How far have newsrooms come in diversifying their staffs? Not far enough, journalist and Merrill teacher Anne Farris Rosen said Monday.
For instance: Although the minority population in the U.S. reached about 38 percent in 2013, the minority workforce in television news hovered at around 21 percent, and in radio, at about 11 percent, she said. A year earlier, minority journalists accounted for about 12 percent of the workforce in print newsrooms.
How worried as news consumers should we be by these numbers? How does minority representation in the newsroom affect the types of stories covered by the media-- and how they're covered?
Please comment, below, on stories on race or gender disparities that you have seen in recent years that were reported well, or not so well. Please be diplomatic, but specific, in your comments, which should be fact-based. Please give links to stories or studies you cite.
OR:
Talk about some specific stories that you think should be covered following the spring riots in Baltimore, but haven't been covered by the Baltimore Sun or Washington Post. What should these papers be writing about that they haven't written about?
OR:
What most intrigued you or worried you about Ms. Rosen's talk? Be specific; give examples.
OR:
What most intrigued you or worried you about Ms. Rosen's talk? Be specific; give examples.
I'm looking for several well-reasoned and well-written paragraphs.
19 comments:
Ms. Rosen brought up some concerning statistics in her lesson today. She highlighted the history of segregation, then the demographics of society today and the demographics in the newsroom. While many publications have a more diversified staff than others, white males are the clear majority...and it's not even close.
In publications like The New York Times, there are way more white males than any other race or gender. This can be a problem for a few reasons. One reason is the bias these papers portray. A lack of diversity results in a lack of different view points. If there is a clear majority in the newsroom, that publication as a whole will appear biased. More diverse newsrooms will produce a more pure product.
I always knew that white males made up most of the industry, but I never knew that it was a problem. Ms. Rosen helped me understand that, in order to reach a larger audience, newsrooms need to diversify their staff. She showed us graphs of minorities growing in society, but not in newsrooms. There was no trend. The numbers of minorities working for print publications fluctuated.
Today's talk, given by Anne Farris Rosen highlighted very interesting demographics in the modern day America. Rosen began her talk by examining the past; starting with the Civil Rights movement. Surprisingly, she began to talk about her own personal involvement with the movement. Her father John Herbers, was a reporter during the Civil Rights Movement and would often bring his family with him on "vacations" to the places he was currently reporting on, said Rosen.
Rosen went on to speak about minorities in the workplace. Even though women are far surpassing college enrollment rates and graduation rates, women still only make about 83% of men's pay in the job market. In the newsroom women don't fair any better, only accounting for less than half of the 12% of minorities. Furthermore, women are less likely to write about politics, crime and criminal justice, said Rosen. According to 2014 study done by Poynter, http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/246085/sun-times-has-most-bylines-by-women-nyt-fewest/, The New York Times , Denver Post, and New York Daily News had the fewest women bylines. In contrast Chicago Sun Times, San Jose Mercury News, and the Los Angeles Times had the most female bylines.
After hearing Rosen's talk, I realized Ms. Anne Farris Rosen, was most intriguing. Her first hand experiences with the Civil Rights Movement at such a young age, is quite amazing in itself. Coupled with her reporting experience since 1980, working in places like the New York Times (which has the fewest female bylines) and working nine years in Little Rock, Arkansas where "people just did weird s**t" covering issues like politics (Which few women do). Rosen has amassed such a career I would love to have just a third of. Ms. Rosen is a marvel and I truly enjoyed hearing her speak.
As a young Latina woman, I have discerned that people don’t always expect the best things from minorities. Hispanics are minorities and are often overlooked. Donald Trump, a Republican Presidential Candidate, commented that some immigrants are rapists and killers. Through Trumps comments towards immigrants, I was able to understand how minorities are still degraded and unappreciated. Minorities may not have the opportunities to receive the best education in the world, but they are trying to make a living just like everyone else. People are supposed to be viewed equally, but that is not always the case in America now.
When Anne Farris Rosen spoke about the statistics of minorities it intrigued me, because by 2050 minorities will be considered majorities. Not only do these statistics affect me, but all of America. It is incredible to think how far America has come in terms of diversity, but discouraging on how low the acceptance levels are today. I just found it profoundly interesting how women were degraded at one point, but are now rising in the work force. If women made it through being defined as a minority, then the rest of the other minority groups can make it through it too.
