A project of the Manship School of Mass Communication, LSU
Diversity News
The Objective: Judge, Jury and Journalism
By Holly Rosewood and Curtis Yee
(Nov. 19, 2021 | The Objective) - While coverage of the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial is abundant, the quality of the reporting has been inconsistent.
Dozens of stories from news organizations, both local and national, show that journalists have learned little since Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for the murder of George Floyd. On Nov. 14, The New York Times sent a push alert that said: “The Ahmaud Arbery and Kyle Rittenhouse cases are forcing a country awash in guns to grapple with the moral and legal question of self-defense.” Journalists like Jewel Wicker of Capital B rightly criticized the notification immediately.
Considering how readers learn about and find content, the responsibility to properly frame information lies not only on the part of the journalist or editor, but also on the person or team who sends out the push alerts.
Related analysis:
The Kyle Rittenhouse Trial, the Media, and the Bigger Picture (Source: CJR)
New book: Teaching Race
Struggles, Strategies, and Scholarship for the Mass Communication Classroom
Edited by George Daniels and Robin Blom
(Rowman and Littlefield) - When it comes to teaching about race, journalism and mass communication faculty from various backgrounds must deliver instruction that acknowledges the challenges surrounding the topic while facilitating the learning of undergraduate and graduate students.
Race should be a topic infused across the curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate level in institutions large and small, public and private. This takes a holistic approach with authors from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds at small, mid-size, and large research institutions offering their insights. More than teaching tips, the chapters here offer wisdom grounded in the research of the scholarship of teaching and learning, which allows scholars to both inform their teaching with empirical research and share successful pedagogy with others.
You can find more information about this book on the Rowman's website.
The New Yorker’s archive editor breaks down the print mag’s dismal diversity stats
By Laura Hazard Owen(Sept. 14, 2021 | NiemanLab) - Prestige magazines are so white, “their mastheads resemble member registries at Southern country clubs circa 1950,” Erin Overbey, The New Yorker’s archive editor, tweeted on Tuesday. To prove it, she was armed with 96 years’ worth of data from her own employer — circumventing the notion that a diversity audit has to come from the top.
CJR: Adam Piore on the Wall Street Journal
Staffers' frustration with conservative bias of the publication's news coverage
(Oct. 21, 2021 | Columbia Journalism Review) - For decades, employees of the Wall Street Journal have complained about leaps of logic and reckless ideology in the opinion section. Recently, when Adam Piore spoke with some fifty current and former staffers, they expressed frustration, too, with the conservatism of the Journal’s news coverage.
Read this entire article "Breaking Right" by Adam Piore.
Celebration and impunity as journalists win the Nobel Peace Prize
By Jon Allsop
(Columbia Journalism Review) - Two journalists—Maria Ressa, the founder and CEO of Rappler, a news site in the Philippines,
and Dmitry Muratov, the editor in chief of Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper in Russia—jointly won the 2021
Nobel Peace Prize, for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for
democracy and lasting peace.”
Rest of the article can be accessed on the CJR's website.
June is Caribbean American Heritage Month
(June 1, 2021 | Black PR Wire) - This year, 2021, marks the thirteenth anniversary of June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month.
This year's theme is "Our Shared History, Our Shared Future."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Caribbean-American population of the United States was almost 13.2 million in June 2018. Some of the largest Caribbean ancestry groups in the U.S. include: Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicanos, Jamaicans, Haitians, Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Bajans, Belizeans, Bahamians, and U.S. Virgin Islanders.
8 Practical, Sustainable Steps to a Diverse Faculty
By Gracie Lawson-Borders and David D. Perlmutter
(September 17, 2020 | Chronicle of Higher Education) - When it comes to the hiring and retention of faculty of color, the situation across higher education is, as the saying goes, “déjà vu all over again.” Colleges and universities seem trapped in a time loop, issuing proclamations and statements similar to those made by our predecessors decades ago with limited success. Campus activists are wondering: Can academe live up to its promises this time?
CBS News launches CBS Village Diversity Initiative, adds journalists to race and culture unit
By Ted Johnson
(August 25, 2020 | Deadline) - CBS News is launching CBS Village, a multiplatform franchise for news division content about diverse groups, while it has made more additions to its newly formed race and culture unit.
CBS Village will be a brand dedicated to content about a diversity of communities, including Black, Asian, LGBQT, LatinX, women and millennials.
Highlights of a study on diversity in local television newsrooms
(August 13, 2020 | Media Diversity Forum) - Diversity in the newsroom has been a much-discussed topic in diversity and media research. It is such a topic that we need to revisit periodically to gauge the progress with the state of diversity in a newsroom. Newsroom diversity is also such a topic that has many dimensions.
A study, “The News Presenters and the People Who Lead Them,” conducted by Robert Richardson [1], presented in the recently-concluded AEJMC 2020 Convention, explored the relationship between racial and gender identities of news directors and general managers and racial and gender representation in the on-air talents. The goal of this study is to examine the diversity in local television newsrooms.
Comforting soundtracks from the summer of 2020? Unforgettable and Good Trouble
By Dorothy Bland
(August 3, 2020) - In reflecting on the summer of 2020, the songs “Unforgettable” by Nat “King” Cole and Bebe and Marvin Winans’ “Good Trouble” bring comfort. Our world is struggling with two pandemics – the novel coronavirus and reckoning with systemic racism given the wave of protests around the globe in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minnesota.
Diversity, equality, inclusion, and “The Pipeline Problem”
By Doug Mitchell
(July 24, 2020 | Nieman Reports) - We—myself and 70+ working journalists and media makers—have been selecting and training rising journalists and creating pathways for them to enter public media, officially beginning in 2000. Since 2013, we have 450+ NextGen alumni, and now professional journalists across non-profit and for-profit media, who have been part of Next Generation Radio.
LGBTQ Journalists, NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA and JAWS Met with ViacomCBS Executive to Discuss Diversity and Inclusion
(Feb. 18, 2020 | NLGJA Press Release) - NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) met with ViacomCBS Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion Marva Smalls on February 13. Candid discussions centered on diversity and inclusion (D&I) paths and the ViacomCBS commitment in the future following the merger of Viacom and CBS last December.
A study: "The Influence of Race and Social Identity on Story Selections Within Negative News Contexts"
( Journalism and Mass Communicaiton Quarterly ) - This study by Lanier Frush Holt and Dustin Carnahan published in the December 2019 issue of Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly examines how media audiences' racial identity can influence their media choices.
A key finding of this study is, "social movements seeking to change the attitudes of people of different races using media (e.g., Black Lives Matter) might not be as successful as those in the past (e.g., Civil Rights Movement)." Many would find this finding very striking as it will lead media scholars and practitioners to reevaluate the roles of news media.
Inside Fox News: How the impeachment fight is opening fresh divisions in the newsroom
By Sarah Ellison
(Oct. 9, 2019 | The Washington Post - One of the most important fights over the impeachment inquiry of President Trump is playing out on the airwaves of Fox News. Continue reading about divisions in Fox News around the impeachment.
A Latina novelist spoke about white privilege. Students burned her book in response.
By Alex Horton
(Oct. 11, 2019 | The Washington Post) - In response to Jennine Capó Crucet’s talk on the Statesboro, Ga., campus Wednesday, where she focused her discussion on white privilege, students gathered at a grill and torched her novel “Make Your Home Among Strangers” — about a first-generation Cuban American woman struggling to navigate a mostly white elite college. Continue reading rest of this story.
Americans reflect on the prevalence and pain of being told "go back to your country"
By Jason Silverstein
Democratic and Republican lawmakers are condemning the "send her back" chant that erupted during President Trump's rally in North Carolina this week as ugly, wrong and racist. Though the president is now trying to distance himself from that chant, it came just days after he attacked a group of Democratic congresswomen of color, telling them to "go back" to where they came from. All four of the lawmakers are American citizens and three of them were born in the U.S.
The words echo America's long and painful history of telling U.S. citizens of color they do not belong here. CBS News spoke to a number of Americans who have had those hateful words spoken to them.
