By engaging a wide range of people in their work, co-creational news media organisations can correct forms of ‘epistemic injustice’, where people’s knowledge and experience is ignored by the rest of society.
This does not mean that co-creational news media is a free for all, where anyone can claim something as fact even if it flies in the face of the evidence. Instead, co-creational news media aims to build a shared understanding of the truth by making sure that everyone’s voice is heard and their concerns are addressed.
Tips
- There is a difference between claims about material facts – ‘water consists of hydrogen and oxygen’, for example – and claims about opinions or beliefs – ‘I don’t like swimming’, for example. No matter how many people are involved in a news story, it won’t change the chemical composition of water – but it might help to explain why I don’t like swimming and what I can do about this.
- When covering complex and controversial issues, how can you enable people with a range of perspectives to get involved?
- If there are certain perspectives that you do not want to include – because they are demonstrably false or harmful, for example – do you have a clear and consistent policy that explains your position?
Example
- Bylines Network consists of a range of regional publications produced by, for and with local people.
