The #div_com Slack channel for The Daily Californian’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, or Div Com, is a central location to find recent committee updates, links to meeting agendas and resources pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion. The channel also strives to be a resource for all Daily Cal staffers during the pitching, reporting, writing and editing processes. 

It is our hope that staffers who join the channel will be able to review pieces and visuals prior to publication and offer suggestions to ensure more respectful and sensitive coverage. In the process of reviewing, they will be provided access to resources from professional organizations such as the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Trans Journalists Association.

Slack discussions between members offer space for ideas and previously unconsidered solutions. The goals of these conversations are to allow writers to learn from colleagues and spend time practicing careful writing and editing, which is especially critical given that the Daily Cal also serves as a learning environment for college journalists.

The Slack channel can also be used to discuss visuals, photos and multimedia content. Prior to creating, a visual department staff member can share ideas about icons, symbols or concepts they are thinking about representing. After the visual has been created, the creator can approach Div Com for support and feedback. Decisions about whether or not an image is ready for publication may involve additional research, shared references to resource materials and insights from staff members’ lived experience.

Recognizing that the Daily Cal has harmed communities in past coverage, Div Com is one of several resources available to review content before and after publication, and the #div_com Slack channel will always support Daily Cal staffers throughout the production process.