Read rest of the story, "Americans reflect on the prevalence and pain of being told "go back to your country"
Related article:
- Federal agency: "Go back to where you came from" is discrimination (Source: CBS News via MSN)
2019 RTDNA Newsroom Diversity Study Highlights
The 2019 Radio Television Digital News Association diversity survey shows women and people of color in TV newsrooms have reached record highs, but parity remains elusive. Women represent about half of the U.S. population and people of color represent at least 38%. The latest study by Bob Papper showed that women represented 44.9% of the local TV news workforce, 35.3% of local TV news directors and 23.4% of TV general managers. The RTDNA survey found people of color in local TV news represented 25.9% and people of color representing about 10.3% of all TV general managers. For more information, please read this report on RTDNA newsroom diversity.
Reporting Inequality: Tools and Methods for Covering Race and Ethnicity
Authors: Sally Lehrman, Venise Wagner
According to the publisher Routledge's website, "Under increasingly intense newsroom demands, reporters often find it difficult to cover the complexity of topics that deal with racial and social inequality. This path-breaking book lays out simple, effective reporting strategies that equip journalists to investigate disparity’s root causes." Click here to get more information about eporting Inequality book.
Baltimore TV anchor is ousted after backlash to a question over African American female mayors
By Janelle Griffith
(May 7, 2019 | NBC News) - A Baltimore television station (WJZ-TV, a CBS affiliate) has dismissed one of its anchors who drew criticism for a question she posed late last week about the gender and race of the city's past three mayors.
WJZ-TV anchor Mary Bubala faced backlash after she asked a professor an on-air question about Catherine Pugh, the former mayor who resigned amid a widening scandal revolving around children’s books that she wrote.
“We’ve had three female, African American mayors in a row,” Bubala said while speaking with Loyola University Maryland professor Karsonya Whitehead. “They were all passionate public servants. Two resigned, though. Is this a signal that a different kind of leadership is needed to move Baltimore City forward?”
Continue to read this report.
Bubala's question::
Soooooo this happened following the resignation of #Baltimore Mayor #CatherinePugh. URGH!🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♂️🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♂️ I'm not even sure I want to hear the excuse for this. I'm cringing and cursing🤬. (Reposting 📹video from @AndreShowell) pic.twitter.com/DPZfdnedFP
— Nicki Mayo (@nickimayonews) May 3, 2019
Bubala's apology:
A sincere apology pic.twitter.com/gV4dz7CFkd
— Mary Bubala (@MaryWJZ) May 3, 2019
Report on the Uncivil, hate and bias
Uncivil hate and bias incidents on college campuses (UHBIOC) in the United States, according to a national survey released in February. About 77% of the professionals associated with the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity said at least one UHBIOC had occurred on their campus within the last two years. Click on this link to read the report.
Newsroom Diversity: "Great Struggle, Little Progress"
More than 50 years after the historic Kerner Commission Report calling for more diversity in U.S. newsrooms, this issue remains a major struggle. If you would like a case study update for class, consider reading Dr. Meredith Clark’s case study titled, “Great Struggle, Little Progress: A Case Study of the 2018 ASNE Newsroom Diversity Survey.”
New book on Ethnic Media
Edited by Sherry S. Yu and Matthew D. Matsaganis. Published by Routledge.
Visit Routledge's webpage to find more information about this book.
On MLK Day, King’s youngest daughter honors mother as ‘Architect Of The King Legacy’
By David Moye
(Jan. 21, 2019 | The Huffington Post) - Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest daughter celebrated the 90th anniversary of the civil rights leader’s birth by paying tribute to her mother.
Related story:
- Florida State football apologizes after Martin Luther King Jr. Day tweet draws backlash (Jan 21, 2019 | USA Today)
Slur mateorologist said has long history
Weather man fired from WHEC-TV for using racist words
By Justin Murphy
(January 8, 2019 | Democrat & Chronicle) - Regardless of what lies in Jeremy Kappell's heart, what came out of his mouth on the WHEC-TV (Channel 10) broadcast Friday night was a racial slur with a long history. Click on the heading to read the report.
Related story:
- RABJ statement on racist words used to describe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park (Jan. 7, 2019 | NABJ)
Erik Wemple: NBC News stumbles over Steve King, ‘racist’ comments
(January 15, 2019 | The Washington Post) - In an article about a move by House Republican leaders to strip Rep. Steve King of his committee assignments because of his racist remarks, NBC News published this sentence:
But Republicans seemed unmoved, with some pointing to his long history of inflammatory statements and associations with far right and racist figures.
As for King’s statements through the years, they’re inflammatory, too. And also racist...continue reading this op-ed by cliking on the heading.
New Book: The Diversity Style Guide
Author: Rachele Kanigel
(Jan. 11, 2019 | Wiley) - A companion to the online resource of the same name, The Diversity Style Guide raises the consciousness of journalists who strive to be accurate. Based on studies, news reports and style guides, as well as interviews with more than 50 journalists and experts, it offers the best, most up-to-date advice on writing about underrepresented and often misrepresented groups.
The Diversity Style Guide comes in two parts.
Part One offers enlightening chapters on Why is Diversity So Important; Implicit Bias; Black Americans; Native People; Hispanics and Latinos; Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; Arab Americans and Muslim Americans; Immigrants and Immigration; Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation; People with Disabilities; Gender Equality in the News Media; Mental Illness, Substance Abuse and Suicide; and Diversity and Inclusion in a Changing Industry.
Part Two includes Diversity and Inclusion Activities and an A-Z Guide with more than 500 terms.
Purchase and other information about this book is available on Wiley's website.
Spring 2019 class of fellows at Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy
(Jan, 9, 2019 | Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy) - Nicole Mele, Director of The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School expects that the center's spring 2019 class of fellows will work conduct research on a wide range of topics, including race and gender in the American Media. Spring 2019 class of fellows is comprised of a group of journalists, media executives, and government officials.
It's time to remove the color line between mainstream news and diversity coverage
By Jagdeesh Mann
(Nov. 27, 2018 | South Asian Post) - Earlier this year, Rena Heer, a former reporter for CTV and CP24 in Toronto, hosted a gathering at her home for other fellow Canadian Sikhs who had experience in the communications and media professions.
USC Center helps advance racial equity
By Jamal Watson
(Oct. 18, 2018 | Diverse) - Five months after a group of students at DePauw University angrily confronted their college president following a string of racially charged incidents on campus, Dr. D. Mark McCoy was sitting in front of his office computer actively processing the incident with Dr. Charles H. F. Davis, who was some 2,000 miles away.
McCoy wasn’t alone. He had gathered members of his cabinet, and other key administrators from across campus, to participate in a virtual eight-week intensive Equity Institute sponsored by the Race and Equity Center at the University of Southern California (USC).
Advancing Diversity and Inclusivity through Multilevel Strategic Leadership
When: Monday, November 5, at 12:00 p.m. (EST)
Link to Webinar details
Covering poverty: What to avoid and how to get it right
By Denise-Marie Ordway and Heather Bryant
(Sept. 4, 2018 | Journalist’s Resource) - Even before Donald Trump’s election victory took newsrooms nationwide by surprise, audiences criticized journalists as being disconnected from the communities they cover, especially poor and working-class communities.
Schneps buys Community News Group
(Sept. 14, 2018 | Voices of NY) - Schneps Communications’ recent acquisition of Community News Group and NYC Community Media has combined the top three local media companies in NYC into one entity: Schneps Community News Group.
TV Show ‘Anaana’s Tent’ Teaches Kids Inuktitut Language And Inuit Culture
By Haley Lewis
(Sept. 15, 2018 | The Huffington Post) - Many millennials will remember the silly Canadian kids show, "Big Comfy Couch," with Loonette the Clown and her doll, Molly, who solve everyday problems on their, well, big comfy couch.
Enter "Anaana's Tent," a children's show that airs in Inuktitut and now in English, starting Saturday. It also takes kids on a journey filled with puppets and storytelling, and teaches them an Inuit language at the same time.
Research Updates:
Infusing Diversity Content Across the Curriculum by Masudul Biswas & Ralph Izard (2018) [Teaching Journalism & Mass Communication Journal | 8(1)]
Integrating Class into the Journalism and Mass Communication Curriculum by Jon Bekken (2018) [Teaching Journalism & Mass Communication Journal | 8(1)]
"Reporter uncovers what marginalized groups knew all along: Facebook is biased"
By Keka Araujo
(July 19, 2018 | DiversityInc.) - Facebook's biased acts of censorship have been a thorn in the sides of its liberal minority and marginalized users for quite some time. In a twist of fate, Mark Zuckerberg was scrutinized by Jewish groups and anti-racism organizations for suggesting Holocaust denial should be allowed on Facebook because it could be unintentional.
