In 2020, we coordinated ENJOI, an EU-funded research project dedicated to co-creating, with a wide range of stakeholders, the principles, standards, and indicators of high-quality science journalism.
Leading this project provided us with essential theoretical, strategic, and political insights, which have deeply influenced how we conceived and developed FACTA. Our Diversity and Inclusion Framework is strongly inspired by ENJOI’s results, which reflect values of inclusivity, participation, and public interest journalism.
At FACTA, we see journalism, and particularly science journalism, as a tool for democratic transformation. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is not only operational but deeply political: we seek to challenge dominant narratives, shift power dynamics, and contribute to a more transparent, equitable and just media landscape in Italy and across the Mediterranean. We recognise that equity requires not only representation but also the redistribution of visibility, voice, and agency toward those historically excluded from public discourse. Our work is rooted in the belief that journalism should serve the needs of those most affected by environmental and health injustices – crises that often have long-term consequences and can deeply impair the lives of entire communities. We are committed to contributing to environmental and climate justice and the defence of public health as fundamental rights.
We value diversity as a strength against polarisation and discrimination. We actively seek to include voices, perspectives, and contributions from people of different backgrounds, cultures, genders, ages, and abilities, ensuring representation at all levels of our work. We reflect critically on our role within the media ecosystem and strive to act with transparency and accountability as narrators, intermediaries, and facilitators of public dialogue.
We believe that real engagement goes beyond representation – it requires listening to and addressing the needs of marginalised and underserved communities. In our Italian and Mediterranean context, where environmental, socio-economic, and political issues are deeply intertwined, an intersectional lens is particularly crucial. We recognise how overlapping social determinants – such as poverty, displacement, and environmental degradation – create systemic barriers. Climate migration, for example, shows how environmental imbalances deeply affect people’s lives, leading to forced migration and the abandonment of entire territories.
FACTA fosters an inclusive work environment where differences are respected and all staff are encouraged to contribute meaningfully. Our team – mostly women, and including people with different gender identities, sexual orientations, and disabilities – reflects our commitment to putting inclusive leadership into practice. We emphasise the multiplicity of subjectivities involved in our work because we see this as carrying strong political significance. Adopting a perspective shaped by non-dominant voices is, for us, a fundamental tool to guide the social and political role our organisation seeks to play.
We aim to ensure that equity is not only present in our content but in the way we structure work, distribute responsibilities, and imagine organisational growth. We are aware that defining a framework like this can unintentionally create new forms of gatekeeping. While we hold strong ethical and political values, we are committed to continuously reflecting on how to apply, revise and adjust them in ways that are truly inclusive – ensuring they guide, rather than exclude. Our goal is not to filter people out, but to create a shared space where diverse perspectives can contribute meaningfully to our mission.
We build collaborative frameworks with civil society, researchers, and activists, integrating diverse knowledge systems and experiences into our investigations. For us, engagement is not just a buzzword but a rigorous and evolving practice, grounded in methods of co-creation and accountability. We aim to co-produce content that empowers communities – not only as recipients, but as active participants – and to engage researchers not only as sources, but as partners. Together, we develop practices that value their knowledge and data, while offering them broader social and political context for their work.
Diversity and inclusion are continuous processes. We regularly assess our practices, guided by the ENJOI Standards, Principles, and Indicators and the Manifesto for open science communication, to ensure that our journalism evolves with the needs of our communities and the systemic challenges we seek to address.
We are committed to making our content accessible to all, especially those unfamiliar with science or from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our dual-language approach (Italian and English) reflects the needs of the communities we work with: many local Italian communities, such as teachers and students, are part of our core audience and rely mainly on Italian content. At the same time, publishing in English allows us to reach researchers and activists who can use our journalism beyond Italy, particularly in Mediterranean regions facing similar challenges.
We also interpret accessibility as a layered concept that includes format, usability, and readability. With the appropriate resources, we intend to adapt our website and content formats to better serve different user needs – for example, by integrating audio versions of articles, using readable fonts for people with visual impairments, and exploring design solutions that support neurodiverse readers. We aim to reduce barriers and make quality, science-based information genuinely accessible to all.
Our aim is not only to improve the quality of our journalism, but to contribute to a political, cultural and civic transformation where science-based, inclusive, and participatory reporting becomes a foundation for democratic life.
