Diversity and inclusion in journalism

Emily Walsh 

ew845717@ohio.edu

 

The SPJ Code of Ethics, declares a journalist's responsibility to seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent. Does the journalism field really live up to these standards with such a lack of diversity in the newsroom today? A lack of diversity in the journalism field presents many problems, including having limited perspectives, enhancing stereotypes, reinforcing bias, excluding voices, and missed opportunities. 

When you have limited perspectives or excluding voices, is it possible to be presenting the public with the full truth? Is it possible to ensure minimizing harm? I'm not so sure. Omission of truth may not be lying, but it certainly is not succeeding at seeking truth and reporting it. 

In order to be an ethical journalism field, it is important that we focus on diversifying our newsrooms starting at the earliest stages of a journalism career: college and the application process. 

The standard path to becoming a journalist requires a college education, and as diversity in college institutions has been gradually improving, there is still a long way to go. As student-debt, accessibility, and inclusivity are all factors deterring minorities to attend or stay at college, we must prioritize diversity and inclusion in our classrooms and on our campuses first. In order to do so, it is important to set goals, have a plan, and make real change.

To achieve diversity and inclusion in the newsroom, the journalism field as whole must take a look at their application process especially for entry-level positions. The primary goal of seeking truth and reporting it cannot be filled with newsroom that lacks diversity. We need storytellers with diverse perspectives, who knows how to find all truths, not just some. 

Picture source: https://www.responsesource.com/blog/improving-diversity-in-journalism-through-recruitment-processes/

Then in order to see a real cultural change in our newsrooms and nation, we must look to the top of our news organizations. If we do not see diversity at the table of the primary decision makers at our organization, then it is not truly diverse and inclusive. Ultimately, the people in power control the narrative and have the means to make change, not just temporarily, but for the long haul. The people at the top must prioritize diversity and start filling those chairs of power with diverse perspectives.

We need to do our part in holding leaders in the journalism field accountable in both, who they are hiring and the stories that they are putting forward or missing.