Diversity in the Newsroom = Diversity in Coverage

Krystal Thorp
kt085814@ohio.edu

Did you know that of almost 33,000 people employed by a daily newspaper company, less than 13% are minorities?  This is even a relatively high number compared to the 3.95% employed back in 1978.  The American Society of News Editors has conducted a yearly consensus to demonstrate the rise and/or fall of minorities in the newspaper workforce. 

Projections based on responses to annual employment census (numbers rounded)
	Total Work Force	Minorities In Work Force	% Minorities In Work Force
1978	43,000	1,700	3.95
1979	45,000	1,900	4.22
1980	47,000	2,300	4.89
1981	45,500	2,400	5.27
1982	49,000	2,700	5.51
1983	50,000	2,800	5.60
1984	50,400	2,900	5.75
1985	53,800	3,100	5.76
1986	54,000	3,400	6.30
1987	54,700	3,600	6.56
1988	55,300	3,900	7.02
1989	56,200	4,200	7.54
1990	56,900	4,500	7.86
1991	55,700	4,900	8.72
1992	54,500	5,100	9.39
1993	53,600	5,500	10.25
1994	53,700	5,600	10.49
1995	53,800	5,900	10.91
1996	55,000	6,100	11.02
1997	54,000	6,100	11.35
1998	54,700	6,300	11.46
1999	55,100	6,400	11.55
2000	56,200	6,700	11.85
2001	56,400	6,600	11.64
2002	54,400	6,600	12.07
2003	54,700	6,900	12.53
2004	54,200	7,000	12.95
2005	54,100	7,300	13.42
2006	53,600	7,400	13.73
2007	55,000	7,400	13.43
2008	52,600	7,100	13.52
2009	46,700	6,300	13.41
2010	41,500	5,500	13.26
2011	41,600	5,300	12.79
2012	40,600	5,000	12.32
2013	38,000	4,700	12.37
2014	36,700	4,900	13.34
2015	32,900	4,200	12.76

From the image above, you will notice that there was a steady increase from 1978 through 2000.  However, after that time the numbers began to fluctuate.  But why does this matter?  How does having minorities in the newsroom affect me?  Well my friend, you are in fact impacted in a huge way by the diversity that your local newsroom may or may not have.

By having a diverse culture, the newsroom is being brought into a new realm that reaches a wider array of audiences.  More culture brings more opinions, which in turn brings in my stories that others had not even considered.  Kevin Merida of The Washington Post said it best “…we’re in the business of explaining people to each other.  How can we do that if we don’t have enough variety in our newsroom?” 

A Latino news anchor will not report on the same issues as an African American news anchor.  The same can be said for every represented culture in America.    Had your local news reporter been a person of color, your entire evenings broadcast last night might have gone a little differently.  Diversity brings more stories, more opinions, and greater wisdom. 

For more staggering statistics check out these Media Matters For America articles by Matt Gertz, Rob Savillo and Oliver Willis.