Published Wednesday, April 4, 2001
No surprise, much concern among minority organizations
BY JASON BEGAY
ASNE Reporter
The ASNE newsroom employment survey has shown the first decline in minority staffing in its history, but the presidents of the four minority journalists associations were not exactly surprised.
That’s not to say they are not concerned.
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists sent out a press release in reaction to the survey within an hour after the report was officially released Tuesday. The National Association of Black Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association sent out similar statements throughout the day.
The four association heads agree in their response to the report.
“This year’s survey, more than ever, reveals that the industry is in crisis,” NAHJ President Cecilia Alvear said in a statement. “We believe the lack of Latinos and other journalists of color working at daily newspapers continues to undercut the industry’s credibility with the communities they serve.”
The numbers are “startling, disappointing and frustrating,” NABJ President Will Sutton said in an interview Tuesday.
“We are going in the wrong direction,” Mr. Sutton said. “Our nation is becoming more diverse, and here our newspaper industry is becoming less diverse.”
The reasons for a large number of minorities’ leaving the industry vary within the ranks of the associations.
Mr. Sutton said it ranges from “lack of support, sensitivity, respect and opportunity to a lack of a diverse newsroom, making it an uncomfortable place to work every day.”
AAJA President Victor Panichkul cited a recent study by The Freedom Forum showing minorities were more likely to leave the field because they become interested in another field of work.
“Nearly three out of four cite this as a factor,” Mr. Panichkul said Tuesday, “more so than burnout, financial reasons, family considerations or not being able to cover stories that interest them.”
The Native American Journalists Association finds itself in a different situation.
“I don’t think those numbers are meaningful,” said Mary Annette Pember, president of NAJA. According to the report, Native Americans had the largest decline, with 54 journalists who left the industry last year.
Ms. Pember challenges the method of identifying and recording Native American journalists in the survey. Most times, the journalists informally claim their ethnicity without providing tribal certification, she said.
Ms. Pember said if the survey were to intensify its method of identifying Native Americans in the newsroom, it would find a smaller number of Native American journalists altogether.
“I reckon it’s below 100,” Ms. Pember said. The survey listed 249 Native American journalists in 2001.
All four presidents agreed that retention of journalists is the method of reversing the declining trend.
The associations are planning programs that will unite newsroom veterans with fresh faces. Mr. Sutton said that new programs are the answer to the dilemma.
