Diversifying Newsrooms Is Best Challenge You'll Tackle

(I was recently asked to join an Oregon SPJ panel on diversity in journalism. What follows is a summary of most of what I shared, which was thankfully well-received.)

Diversity is like a diet….it only really works if you commit to it in the long-term. There are no shortcuts, no cheats that pay off…just dedication if you want to achieve the goal. Speaking of which, don’t hit the target then go back to your old ways. All your gains will be reversed and for naught.

Some newsrooms ask what they can do to diversify the newsroom, and the gist almost always seems to hinge on landing that underrepresented individual who’ll provide that diversity just by stepping into that space. Turns out that news managers can be proactive well ahead of the momentous event.

First, diversify your coverage. This does two things for your media organization: 1) It will gain you credibility with your audience; 2) It will attract people from those communities…people who may someday become reporters, producers, or editors.

As for your immediate staff, diversifying your coverage will push them out of their comfort zone a little – maybe a lot -- but this will make them worldlier. Just make sure your coverage is accurate and authentic, and not obligatory. In other words, don’t cover African-Americans solely on MLK’s birthday, or Native Americans on Indigenous Peoples/Columbus Day, or Latinos on Cinco de Mayo. This is what I call “boutique reporting” – covering stories that are so template and rote that you can’t go wrong as long as you stick to the standard clichés and dialog. There are many other issues and stories to mine from these communities that reporters can learn by proactively reaching out and gaining trust with folks.

This builds bridges with the communities you’re attempting to cover. One major complaint I hear from tribal communities is that they never see or hear from news organizations, until something’s breaking and they send a news van out to the rez for “hit and run” reporting. They hop on someone’s door step or confront them on the sidewalk, roll tape just long enough to get a coveted soundbite, and then, WHOOSH – back in the news van they go, and that’s it until the next big story. It fulfills the news cycle but really doesn’t build up trust or appreciation from your ambushed sources.

In terms of hiring…if you should be so lucky as to land someone from an underrepresented community, it’s up to newsroom managers and staff to be receptive and open-minded. For instance, try to be sensitive to phrases and statements that you may assume are okay, but could offend a POC, LGTBQ person, etc. I often hear people call a meeting by saying “Let’s pow-wow”. I’m not so much offended but more confused, BTW….a pow-wow to me is dancing, drumming, and eating frybread all day…and if that’s how you want to hold your meetings, awesome! But if think the word you’re looking for is “council”….which many native tribes have, where important matters are discussed.

Also, don’t pigeon-hole your new reporter into beats that just happen to tie into their cultural or racial background. On one level, it’s natural to do this…and feels justified. I’m not saying DON’T assign people to cover events and stories that they may have cultural familiarity with. What I’m saying is DON’T solely make their identity their beat. We like to cover new and unfamiliar stories as well….and by occasionally letting a reporter who’s NOT a member of that community cover it, you give them insights and experience that’ll educate them. I’m happy to be a resource for someone covering a Native American topic, and surprise – sometimes I don’t know the answer. Every one of the roughly 600 tribes in the U.S. is unique, and just because I’m Indian, doesn’t mean I know all the aspects of other nations.

Another important thing in these divisive and volatile times…protect and support your journalists, especially those of underrepresented backgrounds. Comments sections…emails….calls…they can often pour in to troll or ridicule your work, and when race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion are involved, it can be instantly toxic. Apply your best editorial practices, stand by your team, and you’ll have some durability against those who simply attack for the sake of attacking.

Be aware of your own biases. Even well-meaning people – those with the COEXIST bumper stickers and dreamcatchers hanging from their rear-view mirrors – can offend. I’ve had fellow native journalists complimented on their spelling and grammar, as if English is super-tough! Another colleague recalls once being introduced in the newsroom as the “minority reporter” (they were general assignment), while another Native American reporter was questioned by another journalist for having a last name “that doesn’t sound Indian at all!” (she expected something like “Dancing Elk” I guess). 

Other biases can be hurtful and counterproductive. A friend who worked in a large market recalls a talk-show candidate being dismissed as sounding “too urban”. Another pitched a story involving race but saw it assigned to someone else because as a member of the same race, they were deemed “non-objective” (think of all the re-assigning if that rule were applied to white journalists covering race).

And be positive. One recurring complaint I get from Indian Country is that non-Indian journalists often show up to do the standard dirge on poverty, suicide rates, alcoholism, and other problems. Yes, those are real issues that have plagued reservations for decades. But there are also instances of tribes working to preserve their language and culture, launch economic development ventures (many of which aren’t about casinos), or integrate their traditions with health care. Recently, an emphasis on “solutions journalism” has come about in the last couple of years that try to tackle problems and challenges in a more constructive vein. 

Shifting to the multicultural journalist’s side, there are also challenges. I saw a great t-shirt on Facebook recently, that said, “Walk with the confidence of a mediocre white man.” While the complexion of the U.S. is steadily turning a browner shade, the wheels of power are still being largely turned by Caucasian males…and that mediocrity bit makes a great point…what relatively few POC rise in their chosen field, the more focus – and pressure – is on them to succeed. I confess there’s no real way to quantify this beyond my personal impressions and anecdotes from friends, but I strongly feel that anytime a POC falters, fails, or comes short, that becomes magnified. What may be tolerated and shrugged off in many homogeneous newsrooms becomes amplified should a person of color commit the same error. And that failing becomes grossly generalized. In my hometown in rural Idaho growing up, I remember seeing a number of white people stumbling drunk or passed out in the street. You’d hear others say, “Oh, that poor man…he must be having a rough time.” But if there was even one drunk Indian, the tone became less forgiving and broadly judgmental….”Oh, it’s just another drunk savage” and “Pity, but it’s who they are.” I think that skewered lens is used on multicultural journalists as well, often subconsciously.

If you’ve read this far, you’ve come to realize diversifying your newsroom isn’t as simple as recruiting a journalist from an underrepresented background. There’s hard work, listening, and reflection straight ahead if you want to do it right. Keep the bridges of communication running both ways, challenge and support your staff, and know that if you can commit to this, that diversity can not only grow within your newsroom, but within your audience and their communities.

-BB