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Hearst RISE highlights how building diverse teams drives innovation, creativity, and collaboration across the company.

Diverse teams drive innovation, creativity and collaboration across the company's businesses, content and partnerships. In the annual RISE report, we highlight how Hearst attracts exceptional talent, fosters excellence, engages audiences and creates new products.

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FROM RISE 2025

Priorities

1

Empowering Our People

Empowering Our People

By investing in employee networks and programs, Hearst continues to accelerate its efforts to create a workplace that is defined by opportunity, innovation and inclusion.

2

Evolving Talent Process

Evolving Talent Processes

By pursuing excellence in performance management, and development programs, promotion and succession approaches, Hearst works to ensure that its leadership ranks reflect the best of the company.

3

Engaging Stakeholders

Engaging Stakeholders

By developing best-in-class journalism and engaging entertainment for our broad audience while also investing in top suppliers and creating thought leadership and products for B2B clients that address gap-closing opportunities, Hearst uses its resources to be a mechanism for growth and transformation.

Message from the CEO

“To perform at the highest levels we must bring in the best talent from many backgrounds and cultures and create an environment where all of our people can thrive.”

Steven R. Swartz
President & CEO, Hearst
Steve Swartz smiling in a suit with a city background.

Hearst serves a broad audience, and the diversity of the business units allows Hearst to achieve keen insights and the ability to provide cutting-edge solutions for all stakeholders.

Our company

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Investments that drive both impact and success

FITCH Group's Case Study

SpareBank & Sustainable Fitch

Sustainable Fitch reaffirmed SpareBank’s ESG Entity Rating at "2," recognizing its strong commitment to gender pay equity. But how deep does its inclusivity go? While the bank is transparent on gender diversity, revealing more about represented nationalities and disability inclusion could offer a fuller picture of its social impact. Learn more about Sustainable Fitch’s ESG rating of SpareBank.

corporate teams' case study

Neurodiversity@Hearst

Neurodiverse teams are proven to boost innovation, productivity and performance. Explore Hearst's 15-week internship program bringing neurodiverse talent into Hearst while empowering managers to create environments where all minds thrive. Explore how neuroinclusion is shaping the future of work at Hearst.

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SmartWiz

A transformative B2B SaaS platform designed to revolutionize the tax preparation industry.

Hearst newspapers' case study

Expanding Accessibility with AI Audio Readers

With the growing shift toward consuming news on smart devices and through audio platforms, Hearst Newspapers introduced AI-driven audio readers. This content produces enhanced accessibility for listeners, which is particularly important for blind or partially sighted audiences who benefit from quality auditory experiences.

entertainment & syndication's case study

A+E Content Partnerships for Authentic Voices

A+E Global Media has many synergistic creative and commercial partnerships that serve as a catalyst for authentic storytelling, garnering critical acclaim and keeping audiences engaged across its brands and platforms, allowing A+E to bring visibility to a diverse tapestry of stories and voices.

Employee Demographics

Hearst published its first RISE report in 2021 to publicly report on its employee composition. Creating a pipeline of passionate, qualified and productive colleagues is core to strengthening the company.  

‍The data is U.S.-only. All demographic data is self-reported.

All Employees
Managers
New Hires

Gender Summary

Male
Female
Nonbinary
Not disclosed

ETHNICITY Summary

White
67%
74%
59%
Black or African American
8%
5%
11%
Hispanic or Latino
9%
6%
12%
Asian
10%
9%
9%
Two or More Races
2%
1%
3%
American Indian or Alaskan Native
<1%
<1%
<1%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
<1%
<1%
<1%
Not disclosed
<1%
1%
2%

Explore the Report

Hover over each image to learn more about Hearst’s commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Learn more about Hearst’s professional development and allyship programming.

See how Hearst prioritizes partnerships with ERGs and has been recognized for being an inclusive workplace.

Explore highlights from Hearst’s newspapers, magazines and television properties featuring stories of diverse communities.

Read the Community Engagement report.

Lifting Talent

Inclusive Workplace

Content Spotlights

Investing in Our Communities

Neurodiversity@Hearst

Neurodiversity@Hearst is a 15-week internship program across Corporate, Magazines, HTV and Fitch focused on bringing neurodiverse talent into Hearst and equipping managers to allow neurodivergent colleagues to thrive.

Hiring and Supporting Talent

Hiring: Removing barriers to entry for prospective talent during recruitment and fostering a sense of belonging for existing neurodivergent colleagues. Through a 15-week internship program across Corporate, Magazines, HTV and Fitch, Hearst provides neurodivergent talent with hands-on experience, tailored mentorship, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to projects while building the skills needed for long-term career success.

Benefits: Hearst partners with Joshin to support disability inclusion in the workplace by providing employees and their families with access to specialized coaching, training and caregiving resources. Through this collaboration, Hearst fosters a more inclusive work environment while ensuring comprehensive support for its workforce and their loved ones.

Supporting Neurodiversity Broadly

In partnership with Integrate Autism Employment Advisors, Hearst also offers impactful volunteer opportunities where colleagues mentor autistic and neurodivergent job seekers. This program equips participants with essential job search skills while providing volunteers with neurodiversity training. Volunteers play a vital role by offering guidance on résumé building, career exploration and other key areas, creating a meaningful experience for both mentors and mentees.

