Web Journalist Blog

Nieman Lab. Predictions for Journalism, 2025
https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/12/well-draw-the-lines-we-will-not-cross/

In the past, I’ve made predictions about emerging tech or, like last year, predicted the painful shortcomings of our industry leaders. (I’m sorry that one keeps coming true.)

This year, I could predict that Bluesky will successfully emerge as the new social media platform of choice for news/media friends and junkies. (Follow me here.)

Or I could predict, rather reliably, that an AI “news” product will fail miserably and continue to reveal the tech’s inability to match the (grifter) hype. (I fully believe in the tech, just not the vendors who are selling it to uninformed leaders hungry for an easy answer to address their ongoing shortcomings.)

Or that an owner of a news org will choose to appease the president-elect in order to advance their personal financial self-interest. Or, hell, all three at once.

But this year, I predict that you — yes, you — will stand up, speak up, and do the right thing for the communities we aim to serve, including many who either are or will be under attack by the incoming administration.

I predict that you — possibly in a small conference room with just a handful of colleagues, or in a one-on-one meeting with your boss, or on a stage in front of a large audience, or most likely through an email — will realize that this is the moment you can’t stay silent and must finally speak up.

Trans people are human beings. Immigrants are human beings. Palestinians are human beings.

Women’s rights are human rights. A lie is a lie, not an alternative fact. Racism is racism, not “racially tinged.”

Not all stories have two sides. And some that do do not have equal weighted sides. There are going to be so many of these big moments, so be prepared.

Before the start of the new year, I want you to write down and remember: What are your values? What do you stand for now…before it gets any tougher? Are you willing to speak up? Are you willing to quit your job? Are you willing to put your safety on the line for those values?

I don’t pretend to know where each of us will draw the line — but I believe that we each have a line that we will not cross and where we can no longer stay silent.

And while many of us have the luxury of time to contemplate where our line may or may not be, many, many others do not. They have been harassed. They have been attacked. They have been killed. This is not an exercise of “what ifs” — it’s a reality of “what now.”

And I have faith that you — yes, you — will stand up to meet the moment to give a full-throated answer to whatever tough question this new reality will bring you.

The time has come to speak up for what you think is right. Don’t let our communities — especially the vulnerable ones that are current being attacked and dehumanized — down. Don’t let me down. More importantly, don’t let yourself down.

NOTE: I am a product of NAHJ — from a student to now a inducted into this great organization’s Hall of Fame. In 2022 the conference gathered in Las Vegas and, while I wrote this speech, I didn’t get a chance to deliver it. I had a small time window so I gave a light version of it. So, here it is in its entirety.

We come to this place for magic.

We come to NAHJ to laugh, to cry, to care. Because we need that, all of us.

That indescribable feeling we get when we see each other… and realize we are not alone.

Shoutout to the three people who got those wise words. Thank you Nicole.

NAHJ, I know I am between you and dancing with drinks, but when you get a stage like this, you have to use it to say some things.

First, thank you to NAHJ… the board for giving me this honor. This staff… my god, this staff. Yunuen, Leslie-Anne…. Yaneth, mi hermana salvadoreña. From Ivan Roman to Alberto Mendoza. And welcome David!

Thank you to Veritas group – BA and team.

Thank you to so many people whose shoulders I am standing on. As a student, I applied for the student projects and got into student campus… the following year to the Latino Reporter.

Thank you to the mentors then – like Regina Media and, a legend, Jon O’neill – and mentors now, including at USC. Marilyn Garateix for nominating me – please go vote, and give Marilyn that vote of support. Michelle Johnson, Doug Mitchell… the JOC Slack, my D&D crew on the JOC Slack.

So. Many. People.

When someone pitched the idea of getting this nomination, I asked if it could be awarded to my family rather than me.

We all know the truth – whatever sacrifice we do for our careers, our family sacrifices too.

Y’all know the membership drive that took us to 3,000? I was suppose to be on vacation.

But when I asked my wife, Connie, about the idea of the family honor she said, and I quote, “the hell is the matter with you?!”

Connie, baby, monster… thank you for being the best friend and best editor. Y’all, I turn to her for advice and guidance and she has saved me so many times.

She also ran the student online projects when I did years ago… she is a lifetime member… she is as worthy of this recognition as I am, but she will never take that attention.

I love you.

You know, reflecting on my career I have been involved with and made some incredible things.

But none of those… not one… compares to co-creating my son, Nico. Many of you have seen him grow up here at NAHJ, starting at the Puerto Rico conference.

