What Diversity "ads" to Public Relations and News

Photo courtesy of RTDNA

Jaiden Tabor 

jt283118@ohio.edu

    Diversity and inclusion is a crucial topic in today's media. Not only is it talked about from a perspective of day-to-day life, but the idea that different races should be reporting different topics is an idea that is frequently disputed. Not only do different races allow for different ideas to circulate, but allow for euphemisms to appear. 

    The media exists in a constant battle of violence and unprecedented terms. This has resulted in distrust for the media with no help from former president Donald Trump. This has also caused for news stories to sometimes use stereotypes and microaggressions when reporting certain stories. As a white female studying to pursue a career in journalism, I have taken note of all these factors. Many people lack the understanding of the importance of differing viewpoints and differing cultural aspects. It would make more sense for a story about an African American victim to be reported by an African American journalist. With that being said I do not think this is limited to one race but in the past, this has caused controversy for key factors in stories being missed. 

    During Black history month, Cision, a PR newswire, wrote about ten influential African Americans in current day reporting. This list included influential members of the journalism society such as Yamiche Alcindor, Karen Attiah, and most famously Lester Holt. I grew up watching Mr. Holt report for NBC nightly news. As a young girl, I never understood the fact that he may have been struggling with inclusion in his workforce. In 2015 he was the first African American news reporter to anchor as a solo. Now he is widely known and even moderated the election for Donald Trump. Mr. Holt is a key character in today's journalism because he paved the way for future journalists of color. 

    Another common theme in people of color's careers is the failure to succeed. Sometimes they can be overlooked or misinterpreted much like society. According to the Columbia Journalism Review, "when people of color do manage to get hired, they find a lack of formal mentorship and they are infrequently promoted into management positions."And when job cuts do happen, minorities are the first to go. It is also difficult for white men to relinquish their power, the power to fix the problem. 

    The reason these problems can commonly be overlooked is because most of the time, people of color are less objectified as people and instead types. People also don't always know how to talk about these problems openly and honestly. Much of what Black history month stands for relates to the study of ethics. They want truth and representation in media. They want fairness and equality. Through the further acceptance of African Americans into journalism, these ideas can continue to evolve and become more prevalent. This is less problem of color, gender, or age, this is a problem of the stories that society needs. Without the push for a solution, society will continue to be withheld from these stories.