Amid a deadly pandemic, and the urgent threats of climate change, social inequity and more, the need for accurate information has never been clearer. But as misinformation and disinformation spreads, real news organizations continue to shrink and close: a Pew Research Center study this year reported a 26% decline in newsroom employment since 2008, with a third of large newsrooms experiencing layoffs last year. Alarmingly, a quarter of all U.S. newspapers have closed in the last 15 years. 

DoGoodery, a consulting agency that ideates, creates, and executes initiatives to improve lives and reduce inequity, believes that we must tackle the information crisis if we are to make progress on our big societal challenges. The problems are too large and too complex to be solved by just a few people, organizations or institutions; we need all hands on deck. And without equal access to factual information about the serious, even existential, challenges we are facing, people will not be able to make the best decisions they can for themselves, their families, their communities and their country. Without the spread of true information, our democracy fails.

So today DoGoodery is launching a new consulting practice focused on journalism and information equity. It will be led by Jennifer Kho, DoGoodery’s new vice president of journalism and information equity. Kho brings more than 20 years of journalism experience to the role, spanning editorial, audience, revenue and innovation. She previously served as the managing editor of the Guardian US and HuffPost, where she also served as senior director of strategic innovation. She was the founding editor of Greentech Media. 

“At DoGoodery, we envision a world where connection, collaboration and a genuine commitment to shaping a more equitable and enduring future are intrinsic aspects of doing business. To reach this vision, addressing the information crisis is absolutely critical,” DoGoodery Founder Christiane Maertens said. “It is an honor to have Jennifer join us at DoGoodery to lead this effort on behalf of the company. Jennifer comes to us with extensive experience as a talented journalist and innovator, and her passion and commitment to the mission are palpable. We look forward to collaborating with her to bring her vision to life.”

The new practice will work with organizations across the news and information ecosystem – including newsrooms of all shapes and sizes, tech providers, corporations, academic institutions, nonprofits and philanthropic organizations – to help grow real journalism. DoGoodery will offer holistic strategic work, market research and execution across editorial strategy, newsroom operations, reorganization, goal-setting and metrics, audience engagement, community building, membership, revenue, events, innovation, JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) and more. 

“I’m thrilled to join DoGoodery, a sustainability consultancy with a track record of doing not only the big thinking but also the hands-on work to help clients make real progress on environmental sustainability and social impact,” Kho said. “I believe a free press and access to information are essential, not only to our democracy, but also to social equity and people’s ability to make informed decisions about their own lives. It’s time we recognize that information equity is both a human right and a civil right, and that the information crisis is a fundamental barrier for humans to solve our biggest societal challenges, including social equity, climate change, the pandemic and more.” 

As journalism changes rapidly, many newsrooms are experiencing a critical need for new skills in many areas. Most organizations can’t afford to hire big teams with all the skills they need to succeed, and expecting existing teams to take on all the new duties is also unsustainable. So DoGoodery is offering a diverse team of digital news experts to assess journalism-related organizations’ needs, create a realistic plan to meet their goals and launch it, offering a proof of concept, a roadmap and help with hiring, staff development or execution to get it done.

You can learn more here. If you’re interested in working with DoGoodery on projects, big or small, to advance journalism and information equity, please fill out this simple one-question contact form.

Read Kho’s piece for Nieman Reports about why news is essential to sustainability.