the United States and Canada. It is not designed for other professions or for news organizations outside of the U.S. and Canada.

We train journalism professionals and educators so they can deliver the training in their own organizations or to other media organizations. While the Workplace Integrity curriculum is designed to improve newsroom culture, it does apply to other parts of a news organization, including human resources and sales. Many media industry professionals outside of the newsroom have also been trained.

The free hourlong webinars on allyship and inclusive leadership are open to the public, but the discussions are geared toward impact in the news industry. Registration is required.

Jill Geisler, the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago, designed the curriculum using her own research and experience, in consultation with Cathy Trost, Chief Engagement Officer/Senior Vice President of the Freedom Forum. Geisler drew on conversations from the 2018 Power Shift Summit and similar sessions hosted by the Freedom Forum; data on harassment and discrimination from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; research on bias in decision-making; and articles on gender and diversity issues. Geisler also drew on her own experience working for decades with journalists and leaders who want to improve their workplace cultures. Geisler refined the curriculum as she led the Power Shift Project webinars and workshops as the Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership.

The Workplace Integrity: Train the Trainers workshop is taught via Zoom over two consecutive days in sessions of 2 ½ hours each. It is built around four modules: critical thinking, courageous conversations, allyship and building cultures of respect and trust.

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Workshop participants experience the training, learn to teach it and then receive a complete kit with all the materials to present the curriculum’s four modules. The kit includes slides, handouts, case studies and a facilitator’s guide. The material belongs to the Freedom Forum and participants are asked to sign an agreement about use of this intellectual property before they receive the training kit.

The curriculum is designed specifically to help journalists and journalism educators launch courageous conversations, and the case studies are specific to the news industry. The material is not framed as a compliance exercise. Trainers learn how to set the table for candid, earnest and even painful conversations. They also learn how to respond to improper workplace behavior and how to be proactive. The workshop helps participants find the right words to propose solutions, take a stand and embed the values of workplace integrity into everyday communication.

No, but it is highly recommended. The three components of the Power Shift Project – webinars on allyship and inclusive leadership and the Workplace Integrity workshop – are each designed to stand on their own. However, journalists and educators who have been trained in the workplace integrity curriculum say attendance in at least one of the webinars prior to participating in the two-day workshop has enhanced their ability to train others.

When multiple people want training in your organization, we encourage them to register for one of the Train the Trainer workshops. The Freedom Forum does not have the capacity to train organizations separately or customize the curriculum, but there is no limit to the number of people a news organization or journalism school can send to a workshop. Many news organizations have sent multiple staff members to workshops, who then train others in their newsrooms and universities.