Media and Misrepresentation

Alex Fredecker

af333117@ohio.edu

For many years, journalists have been tasked with communicating ongoing news to the public responsibly and rapidly. Each journalist is expected to ethically and accurately represent the community they are covering when sharing pertinent information from local to national reporters. 

In recent years, diversity has become increasingly covered in the media. However, diversity in the newsroom itself is often overlooked when discussing this topic. 

Diversity in the Newsroom 

According to NiemanLab, "About three-quarters of newsroom employees are non-Hispanic white, compared with about two-thirds of all U.S. workers, according to a 2018 analysis from the Pew Research Center." This underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in the newsroom has led to the publishing of inaccurate information by white reporters when covering stories regarding race and ethnicity.  

Analysis of 2012-2016 American Community Survey data regarding race and gender in the newsroom 

Photo provided by Pew Research Center

In 2016, Sue Robinson and Kathleen Bartzen Culver, journalism professors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, analyzed the news coverage of 30 white reporters on the proposal of a charter school for Black young men. From 2011 to 2015, they also covered the proposal and racial disparities found in the education system in the city as well. 

Robinson and Culver used this coverage to create a case study "to explore ethical obligations white reporters have when covering the race." According to NiemanLab, "Many of the reporters had trouble getting Black sources on the record and turned to personal connections, fell back on existing contacts with Black leaders, or turned to Black sources who had contacted their newsrooms." 

Upon concluding their case study, the journalism professors found that, amongst other items, most of these reporters lacked a sense of trust built in the community on which they were reporting.

Active Objectivity 

Although this is just one example of many regarding incorrect reporting due to a lack of diversity in the newsroom, it showcases how active objectivity is essential in all journalism. For reporters to produce accurate coverage on the stories to which they are assigned, they must first "detach from power and emphasize social/historical/cultural contexts in stories. They are also expected to question explicit and implicit biases, build trust among communities via neighborhoods not often visited, and invest efforts over time to build relationships with people other than go-to leaders," as stated by NiemanLab. 

The Future of Journalism 

The coverage of race in the news has been discussed for the past several decades. A vital aspect of this discussion must focus upon those who are doing the coverage. For meaningful change to occur in the newsroom, the perspectives of reporters must include the diversity that represents our country as a whole.