WPLN’s News Director Emily Siner has been selected for the Poynter Institute’s seventh annual Leadership Academy for Women in Media.
She will join 30 other people in this third and final class of 2021, and a network of more than 460 graduates who experience significant personal and professional transformation through the prestigious program.
“We are thrilled to welcome our final cohort of women leaders this year,” said Doris Truong, director of training and diversity at Poynter. “Every cohort inspires because we see the members’ ongoing commitment and passion for journalism. These are also leaders who are dedicated to self-improvement that will have a ripple effect with their staff as they work toward more diverse and inclusive news products.”
The Leadership Academy for Women in Media is one of Poynter’s most competitive programs. It is designed for women and nonbinary journalists who directly manage people and are within their first five years of formal leadership experience. During the program — which will be hosted online Nov. 7-12 because of the pandemic — participants learn to manage teams more effectively, hone and communicate their strategic vision, and steer their organizations toward greater success.
“I believe leadership training is a necessity for everyone in a position of power,” Siner said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn more about myself, make connections with other leaders in journalism, and bring back skills and insights that will help the whole newsroom.”
Siner has served as news director of WPLN News for four years and has been at the station for seven. During her tenure, the newsroom has won some of the most prestigious awards in journalism, expanded in size, become more diverse, and taken on work that has made an impact on the region. She’s currently serving as the local editor of WPLN’s investigative reporting partnership with ProPublica.
Swati Sharma, the new editor-in-chief at Vox.com, will be this cohort’s keynote speaker. Other training sessions during the week are how to find better work-life chemistry with Poynter’s Kristen Hare, how to use ethics in newsroom leadership with Kelly McBride, how to create space for diverse talent with Truong and how to apply positive psychology tactics to quiet self-doubt with Ragland.
Those chosen for Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Women in Media passed through multiple rounds of review with an emphasis to ensure diversity across race, ethnicity, geography, age, platform/medium, organization size and expertise. Reviewers included Poynter staff and faculty, as well as a volunteer committee of program graduates.
The 2021 Poynter Leadership Academies for Women in Media are made possible in part by support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Gannett Foundation.
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