Blacks, latinos and members of the LGBTQ community griped about it frequently. However, it was never confirmed until now. In an undercover investigation in the United Kingdom, a reporter from Channel 4 in England infiltrated the social media powerhouse as a Facebook moderator and found a host of problematic content that the company wouldn't delete. Read more.
Race-based affirmative action: How colleges can achieve diversity without it
By Denise-Marie Ordway
(July 11, 2018 | Journalist's Resource) - If American colleges were to halt race-based admissions decisions, they could still ensure a racially diverse student body if they started giving preference to lower-income students while also urging more minorities to apply, a new analysis suggests.
The change would be expensive, however. In fact, the analysis, published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, indicates schools would have trouble affording this two-pronged approach.
Related articles:
- AAC&U Calls for Colleges and Universities to Fulfill the Promise of American Higher Education by Promoting Diversity and Equity (Association of American Colleges & Universities)
- Trump to Reverse Obama-Era Guidelines on Considering Race in College Admissions (DiversityInc. | July 3, 2018)
The Economist: The rise of universities’ diversity bureaucrats
(May 8, 2018 | The Economist) -AMERICAN universities are boosting spending on “diversity officials”. At the University of California, Berkeley, for example, the number of diversity bureaucrats has grown to 175 or so, even as state funding to the university has been cut. Diversity officials promote the hiring of ethnic minorities and women, launch campaigns to promote dialogue, and write strategic plans on increasing equity and inclusion on campus. Many issue guidance on avoiding sexist language, unacceptable lyrics and inappropriate clothing and hairstyles. Some are paid lavishly: the University of Michigan’s diversity chief is reported to earn $385,000 a year. What explains their rise?
Civic engagement declines when local newspapers shut down
By Chloe Reichel
(June 22, 2018 | Journalist’s Resources) - It’s not news that it’s tough times for the newspaper industry. A March 2018 study published in the Newspaper Research Journal finds that from 2004 to 2015, the U.S. newspaper industry lost over 1,800 print outlets as a result of closures and mergers. Journalists suffer layoffs and buyouts; and readers are left in a decimated news landscape, with local papers coming under the ownership of larger publishers focused on their business interests, or ceasing to exist entirely.
Maynard 200 National Journalism Fellowship Program
(Source: Maynard Institute) - The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education is seeking applications from journalism leaders, journalism entrepreneurs and storytellers nationwide for its pilot Maynard 200 Fellowship.
Maynard 200 aims to expand the diversity pipeline in media by training 200 diverse journalists in the next five years. It is supported by Google News Lab, the News Integrity Initiative and the Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and is in partnership with USC Annenberg and the City University of New York [CUNY].
How can mainstream and ethnic media team up to produce better journalism? Learn these lessons from facilitators
By Daniela Gerson and Carlos Rodriguez
(May 4, 2018 | American Press Institute) - Valeria Fernández has illuminated immigrant life in the Southwest through stories published in outlets such as CNN International, The Guardian, and PRI’s The World. For this work she won $100,000 as one of the first two recipients of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize for independent journalism.
Yet, Fernández once doubted her readership would ever expand beyond a small audience of Spanish speakers in Arizona. She immigrated from Uruguay and started her career as a reporter at La Voz Arizona, a Gannett-owned Spanish-language weekly.
50 years after Kerner, racial and ethnic discrimination still holds children back
By Carol Emig
(April 23, 2018 | Child Trends) - Fifty years after the release of the Kerner Commission’s report, Child Trends’ President Carol Emig reflects on how much has changed and how much remains to be done to realize the Commission’s call for “common opportunity for all.” Emig notes that while the lives of many children today are better than the lives of children 50 years ago, serious racial and ethnic inequities persist and work remains to address discrimination that often has deep and overlooked historical roots. Such work will take place in a demographic, economic, and policy landscape far different than the America of 50 years ago.
Race gap narrowing in prescription opioid use
By Chloe Reichel
(April 24, 2018 | Journalist's Resources) - While the nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic is often discussed as a white issue, new research indicates that prescription opioid use in black adults is just as high.
The powerful painkillers have a high potential for abuse — across the literature, rates of misuse average between 21 and 29 percent. Moreover, prescription opioids can pave the way for future use of illegal drugs like heroin. Eighty percent of people who have used heroin have previously misused prescription opioids.
50 years after the Kerner Commission, little progress for people of color in media
By Yanick Rice Lamb
(March 29, 2018 | Women's Media Center) - I didn’t know that my family was “broken” until I heard it on the news. Although my parents divorced when I was five years old, my father was still in my life. So, too, were my attentive stepfather, a doting grandfather, wonderful uncles, cousins and neighbors. My siblings and I grew up in an all-important “village” filled with caring people who still care about us as adults, now with our own children and grandchildren.
'Strong' Black Woman? 'Smart' Asian Man? The Downside To Positive Stereotypes
By Kumari Devarajan
(Feb. 17, 2018 | NPR) - During my senior year of high school, I started dreading calculus. Every time my teacher slapped our tests face-down on our desks, I would peel up the corner of the page just enough to see the score, circled in red. The numbers were dropping quickly: 79, 64, 56.
Five decades after Kerner Report, representation remains an issue in media
By Darren Walker
(March 5, 2018 | Columbia Journalism Review) - AMERICA’S ALARMING DISUNION is evident any time you turn on the news or read the paper. But a recent survey commissioned by the Ford Foundation indicates that our disconnect goes beyond our political disagreements—that our division may be exacerbated by the makeup of our media.
Related publication:
SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL: The Kerner Commission and the Unraveling of American Liberalism
by Steven M. Gillon
Call for Applications: AEJMC's Institute for Diverse Leadership
Eligibility: Applicants must be associate or full professors interested in administration and/or journalism and communication practitioners who have moved into the academy and have a minimum of three full-time years in an academic setting. The program is for people of color and women.
Application Deadline: March 19
Click here for more information about this call for application
International Reporting Project (IRP) is ending its programs this month
(January 31, 2018 | IRP) - The International Reporting Project (IRP) is ending its programs effective this month (February), according to the project director's farewell message.
“Don’t name them” – Criminologist asks journalists to help stop mass shootings
By David Trilling
(Dec. 20, 2017 | Journalist's Resources) - It’s too familiar in America: Breaking news, another mass shooting, old pictures of the suspects, their names splashed across cable news.
Instant celebrities.
In an article this year for the journal American Behavioral Scientist, Adam Lankford, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama, and a colleague argue that journalists should not report the names or picture the faces of mass shooting suspects. Journalists should, however, continue to report every other detail so the public gains a better understanding about these tragedies.
Trump Bans ‘Diversity’ and Six Other Words from use at Centers for Disease Control
By Kaitlyn D'Onofrio
(Dec. 18, 2017 | DiversityInc.) - The nation’s health protection agency is being censored by the Trump administration, according to a report from The Washington Post.
Seven words — “diversity,” “transgender,” “evidence-based,” “science-based,” “vulnerable,” “entitlement” and “fetus” — have all reportedly been banned from use at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in documents relating to next year’s budget.
Television continues to slight people with disabilities
By Frank Kineavy
(Nov. 22, 2017 | DiversityInc.) - For the past 20 years, GLAAD has conducted a study analyzing the prevalence of LGBT characters on network and streaming television. For seven years, they have extended their research to show the representation of people with disabilities.
“The expansion of the television landscape into digital platforms is helping to spark these needed changes, as content creators like Netflix and Amazon are making their mark,” Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO and President of GLAAD, said in her opening message.
