(Extra Credit)
Raaya Cummings
rc348017@ohio.edu
Ohio University organized a wonderful and necessary discussion titled Diversity, Journalism and the First Amendment. At this virtual event, guest speaker Delano Massey, CNN supervising producer and leader of the Race Beat, highlighted the importance of having a division of media dedicated toward covering issues of race. Massey understood that media should be evolving right alongside society. Subsequently, he believed that in order for media to continue its role of both informing the public and being a voice for the people, the newsroom and the content being produced needed to reflect the very people that make up our world today.
During the presentation it was evident that as an African American man, Massey has been able to take his life experiences and personal connection to the black community to bring a voice to his demographic. His supervising position has allowed him to be a leading voice in the newsroom and help guid people in the right direction to properly approach stories concerning the experiences of black people in America. Everything Massey and his team have been able to accomplish represents the significance of diversity in media, both as journalists of a story and those leading them, and the strides that can be made if it becomes a priority rather than an afterthought.
He expanded on examples of these benefits, detailing his experience with successfully producing a variety of content with the Race and Equality team, including one of the biggest stories the team was able to cover–the trial of Breonna Taylor. Breonna Taylor was a black medical worker who had been killed by police offers the summer of 2020. As social unrest resulting from police brutality and institutional racism had been on the rise, this was an important and sensitive story to be told. Fortunately, CNN was able to release a well approached and unbiased story that shined a light on the reaction of those directly affected by the results of the trial. The story was a major success and received positive feedback.
Toward the end of the conversation, Massey informed us that while his team had received a lot of positive feedback for their work and goals, he does get pushback on some ideas. Media companies should strive to achieve the same advancements toward inclusivity and representation that Massey has been able to reach with his team. In doing so, they should keep in mind that it won't be easy, but it will be worth it.
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