The third panel mandatory to all media inclusion initiative participants was led by successful entertainment reporter, Marriska Fernandes. She talked frankly about what it felt like to be a woman of colour in the industry. Oftentimes, other journalists assume that you are a diversity hire rather than there on merit. On top of this, you feel a special brand of imposter syndrome where you wonder the same thing about your accomplishments. Not only do people think you’re unqualified, but you also feel weary about your own success. Her advice was to ignore this as best you can and take every opportunity.
She also offered the following advice for early career journalists:
- Create a portfolio or personal website where people can easily find you and your work.
- Know what you want to cover, and go after those stories.
- Think about what a publication hasn’t written yet. Then, think about whether this is indicative of a gap in coverage or an intentional exclusion. If it’s a gap, pitch that story.
- When crafting a pitch, think about why you should write that piece, why it’s relevant at this point in time and why it’s different from what other people are saying.
Pink Asparagus 
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