Power Shift Project for Workplace Integrity

On Jan. 9, 2018, Freedom Forum convened the Power Shift Summit, seeking solutions-based alternatives for employees facing abuse and emphasizing the need for diversity and inclusiveness in America’s newsrooms.

Power Shift Project Worked to Reduce Harassment and Incivility and Promote Opportunity for All in Newsrooms

Program reached thousands at more than 270 news organizations and classrooms

The Power Shift Project, an initiative Freedom Forum launched in the aftermath of #MeToo reports of sexual misconduct in U.S. newsrooms, trained journalists and students in newsrooms and universities across the country from 2018-2024.

The Power Shift Project’s goal was to work on ways to produce newsroom cultures free of harassment and incivility and full of opportunity for all, particularly for those who had been denied it. The project inspired a sense of urgency and commitment among participants to address these problems and create meaningful, sustainable change.

The first Power Shift Summit in early 2018 brought together more than 130 leaders and professionals from newsrooms, journalism organizations and universities, along with advocates, and representatives of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Women’s Law Center.

The Power Shift Project hosted three summits, produced white papers, developed curriculum, and held dozens of training sessions and workshops designed to create newsrooms of inclusion, integrity and respect.

More than 600 newsroom and classroom leaders at 270 news organizations, colleges and universities took part in the “Workplace Integrity: Train the Trainers” curriculum, bringing those lessons to their home newsrooms and beyond.

The Power Shift Project provided sessions on allyship, interns and inclusive leadership that reached thousands of journalists and students. This work was guided by Jill Geisler, the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago.

Geisler and Cathy Trost, Freedom Forum chief engagement officer and senior vice president, testified before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission Select Task Force on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, which highlighted the Power Shift Project’s “Workplace Integrity” curriculum as a model for new approaches to training. The project was featured at journalism conferences across the country.

Select resources remain publicly accessible to support ongoing efforts to improve newsroom culture. Freedom Forum appreciates all the advisers, trainers, experts and participants who took part in Power Shift Project training and programs to improve the culture of U.S. newsrooms.

Freedom Forum supports new and future journalists through two initiatives it has operated for over 30 years. The annual Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference brings 51 high school journalists—one from each state and the District of Columbia—to Washington, D.C., each year for programs and inspiration. The Chips Quinn Program for Diversity in Journalism, funded by Freedom Forum and administered by Journalism Funding Partners, provides stipends and mentorship to young reporters from underrepresented communities.