Nico, I am jealous – jealous – of the man you have become. I am so proud of you. Maybe talk back a little less, but never let anyone shut you up. Me included. (I am going to regret that.)

Many of you may not know this, but alongside Nico at conferences has been my mom who is here tonight.

Talk about sacrifices.

She cleaned houses – like many of your parents did – to pave the way for me to stand on this stage.

She moved us back to El Salvador when my alcoholic dad – who I love with all of his faults, RIP – was too much, to put it lightly.

My mom often apologized to me for moving us to El Salvador.

Mami, yo estoy aqui solo por tus sacrificios. Gracias por todo que has hecho por mi y mis hermanos.

NAHJ, family is important and when I look at this room I see my journalism family.

And, sometimes, we need to have some tough family talks.

I know your struggles in your careers, your newsrooms with that boss.

Micro and maco aggressions.

I know it is tough.

Like a wise man said, for many of us, “we have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans” … salvi in my case.

I know it is tough.

But the industry – the world – is better because you are in it.

Don’t just settle to be in the room, any more. Own that seat at the table. And build the next table.

NAHJ, I need to say some things.

Being in support of human rights is not a bias stance… supporting human rights does not threaten objectivity.

Women’s rights are human rights.

Therefore, supporting a women’s right to choice needs to be embraced and amplified.

I am a catholic man, cis male… while my faith guides me, you don’t need a higher power to see that love is love… that pronouns are not a threat… that this country was built on the backs of slaves and immigrants.

As a kid I always wondered what I would have done if I was around during Nazi times… well… we live in interesting times.

White supremacists are here. They are as insecure as ever, willing to kill people that look like us… that may love differently. That may speak differently… that identify differently.

Newsroom leaders, if you are not up to meet this moment – where our exists is treated as a bias or a threat – step aside. Because there is a flood of talent that is ready to drown out this hate without having the false “both sides” bullshit.

Step aside. ¡Movete!

Where my students at?

Todos, do you have $35? Donate that small amount to pay for memberships to students and other Latine journos who need that help.

Todos, follow my footsteps and drink too much… and overcommit… and become a life time NAHJ member. Best drunk decision I ever made… they do payment’s y’all.

Each of you is playing an important role and do not forget that.

We are still in the middle of a world pandemic, so it is okay to be exhausted… depressed… worried…. and oh so fucking tired.

But do not give up. You have so many people to prove wrong and voices como nuestros to elevate.

Our heroes feel like the best parts of us, and stories feel perfect and powerful…

Because here… they are.

Gracias!

Fun fact: In addition to getting this prestigious honor, I also got COVID for the first time.

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists held a virtual graduation for Latnix students who graduated this year and I was asked to join an incredible group of journalists to give a 5-minute speech.

The event featured Latino/a leaders and role models in the industry, including special remarks from keynote speaker María Elena Salinas alongside Maria Hinojosa, José Díaz-Balart, Fin Gómez, Obed Manuel-Estrada, Joy Diaz and more.

For those interested, here is my speech:

Hola todos,

It is a genuine honor to get to speak to you today… congratulations on your HUGE achievement.

I want to start with a simple statement: there is no pipeline problem.

Managers like to say they just can’t find qualified journalists of color when hiring for a position.

We know that is a lie… How? Simply because you exist.

You prove them wrong.

You have been proving them wrong before college… and you will have to continue to prove them wrong after college.

Look, you deserve to be hired.

Your voice deserves to be heard.

Your work deserves to be supported.

You deserve equal pay for equal work.

You deserve mentorship and growth.

You will deserve that promotion.

But, the reality is, you might not get it.

And that’s not okay.

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to settle for their answer.

You are going to have to continue to fight to get what you deserve… and it won’t be easy.

To quote a wise man: “We gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time. It’s exhausting!”

For the record, I’m not Mexican. Pues, I’m Salvi. ??

But the point is still the same… we have to work harder than others to get what we deserve.

It’s tiring.

It’s frustrating.

It is not fair.

But it is extremely important.

We need your voices.

Our diverse communities need your perspective – need your physical presence – in our newsrooms across the country.

I’ve been in newsrooms where the janitor and I were the only Latinos.

I’ve been in newsrooms – big ones – where me and a Korean guy were the only ones who spoke Spanish.

I learned, somewhat reluctantly, that I needed to own a seat at the table.

It is scary… to take that seat – I am talking about a literal seat – at the table during the morning meeting or A1 meeting.

