Diversity in Journalism

Mary Jane Sanese 

ms943920@ohio.edu

 

As journalists our jobs are to inform people, to bring them the latest and greatest information about what is happening in our towns, states, and countries. As journalists, we strive to be credible, unbiased, and ethical in all aspects of our job from the way we collect news, to writing the article, to publishing it. Journalists are called to give a voice to the voiceless and to bring people together, but what happens if only one or two voices are being represented? 

The Columbia Journalism Review breaks down the five major newspapers, from The Washington Post to The New York Times and their dismal numbers of just how diverse their newsrooms are, considering how the cities these papers reside in are pretty diverse themselves. So, does it not make sense to have a diverse news staff to correctly represent a diverse city? 

Well, it should. If our newsrooms are predominantly white or white and male, we are providing a disservice to the public. as The Society of Professional Journalists states in their code of ethics, we have a duty to minimize harm, as well as to be accountable and transparent. This means that as journalists, it is our responsibility to not only make sure we are diversifying our stories and newsrooms, but to hold our establishments accountable for not being more diverse. 

Photo by Diversity Teenagers Friends Friendship Team Concept via HuffPost

                                 

As a newspaper, which is a business after all, the main goal besides reporting news is making money and staying in business. So, would it not make sense to hire diverse journalists to represent the growingly diverse population in our cities and countries? Not to mention, it is our ethical duty to have a well rounded diverse group of journalists giving voices to the people, places, or ideas we are reporting on. As people we all have different stories, upbringings and experiences, and sometimes our past can help us delve into a story better than the next person might be able to. People enjoy reading stories they can relate to on a personal level, especially when it's a subject that hits close to home for them. 

For example, if there was an article opportunity for a specific community in the city, such as women of color, as a white woman, I would not be able to write the same article as another woman of color, simply because they would be able to connect with these women on a completely different level than I could.

Lack of diversity is a huge problem not just in our newsrooms but in many different parts of our world. If we do not begin to create diverse newsrooms and add different people and their points of views and experiences to our media, we will only be complicit in the problem.