PennLive Reporter Honored as Diversity Champion

Ivey DeJesus recognized for nearly three decades of elevating underrepresented voices in journalism

Jan. 31, 2026 at 9:31pm

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PennLive/The Patriot-News reporter Ivey DeJesus was recently awarded the Lenfest Institute Diversity Champion Award for her nearly 30-year career covering issues affecting marginalized communities and elevating underrepresented voices in journalism.

Why it matters

DeJesus' commitment to inclusive coverage and amplifying diverse perspectives is seen as crucial for strengthening democracy and holding power structures accountable by ensuring a wide range of voices and experiences are reflected in news reporting.

The details

Over her career, DeJesus has built a reputation for producing deeply informed and human-centered reporting that gives a platform to communities often overlooked by mainstream media. This dates back to her early days as an editorial clerk at The Washington Post, where she volunteered for assignments covering the AIDS epidemic in Washington's Latino community - an issue few others were reporting on at the time.

  • DeJesus has worked as a journalist for nearly 30 years, dating back to the early 1990s.
  • She was recently honored with the Lenfest Institute Diversity Champion Award.

The players

Ivey DeJesus

A reporter for PennLive/The Patriot-News who has been recognized for her nearly three decades of work elevating underrepresented voices and strengthening inclusive journalism.

Lenfest Institute

The organization that awarded DeJesus the Diversity Champion Award for her commitment to diversity in journalism.

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What they’re saying

“Prioritizing diversity in your newsroom is so crucial to safeguarding democracy. We can't tell the truth if we're only telling one truth, one homogenous perspective. In order to do our job as the Fourth Estate, we need to make sure underrepresented voices are reflected in our coverage, especially in communities that are often silent or invisible.”

— Ivey DeJesus, Reporter (panewsmedia.org)

“Our country is supposed to be this great experiment in diversity — a melting pot guided by shared ideals. We can't live up to that with just one homogenous viewpoint.”

— Ivey DeJesus, Reporter (panewsmedia.org)

The takeaway

DeJesus' award highlights the critical role diversity plays in journalism and democracy, underscoring the need for newsrooms to amplify a wide range of perspectives, especially from underrepresented communities, in order to truly inform the public and hold power structures accountable.