Five tips for building a culture of care in your newsroom: strategies for newsroom leaders

Research shows that positive workplace cultures boost productivity, reduce employee turnover, and lead to healthier and happier teams. But these environments rarely develop by accident - and even less in high-stress, fast-paced industries like the news media. They require both intentional leadership and well-thought-out processes.

We spoke with Jayo Miko Macasaquit, Chief People Officer at The 19th, a US digital-born newsroom known for its supportive workplace culture, and Jeremy Clifford, a former newsroom editor turned leadership consultant, to get their take on how to build a positive culture of care in the newsroom. 

They shared their top actionable tips for building and maintaining a supportive work environment, including normalising feedback, balancing criticism with praise, and handling resistance with empathy. 

1. Normalise feedback as an ongoing, substantive practice

Establishing a culture of feedback is the first step in creating a newsroom environment where employees feel engaged and supported. 

“It’s crucial for engagement for employees to know how they are performing. If you don’t tell them, they are working in a vacuum,” Clifford says. In particular, he highlights the importance of structuring feedback and making it intentional. “If feedback isn’t given in a regular way, people won’t know if they’re meeting expectations. Without it, they can become disengaged because they don’t understand their role in the company’s success.” 

At The 19th, managers intentionally integrate feedback into their regular workflows. “Many of our managers and staff have instituted a specific ‘feedback portion’ in their regular one-on-ones,” Macasaquit explains. “Others hold monthly meetings with direct reports focused solely on their working relationship. We also conduct performance evaluations every six months to keep this practice consistent across the organisation.”

It’s also important to work towards creating a space where feedback feels natural and non-threatening. This takes time, since, especially in the early stages, giving feedback can be uncomfortable. The key is to recognise this awkwardness and work through it: 

 “It’s always going to be clunky at the beginning,” Macasaquit says. “But over time, it can become muscle memory - and it's by being consistent in giving feedback that it gets committed to muscle memory. The stings [of negative feedback] will sting less eventually, and many get to a point where they actively ask for it.”

2. Strike the right balance between positive and negative feedback

In the leadership development sessions Clifford runs for our courses, he often cites Dr John Gottman’s “5:1 ratio” for feedback, meaning for every piece of negative feedback, five pieces of positive feedback should be given. 

“Of course, it can be challenging to provide five times as many positive comments as negative ones, especially when dealing with individuals who may not warrant a lot of positive reinforcement,” he admits. “So it’s more of a guiding philosophy than a strict rule.”

Macasaquit mentions a similar approach. “If it's always just negative feedback, people might feel a sense of failure or overwhelm, which can overshadow the opportunities for growth.”

Recognising and celebrating good performance through simple gestures, like a thank-you note or public recognition in team meetings can go a long way. 

He emphasises the benefits of getting to know direct reports individually in helping leaders understand the right mix of feedback for each person: “Each person has different needs when it comes to acknowledgement and praise. At The 19th, we ask staff directly how they best receive feedback (and other approaches to work) and then we build what we call ‘User Guides’ for other staff members to reference as they’re approaching different projects or challenges with these staff members,” he explains. “It’s not going to tell you everything (and it is of course self-reported) but it’s a better start than finding out the hard way that someone doesn’t receive feedback well in a particular way.”

3. Lead by example

Remember that leaders set the tone for newsroom culture, so you should model the behaviours that you want to see in your teams. 

“You need to demonstrate the highest values yourself,” Clifford advises. “For instance, if you want to encourage transparency, open feedback, or any other behaviour, you need to model that behaviour yourself.” 

In other words, you need to walk the walk. When leaders actively listen and show that they value receiving feedback themselves, it encourages others to speak up, which contributes to the growth of the team.

Clifford emphasises that simply saying, "My door is always open," isn't enough. "You have to ensure that when someone comes into your office, you stop what you're doing and give them your full attention," he explains. "Having a truly open door means engaging fully with the person who comes to you and thanking them for their feedback.”

He also recommends actively encouraging your team to hold you accountable.

“Ask your team to pull you up when they see that you’re not living up to the values you promote,” he suggests. “And crucially, when they do that, respond positively - acknowledge their feedback, and thank them for it.” Modelling this openness and receptiveness yourself is the most effective way to ensure your team does the same. 

 4. Handling resistance: focus on framing

Remember that resistance to feedback is a natural reaction, especially when it involves areas of personal improvement. Try to approach these situations with empathy, recognising that there will often be an inevitable emotional component that comes with receiving negative feedback.

“Some people might process feedback quickly, while others need time to sit with it,” Macasaquit explains. Giving individuals the space to process feedback at their own pace can lead to more productive discussions down the line. 

One way for leaders to address resistance or defensiveness is to emphasise that feedback is part of a partnership, not a judgment. Here, framing is key. 

“Instead of accusing them, frame the conversation as a discussion,” Clifford says. This can be particularly useful when addressing behaviour-related issues. For example, rather than saying, “You’re being rude to other team members,” try, “I’ve noticed that sometimes when you speak to some of the other team members, they feel intimidated. Can we talk about that?” This approach reduces defensiveness and opens up the conversation for genuine problem-solving.

This works for performance-related feedback as well. 

 “Showing people that what comes after is continued partnership, and that you’re with them to address it together, can help replace some of those reactions,” Macasaquit says. 

5. Take the time for people, not just tasks

Effective managers also recognise that leadership isn’t just about managing tasks but about investing in the people behind those tasks. Both Clifford and Macasaquit cite regular one-on-ones as among the most effective ways to do this. 

“Many managers complain about one-to-ones because they take them away from task-driven jobs - but they are essential for keeping people motivated,” Clifford says. 

One-on-ones provide the space to focus on the individual, rather than just their output. They allow leaders to check in on their team's well-being, showing genuine care for both their personal and professional development. 

The key to effective one-on-ones, according to Clifford, is to make sure they are not task-driven. “When I was leading a newsroom, I used to think that these meetings were about addressing that week’s tasks, and the discussions would end up being a to-do list,” he says. 

Instead, he advises reframing these meetings as opportunities for employees to bring up what’s important to them. “Try to frame the meeting as their opportunity to share things they want to talk about. One practical tip for doing this is to ask them to come to the meeting with three things they want to discuss.”

Macasaquit also emphasises the importance of taking time to connect beyond the tasks: “Icebreakers and pleasantries at the beginning of meetings might seem innocuous but, especially for those who work in remote environments, they play a vital role in building more effective working relationships,” he says. “At The 19th, we celebrate things like birthdays, holidays, and other milestones. We’ve also met consistently every Monday on Zoom as a whole staff since early 2020, which has kept us a little bit more grounded. We like to think all of this means something. Right now, it means we can better tackle really ambitious and nuanced US election coverage that sort of punches above our weight.”

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Jayo Miko Macasaquit and Jeremy Clifford have both been speakers for our newsroom leadership programmes. More info about our programmes here.