Diversity in the Media

Taylor Highbloom

th764916@ohio.edu

Diversity in the media, has been talked about for countless years. Society is changing every single day and with that said, society is becoming a more diverse place. Our job as journalists is to change with society and portray those changes in the most truthful and unbiased way. The biggest problem with diversity in the media is that minority groups often get portrayed in very negative ways, due to stereotypes that have been perpetuated over long periods of time. However, journalists who report with bias because of their personal beliefs, are not doing their job right. Also, everyone who is sitting back and not talking about this problem, is also at fault. 

In this article by Dawn Turner with NiemanReports, she talks about the violence in her hometown of Chicago when she was growing up. She goes onto say that since living in Chicago during the early 1990s, the violence and homicides are about half of what it was. However, you would never be able to tell this by watching the 10:00 p.m. news and seeing how her hometown is portrayed. This is just an example of how predominately African American and Hispanic neighborhoods are represented in the media. Turner makes an awesome point by saying, “I don’t believe the intent is always malicious. It’s just that the consequences are never benign.” If we don’t talk about the problem and change it, we are doing more harm than good. 

Claire Cain Miller with the New York Times, talks about how people who are transgender are portrayed in this article. Specifically, how they are portrayed in stock photography. She says, “Stock photographs — which appear in ads, brochures and magazines, and are supposed to seem familiar and inviting — are one measure of how a society sees itself.” Transgender people exist, but they are portrayed in a sense that they don’t have a life outside of their sexual identity. Their pictures are taken on blank canvases and portrayed in a very sad way, they are normally never smiling. As more people are coming out and revealing their true selves, there is going to be more of a discussion because times are changing and people are supposed to feel comfortable with who they are. Someone’s sexual identity or orientation should not be an invitation to talk about how they are different from everyone else. Instead, include how they are part of everyday society and how they stay true to their identity everyday. 

The newsroom is not as diverse as it should be and that is one of the major reasons that this problem keeps on occurring. The conclusion is that we need to hire people from more diverse backgrounds in the newsroom. However, this is obviously easier said than done. Steven W. Thrasher from The Guardian said that “the media isn’t diverse – and this leads to appalling reporting.” Figuring out a solution is necessary when the newsroom is dominated by white people. More discussions need to be had and the problem needs to be to be reinforced to the public on a daily basis. With that said, there will eventually be a change.  

Picture from https://www.bandt.com.au/marketing/dont-just-talk-talk-actively-foster-diversity-inclusion-top