Helping Others Companies Achieve Their Neurodiversity Goals

Hearst's Neurodiversity@Work Summit brings together leading corporations from the Tri-state area to drive meaningful progress in fostering neurodiversity in the workplace. By facilitating conversations on topics such as the intersectionality between women and ADHD, supporting parents of neurodivergent individuals and the return on investment of neurodiversity programs, the Summit equips organizations with insights and strategies to build more inclusive and supportive work environments.

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SmartWiz

SmartWiz is a transformative B2B SaaS platform designed to revolutionize the tax preparation industry. As the only Black-owned IRS-approved tax software company, SmartWiz leverages AI and automation to simplify complex tax processes. Its tools empower tax professionals to enhance efficiency, reduce errors and scale their operations with ease. Unlike traditional tax software, SmartWiz integrates customer relationship management (CRM), document management, and business tools into a single platform, streamlining operations for users.

Learn more about SmartWiz

  • In 2022, BP (covering energy, oil and gas, biofuels, and renewables) sought a transition assessment from Sustainable Fitch to evaluate their progress towards net zero. With both medium- and long-term targets set for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, BP committed to investing between $55 billion and $65 billion by 2030 to reduce emissions, aiming for net zero by 2050. Sustainable Fitch continues to support BP’s transition by offering recommendations, including improving their emissions reduction record for Scope 3 and enhancing transparency around revenue from transition activities. These insights provide BP with clearer pathways to meet their net zero targets.

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Hearst Newspapers case study

Expanding Accessibility with AI Audio Readers

With the growing shift towards consuming news on smart devices and through audio platforms, Hearst Newspapers introduced AI-driven audio readers. This feature speaks to audiences' evolving tastes and desire to consume journalism on-the-go. This content also produces enhanced accessibility for listeners, which is particularly important for vision-impaired audiences who benefit from quality auditory experiences. Since rolling this feature out in late 2024, Hearst Newspapers' content has had over one million plays.

A screenshot of the audio player on a SF Chronicle article about LGBTQ+ nightlife and activism.
SOLUTION

  • In 2022, BP (covering energy, oil and gas, biofuels, and renewables) sought a transition assessment from Sustainable Fitch to evaluate their progress towards net zero. With both medium- and long-term targets set for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, BP committed to investing between $55 billion and $65 billion by 2030 to reduce emissions, aiming for net zero by 2050. Sustainable Fitch continues to support BP’s transition by offering recommendations, including improving their emissions reduction record for Scope 3 and enhancing transparency around revenue from transition activities. These insights provide BP with clearer pathways to meet their net zero targets.

Partnering with Everlit, Hearst Newspapers implemented advanced text-to-speech technology to deliver articles in a humanlike AI-automated voice. This feature makes journalism more accessible than ever, enabling readers to listen to the latest news during commutes, while multitasking or simply as a preferred way to engage with content.
‍

IMPACT

The AI audio readers provide:

Greater access for visually impaired readers: In the United States, 1 in 5 people experience disabilities. For people with some disabilities, audio content serves as a crucial medium to access information, ensuring they can stay informed and engaged.

56% of consumers say they prefer receiving their content via audio than visually, creating a seamless experience for the increasing amount of users who prefer auditory content.

“We are excited to take advantage of improvements in this technology that allow us to offer this new way for folks to consume our journalism. And the benefits for our visually impaired readers will be huge.”

Emilio Garcia-Ruiz
Editor-in-Chief, San Francisco Chronicle

By embracing AI-powered solutions, Hearst Newspapers continues to prioritize inclusivity and innovation in delivering quality journalism to diverse audiences. 


Read More:


San Francisco Chronicle

Times Union

San Antonio Express-News

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Entertainment & Syndication's case study

A+E Content Partnerships for Authentic Voices

A+E Global Media—home to iconic brands A&E®, The HISTORY Channel®, Lifetime® and Vice TV®—has many synergistic creative and commercial partnerships that serve as catalysts for authentic storytelling, garnering critical acclaim and keeping audiences engaged across its brands and platforms, allowing A+E to bring visibility to a wide tapestry of stories and voices. A+E  partners with the most talented creatives, from authors, sports stars, journalists, actors and producers, to create engaging content that meets viewers everywhere they are consuming content…throughout the multi-platform ecosystem.
‍

A+E has seen great success partnering with authors, sports stars, journalists, actors and producers to create primetime programming.

New York Times bestselling author Terry McMillan partnered with Lifetime on a series of movies under the Terry McMillan Presents banner. The premieres of the first two, Tempted by Love and Forever, doubled Lifetime’s average audience. Tempted by Love costar Loretta Devine was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2025.

Sports legend and entrepreneur LeBron James executive produced Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics with the HISTORY channel. It was nominated for a Producers' Guild Award for Outstanding Sports Program.

Renowned Korean actor Roh Jeong-eui stars in Lifetime Korea’s The Witch, based on the popular webtoon, which follows the story of Park Mi-jeong, a good-looking top student who attracts many male students. However, the strange thing is that every male student who expresses interest in her ends up having a tragic incident. The series has enjoyed wonderful success on Lifetime Korea, and also hit #1 on Netflix in Korea.

Co-anchor of Good Morning America Robin Roberts is the founder of Rock’n Robin Productions, which produces content for the HISTORY channel and Lifetime including The Harlem Hellfighters and I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story. Robin Roberts was recognized in 2024 for all she has done to bring untold stories to life with the BANFF Inclusion Award.

Garcelle Beauvais developed the Black Girls Missing franchise for Lifetime. The original film in the series won a 2024 Gracie Award for Made for Television Movie and was nominated for a Hollywood Critics Association Award. Naturi Naughton, star of Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2025.

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