It was interesting to listen how Rosen admitted that women cover education, health, and lifestyle topics for the news. Although some women like to portray themselves as adventurous, that is not quite the case because women still have the responsibilities of being a mother and wife. Like Rosen many women have to get part time jobs, because of their responsibilities at home, which limit them from venturesome actions. Women should be admired by many because they accomplish a variety of things including being a mother, wife, worker, and etc. Rosen helped me realize that women and minorities are not strange, they are valuable in the work force.
What resonated most with me in Ms. Rosen’s talk was her anecdote on her time in a small-town newspaper and the lack of diversity in gender or race on the staff. I could not comprehend how an 80s media outlet, known only 20 years before for advocating for race issues, was run by a purely white male staff. One can only question how that was even possible in a time where integration was the norm for nearly two decades.
It especially made me puzzled considering that the men in her office never truly harassed her in any way or questioned her abilities. If that was the case, then why were not more women hired at that newspaper? One could go on to wonder why minorities were not hired as well. Could not these men see that minorities and women were just as qualified to write for this paper? Perhaps it was like the current problem in Silicon Valley with tech companies, where those hiring are apparently not looking in the right places for minorities and women, although there is a great pool of people to choose from.
Ms. Rosen’s story can only open up a larger discussion on the hiring of minorities and women and why it seems that managers and those in high positions have not actively looked for women and minorities even though there is a large amount of qualified applicants, more so than ever, looking for positions. Her anecdote only further supported her data showing that diversity in media outlets is terrible in comparison to the actual diversity in America. Should we not have a new source that mirrors our populous?
During the aftermath of the Baltimore riots there were a lot of articles about the damage of the riots and the trial of the police officers. While I agree this is very important to be covered, I think there should be more stories about what we, as a public and especially as the next generation who will inherit problems like racism, can do.
One article that would be meaningful is what the youth should know about the race riots and what a day is really like for a child in inner city Baltimore. Maybe it’s not as bad as we think, maybe it’s a thousand times worse than we think, but even being forty-five minutes away from downtown Baltimore, I have no idea what really happens in kids’ lives in the inner city. I think if people understood this, it could help shed light on why they choose certain decisions and what we as a society could do to help. I also saw no articles that encouraged teenagers to ask questions about what was happening, and encouraged teenagers to get involved. I think the major newspapers failed to realize that besides just reporting, they should have been encouraging people, especially students to truly try to understand what was going on, and put themselves in other’s shoes. (Such as this New York Times op-doc http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/07/opinion/a-conversation-about-growing-up-black.html?nav, which was put up after the Baltimore riots and was more powerful to me than any other article I had read).
I would have also liked a story (or even video) that brought together different people, for example, police, students, people from rural Baltimore, people from the city,that talked about the riots and offered their opinions. Although controversial, I think showcasing multiple perspectives on the riots could have been very meaningful for readers across the country, and I did not see any newspapers take this risk.
As an Indian American female, I fall into the minority category of the United States. However, I have never experienced discrimination firsthand. Perhaps that is attributed to my lack of work experience, but is nevertheless the reason I found Ms. Rosen’s words about minority underrepresentation in journalism concerning. As she said in her speech, women make up 51 percent of the population, so to realize such extensive disparity exists is alarming to say the least.
However, Ms. Rosen also explained that the Asian ethnicity is the only group in which women are the majority in the field at 52 percent. From a personal standpoint, that statistic is both intriguing and reassuring.
In the 80s, Ms. Rosen described the extremely high proportion of men in the newsroom where she worked. I found that especially intriguing because I never realized just how long it took for women to gain ground in the workforce after the women’s rights era.
Especially resonating were Ms. Rosen’s words regarding the social issues that festered underneath the racial tensions in America. She explained that housing, economic, income, and education issues all contributed to racial unrest in Baltimore. When the Baltimore riots and protests started, my dad and I discussed possible reasons for the violence. I was pleasantly surprised to realize Ms. Rosen’s deductions reflected my own.
As a student, I found Ms. Rosen’s advice to be an educated and conscientious consumer of news the most helpful and intriguing because those words apply to research and verbal information as well.