But I took that seat.

And we need you to take that seat too… not only for our community, but for every community that isn’t at the table.

Yes, sometimes we will have to build our own table.

Sometimes we have to take a smaller seat.

Sometimes we’ll be at the head of the table.

But we have to make sure we’re in the room and at that table.

It’s exhausting, but important.

As you continue your journey and dive into your careers, I want you to remember two things:

1. As our Queen says: Always stay gracious. The best revenge is your paper.

2. And, lastly, don’t give up. You’ve still got a lot of motherf*ckers to prove wrong.

Congratulations Class of 2020, Class of COVID19, Class of The Uprising.

Continue to prove them wrong and Fight On!

We all cope in different ways. Me? I often turn to photoshop or make memes.

While COVID19 has us hunkered down in place, Zoom backgrounds can be one tiny bright spot to have fun.

Here are some that I made and/or collected.

BBC Interview Interrupted:
I rebuild this room by mashing up different videos to get it just right… and I added the chair. This is, by far, my favorite background. It works perfectly!

Now as a video!

It’s Fine:
Not mine and not my original idea, but I live this background.

Some Zoom accounts can use videos as backgrounds, so here is an animated/looped version.

Homer and the Hedge:
This meme makes for a great zoom backdrop.

IT Crowd:
The classic set from The IT Crowd

Groundhog Day:
These days feels like the movie Groundhog Day, so here are some backgrounds to match.

Mario Kart:
Itsame! Here are some backgrounds I’ve made relating to the classic game. Letsago!

Parasite:
Beautiful architecture is part of the award-winning movie Parasite.

Read more…

NOTE: I quickly wrote up this post right before a flight and haven’t really copyedited yet.

Diversity and inclusion is a challenge that often feels like an overwhelming problem that we, as individuals, don’t seem to have the influence or resources to tackle.

We commonly say “I’m not hiring” or “I don’t have money to make an impact” and all these may be true.

But, as SXSW opens PanelPicker, CES calls for speakers, and conferences like NAHJ18 and ONA18 are quickly approaching, I wanted to share some practical things YOU can do to make a difference.

1. Pitch a session! There is a difference between those on stage and those sitting in the audience, and often it’s not the level of expertise. It’s about who took the time to fill out a form and who didn’t. You are qualified to be on a panel about something you are genuinely passionate about. Invest some time to fill out a form increase the likelihood of unlocking some financial support to attend the industry conference, ranging from registration to travel and lodging.
2. But don’t make your session about diversity. I have been on countless of diversity focused panels, typically presented to a nearly empty room. My most recent one was at SXSW and that will be my last “diversity” panel. My new approach, and one that I recommend to you, is to be on the leading topics of our industry. I – like many of women and people of color – are qualified to be on panels besides the topic of diversity. And being on non-diversity related panel helps normalize that women and people of color are naturally among the experts about the topic. And, let’s be real, more people will attend a non-diversity related panel.
3. Recruit a reflect panel. If your session was selected, make sure your panelists are representative of our diverse community. Do you best to include panelists from diverse backgrounds to debunk any stereotypes. Don’t only think about gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation, but think geography, size of their organization, skill/experience level, etc. The panelists should not look all like you or share your background.
4. Panelist rather than organizer. If you aren’t the organizer, you still have some influence about who is participating in the session. Ask how diverse the panelist group is and offer to recruit someone qualified that also looks different from the rest of the panel. Often you are help the organizer out. If it is all male, I really encourage you to give up your spot and recruit a replacement that reflects diversity. This simple and powerful step really amplifies others.
5. Give away your registration. If you are employed, I highly encourage you to ask your employer to pay for your conference related expenses. And, if the conference is offering to cover your expenses STILL HAVE YOUR EMPLOYER pay. And giveaway your conference – and possibly the other resources – to someone else. Look, they were going to pay anyway and they were going to comp you anyway… why not pay it forward to someone who needs help. Everybody wins.

I have done each of these – multiple times for years. I have no money. I have a kid to fund. I am not hiring anyone. But these simple ways can have large impact.

If you truly care about inclusion and diversity in our industry – or any other industry – try a few of these tips to help make a real impact.

Please let me know if you have other tips and if you have done these too. We have more influence than we think.

NOTE: Let’s get this cleared and out of the way. I am not a typical journalist. I don’t have a regular byline nor do I have a media company having to deal with angry voices that value perception more than reality. So, these thoughts are “easier” for me to express than others in our industry. I’ll also add, these are just my thoughts… often thinking, speaking or tweeting out loud as I try to grapple how I fit in the world around me.

