Diversity Dilemma

Alyssa Keefe
ak757211@ohio.edu

One would think that since the United States is known to be a "melting pot" our news coverage would be diverse. It should be a given that our news coverage would reflect today's society and would incorporate the many ethnicities and backgrounds that we are surrounded by each day. Surprisingly enough, newsrooms are not diverse.

Overall, minority journalists accounted for 12% of the total newspaper newsrooms in 2012, according to the Pew Research Center. Viewers typically watch white men hosting the nightly news. Latinos, African Americans and women are being underrepresented in this field. How can journalists report on different stories that certain minority groups would read and approve of if those minority groups are not involved in the newsrooms giving our audience a whole different viewpoint?

There have been two recent events that have been contributing to the diversity dilemma in newsrooms and both are from the New York Times.

Wesley Lowery
Ohio University alum and Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery recently put the New York Times on blast when he discovered that of the paper's 20 culture critics, none are African American and only two people are of color. With only two people of color reporting on stories involving different cultures, is that even fair, biased or respectful?

(Image from twitchy.com via Lowery's Twitter)

Alessandra Stanley

Longtime TV critic Alessandra Stanley received some negative criticism for her article on the television producer Shonda Rhimes (Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder). Stanley referenced Rhimes as an "Angry Black Woman" in which some readers found to be extremely offensive and even racist. Stanley even called Viola Davis, the main actress in Rhimes' new television show How to Get Away with Murder, "less than classically beautiful". Adding stereotypes into her article was not the most appropriate thing to do and Stanley has since apologized.

Having a diverse newsroom is crucial to success. Journalists are not purposely trying to cater to one certain group; they want to bring in as many different views as they can for their audience. However, they are not doing the best job doing so. Money is a huge issue that contributes to the failing diversity in newsrooms today. To be hired, most news outlets hire journalists who have a degree and have had previous experience in the journalism field. In order to gain that desired experience, one must have had internships in the same field. However, internships today are hard to come by, especially paid ones. Some places are not able to afford paid interns in their budget. With journalists getting laid off from their jobs and interns continuing to be unpaid, it is difficult to hire and find a diverse group of journalists.

A diverse workforce means a wide range of stories that reaches out to the minority groups. Journalists and news organizations should feel committed to creating a diverse staff, to reach out to the public, and report on stories that will interest them. People will become more engaged to read or watch the news if they can relate to the stories. And although newsrooms are lacking minority journalists, there is still a chance for those groups to share their viewpoints. Minority journalists are now producing their own magazines and blogs to share their opinions, away from the major news outlets. Therefore, despite the diversity dilemma, minority groups have the ability to share their views in other ways.