During her speech this morning, Ms. Rosen, related very alarming statistics regarding minorities in journalism. Her speech prompts the question is lack of diversity in the newsroom unique or is it common in other fields as well. Upon quick analysis it is apparent that there is lack of diversity in other professions as well. According to the U. S. Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html), assessed September 11th, 2014, only 8.9% of physicians are black. Additionally according to the American Bar (http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/statistics.html), accessed in 2010, 12.14% of minorities are lawyers. Furthermore the latest figures in July 2014 from twitter place non minorities at 59% of their employees. However non minorities make up 72% of the leadership positions. Unfortunately lack of diversity seems commonplace in the workforce.
The question is what came first, “the chicken or the egg”. In this case is lack of diversity in the newsroom secondary to lack of diversity in America, or is lack of diversity in the newsroom what’s causing the lack of diversity in all other professions. Is lack of diversity in the newsroom subconsciously leading to racism? Does lack of diversity in the media result in biases that can subconsciously affect a culture?
Media plays an important role in shaping public opinion. It is therefore essential to have various perceptions in the newsroom. Lack of diversity in the newsroom may result to the continuation in the lack of diversity in other professions. With a continuation of racism pouring through public media how can America hope to see a change in public diversity?
After Anne Farris Rosen’s discussion with us, I felt disappointed. Statistics clearly show that in 2050 minorities will represent a majority in the U.S., however newsrooms don't show the same rise in a minority population. In its most recent survey, the American Society of News Editors found 90 percent of newsroom supervisors are white. White men were also most likely to appear on broadcast networks and CNN, according to Media Matters. Considering the numbers in the newsroom don’t represent the diverse population we have today, it’s unsettling to see that the percentage of minority employment has stayed consistently between 12 to 14 percent in the last decade.
As a consumer, knowing this, I feel as though the news could be described as tainted. To best tell a story it helps to know what you’re telling. Today, we recognized that the local newspapers coverage on the Baltimore riots were better than national newspapers because local newspapers knew the situation, what may have perpetuated the protests, and the people involved. If a majority of the newsroom doesn’t understand racism, how can the news publication fairly cover a racial situation?
I'm worried that distorted headlines of minorities may arise because a majority of writers are not minorities. Its easy to sympathize with someone whose experienced a racially tense situation, but its hard to experience it. More experience in a situation makes for the best writer to cover that situation. After the murder of Michael Brown, twitter users realized the medias depiction of black victims could be described as worse than white victims. In response, Twitter users then started a hash tag #iftheygunnedmedown to demonstrate how powerful a news outlets portrayal could be. (For more information http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.html) If for instance, a more white society were to listen to news displaying blacks as troublesome or dangerous and that society doesn't have much experience with black people, they may be more likely to have negative presumptions of black people before meeting them. To continue this lack of diversity in the newsroom, may lead to continue a lack of diversity in how news is reported.
Sources include:
http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/217910/while-diversity-in-newsrooms-is-stagnating-not-plummeting-there-are-still-concerns/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.html
http://www.womensmediacenter.com/pages/the-problem
Our discussion with Anne Farris Rosen
One racial/controversial issue that has reported rather well lately is the apartheid between black and white Greek organizations. This separation began during the civil rights movement when African-Americans were denied access to white universities so they created their own (Howard University) and subsequently their own Greek organizations . What I've noticed personally is that many white people are unaware that these organizations even exist let alone the rich history of their alumni. But attention was brought to the racial divide when a predominantly white fraternity was recorded on a bus singing a song laced with racial slurs and statements about lynching African-Americans. The reports on this highly racist Greek organization showed that hatred against African-Americans and other minorities have been passed down through generations in the Organization; the directors of this organization even thought that the statements made were harmless. I thought this was reported well because dug up the real sources of the problem and shed light unto decades of hate and shows that the problem of segregation still exists today. But, I wish the event could've been used as a platform for black Greek organizations because their reputation has disseminated over the years due to issues with all types of Greek organizations such as hazing and drug use.
The media plays a very important role in how people see each other and how they can see themselves. Often times I think that the media helps to reinforce negative stereotypes about races, especially minorities. The media has that power by who they choose to interview and have on air. Mrs. Rosen really highlighted that in her talk and I found that to be one of the most concerning parts of her talk. The media has so much power over how people think, and they can use that power either to dispel negative stereotypes or reinforce them.