BACKSTORY
This wasn’t a new internal debate I’ve been having. In fact, since the middle of the primaries, I’ve been asking myself – and any journalist who would let me bend their ear – the question about how I, or we, as a journalist am feeling about the the tone and coverage as the country began to select the next president.

I, as someone who aims to be an informed citizen, couldn’t tell what was real. I didn’t know what was fact or what was “fake news.”

And, to get this on the record, this concern wasn’t limited to one candidate. In the end, both the Democratic and Republican candidates had some significant flaws that should force any voting citizen a moment to pause.

But, let’s also be honest, one candidate said and behaved contrary to some fundamental beliefs I hold dear. I am unapologetically against racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia and anything that leads to discrimination of others.

I, like I believe many people have, have always thought about “what would I have done” if… if there were a robbery, would I be a hero? If I saw police brutality what would I do? And, the ultimate hypothetical scenario, if I were around the time of Hitler, would I do something to speak up and defend the Jews.

I am also a Catholic (although I do not agree with many of the church’s political stance) and this past Sunday’s set of readings really affected me as President Trump’s executive order banning the travel of Muslim immigrants was happening.

All this got me to tweet. Not saying it was a good or bad decision, but here they are with some context.

I keep my faith to myself. I hate preachy people. But I thought there was hypocrisy and discrimination with the Muslim Ban and these readings really called it out.

1/ Any Catholic that went to church today had to be affected by the readings with the #MuslimBan happening. https://t.co/wqTGGiGuWx

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

I then tweeted out quotes from the readings, which I will spare you. But here is Tweet 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the series.

6/ I, a Catholic who believes in equal/human rights regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, was affected by the readings.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

This was the tweet that would spark a Poynter piece about this struggle.

7/ As journalist, this has been a tough time. Do I watch and report or do I participate. This has been a challenging time for many of us.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

This is the moment where I went off my planned topic and decided to be more open and share my struggle with our current reality.

Like many of you, I’ve done the mental exercise: What if I were there went Hitler were oppressing the Jews. Would I stand up and fight?

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

I never thought that this scenario would actually happen in my lifetime. Never thought it would happen in our country. But it is happening.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

I am against racism. I am against sexism. I am against xenophobia. I am against homophobia. That doesn’t change as a patriot or journalist.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

That also doesn’t change because I am a Catholic or son of Immigrant from a country that has had thousands of refugees.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

I want to be clear. I am an independent who believes in serving all humanity. That is not pro or anti any political party.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

BUT, I have to get on the record that I fundamentally disagree with what Trump is doing. (That has not anti-US or anti-GOP).

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

He is still my president. While I didn’t vote for him we, the people, have spoken. But we, the people, need to keep speaking.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

I stand with you. As a proud U.S. citizen and as a proud journalist teaching and practicing the value of the Fourth Estate.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) January 29, 2017

There were lots of “likes,” retweets and replies, including this one from Joshua Johnson.

@webjournalist Reporting IS participation. Incisive & meaningful. Journalists are inside the action… let's not miss our chance to do good.

— Joshua Johnson (@jejohnson322) January 29, 2017

This led to an exchange with Katie Hawkins-Gaar of Poynter, who asked if she could use my tweets for a piece she’d write based on this struggle many of us seem to be facing.

That led to this:

This tweet prompted me to write an article for @Poynter. Would love to hear your thoughts/experiences. https://t.co/ubBMqkknNx https://t.co/AJp4Mh6Ewp

— Katie Hawkins-Gaar (@katiehawk) January 31, 2017

I will admit, I was and still am nervous for sharing. I took a risk in exposing myself. So far I haven’t gotten in trouble.

But others aren’t so lucky.

Lewis Wallace wrote about his struggle in this new reality too. But he was then fired from his job at Marketplace.

Clearly I disagree with this move.

Reporter @lewispants was fired for having same Qs I tweeted: How does Trump affect our role as journalists/citizens https://t.co/Ag6ChFi1eq

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) February 1, 2017

This era – regardless of your political point of view – is unlike any other. And we need to talk about this, at the very least in newsrooms.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) February 1, 2017

We also need to be clear: Is being anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-xenophobic, anti-sexism a bias? Think about that. Inclusivity a bias?

