Hearst Distinguished Lecture Series with Geneva Overholser – October 7, 2015

Leading From the Outside: Rethinking Journalism Leadership When Change is the new Normal

Media shape our perception of the world, tell us what our communities are like — even, to a large degree, who we are.  Often, they have been wrong, making us believe our neighborhoods are more unsafe than they are, for example, or rendering whole groups of people invisible. Traditional news sources now are weakening, but new ways of informing ourselves are emerging every day. We actually have an opportunity to be BETTER informed than ever.

Women and people of color, who have been underrepresented in civic discourse, can much more readily be heard.  Yet we are beginning to see old patterns repeated in new media.   We can’t afford the old limited definitions of leadership, or of what “deserves” to be heard.  Here is why those who’ve been on the “outside” are best suited to lead constructive change — and why they should seize that opportunity.