Executive Editor Joel Christoper of the Knoxville News Sentinel and Brenna McDermott, the newsroom’s growth and development editor discuss their recent report for the Better News Initiative.

Gannett’s Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee got a wake-up call that prompted its newsroom to rethink how the paper covered the city’s Black community.

With the help of former Better News guest Cynthia Benjamin, the News Sentinel paired a free one-year subscription with a Facebook group to create the Digital Advisory Group or “The DAG” for short.

Joel Christopher and Brenna McDermott, the News Sentinel’s executive editor and  the newsroom’s growth and development editor, respectively, wrote a report about the DAG for the Better News Initiative. They Better News host Michael O’Connell how The DAG helped to transform their newsroom and diversify their coverage. Read the full report.

The Better News podcast is a partnership between It’s All Journalism and the American Press Institute to a) showcase innovative/experimental ideas that emerge from the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and b) share replicable strategies and tactics that benefit the news industry as a whole. Sign up for the Better News newsletter to receive news about the latest resources, case studies, and insights. For more news about the It’s All Journalism podcast and future episodes of Better News, sign up for the weekly IAJ newsletter.