In recent years, TV executives have seemed to make a conscious effort to create characters who, by definition in the Americans with Disabilities Act, have some kind of disability. Read more
Billy Porter: The first time I refused to keep playing a stereotype
By Billy Porter
(Nov. 21, 2017 | The New York Times) - I was 24 and starring, along with a bunch of marquee names, in the 1994 Broadway revival of “Grease,” prancing around like a Little Richard automaton on crack in 14 inches of clownish, neon-orange rubber hair; a white high-collared spacesuit; cha-cha heels; glittered face — and singing as high and as loud as I could. Read more
How to be an ‘Upstander’
By Karen Pennar
(Nov. 10, 2017 | Voice of NY) - What would you do if you witnessed someone receive a tongue-lashing for not speaking English well, complete with an admonition to “go back where you came from”? If you saw someone berate a young woman wearing hijab? If you heard someone being called ugly, racist names? Read more
New America Media announces closure of organization
(Nov. 1, 2017 | New America Media) - The board of directors and staff of the nonprofit New America Media (NAM), and its parent organization, Pacific News Service (PNS), announced today that the two entities will cease operations by November 30, 2017. Read more
Information Disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policymaking
(Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy)"A new report published by First Draft, a project of the Shorenstein Center, commissioned by the Council of Europe, examines how dis-information campaigns have become widespread and, heavily relying on social media, contribute to a global media environment of information disorder." Read more
Why LA PRESSE started an internship geared towards minority reporters and First Nations peoples
By John Delva
(Oct. 24, 2017 | Asian Pacific Post) - To improve newsroom diversity, La Presse recruited outside of francophone journalism schools.
An office’s group shot usually exudes pride, but this one caused embarrassment.
In December 2016, Quebec’s La Presse published one of its entire organization. The lack of visible minority faces among the roughly 250 editorial workers contrasted with the paper’s multicultural stance. Read more
ASNE Survey: Minority journalists comprised 16.6 percent of the workforce in U.S. newsrooms
(Oct. 10, 2017 | Source: ASNE)- The American Society of News Editors announced today at the annual News Leadership Conference that minority journalists comprised 16.6 percent of the workforce in U.S. newsrooms that responded to this year's Newsroom Employment Diversity Survey.
This finding shows only a half-percentage-point decrease from last year's figure and is still several percentage points higher than the percentages recorded for much of the past two decades.Read more
NY Fashon Week finally got the memo on diversity
By Valeriya Safronova
(Sept. 21, 2017 | The New York Times) - A new report released by The Fashion Spot that assessed 2,601 runway appearances over 94 shows during New York Fashion Week found that there were at least two nonwhite models cast in each show. Labels including Tom Ford, Tome, Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs, and Christian Siriano contributed to a rise in the share of nonwhite models in the shows, which hit 36.9 percent this season. Read more.
Founder of kweliTV, DeShuna Spencer, explains why authentic media representation matters now
(Sept. 14, 2017 | Black News) - KweliTV, a video streaming platform that curates independent content of and from the global black community, officially launched on Sept. 14th. KweliTV unveiled a fully updated website, new film releases, viewer contests, original short-form programming, as well as the launch of KweliTV apps. KweliTV shares the African Diaspora experience through undiscovered documentaries, films, web shows, children’s programming, news and more. Kweli means truth in Swahili so the mission is to curate content that is a true reflection of the black experience. Read more
Diversity at the Emmys
Diversity was on display and celebrated Sunday night at the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The award show was decidedly more colorful than many of the other award shows that have attracted criticism for a lack of diversity. In fact, it even sparked the hashtag #EmmysSoBlack. Which is the complete opposite of the widely known #OscarsSoWhite hashtag. From people of color to women, the night's biggest winners continued to strengthen the argument often made that the small screen is more inclusive.
"Master of None" star Lena Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing. Riz Ahmed became the first Muslim and South-Asian man to win an acting Emmy. He took home the honor of outstanding lead actor in a limited series for his role as a Pakistani-American jailed for murder in "The Night Of."
"Atlanta" executive producer and star Donald Glover became the first African American to win the Emmy for outstanding directing for a comedy series. He also won for lead actor in a comedy series. Sterling K. Brown of "This Is Us" won for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, the first black actor to take the trophy since Andre Braugher won for "Homicide: Life on the Streets" in 1998.
Sources:
- Diversity took center stage at Emmys (CNN)
- Diversity Makes History At The Emmys With Wins By Sterling K. Brown, Riz Ahmed, Donald Glover & More (Deadline)
Related story:
- Shonda Rhimes is not impressed with all the fuss being made over the diversity of winners
Elaine Welteroth is making major changes to Teen Vouge
Teen Vogue was recently taken over by a new editor-in-chief committed to making the publication more inclusive and aware of the world we live in. The new E.I.C, Elaine Welteroth, has created an editorial vision that’s expanded and prioritized its coverage of politics, feminism, identity, and activism as it relates to Teen Vogue’s audience. This has caused a huge shift for the publication. Teen Vogue’s website has increased by 6.5 million unique visitors since last year when the magazine’s leadership pivoted. Welteroth is just the second person of color at a Conde Nasté subsidiary to hold a E.I.C position, and has more than risen to the challenge.
Sources:
- Elaine Welteroth,
Teen Vogue’s
Refashionista (The New York Times)
- Teen Vogue Is Evolving Thanks To Elaine Welteroth (HuffPost)
Diversity in comics
By David Betancourt
(Aug. 25, 2017 | The Washington Post) - Joe Illidge was an intern at Milestone Media in the ’90s and now helps edit a new diverse
superhero universe with Lion Forge imprint Catalyst Prime. Catalyst Prime’s comics
include “Noble,” featuring a black astronaut who goes missing on assignment in space
and resurfaces with superpowers, though he’s on the run in Latin America while his wife
and a Latina-led secret organization track him down.
The series “Accell” centers on a Latino character who runs faster than the speed of thought after exposure to an alien object. Cosmosis, a character with down syndrome, is featured in the series “Superb.” There’s even a color guide, created at the suggestion of Catalyst Prime editorial assistant Desiree Rodriguez, that assures that when characters leave their own title and appear in another, their hue remains consistent. Read more.
2017 Gene Burd Urban Journalism Award
Free Spirit Media has activated a model for media training that empowers its participants (youth and young adults, from under-resourced communities) to work as journalists and media makers. Their stories and documentaries provide valuable insights into the nuances of life in urban environments.
Race and class are the biggest issues around Hurricane Harvey and we need to start talking about them
By Charles Ellison
(Aug. 29, 2017 | The Root) - Our national conversation on Hurricane Harvey should be much like those about Charlottesville, Va., or Flint, Mich. But as the Houston area braces for much more flooding, that won’t happen until receding floodwaters reveal the dangerously gaping holes of disparity between white haves and black have-nots. Read more
Even with Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics are more underrepresented at top colleges than 35 years ago
By Jeremy Ashkenas, Haeyoun Park and Adam Pearce
(Aug. 28, 2017 | The New York Times) - Even after decades of affirmative action, black and Hispanic students are more underrepresented at the nation’s top colleges and universities than they were 35 years ago, according to a New York Times analysis.
The share of black freshmen at elite schools is virtually unchanged since 1980. Black students are just 6 percent of freshmen but 15 percent of college-age Americans, as the chart below shows. Read more.
How journalists should handle racist words, images and violence in Charlottesville
By Charles Ellison
(Aug. 29, 2017 | The Root) - Our national conversation on Hurricane Harvey should be much like those about Charlottesville, Va., or Flint, Mich. But as the Houston area braces for much more flooding, that won’t happen until receding floodwaters reveal the dangerously gaping holes of disparity between white haves and black have-nots. Read more
By Al Tompkins and Kelly McBride
(Aug. 12, 2017 | Poynter) - Journalists covering the racial violence in Charlottesville, Virginia face challenges as they choose words, images and sounds. This is not a time to sanitize the cost of hate, and it is not a time to glorify hate groups by giving them the notoriety they seek. Read more
Related articles:
- Newsonomics: Lessons for the news media from Charlottesville (NiemanLab | August 15, 2017)
Quoting Mandela, Obama's tweet after Charlottesville is the most-liked ever
By Laurel Wamsley
(Aug. 16, 2017 | NPR) - The former president's message after the violence in Charlottesville, Va., was brief, but it hit the right note for many.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion ... ," Barack Obama tweeted, accompanied by a photo of himself, jacket slung over his shoulder, smiling at four young children gathered at a windowsill.
