Solving Journalism’s Diversity Problem

Caitlin Hunt

 ch968116@ohio.edu

(Courtesy of The New York Times)

Providing a voice to the voiceless is one of the core foundations and missions for journalists across the field. But, in recent years, many have begun to question whether the media has achieved this goal. 

Considering American journalists are covering, well, America, one may think that newsrooms would try to make these news hubs look like America. But, according to a 2018 Pew Research survey, that is not the case. According to the study, newsroom employees are less diverse than America overall. Pew Research found that 61 percent of newsroom employees were white males. This data differs from the 66 percent of Americans who were not white and male in the workforce. 

These percentages are concerning.These statistics show which group of Americans are making decisions on what is newsworthy and what is not. To better tell the American story, a newsroom needs to look like America. 

The answer to this seems simple, right? Not quite. Like most things, creating a diverse atmosphere is more complicated than that. It is true that the first step is hiring members from diverse communities, but according to Poynter writer Doris Truong, managers need to be aware of several other factors. 

Truong writes that most managers believe hiring members of certain groups gives them an instant rapport or show of support with minority groups. This is not the case and is unfair to the journalists. What shows dedication to a minority group is taking the effort to reach out to those communities and share their stories in an appropriate, non-stereotypical light. This thought also puts a lot of pressure on individual journalists. Using an individual as the antidote to a larger problem is a burden for an individual to carry and is not fair. Truong also writes that managers should not “pigeonhole” their new journalists into beats because of their background or an assumed expertise. While they may be different from the hiring manager or a member of a minority group, it does not mean they are experts in specific fields and should be treated with the same consideration as other individuals. 

With their added diversity in their newsrooms, managers need to use their new additions effectively. While diversity must exist in lower or entry-level positions, diversity is essential in the upper levels of the newsroom. The editor in chiefs, executive producers, and managers should be diverse as they are the ones making decisions. Those with a diverse background come with stories, experiences, and connections that could help news organizations better tell stories. But, this could be overlooked or ignored if they are not in more powerful positions. Diverse executives also could attract more people to these organizations both in readership, but also in possible hires. 

For the better part of history, one group of people has determined what our history was and how it would be portrayed. Thus, changing how people saw certain groups and taking away their power to share their own story. We have reached a point in our history where we are trying to right those wrongs, and the media needs to play catch up quickly. With the reliability of the media fading for other reasons, creating a diverse atmosphere and, in turn, telling diverse stories is what could save the media during these troubling times.