RTDNA Teams With National Press Foundation, Arnold Ventures To Offer New Crime Coverage Summits

The Radio Television Digital News Association will hold two Crime Coverage Summits in January 2024 to help TV newsrooms think critically about their reporting on the criminal justice system.

The events will take place Jan. 8-10 in Philadelphia and Jan. 17-19 in New Orleans. RTDNA is partnering with the National Press Foundation on the events, both sponsored by Arnold Ventures.

The 2024 Crime Coverage Summits will gather broadcast news leaders and journalists to think critically and work collaboratively to address crime coverage in TV news. This education and training opportunity is designed to help journalists build on successful crime coverage tactics in their newsrooms and throughout the industry.

The Summits will examine coverage of race and juveniles, gun violence, dealing with police, mental health in your newsroom and more, mixing in training from experts with peer-to-peer sharing and collaboration.

The 2024 Crime Coverage Summits build off the success of the 2023 Summit. When asked on a scale of 1-10 if they would recommend this event in the future, attendees gave the 2023 Crime Coverage Summit an average score of 9.48. In a column for TVNewsCheck, Emily Barr wrote “summits like this one have the power to effect real change.”

Barr said she had been thinking a lot about the way TV news covers crime and suggested there must be a better way. “Thanks to the National Press Foundation, the Radio Television Digital News Association and Arnold Ventures, I believe a new path is being forged.”

Registration for the Philadelphia and New Orleans events is just $25. Travel scholarships, funded by a sponsorship from Arnold Ventures and administered by RTDNA, are available for individuals seeking flight/lodging support.

For more information, click here.