Episode 23 - Reviving the Labor Beat with Lauren Kaori Gurley

Diversity Hire

Hello and welcome to episode 23 of Diversity Hire.

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Today we talked to one of the best labor reporters in the game—Lauren Kaori Gurley. We talked about why labor reporting was once (and still is to some) an underappreciated beat, how race informs the way we talk about workplaces, her run-ins with the feds while reporting on meatpacking workers, why unions are GOOD, and much more. Thanks for listening!

* Arjun & Kevin talk about the upcoming layoff nightmare (0:00)

* Lauren Kaori Gurley guides us through her career timeline (6:09)

* Was journalism school helpful? (14:42)

* Why is the labor beat underappreciated and why it’s so important now (15:39)

* Why are we experiencing a labor journalism revival? (17:22)

* Lauren’s story about getting arrested at a hog farm (19:24)

* How monopolistic companies are incentivized to abuse workers (24:38)

* Is the labor beat going mainstream? (26:04)

* The depressing reality of reporting on Amazon (re: “Secret Amazon Reports Expose the Company’s Surveillance of Labor and Environmental Groups,” Motherboard, 2020) (27:55)

* How did Lauren develop her sourcing on her Amazon stories (30:32)

* What is the future of labor reporting under a Biden NLRB? (33:40)

* How corporations benefit from dividing workers through racist narratives (re: “Instacart Hacks and Bots Have Fueled a Racist Class War Among Shoppers,” Motherboard, 2020) (36:24)

* The fallacy of “freedom” for gig workers (39:45)

* What is the role of race in labor journalism? (43:01)

* The lack of media literacy when it comes to labor reporting (50:21)

* The reciprocal nature of labor reporting in an industry that often shows little respect for workers (52:40)

* The superficial complaints of journalism (56:15)

* What has been the response to Lauren’s piece about secret organizing (re: “How to Organize Your Workplace Without Getting Caught,” Motherboard, 2020) (57:00)

* Arjun’s Feelings Don’t Care About Facts Corner (58:50)

* The Diversity Tribunal (1:03:05)

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