What steps should be taken to ensure diversity in sourcing for a story?

• A. Seek sources from varied backgrounds, communities, and perspectives; verify representation and avoid a single-voice narrative.
• B. Rely on a single official source.
• C. Prioritize convenience and speed over diversity.
• D. Use only official statistics for credibility.

Answer: (A)

Diversity in sourcing means actively gathering voices from varied backgrounds, communities, and perspectives and verifying that representation reflects a broad range of experiences rather than a single viewpoint. This approach broadens the story’s context, catches overlooked angles, and enhances credibility with readers who see themselves represented. Relying on a single official source narrows the lens and can bias the reporting toward one institution’s perspective. Prioritizing convenience and speed over diversity tends to miss important angles and voices. Relying only on official statistics provides numbers but often lacks the lived experiences and nuance that illuminate how issues actually affect people. In practice, reach out to diverse communities, include voices from different roles and experiences, corroborate information across sources, and review the piece to ensure balanced representation.