Tool for journalists: Sourcelist, a database of technology experts for improving diversity in reporting

What is it: A database of qualified female experts in technology policy from diverse backgrounds

Cost: Free

How is it of use to journalists? Only about a quarter of news subjects are female, according to the Global Media Monitoring Project, and statistics get even grimmer when it comes to diversity.

Although the media sector is increasingly scrutinising its gender bias, good intentions are not enough to redress the balance. Ed Yong of The Atlantic recently wrote about his efforts to quote more women and the difficulties that journalists face even when they are consciously trying to improve diversity in their reporting.

To help journalists with this challenge, Sourcelist created their first database of female experts in the technology field, Women+.

The list features people of underrepresented genders as well as LGBT experts and those from different ethnic backgrounds.

The database contains user-submitted profiles, managed by a team of volunteers who make sure that all individuals are real people, although they can’t endorse their credentials or expertise.

Finding an expert is pretty straightforward. Journalists can search and filter results by name or keyword, for example software development or cybersecurity, and locations which are currently limited to the USA.

The results then show a list of individual profiles that feature a short biography and links to the experts' websites, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. However, the profiles don’t contain contact information so journalists will have to find an alternative way to contact their sources.

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