Focusing on community needs and solutions is the best way to cultivate meaningful conversations with lawmakers, says award-winning journalist, author, and documentarian Soledad O’Brien.

O’Brien will deliver her keynote address on Wednesday, March 3, during the 2021 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference.

Lawmakers want to accomplish positive things in their communities, O’Brien says. “The more you can tee that up for them to do, I think, the better.”

Soledad O’Brien has covered some of the country’s most sobering challenges, including Hurricane Katrina, youth incarceration, the nationwide opioid epidemic, and post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans.

She takes a connect-the-dots approach to reporting on these issues, starting with historical events and decisions and demonstrating how they have affected policies and practices in place today.

Providing context to these challenges must be a top priority for journalists, O’Brien says, to inform meaningful solutions that move people forward together.