Topics hindering diversity in the newsroom

 Fallon Howard

fallon.j.howard13@gmail.com

 

What does ethics mean to you? As a journalist,  it is your job to report what is accurate but also what is morally right. It also has to do with the standards of behavior that a company or people see as acceptable. When you set standards for yourself and follow them, people view you as trustworthy and creditable. For example, there is a list of codes of ethics such as integrity, loyalty, having respect for others, and taking accountability. 

Take a look around you, does everyone look like you. I continuously remind myself that I don't see as many people that look like me being that I attend a Predominately White Institution (PWI). However, your work environment may not reflect what you are used to. Society has normalized being comfortable to the point that the only experience they have is what they already know or how they approach certain situations.  This idea displayed in this article, Intellectual Diversity is the Real Goal, mentions, "Is there a culture of the newsroom?" Television journalist Charles Gibson asked during a forum held in the late 1990s. "Are you challenging each other, are you pushing each other?" This quote reflects my idea that you have to learn to adapt to change and think outside the box. It's essential to have diversity in the workplace because of the various viewpoints and experiences that help mold and shape each individual. Having a work environment where everything is the same can create conflicts as well as not reaching your full potential.

 

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You choose what to believe and what not to believe. However, does the media give you everything you need, or does it hinder information that may be uncomfortable but needs to be said? This happens all the time where media platforms will only choose to scratch the surface, instead of being honest and recognizing that these topics are real-life scenarios.  A lot of times, when you watch the news, there are sensitive topics that are targeted to a specific demographic. However, topics that involve white privilege are usually seen as "more important" than events that affect African Americans, whether it's a positive or negative aspect.  What is disappointing is the way media portrays different people in different lights, although it's the same situation. For example, for someone who is caucasian, the headline for school shooters would include "troubled kid" vs. an African American would be labeled either as "thug" or "typical behavior."  

This idea displayed in this editorial, The Free Press Needs You, mentions, "These attacks on the press are particularly threatening to journalists in nations with a less secure rule of law and to similar and to smaller publications in the United States, already buffeted by the industry's economic crisis. And yet the journalists at those papers continue to do the hard work of asking questions and telling the stories you otherwise wouldn't hear". This quote perfectly captures what I mean by how media can take anything and spin it in a different light, or throwing topics under the rug that should be discussed. This affects viewers who watch your platform.