One thing that I have seen in the media when talking about minorities, is the different ways that black and white men are portrayed. In stories about Mike Brown, even though he was brutally killed, there were reports in the media that still portrayed him badly, as a "thug," and a thief. There was a hashtag on twitter that was #Iftheygunnedmedown, which showcased the ways the media often showed pictures of black men where they look threatening instead of pictures of them graduating or volunteering, as they might for white men or women. When representing the South Carolina shooter, some news outlets, tried to paint him as a troubled young man, who went down the wrong path instead of a criminal as they might for a black men. Seeing that difference is really powerful because the media really controls how a person is portrayed and they should attempt to give the most fair and unbiased representation.
I thought that it was interesting that Ms. Rosen talked about how many news outlets now make a concerted effort to include more minorities in their news. I personally think that it is a good idea because the news should try to represent the population as well as it can because that way the news will be fairer to minorities and women. The statistics about there being such a small amount of women and minorities in the media, was disappointing but not all that surprising. You can see on broadcasted media, through the anchors, and the live reporters, and panelists that there aren't a large amount of minorities represented. Even looking at bylines in the newspapers you can tell that there isn't a lot of equal representation. I also looked at minorities in sports newsrooms, and the statistics on that are very disappointing, especially concerning women, which again isn't that surprising because sports are seen as a male dominated field.
http://time.com/3908138/women-in-media-sad-truths-report/
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/iftheygunnedmedown-protests-portrayal-black-youth-michael-brown-death-article-1.1900415
http://awsmonline.org
In the past spring, the coverage of the riots in Baltimore weren’t reported as well as they could have been. All the action of the real world was captured and broadcasted, but the things going on online were overlooked. Police brutality and other subjects revolving around racial issues have been a hot topic and the Internet has provided those debates a portal to other opinions and ideas.
Some may not have heard of the term “Blackout Day.” Blackout Day is a day where African-Americans post photos of themselves to any social media site, followed by the hashtag “#BlackOut.” This hashtag was created to promote the confidence of those African-Americans while also normalizing their appearance in everyday feeds.
As the creator of Blackout Day, T’Von, said he created the hashtag “because celebrating the beauty of Blackness is of the UTMOST importance. I’m really sick and tired of seeing the ‘European standard of beauty’ prevail. It’s past time for the beauty of Black people to be showcased. I love all people of color, but this here is for us.”
The first Blackout Day was March 6th, 2015 and it has been planned to have a Blackout Day on the first Friday of every month. Media coverage of this great impact on the Internet would be nice and would also promote others to participate in this amazing event.
Sources:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bimadewunmi/blackoutday-is-blackity-black-yall#.gyLwNyEKOE
http://colorthefuture.org/post/112564471328/tvon-expect-the-greatest-creator-of
Statistics are often used to mislead a reader into believing something that is not entirely true. So when I see statistics like the ones that show that women and minorities are underrepresented in the media I look for a rational explanation, and, giving the benefit of the doubt to media companies, one that does not accuse the companies of willful discrimination. Maybe less women and minorities apply for newsroom positions? Nope. From 2002 to 2012 over 70 percent of all journalism and mass communications graduates were women. Yet women still make up the clear minority is most newsrooms.
(http://wmc.3cdn.net/a6b2dc282c824e903a_arm6b0hk8.pdf)
And the reason this is such an issue is because news stations are supposed to deliver pertinent news to their audience. As Mrs. Rosen said, in the United States population, women outnumber men - and by 2050 minorities will outnumber the previous white majority in the United States. The true issue with a lack of minority representation is that the word minority is a misnomer. The lack of women and minorities in the newsroom is actually contributing to a majority misrepresentation in the news. Delivering news is about delivering accurate information to the people that want it the most. It’s probably safe to assume that more women and minorities in the newsroom delivering more information about women and minorities to women and minorities is a good thing in a country where the word minority may start to lose its meaning.
Ellen Pao, former Reddit CEO, has been at the forefront of gender and minority discrimination. She recently stepped down as CEO of the popular internet forum due to hateful and acerbic comments from many of Reddit’s users. It’s a title like the one from a recent New York Times article about the events that is frightening: “It’s Silicon Valley 2, Ellen Pao 0: Fighter of Sexism Is Out at Reddit.”
(http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/technology/ellen-pao-reddit-chief-executive-resignation.html)
Not only has Pao had to step down from Reddit amidst gender and racial discrimination, but she also sued her former employer, venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, for gender discrimination. This is so frightening because even if Pao was not right fit for Reddit, these events clearly show gender and racial issues have not went away, especially in Silicon Valley.