Twitter has announced that Saturday's tweet is the most-liked tweet ever. It attracted more than 3.3 million likes and 1.3 million retweets as of Wednesday morning. Read more
KKK leader threatens life of Afro-Latina journalist during interview
(Aug. 18, 2017 | Salon) - Ilia Calderón, an afro-latina reporter, feared for the safety of herself and her crew after being threatened by a KKK leader during an interview.
Calderón, an immigrant journalist for Univision of both African and Colombian descent, agreed to meet the grand wizard of Loyal White Knights faction of the KKK Chris Barker on his property in North Carolina in July. Read more.
AAC&U selects 10 institutions as sites for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers
(Aug. 16, 2017 | AAC&U) - The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today the ten institutions selected to serve as sites for the first Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers. With generous support from Newman’s Own Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, AAC&U will guide the development of the TRHT Campus Centers as part of a multi-year initiative to educate, prepare, and inspire the next generation of leaders to advance justice and build equitable communities.
The ten institutions selected as sites for the first TRHT Campus Centers are: Austin Community College (Texas), Brown University (Rhode Island), Duke University (North Carolina), Hamline University (Minnesota), Millsaps College (Mississippi), Rutgers University—Newark (New Jersey), Spelman College (Georgia), The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina (South Carolina), University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (Hawaii), and University of Maryland Baltimore County (Maryland). Continue reading.
AEJMC's CSM Study: "18 percent of magazine employees are people of color"
(Source: Commission on the Status of Minorities, AEJMC) - A 2017 survey conducted by Commission on the Status of Minorities (CSM) at Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (AEJMC) reveals that only 18 percent of magazine employees are people of color. Click here to read more about this study findings.
DiversityInc.: "A white man called her kids the n-word. Facebook stopped her from sharing it."
By Tracy Jan and Elizabeth Dwoskin
(July 31, 2017 | The Washington Post) - Francie Latour was picking out produce in a suburban Boston grocery store when a white man leaned toward her two young sons and, just loudly enough for the boys to hear, unleashed a profanity-laced racist epithet.
Reeling, Latour, who is black, turned to Facebook to vent, in a post that was explicit about the hateful words hurled at her 8- and 12-year-olds on a Sunday evening in July.
But within 20 minutes, Facebook deleted her post, sending Latour a cursory message that her content had violated company standards. Only two friends had gotten the chance to voice their disbelief and outrage. Read more.
NRA Ad calls for violence toward ‘Black and Brown’ people, says Tamika Mallory
By Sheryl Estrada
(July 11, 2017 | DiversityInc.) -- Women’s March Co-President Tamika D. Mallory is spearheading a movement against the National Rifle Association’s recent ad, “Freedom’s Safest Place” that portrays protesters in America as the enemy, which she says is a “dangerous” call to arms for its members. Read more.
Health Bill draws fiscal fault line between old and poor—and the poor are losing
By Greg Ip
(June 28, 2017 | The Wall Street Journal) -- The health-care overhaul that Senate leaders floated this past week does more than roll back an entitlement Republicans have loathed since the day it was enacted in 2010. It portends a deeper struggle over the safety net that pits the elderly against the poor. Read more
Facebook’s secret censorship rules protect White men from hate speech but not Black children
By Julia Angwin and Hannes Grassegger
(June 29, 2017 | ProPublica via DiversityInc.) - In the wake of a terrorist attack in London earlier this month, a U.S. congressman wrote a Facebook post in which he called for the slaughter of “radicalized” Muslims. “Hunt them, identify them, and kill them,” declared U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican. “Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all.” Read more.
WGBH News, Schuster Institute explore interracial marriage through commemorative “Loving Day” series
(June 13, 2017 | WGBH News and Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University) — WGBH News in Boston, in collaboration with the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, has launched “Loving Day,” a commemoration series on interracial marriage airing on 89.7 WGBH, June 12-14.
Fifty years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 12, 1967 landmark civil rights decision in Loving v. Virginia legally allowed interracial marriage, the effects of the case continue to reverberate. Read more
A university that prioritizes the students who are often ignored
By Meredith Kolodner
(May 19, 2016 | The Atlantic) - Protests focused on entrenched racism rocked campuses around the country this year. Many top colleges enroll small numbers of black students, and the four-year college graduation rate for black students is half that of whites.
Rutgers University-Newark in New Jersey has a graduation rate for black students that is far above the national average. But instead of offering out-sized athletic scholarships or perks to potential out-of-state students, the university is doubling down on a bid for students who are often ignored—low-income, urban, public high-school graduates with mediocre test scores. Read more
Fox News: More incidents of racism and sexism
By Sheryl Estrada
(May 22, 2017 | DiversityInc.) - Racism, sexism and intimidation are so engrained in the Fox News workplace culture that despite the increasing amount of lawsuits filed by employees against the news channel, Bob Beckel, co-host of “The Five,” still thought it was acceptable to berate a Black IT employee. Continue reading this story.
On Monday, May 22nd, three women employees filed federal discrimination lawsuits against the news channel.
Four resources for teaching about implicit bias
(May 20, 2017 | Media Education Foundation) -
White Like Me Mean World Syndrome Race-related animated videos Implicit bias test
Georgia aims to make its websites accessible for all
By Tasnim Shamma
(May 17, 2017 | Marketplace.Org) - One out of 12 people ages 18 to 64 in the United States identifies themselves as having a disability. Whether it’s a physical or learning disability, it can be difficult for those people trying to access the internet.
A 1998 law known as Section 508 requires the federal government to make information technology accessible for everyone on all platforms, but states don’t have the same legal responsibility....
Therefore, developers in Georgia have been redesigning the state’s websites to make it a little easier for people with disabilities to access information. Georgia.gov is coded so a screen reader provides audio descriptions for people with visual impairments and other disabilities. The fonts are larger, there’s a strong color contrast and the links and photos are descriptive. Read rest of the story.
Interracial marriage becoming the norm in U.S.: Report
By Sheryl Estrada
(May 19, 2017 | DiversityInc.) - Interracial marriage is on the rise, making more than a fivefold increase since 1967, when only 3 percent of newlyweds were intermarried, according to a Pew Research Center report released Thursday. However, interracial marriage is more accepted by Democrats than Republicans, and Black men and Asian women are more likely to marry someone of a different race. Read more
Culturally responsive developmental education
By Ashley Smith
(May 10, 2017 | Inside Higher Ed) - Historically black colleges have had some success merging developmental education reforms with culturally sensitive teaching practices, which a new report said should cause community colleges and four-year universities to take note.
The report from the Southern Education Foundation examined barriers that low-income black students face when they enter developmental or remedial courses. Researchers at the foundation examined experimental developmental education courses at two HBCUs -- Claflin University in South Carolina and Morgan State University in Maryland -- which are “already engaging in culturally relevant teaching” to improve black student achievement. Continue reading rest of the story.
"A peaceful future": Doodle4Google's winner
(April 2, 2017 | Doodle4Google) - Sarah Harrison from Connecticut in the 10th-12th grade group on being has been named the National Finalist of the 2016-17 "Doodle 4 Google" Contest for her doodle "A Peaceful Future".
Google has awarded Sarah with a $30K college scholarship and a $50K technology award for her school, as well as sharing her doodle on the Google homepage for the world to see.
Last year, Google asked young artists across the US to create a doodle about what they see for the future. Visit this page.
Why are #PodcastsSoWhite?
By Steve Friess
(March 21, 2017 | Columbia Journalism Review) - Within the first three minutes of the premiere of the podcast Little Black Dress, entertainment journalist Nina Parker laid out the show’s mission: “There’s definitely a lot of podcasts with women, but there’s not a ton of podcasts with some who look like us. Nothing against the other podcasts, but we just wanted to represent a perspective that is a bit null and void.” Read more
Attitudes toward increasing diversity in the U.S.
(Feb. 16, 2017 | Pew Research Center) - Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) say an increasing number of people from different races, ethnic groups and nationalities in the U.S. makes the country a better place to live; fewer (29%) think growing diversity in the country does not make much difference, and just 5% think it makes the country a worse place to live. Read more.
Smoketown Billboards of Hope
WAVE 3 News - Smoketown Billboards of Hope from WAVE 3 News on Vimeo.
