Ethics in Journalism: Diversity in newsrooms not a trend in the new millennium
My interest in the lack of diversity in newsrooms across the United States began while I was enrolled in an ethics course in the journalism department, this semester. I hadn’t realized until this semester that diversity was integral to good, accurate, and fair reporting, and that it is also widely lacking in newsrooms. While the subject of diversity was only discussed over a few class sessions, it became a noticeably important issue for me, especially as I am an aspiring journalist. As a top editor at the Massachusetts Daily
Collegian, a student-run newspaper at the University of Massachusetts that has almost no minority representation in the newsroom,
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A newsroom that does not have an equal percentage of diverse reporters in correlation with the percentage of minority readers is essentially not providing fair coverage of their minority population.
A study published June 1, 2005 by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation researched newsroom diversity percentages for 1,410 U.S. newspapers. The study found statistics for both corporate-owned newspapers and private-owned newspapers. As of
June 1, 2005, almost a year and half ago, the study found that most newsrooms are below expected parity levels for diverse newsrooms, in correlation with their minority readership, and three-fourths of those newspapers are the largest in the U.S. A mere 18 percent of newsrooms are at their target goals for diversity in the newsroom, while 44 percent of newspapers nationwide have a declining percentage of diverse reporters. The statistics regarding newsroom diversity for the top six corporate-owned newspapers
(USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the
New York Daily News, and the Washington Post) have also declined.
Hèctor Tobar, a Latin American author and a reporter at the Los Angeles Times, says that the Times has “failed to represent the large Spanish-speaking community” and says that there is a “growing divide between news writers and news consumers.” In his article, featured in the Nieman Reports for fall 2006, he
News organizations that report on stories in a fair, balanced and ethical manner are essential to the functionality of this nation. A citizen’s ability to make well-informed decisions hinges on a news organization’s ability to relay the most accurate information regarding the state of the nation, the changing condition of communities, and adjustments in the government. Journalism is no longer a one-sided conversation. Journalism is an interactive process that allows for readers and viewers to create a dialogue with journalists by utilizing mediums such as social networking sites and comment sections. Audiences have a say in what stories get reported and how news stories are presented to the masses. When news organizations fail to cover all
When America was founded, it was established on freedom and equality for all people. At first it was just religious freedom, but eventually freedom of speech, press, petition, and more. In time, America began to be known as a “melting pot” of cultures as more and more people came because they wanted this freedom; the more people who came though, the more problems America had. There were too many cultural discrepancies between people, and ultimately America, the country based on freedom and equality, faced challenges concerning diversity.
Even though USA Today is a national newspaper, it is written in shorter piece and sprinkled with eye catching, colorful photos, graphs, and charts designed to address the needs of a sound-byte generation, which are never consider by any other media source and it makes the USA Today’s content refreshing and more engaging than other papers. Because of this the USA Today’s circulation grew rapidly from roughly 350,000 in 1982 to approximately 5.9 million daily print and online readers today. When comparing USA Today with other competitors like the Wall Street Journal, which has 2.12 million subscriptions and the New York Times, which has 1.58 million subscriptions, the USA Today remains the number one print newspaper and USAToday.com, is the internet’s top sites for news and
From Hollywood to the the social sector, diversity, rather the lack thereof, has been a topic of conversation. Although many organizations have begun to advocate for diversity, more work must be done. Across the social sector,women and people of color remain severely underrepresented in leadership positions. Organizations must become intentional about creating a diverse workforce and implementing inclusive policies that foster positive work environments. When employees feel represented and included they are happier and more likely to contribute to fulfilling the organization's mission.
Based on Nielsen audience ratings from the country’s two largest media markets (Los Angeles and New York), it is clear that the number of Americans who tune in to local news programs on a daily basis far exceeds those who watch national newscasts. Averaging across both markets, the cumulative audience for evening local news easily surpasses the cumulative audience for national news. (Iyengar &Reeves, 1997)
Also, I watched an hour and a half of MSNBC on April 13 for this paper. Only 10 minutes were not dedicated to covering— or ridiculing— the Trump Administration. I found most coverage to be partisan, but written and styled for a left-wing audience, unlike Fox
Over the course of media coverage and journalism, many have believed diversity to be differing in gender, race, and age. Diversity not only embodies these three, but many more qualities such as, nationality, sexual orientation, socioeconomic backgrounds and outlook. If there is diversity in the media, it will decrease the amount of favoritism for a particular topic and allow different opinions to join forces to create a well rounded opinion. In the article, “Dear Mainstream Media: Why So Liberal?” the author included a statement by Teri
I think diversity in the newsroom is very important because it provides a more accurate coverage of a story, and it will represent everyone in America without leaving anyone out. Newsroom diversity will affect the way an event is covered by providing a new perspective to the story. For example, in the article I read, African-American women reported a different view and perspective when investigating Michelle Obama through feminism and race. African-American women appreciated that Michelle took care of her children first instead of a career while white feminists were upset with Michelle for putting her career on hold. Thus, diversity brings a new outlook on the story, and this is important because it appeals to more audiences. Also, diversity
According to research obtained by Cornell University scientists, 92% of Americans watch TV, 87% read newspapers, and 81% specifically watch local or national televised news stations…
Diversity in the workplace is a subject that has gained increased attention in the workplace over the past few years. After all, the impact of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity programs on the nation's work force is undeniable. Women and minorities were the first to dramatically alter the face of the economic mainstream, while gays, persons with disabilities and senior citizens followed not far behind. The result is a diverse American labor force representing a microcosm of our society - yet one that continues to struggle with its identity. Diversity as a social condition is not new to America. We were founded as a nation of Diversity. “America has always been a merger of cultures and, as such, has undergone periods of
Many organizations are beginning to view diversity as an organizational change. This could possibly mean changes in the power dynamics and organizational structure, the way decisions are made, and the way an
In his paper titled "Cognitive dissonance, media illiteracy and public opinion on news media" Dane S. Claussen has basically explained the struggle for public attention between different news media, which has been going on for the past few decades. He begins by stating that research has been conducted since quite some time, and who uses this research. Then he briefly explains the major trends in the news media industry, namely the fact that both the newspaper industry and television news saw declining followership, the launch and expansion of newspaper giants, and the rapid expansion of the World Wide Web in the 90s. Then he speaks about how the public gives unreliable answers in an effort to make their feedback sound more
America's past should teach America's today that success lies within diversity. In order to achieve ultimate success, diversity is a necessity. Workforce diversity is a fact of organizational life. It is also a key concern for theory and practice in organizational behavior ( van-Knippenberg, De-Dreu, Homan, 2004).
In 1760, The Boston News-Letter was the first newspaper to be continuously published in the United States. A 250-year legacy of printed news could not have lasted if it newspapers didn't not have it uses. Aside from the entertainment value, newspapers exist for the main purpose of bringing news of international, national, and local news to the doorsteps of the people. Without such frequent and stable form of communication, it would be difficult for any nation to call itself a free democracy. Today however, it cannot be expected that newsprint will last forever. Statistical data firmly suggests newspapers around the world are falling both in number and circulation. The past several years have been difficult for newspapers as other news
„h 50% believe there are particular groups or people that get a ¡§special break¡¨ in news coverage, while 45% feel that others ¡§don¡¦t get a fair shake.¡¨