OPB has joined the Public Media for All initiative as a participating organization, becoming part of an effort to raise awareness of the negative impacts of the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in public media while also sharing solutions among organizations and individuals.

Public Media for All is a diverse coalition of public media workers, led by people of color. They believe that diversity, equity and inclusion at every level and in every facet of public media is essential for ensuring meaningful service to all.

OPB is the first public media station to join this initiative along with other industry organizations, including Greater Public, Public Media Women in Leadership, and AIR.

"I hope that our involvement will encourage other public media organizations to join Public Media for All, said Steve Bass, president and CEO, OPB. “'Public' is part of our name and it means more than free and equal access to radio and television signals across the Northwest’s landscape. ‘Public’ requires amplifying Oregon’s unique voices and experiences, helping Oregonians hear and understand the perspective and experiences of others and truthfully covering Oregon’s history of systemic racism, which is very much out in the open (but some pretend does not exist). An organizational culture that values diversity and centers equity and inclusion will help OPB live up to its promise.”

OPB began its intensive DEI work two years ago. Among the actions it has taken to date that align with Public Media for All:

  • Partnering with the Center for Equity and Inclusion, a Portland-based specialized consulting agency, to implement DEI work across OPB.
  • Creating an equity team comprised of OPB staff to steer its DEI work.
  • Conducting an anonymous cultural assessment survey for OPB staff and sharing the results.
  • Conducted DEI training to all regular OPB staff, facilitated by the Center for Equity and Inclusion
  • Eliminating unpaid internships, offering paid opportunities to existing interns, and creating two new paid fellowships at OPB: the Joan Cirillo Emerging Journalist Fellowship and the Roger Cooke Legal Fellowship.
  • Commissioning a pay equity study by an outside organization.

In recognition of Public Media for All’s day of action and education on November 10th, OPB is offering its regular status employees an extra day off to be used on this day or anytime in the next three months.

OPB is encouraging its staff to regularly make space in their lives for rest, reflection, reading, volunteering or some other way of focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion in a way that is meaningful to them.