Commentary: Language of appeasement
By Dafina-Lazarus Stewart
(March 30, 2017 | Inside Higher Ed) - Several months later, I hesitate to offer yet another election postmortem for higher education. Like many of you readers, I have read countless such essays from within and beyond the academy. Some people have argued that the rise of white supremacists (they prefer to be called the “alt-right”) was only to be expected given the proliferation of identity politics in higher education. Read more
WSJ staff criticizes lack of diversity in its newsroom
By Kaitlyn D'Onofrio
(March 29, 2017 | The Wall Street Journal) - Staff members at The Wall Street Journal have written a letter to their management team regarding the publication’s astounding lack of diversity, Business Insider reported on Tuesday.
“Diversity in the newsroom is good for business and good for our coverage,” staffers wrote to Gerard Butler, editor in chief, and Matt Murray, Butler’s deputy. Read more.
‘Get Out’: Jordan Peele’s film on race relations exceeds $100M at box office
By Sheryl Estrada
(March 14, 2017 | DiversityInc.) - Jordan Peele, who is best known for his work on the TV series “Key & Peele,” has become the first Black director and writer to earn $100 million in ticket sales for a debut film.
According to studio estimates on Sunday, Peele’s satirical horror film, “Get Out,” made with a budget of $4 million, earned $21.1 million in its third weekend, bringing its total to $111 million. It made $30 million when it debuted on February 24. Read more
Diverse film casts keep Hollywood executives making money at Box Office
By Sheryl Estrada
(Feb. 24, 2017 | DiversityInc.) - Ahead of the 89th Academy Awards show on Sunday, UCLA has released its annual Hollywood Diversity report, which highlights that diversity means higher financial returns on productions.
The report, generated through the university’s Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, examined the 200 top-grossing theatrical film releases in 2015, as well as 1,206 television, cable and digital platform shows from the 2014–15 season. Read more
Pew Survey: In views of diversity, many Europeans are less positive than Americans
By Bruce Drake and Jacob Poushter
(July 12, 2016 | Pew Research Center) - The surge of refugees to Europe has helped make it a region of increasing cultural diversity and foreign-born populations, just as immigration to the United States has pushed its foreign-born share to near record levels. But a new Pew Research Center survey paints a picture of a Europe that is far less positive about what greater diversity means for many of its countries. Read more
General Motors hosts ‘Discover Your Drive’ diversity journalism program
(Jan. 17, 2017 | DiversityInc.) - General Motors (No. 48 on the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list) launched its second annual Discover Your Drive diversity journalism program Jan. 7-11, hosting 13 college students and nine professional journalists as mentors from across the country at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Students from diverse backgrounds participated in the program that promoted diversity in automotive journalism and news coverage. Read more.
Covering hate crimes in an increasingly toxic political world
By Hannah Esqueda
(We-Ced/New America Media)On the eve of the inauguration for one of the most divisive presidents ever to take office, hate crime researchers are advising journalists to keep a close eye on the intersection of crime and hate speech in their communities.
“Research has shown that in the wake of a catalytic incident, such as 9/11, [it] can create a correlation of a spike in hate crimes,” said Brian Levin, criminal justice professor at California State University, San Bernardino, and director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Read more.
Preaching the gospel of diversity, but not following it
By Liz Spayd
(Dec. 17, 2016 | The New York Times) - Only two of the 20-plus reporters who covered the presidential campaign for The New York Times were black. None were Latino or Asian. That’s less diversity than you’ll find in Donald Trump’s cabinet thus far. Of The Times’s newly named White House team, all six are white, as is most everyone in the Washington bureau. Read more
30 of the most important articles by people of color in 2016
By Zeba Blay
(Dce. 19, 2016 | The Huffington Post) - Between the deaths of greats like Prince and Muhammed Ali, the destruction in Aleppo and the circus that was the U.S. presidential election, 2016 was the year of one awful thing after another.
But despite the awfulness, stellar writing by people of color provided clarity, comfort and insight in even the darkest moments this year. Read more
‘Hamilton’ actor on the cast’s speech for Pence: ‘There’s nothing to apologize for’
By Amy wang
(Nov. 21, 2016 | The Washington Post) - The “Hamilton” actor who delivered the Broadway show’s viral message to Vice President-elect Mike Pence after a performance Friday said there is “nothing to apologize for” in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s many tweets demanding one from what he deemed a “very rude” cast of an “overrated” show.
Speaking on “CBS This Morning” on Monday, Brandon Victor Dixon — who plays Aaron Burr in the musical — said he felt that the popular show was a platform through which the cast could deliver a plea for understanding and inclusion after a divisive presidential election. Read more.
Gwen Ifill: 1955 to 2016
A note from the Maynard Institute
MIJE Staff
(Nov. 14, 2016 | Maynard Institute) - Gwen Ifill, a pioneering African-American journalist whose career evolved from an internship in a newspaper city room to the pinnacle of national political journalism, died Monday from endometrial cancer in Washington at age 61.
We at the Maynard Institute mourn her loss. She was a generous mentor, particularly to young people, and a great friend of the Institute.
Ms. Ifill was co-anchor of “The PBS NewsHour” and moderator of the PBS “Washington Week” program. She moderated a Democratic primary debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in February, before illness forced her to take a leave of absence from PBS. Read more
Eight actions to reduce racism in college classrooms
When professors are part of the problem.
By Shaun R. Harper and Charles H. F. Davis III
(Academe | November-December 2016) - Last year, at dozens of colleges and universities across the United States, students protested institutional unresponsiveness to pervasive issues of racial inequity. Most media attention disproportionately focused on the popularity of the protests as opposed to the actual issues underlying campus unrest. Read more
Campus activism and competing racial narratives
(Academe | November - December 2016) - Large student protests against racist incidents, closely watched by national media, roiled the University of Missouri and Yale University campuses. At the University of Missouri and Ithaca College, protests resulted in the resignation of university presidents. Yale and Princeton Universities, among others, were forced to consider renaming buildings and programs that bear the names of historical figures associated with racism and white supremacy and were pushed to increase racial diversity among students and faculty. Read more
Poynter, NABJ announce inaugural class for leadership academy for diversity in digital media
(Oct. 25, 2016 | NABJ) - The Poynter Institute and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) are pleased to announce the 2016 class for the Poynter-NABJ Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media, a transformational leadership program for journalists of color.
The 25 participants, chosen from a pool of more than 200 applicants, are emerging leaders in digital media who have demonstrated an aptitude and potential for leadership through current projects and references. The academy will include guidance on navigating newsroom culture, leadership styles, the business of journalism and entrepreneurship, as well as networking and one-on-one coaching. Read more
UC forges new partnership to advance student diversity
By George White
(Oct. 3, 2016 | New America Media) - In the wake of a two-year campaign that generated increases in the number of African Americans and other students of color on its campuses, the University of California and the Boys & Girls Club of America have launched an outreach partnership that could become a new model for building additional diversity pipelines on statewide and national levels. Read more
More diversity in the film industry is not an option
By Betty Ann Heggie
(Oct. 6, 2016 | The Huffington Post) - Since the inception of film, seldom have women, minorities or even nonconformist males held the center of a story, serving instead as the adjunct or love interest. Rarely the subject, most often the object.
Subtly, through the years we have been indoctrinated to view the world through a patriarchal lens. In virtually every sector those who select the protagonist, choose the narrative, act as distributor and pen the review, have endorsed or subscribed to a traditional masculine value system. Read more
$100 million fund to tackle tech’s diversity problem
By Jen Kinney
(Sept. 12, 2016 | NextCity.Org) - Over the next five years, a new fund will aim to award $100 million in coding scholarships to groups underrepresented in the tech sector, including women and racial minorities, according to a press release. The Tech Opportunity Fund, launched by code school The Iron Yard in collaboration with Code Fellows and Operation HOPE, will make scholarships available in 24 U.S. cities, including Indianapolis, Nashville, Raleigh, Tampa and Detroit. Read more.
What did Kanye West’s casting call for ‘Multiracial Women Only’ mean?
By Sheryl Estrada
(September 8, 2016 | DiversityInc.) - Recording artist, producer and fashion designer Kanye West began New York Fashion Week Spring 2017 with a casting call controversy. On Saturday, West used Twitter to post a model casting notice for his “Yeezy Season 4” fashion show.
