NAHJ DC hosted a chapter meeting at the Reuters Washington bureau on May 24 in the international news wire’s offices located downtown. Reuters Washington Bureau Chief Kieran Murray gave members a tour and alongside Managing Editor for News Strategy and Operations Don Durfee, led a discussion about the news wire’s coverage of the Trump administration, its diversity efforts and global reach. Members participated in a Q&A session with both.

“At the heart, Reuters takes a global perspective of things – we try to tell stories for a global audience,” Durfee said. “We are independent and stateless – that is who we are. We are here to tell the facts.”

Murray noted that the agency aims to cover the Trump administration like any other major topic – pursuing the facts.

“It’s a great moment for journalists in the U.S.,” Murray said. “You have to report on Trump beyond the noise and ask yourself, what is actually going to change here? What are the implications?”

Deputy Managing Editor for Operations of Reuters Arlyn Gajilan described different initiatives at the agency to recruit and retain more diverse journalists. Some of those initiatives include connecting bureaus with local chapters of minority journalism organizations and recruiter diverse candidates for mid-level positions. Both Murray and Durfee said newsroom diversity is an area where the agency needs to grow.

“We are aiming to drive more diversity in our newsroom Reuters diversity leads to better stories,” Durfee said.

Aside from hosting NAHJ DC for this meeting, Reuters recruited our the organization’s fourth annual Washington Journalism Job Fair held on March 25th.