Published: April 03, 2001
Last Updated: April 30, 2002
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1. ATTEND ASNE regional job fairs. The job conferences are one of the best, low-cost methods to meet and mingle with job seekers, college advisors, and other newspaper recruiters.

2. CONTACT colleges and universities near your newspaper with large minority enrollments. College professors can point out good candidates for your openings.

3. WORK with local community organizations to identify hometown talent. Develop a source list of high school counselors, civic groups, churches, and fraternal organizations to tap for names of potential candidates.

4. GET HELP from minorities already on staff. Newspaper employees from all departments can help get the word out to friends, neighbors, or relatives.

5. NETWORK with regional offices of minority journalists associations. Attend regional and national conventions of minority journalists’ associations when the events are held near your newspaper.

6. ADVERTISE your internships in all the right places – journalism schools, college student newspapers, minority student journalism organizations, and your own newspaper.

7. USE job banks sponsored by minority journalists associations and some newspaper consortiums.

8. FOLLOW UP on contacts made at job fairs, journalism schools, minority associations. Show commitment to diversity from the top, and encourage it among mid-level department editors too.

9. DEVELOP a long-term strategy. Make contact with minority students at a local high school, even junior high, to encourage them to think about journalism as a career. Track good prospects, so when a position opens, you have a candidate ready. Be prepared to deal with bias from inside and outside the newsroom.

10. TREAT all applicants the same. You don’t have to lower your standards to hire a minority staffer. You likely will have to aggressively recruit minorities through new approaches, but that’s where the difference ends.