It read: “Multiracial women only. No makeup please come as you are.” Read more.
Related story
- Kanye West Responds to “Multi-Racial” Casting-Call Backlash (Vanities | Sept. 7, 2016)
Missouri School of Journalism announces new approach to tackling diversity in media industry
(Aug. 25, 2016 | Missouri School of Journalism) — The University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Office of the Provost and the Mizzou Advantage initiative announce today a new, immersive education-industry recruiting and training effort designed to increase the representation of underserved communities in journalism and strategic communication. Read more
The need for greater diversity at media organizations
The LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication Dean Jerry Ceppos discusses how recent events in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas highlight the need for greater diversity at media organizations.
Source: LSU Manship School
Will the great flood sink Baton Rouge or inspire its rebirth?
By Robert Mann
(Aug. 19, 2016 | NOLA) - The news from Baton Rouge last month was a city immersed in crisis and death, divided and virtually at war with itself over the death of Alton Sterling, the 37-year-old black man killed by Baton Rouge police officers in early July. Twelve days later, another tragedy engulfed the city — the shooting of six police officers, three of whom died. Read more
Race, gender pay gaps significant for millennials
By Kaitlyn D’Onofrio
(Aug. 18, 2016 | DiversityInc.) - A study released this month by Wells Fargo (No. 12 on the 2016 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list) found a gender wage gap, “unmanageable” student loan debt and racial disparities when it comes to wealth and salaries for millennials. Read more
Breitbart editor incites racism, kicked off Twitter
By Sheryl Estrada
(June 24, 2016 | DiversityInc.) - Milo Yiannopoulos is a tech editor at conservative news site Breitbart with a penchant for Internet trolling, but he has sent his final tweet. After inciting a barrage of racist tweets aimed at “Saturday Night Live” comedian Leslie Jones, Yiannopoulos was permanently suspended from Twitter on Tuesday. Read more
"Completely racist" ad for washing detergent that was aired on Chinese TV and at cinemas
By Christopher Ivan
(May 26, 2016 | Shanghaiist) - As any foreigner who has ever lived in China can attest, attitudes regarding race and skin color are often quite different here from back home. Still even with prior experience, sometimes this country can leave you completely and utterly dumbfounded. Read more
Related Story
Chinese company behind incredibly racist ad calls foreign media 'too sensitive' (May 28, 2016 | Shanghaiist.Com)
China and India have a huge problem with racism toward black people
By Ishaan Tharoor
(May 27, 2016 | The Washington Post) - Just minutes before his birthday, Masonda Ketanda Olivier was beaten to death. The Congolese national was confronted by a mob of men late at night last Friday in New Delhi and killed. Police said the incident was a dispute over the hiring of an autorickshaw; Olivier's friend, an Ivorian national, said it was a clear hate crime, with racial epithets repeatedly invoked. Read more
Minority-owned media firms lend support to FCC’s Set-Top box proposal
By Amir Nasr
(May 19, 2016 | Morning Consult) - Leaders of African American-owned media companies wrote to Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. G.K. Butterfield in support of the Federal Communications Commission’s proposal to open up the cable set-top box market for third party manufacturers. Read more
Segregated schools nearly doubled from 2000
By By Kaitlyn D’Onofrio
(May 23, 2016 | DiversityInc.) - The repeated practice of racially segregating schools in the U.S. has increased in recent years. And a new report concluded that segregating schools has negative effects on the education minority students receive. Read more
CIIJ's Diversity Style Guide
Click here or the image to access the style guide.
The Southern Rites: A movie on race relations
A film by Gillian Laub
(Source: Women Make Movies) - Broadcast nationally on HBO, SOUTHERN RITES is a powerful portrayal of how perceptions and politics have divided two towns in southeast Georgia along racial lines for years. In 2009, The New York Times Magazine published filmmaker and acclaimed photographer Gillian Laub’s controversial images of Montgomery County High School’s racially segregated proms. Read more
Related video
- Too Black to be French
The right to vote
(April 30, 2016 | The Open Mind hosted by Alexander Heffner) - Anita Earls of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice talks about voter suppression. Read more
U.S. suicide rate has risen sharply in the 21st century
By Dan Keating and Lenny Bernstein
(April 22, 2016 | The Washington Post) - The U.S. suicide rate has increased sharply since the turn of the century, led by an even greater rise among middle-aged white people, particularly women, according to federal data released Friday. Read more
Diversity: The college admissions buzzword
By Ryan Fan
(April 20, 2016 | The Emory Wheel) - In the 21st century, diversity has become one of the most valued traits of any workplace or college campus. It represents the pinnacle of any developed, progressive society; it is the barometer of acceptance and fairness. Like any other core value of organizations and institutions, however, diversity has become overused and exploited.
Bridging the research to practice gap: Achieving mission-driven diversity and inclusion goals
by Terri Taylor, Jeff Milem, and Art Coleman
(Education Counsel | March 2016) - This paper aims to help institutions of higher education learn from and leverage existing research to enhance their ability to meet mission-driven diversity and inclusion goals through well-supported policies and practices. Read more
Slack hires ex-Twitter engineer who sparked diversity conversation
By Jessica Guynn
(April 21, 2016 | USA Today) - Slack has hired Leslie Miley, the former Twitter engineer who sparked public debate for challenging the social media company's commitment to advancing diversity. Read more
AP expands race and ethnicity reporting team
(March 15, 2016 | Associated Press) - The Associated Press is significantly expanding its coverage of race and ethnicity issues and their impact on the United States, the news cooperative announced today.
The existing team, under the direction of Race and Ethnicity Editor Sonya Ross, will increase in number with reporters, photographers, videographers and others from across the country dedicated to delving more deeply into the race issues of the day, including a sharp focus on the 2016 campaign and its impact on people of color. Read more
The whiteness of the media is a slow-motion Train Wrec
Source: Media Matters for America
The New Yorker’s latest cover is a very moving view on racial tension in America
By Michael Cavna
THE COVER commands you to stop, but not just because of the sign.
(March 10, 2016 | The Washington Post) - The acclaimed cartoonist and illustrator Chris Ware (“Building Stories,” “Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth”) is a frequent contributor to the New Yorker, rendering scenes that feel layered in meaning. And for this week’s issue, Ware again pulls in the reader with an image succinctly titled, “Stop.” Read more
Pitts: Diversity in entertainment industry can change society
By Leonard Pitts Jr.
(Feb. 6, 2016 | Houston Chronicle) - So it turns out sitcoms can erase bigotry. And it doesn't even have to be a particularly good sitcom.
That's the bottom line of a study recently presented before a conference of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Read more
Related Stories
Comcast’s Chief Diversity Officer Talks ‘Race’ at Screening (DiversityInc. | Feb. 22, 2016)
Black Hollywood had its own Oscars, and it was incredible
By Collier Meyerson
(Feb. 25, 2016 | Fusion) - Wednesday night’s All Def Movie Awards, Russell Simmons’ quick-fix answer to #OscarsSoWhite, was a brilliant, absurdist sideshow. It laid bare the Academy Awards’ neutered jokes, uninspired fashions, chronic white male faces, and the unimaginative acceptance speeches viewers suffer through year after year. At ADMA, the presenters, categories, and winning actors had one thing on their minds: telling Hollywood that blackness is something to behold. Read more
The crisis in Flint is about more than poisoned water
By Jean Rose
(Feb. 2, 2016 | Ford Foundation) - By now, the consequences of the disastrous decision to shift the source of the city of Flint, MI’s water supply are well known. The public outcry generated by almost daily headline coverage of the crisis has led to some urgent and essential actions—such as distributing bottled water and monitoring children exposed to high levels of lead—as well as conversations about the need for a permanent solution. But for that solution to be a meaningful and lasting one, we need to look back to the roots of the problem. Read more
Diversity on television is not just a black and white issue
By Jane Martinson
(Jan. 24, 2016 | The Guardian) - It’s not funny any more. Even though UK viewers are likely to see more sexist behaviour per hour of primetime comedy than in any other genre of television, the lack of diversity on and behind our screens is a little less than LOL. Read more
Where is the diversity in The Washington Post’s top ranks?