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) February 1, 2017

We need to explore this. We need to feel uncomfortable. We need to stop talking about how journalism is changing.. let's be real.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) February 1, 2017

Who am I to ask, but I will anyway: I ask newsroom's not to fire reporters for having diverse perspectives, but embrace and explore them.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) February 1, 2017

I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know this is something we need to discuss and examine. This is happening. This is a reality. This isn’t something we can simply ignore or kick out of our newsrooms. This is the time for journalism to embrace the diversity of perspectives from every side and find a way to factor them into our coverage, ethically and transparently.

This is part of the new journalism, and it’s going to get uncomfortable and messy.

I am ready. Are you?

Over the weekend I was able to secure a pair of the Snapchat’s Spectacles (formerly Epiphany Eyewear for wearable nerds with a memory) and have been putting it through its paces.

I have had a past with testing out wearable glasses before.

In testing them, I let my kid give them w spin too.

Here’s video my son captured while drawing — it’s circular video because of the unique (and pretty cool) Snapchat circular format:

For context, here’s video of my son playing while wearing Google Glass:

It’s crazy to think that every Wednesday for the past five years, the Web/Digital community has come together for 90 minutes on Twitter to talk about their craft, sharing their knowledge and experiences.

The most important thing I cherish about #wjchat is the community.

I am grateful to be a part of it.

The next important thing I cherish is the incredible team of volunteers who, over the years, make this weekly miracle happen, often from behind the scenes.

Your past and current team #wjchat crew members are:

• Alex J. Martin @amartinmedia
• Amira Dughri @killbutton (co-founder)
• André Natta @acnatta
• Anna Li @ax_li
• Bethany Waggoner @MsSwaggner (co-founder)
• Henry M. Lopez @henrymlopez
• Jen Lee Reeves @jenleereeves
• Kate Gardiner @KateGardiner (co-founder and party planner)
• Kelly Chen @chenkx
• Lindsay M Hood @loolindsayhoo
• Martha Kang @Martha_Kang
• Mason Walker @MasonRWalker
• Matthew Keys @MatthewKeysLive
• P. Kim Bui @kimbui (co-founder)
• Robert Hernandez @webjournalist (co-founder)
• Robin J Phillips @RobinJP (co-founder)
• Saleem Khan @saleemkhan
• Sarah Day Owen @SarahDayOwen
• Sarah Fidelibus @verbalcupcake
• Shaminder Dulai @SDulai
• Teresa Gorman @gteresa

(I hope to god I haven’t left anyone off the list… if so, please contact me!)

And, of course, there are countless people who have supported our weekly efforts along the way.

Thank you to each and every one of you. Here’s to five more years and temporary tattoos that are a bitch to take off!

Note: You can read about the making of #wjchat here: http://blog.webjournalist.org/2010/02/27/the-birth-of-wjchat/

There are a million Robert Hernandezes in this world.

I should know, I’ve been accidentally confused with nearly half of them.

Some are tattoo artists and some are journalists (not to be confused with these Hernandi)… some have financial “issues,” some have children they’ve “forgotten,” some have arrest warrants based on interesting life choices that can pop up in background checks.

I’ve been put in awkward situations multiple times because my namesakes make bad decisions. (Ask me about Marisa sometime.)

I thought I would stand out when I became a professor at a prestigious university.

That lasted a few months until I got email for Professor Robert Hernandez from another school on campus. (The school actually added me to their faculty listserv!)

Like everyone, I google myself and I even have a Twitter search for “Robert Hernandez.”

Dude, some of them are creeps.

But the most dominate one on Twitter is known for this quote:

“It’s not about having the skill to do something. It’s about having the will, desire & commitment to be your best. -Robert Hernandez”

It’s an inspirational quote that gets tweeted every hour, every day and I have no clue which one of the namesake said it.

So, I googled.

And haven’t found anything.

I did find this site that collects quotes from people and makes them Pinterest-style images.

While the site had a couple from Robert Hernandez, I feel like this one is the most appropriate:

Whoever he is, I do agree with Robert Hernandez’ inspirational quote… so, I’d like to be credited with this one:

“‘It’s not about having the skill to do something. It’s about having the will, desire & commitment to be your best. -Robert Hernandez’ -Robert Hernandez”

 

//// UPDATE: This happened

https://twitter.com/santabantaquote/status/576362959934345216

NOTE: A version of this post ran on PBS MediaShift on Oct. 10, 2014. Lessons Learned from a #GenderAudit on Twitter

If I follow you on Twitter, you may have noticed that I’ve have added you to a Twitter list: Male or Female.

