Utah Global Diplomacy is delighted to have launched its Citizen Diplomacy Certification as part of the International Leadership Academy! During the ten week course, the Citizen Diplomacy Certification cohort will dive into world affairs topics taught by dynamic local subject matter experts, and elevate their professional experience through immersive, hands-on activities.
This week's certification welcomed Trent Nelson, a photographer from the Salt Lake Tribune with a focus on the followers of Warren Jeff's Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints. Trent shared wisdom on the importance of capturing reality as it is and the significance of prioritizing accuracy over aesthetics. He stressed accountability in owning any mistakes, highlighting the importance of getting the facts as they are. He shared stories emphasizing the need to make connections, build on trust, and talk to people to uncover diverse perspectives and present a fair portrayal of events. When asked what to look for in determining what we read is being fair to both sides, he shared considering the sources in the story and if there are sources and voices from several sides being represented.
We virtually welcomed Jeremy Harmon from Utah Global Diplomacy, who has previously spent more than 20 years in journalism leading a photography team, was Director of Photography, and was the past president of Associated Press Photo Managers, where he organized and led training opportunities for photo editors in North America. He led a discussion using the Interactive Media Bias Chart below, and the "ad fontes media" methodology for creating it. Jeremy cautioned against shaping one's worldview based on incomplete information and emphasized the importance of seeking out concrete truths to avoid misinformation. He stressed the significance of fact-checking, listening to diverse voices, and critically thinking about the narratives in the media we consume. We examined several news sites and how they often convey varying messages on similar topics through headlines, photos, and text. In preparing for the class, one participant mentioned she had an interesting observation in that a news article changed its headline 10 minutes after first being published, and in her opinion, it was more accurate, but people had already seen the first headline and shaped consumers' views. We were able to link and discuss last week's dialogue conversation and how we can engage with others who may disagree with us, depending on the media we consume.
Learn more about our Citizen Diplomacy Certification and other opportunities with our International Leadership Academy!
