In a venture aimed at reinforcing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ethos, The Dallas Morning News (DMN) has established a significant partnership with the Black-owned Texas Metro News. This collaboration seeks to elevate Black journalists within predominantly white newsrooms and enrich coverage of the Black community in Dallas. The DMN previously acknowledged, as reported by The Dallas Express, some left-leaning bias in its coverage, acknowledging reader complaints on the fairness of stories covering politically charged issues.
Despite concerns about potential takeovers and accusations of "selling out," Texas Metro News publisher Cheryl Smith sees the partnership as ripe with opportunities for both meaningful journalism and informed community engagement, stating, "I love collaborating and I love doing good journalism and our community is better informed through this collaboration," as per NBCU Academy. DMN's Grant Moise emphasized his acknowledgment of past distrust within the Black community toward the Morning News and expressed a keen interest in mirroring the communal diversity with efforts in DEI reflective of that acknowledgment.
The partnership caters to multifaceted collaboration, allowing Texas Metro News to access DMN's stories and providing mutual training opportunities covering editors-to-community engagement and circulation strategies. Cheryl Smith has orchestrated meetings between Black business leaders and DMN's reporters—seeking to bridge gaps in trust and perspectives although initial skepticism did not escape the reactions of these community figures, Cheryl Smith's intervention and the hands-on approach of DMN reporters have begun to inspire confidence.
Grant Moise has found this cross-pollination of resources critical to understanding the Black community's perspective, informing NBCU Academy that through Smith's introductions, his team is gradually gaining trust and sourcing within Black community circles. The coverage of racial issues and the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Black community in Dallas stands as a testament to their deepening involvement Smith relayed the weighty personal toll the pandemic has taken on the community.