As the minority population in this nation rises, it is unfortunate to see that the lack of diversity in journalists has continued to drive the media to publish biased content. Whether or not it is done intentionally, having unequal representation in the newsroom is an issue that affects what consumers watch, hear, and see. As a consumer of news, I don't just want to hear one perspective of a story. I want to hear multiple aspects, from different ages, genders, and races. Having minority representation in the newsroom will diversify the content that is covered and provide the consumers with a variety of views on a single event. If professional journalism continues to be dominated by white males, the increasing minority population receiving the published information will continue to feel secondary. To eliminate this problem, news organizations should diversify their journalists to appeal to the rapidly growing minority population.
During Anne Farris Rosen's talk, I found several points of discussion surprising. First, the variety of newspapers that were available to readers in the early-1800s, all the way up to the early-1900s. I found it interesting that the first Hispanic, first Native American, and first Asian newspapers were all bilingual, yet the white newspapers were only printed in English. My assumption is that these minority newspapers offered a bilingual paper in order to appeal to other English speakers and to help assimilate into American culture. As a majority group, whites did not have to appeal to these minorities and therefore only printed in their native language. To me it seems that this disregard for minority eyes and opinions have carried on into present day journalism as minorities continue to be a weak force in the newsroom.
Another point that intrigued me during the discussion was how the news on blacks used to solely be focused on crime and other non-reputable actions. This was hard to take in because an entire race should not be characterized and portrayed as such. Today the issue is not so much on race. We hear about successful blacks and Asians, Hispanics and immigrants. What I'm worried about is gender and sexual orientation. How long before the articles on women aren't just about sexual harassment, rape, pregnancy, or fashion? As a rapidly diversifying nation I hope that journalism can start to see minority groups for more than their stereotypes. Only then can news organizations successfully portray different people in a positive and unbiased light.
As news consumers, we should be concerned by the small amount of minorities in the journalism field because it can affect the credibility of the story along with the ability of the reporter to fairly present all angles of a story. Stories can easily become one-sided due to a lack of diversity in the newsroom.
Reporters may not be aware of other cultures, which could also restrict the amount of story ideas and topics the publication can present to its audience. Publishing stories that do not interest or affect the majority of the audience will harm the advancement of the publication. The success of a publication clearly relies on how it meets the demands of its audience. However, after Anne Farris Rosen's discussion, it is clear to see that newsroom employers are not meeting these demands, based upon the statistics of minorities in the media.
Ms. Rosen's discussion also focused on women in the media. I was surprised that, although women make up 51% of the United States and enroll and graduate college more than men, they only produce one third of its news content.
I was surprised that the New York Times, such a large and renowned company, has one of the smallest percentages of female workers. I also learned that most female journalists do not write about politics because of how demanding it can be, which can conflict with the raising of a family. It is surprising that many women still have to choose between caring for their families and working. Although it is possible for some to juggle work and family, it usually comes down to women having to decide what works best and possibly choosing one over the other.
As a black female there are a lot of things that concerned me and also I found interesting about Ms.Rosen talk. Me being a female and apart of the minority made her talk very personal and something I had to listen to. The whole discussion from the statistics to the anecdotes had me focused the entire time.
The thing I found most intriguing was that she actually grew up and was apart of the civil rights movement. Her entire family risked their lives to help others have freedom. Her dad being a newspaper reporter at the time had to be cool and dangerous at the same time. For her to still be living after the KKK coming to shoot up the hotel and for her family to have left overnight without getting hurt was amazing to me and also brave of them to do.
The thing I found concerning was that females barely get hired at The New York Times, Denver Post and NY Daily times. But they often get hired at Chicago Sun- Times, San Jose Mercury News and Los-Angeles Times. I found it weird that two news companies in New York not wanting to hire women. I found Los-Angeles Times hiring women ore incredible because I think they are wonderful.
Ms.Rosen made me realize that being in this business isn't easy. To me it seems like it was one of the best jobs and one of the best experiences a person could have.
The irony: this was posted at 6 am on the Baltimore Sun that talked about life in West Baltimore for teens.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/z-on-tv-blog/bal-post-freddie-gray-brookings-talks-to-to-west-baltimore-teens-20150720-story.html
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