Military Veterans in Journalism now offers training sessions on disability coverage best practices. Our program provides journalists and other organizations with the knowledge to accurately and respectfully report on disabled veterans and other members of the disability community.
An MVJ disability reporting training session is 60-90 minutes long and costs $500. Training sessions are structured to suit each client, with a focus on the specific market that the newsroom or organization serves. The curriculum covers the following topics:
- Relevant data points on disabled veterans
- Challenges and common tropes related to disabled veterans
- Details on specific issues that affect the disabled veteran community
- Intersectionality in the disabled veterans and broader disability communities – how does improving coverage of disabled veterans affect the issues in disability reporting?
- Crafting respectful narratives around disabilities – language and storytelling tips and advice
- Tips for correcting mistaken assumptions
- Tips for recognizing inaccurate portrayals
- Examining some of the best and worst practices in broader news coverage
We believe that it is crucial for journalists and anyone else in the news industry to understand how to best report on disability. Providing accurate and respectful coverage of disability issues not only benefits disabled individuals, but also helps to create a more inclusive society.
These MVJ training sessions are an important step in creating improved coverage of disability issues and the disability community. With the growing need for more inclusive and diverse representation in media, it is essential for journalists and other media professionals to understand the importance of reporting on disability in a thoughtful and considerate way.