There’s also a private list for People of Color*.

Before you freak out, let me explain what I am trying to do.

A few weeks back I heard a great segment on On The Media with Buzzfeed writer Katie Notopoulos, who created a holiday called Unfollow a Man Day. The piece originally aired on the tl;dr podcast.

Check it out:

This ‘holiday’ came from Notopoulos’ decision from realizing she was following a ton of dudes on Twitter, rather than other females.

She explains it here: Why I Created The #UnfollowAMan Movement

Anyway, that got me thinking… for about a year, I have consciously been trying to diversify who I follow on Twitter.

I never want to be caught in an echo chamber, and I have learned that I get a beneficial edge when I hear outside voices, instead of hearing the same people from within the journalism industry.

But while my diverse follow was a conscious act, I still don’t know if I have struck the right balance.

So, why not find out?

And that’s where these lists come it.

I’m starting a new Twitter/Diversity experiment on myself… I’m putting everyone I follow on a gender list to see the difference and ratio.

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) August 29, 2014

By going through the 960+ people I follow and doing an inventory, I can achieve a couple of things:

1- What is my actual ratio? If I am preaching diversity and parity, am I practicing it too? I don’t know, and that’s what I am looking to find out. This self-experiment really is an audit.

2- In the interview with Notopoulos, she said she realized that some stories that were seen as newsworthy coming from “Twitter buzz,” were only a buzz for men. Meaning, because she followed dudes, dudes’ topics dominated. For me, inversely, I want to see what topics are not buzzing in my stream… or who is it buzzing with.

There is such a thing as Black Twitter. Latino Twitter, non-English Twitter… but most users don’t know (or care) because they follow people and communities they know… or reflect their experiences.

Side note: I wrote this post at 11:30PM-ish, because some people were weirded out by being added to a list. And one person, I feel, began to project some assumptions on what I am trying to do… hence this quick post.

But, let me be clear… just like Twitter, this is for me. I use Twitter for a tool that benefits my knowledge. And now I am using Twitter lists to benefit me as well. I am dying to know the results of this self-imposed audit and see if I can spot any patterns. I am coming in with NO ASSUMPTIONS, open to whatever results may come.

And, for the record, I don’t care if this is scientific or not. This is me grouping subjective follows along gender lines and see if anything emerges. I’m a hackademic, not an academic.

Now, after reading this post, I want to invite/challenge you to do the same thing. Find out if your stream is skewed by following one community more than another… hell, find out if you have a bias. Let me know if you try this thing… and, of course, feel free to share your thoughts on what I am doing. I’m trying to be open and transparent… and I am coming with good intentions.

UPDATE: At 12:21AM, I renamed my lists to be Gender Audit Proj: Female and Gender Audit Proj: Male, to be clearer on what I am doing.

NOTE: I started this “self-experiment” late this evening on a whim… and my brain is turning into mush as I add *everyone* to a list… so I assume I have made some errors. If you spot one, please let me know… thank you!

* The People of Color list is currently set to private, because there is a chance I add or leave out someone accidently and I don’t mean to offend.

// UPDATE & ADDITION (5/14/15)
A student recently told me about TWEE-Q, which analyzes which gender you retweet more. If you think about, having a balanced gender feed is a great step, but how you engage with the feed is an important metric.

What’s the point of following a balance if you only engage with one side?

So, I ran my Twitter name through the web app and got this result:

“@webjournalist retweeted 48% men and 52% women.” I am proud of this result!

// OTHER AUDITS
Feel free to tweet me your audit results as well!

@webjournalist Audited my follows. 255 male, 115 female, 90 other (spoofs and, mostly, collectives/institutions, eg publications

— King Kaufman (@king_kaufman) August 29, 2014

My twitter-feed gender audit results: 149 male, 121 female, 120 other (group/spoof/etc). @webjournalist pic.twitter.com/G0TtLP0UFc

— Wendy Sawatzky (@wendysawatzky) August 29, 2014

@webjournalist My gender audit: Following 446 men, 409 women. Thanks for the idea.

— April Burbank (@aprilburbank) September 2, 2014

Completed #genderaudit: I follow 409 men vs 289 women, or 59% vs 41%. (Twitter analytics guessed 71%/29%)

— Daniel J Bentley (@DJBentley) September 3, 2014

After today's gender audit, I put together this blog post about what I did and what I learned: http://t.co/N8fQ6LWsOQ #changetheratio

— Amy L. Kovac-Ashley (@terabithia4) September 12, 2014