Ashley S. Clarke, 25

Audience Engagement Editor, Center for Public Integrity

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, minor in Arabic, University of Maryland, College Park

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the news industry?

Get comfortable with change. Journalism is an ever-evolving industry. Newsrooms are often exploring new roles, platforms and formats. There are so many different ways to tell stories. Try not to get too attached to one way of doing things. Be bold. Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself and the way you do things. Don’t let anyone put you in a box, including yourself.

Specifically for young Black female journalists — take up space. You belong in whatever space you dream of, so dream big. Find mentors in your newsroom who will advocate for you.

Lastly, no job is worth destroying your mental health. You don’t want to be a part of a newsroom that still subscribes to the archaic practice of bullying early career journalists as a means of initiation.

What do you think is the crucial thing that news publishers can do to counter misinformation and increase trust in media?

News publishers have to get into communities and build relationships. Building trust with an audience that doesn’t know you and your motives is difficult. Trust building requires a level of transparency, a feedback loop and opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations. My philosophy is that journalism should be a collaboration between local and national media outlets and the communities they cover. Even if it is a slow and unwieldy process at times, journalism is a more complete representation of the truth because of that collaboration.

There will always be bad actors and dangerous technology producing and pushing misinformation. All we can do as journalists is to create work with integrity, expose lies and strive to get our work in front of as many people as possible.