By Erik Wemple
(Feb. 2, 2016 | The Washington Post) - The two emails arrived at the inboxes of Washington Post staffers within ten minutes of each other on Monday: The first announced that Lonnae O’Neal, a 24-year veteran of The Post, was leaving to join The Undefeated, the race-culture-sports website under the roof of ESPN. Read more
Journalists should learn to carefully traverse a variety of disability terminology
By Beth Haller
(Jan. 7, 2016 | NCDJ) - Most trained North American journalists try to follow style guides, but when covering the disability community, conflicting terminology sometimes exists.
It is called identity-first versus people-first language.
People-first language, terms such as people with disabilities or woman with cerebral palsy, is the terminology many in North America have heard of. It represents the shift away for outdated terms like “handicapped” or the offensive “retarded.” Read more
New research: Are smart people less racist?
By Denise-Marie Ordway
(Jan. 14, 2016 | Journalist’s Resource) - What makes people adopt conservative or liberal political views? Why are some individuals drawn to – or turned off by – certain religions or spiritual beliefs? What determines whether someone will support racism? Read more
Racial and ethnic background, gender to be considered in Senate appointments: Monsef
By Michelle Zilio
(Jan. 17, 2016 | CTV News) - Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef says linguistic, racial and ethnic background, as well as gender, will be considered by the advisory board tasked with recommending potential Senate appointments. Read more
Media call out "Racial Double Standard" in coverage of Oregon Militia
(Jan. 5, 2016 | Media Matters for America) - Media highlighted the "racial double standard" in the coverage of an armed group of protestors occupying a federal building in Oregon as compared to recent coverage of minority group protestors like members of the Black Lives Matter movement. While some in the media referred to the Oregon militiamen as "patriots," black and Muslim protesters have previously been labeled as "terrorists" or "thugs." Read more
The myth of 'diversity' in Hollywood
By Zeba Blay
(Dec. 21, 2015 | The Huffington Post) - Earlier this year, a friend of mine revealed some good news. She was in talks with a reputable network to develop a TV show based on her life. I was ecstatic for her, and ecstatic for girls like her: alternative black 20-somethings trying to make it in New York City. Read more
How adolescents cope with digital stress
(Jan. 5, 2016 | Journalist's Resource) - So-called digital “drama” is not limited only to relatively benign arguments or gossip. It has famously crossed the line to “cyberbullying,” a type of harassment to which a large number of American adolescents and teenagers are susceptible. Read more
What stagnant diversity means for America’s newsrooms
(Dec. 15, 2015 | PBS News Hour) - As racial concerns continue to rise to the surface across America, is the media doing enough to tell the stories of people of color? Special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault speaks to Richard Prince of the Maynard Institute about the industry’s struggle with diversity.
Paying to ignore racism
By Shaun Harper
(Dec. 10, 2015 | Inside HigherEd) - Each year, college presidents, provosts, deans and other senior administrators hire researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education, where I serve as executive director, to spend three to four days on their campuses conducting what feels like nonstop focus groups with students of color and their white peers about the realities of race on campuses. Read more
'Vogue' declares a strong stance on diversity
By David Yi
(Dec. 17, 2015 | Mashable) - Vogue magazine has always been deemed the ultimate purveyor of fashion, style and societal trends. And now it wants to be known as the destination for diversity.
Come 2016, the high fashion publication, under the direction of Conde Nast's artistic director and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, will begin efforts to expand its reach to be more inclusive. Read more
Soledad O’Brien speaks on the importance of diversity in the media
By Alyssa Bessasparis
(Dec. 6, 2015 | The Maneater)Broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien drew a diverse crowd of MU students, faculty and community members to Jesse Auditorium on Thursday, Dec. 3, where she spoke about both her work in journalism and her personal background.
O’Brien, whose mother is black and Cuban and father is white and American, talked about her family’s and her own experiences with diversity, standing up for one’s views and the importance of allowing one’s voice to be heard. Read more
One way to solve media's diversity problem: It is called "writers of color"
By Krithika Varagur
(Nov. 24, 2015 | The Huffington Post) - Every writer of color and most readers of color know the jolt of seeing a name like yours in print. It's a facsimile of the nod, the silent acknowledgment of a face like yours in a crowd. Read more
Race and the free-speech diversion
By Jelani Cobb
(Nov. 10, 2015 | New Yorker) - Of the many concerns unearthed by the protests at two major universities this week, the velocity at which we now move from racial recrimination to self-righteous backlash is possibly the most revealing. The unrest that occurred at the University of Missouri and at Yale University, two outwardly dissimilar institutions, shared themes of racial obtuseness, arthritic institutional responses to it, and the feeling, among students of color, that they are tenants rather than stakeholders in their universities. Read more
Related Article
- Why Tim Wolfe's resignation from the University of Missouri is a warning for all universities (Source: Chris Parr | LinkedIn Pulse)
Racial disparities in higher education: An overview
By Beckie Supiano
(Nov. 10, 2015 | Chronicle of Higher Education) - Racism on American campuses is a matter of national concern again this week following protests at the University of Missouri at Columbia that led on Monday to the resignations of both the campus’s chancellor and the system’s president. Read more
Racist cartoon disgraces State University in New York
By Sheryl Estrada
(Oct. 30, 2015 | DiversityInc.) - Last week, the cover of the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Plattsburgh campus’ student newspaper featured a cartoon portraying a Black male with a wide smile and bulging eyes in a cap and gown walking through a run-down urban neighborhood. Read more
Building the first Slavery Museum in America
By David Amsden
(March 1, 2015 | The New York Times) - Louisiana’s River Road runs northwest from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, its two lanes snaking some 100 miles along the Mississippi and through a contradictory stretch of America. Read more
How the New York Times covered Ferguson
(Oct. 5, 2015 | Times Insider) - The Times recently passed one million digital-only subscribers. To celebrate, Times Insider this week is checking in with the reporters and editors behind some of our biggest stories and core coverage areas of the past four years.
When an unarmed black teenager was shot by a white police officer on Aug. 9, 2014, kicking off unrest in Ferguson, Mo., the first New York Times reporter on the scene flew 300 miles from Chicago.
The story escalated, and The Times kicked into high gear. We needed coverage, and quickly.
Reporters came from St. Louis, but also flew in from New York, New Orleans, Houston and Atlanta. Photographers and videographers captured the scene. Our journalists filed day and night to a team of editors in New York. Read more
Human Rights, Hate Crimes and Hashtags: Evaluating Community Discussions on Social Media
By Katie Lever, Research Assistant, and Victoria LaPoe, Western Kentucky University
It is obvious that culture and time shape language. The word "tweet" was once used to exclusively describe communication between birds, but now millions of humans tweet on a daily basis. These tweets still send messages but they resonate much louder than a simple chirp. Although flighty like birds, tweets can hold tremendous weight in spite of their short window of relevance (Tweets are extremely replaceable and hard to find in the time after they are posted due to the massive circulation of tweets around the world) with the aid of the pound sign. Read more
CNN democratic debate backlash: Journalists Of color blast network's 'ghettoizing' reporters on race, immigration questions
By Aaron Morrison
(Oct. 14, 2015 | International Business Times) - As a black journalist, Zuri Berry has often been asked if he wanted to take a story assignment because it involved the African-American community. On at least one occasion he has said no. Other times, he has happily accepted the assignment. Read more
Evelyn Hsu appointed Executive Director of Maynard Institute
(Sept. 25, 2015 | MIJE ) - The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education’s board of directors has named Evelyn Hsu as its executive director.Read more
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Remembering Dori J. Maynard
Dori J. Maynard has been a model for those of us working on the Media Diversity Forum. We have appreciated her advice and sharing of information, and we value the leadership she and the Maynard Institute have provided to efforts across this country to increase diversity and social justice in the media. We knew she always would be available when we reached out to her. But most of all we will miss her as a wonderful person and a true friend.
- Ralph Izard
Executive Director, Media Diversity Forum
Feb. 25, 2015.
Related Stories:
- Sally Lehrman on Dori Maynard: "A Legacy of Fierce Love" (Maynard Institute | March 3, 2015)
- Dori J. Maynard, longtime champion of diversity, died Tuesday, Feb. 24 (Source: Maynard Institute)
- Social media reaction: How we remembered Dori J. Maynard @djmaynard (Source: San Jose Mercury News)