This was the second of three sessions to gather new ideas and approaches to newsroom diversity beyond 2000. The other roundtables addressed hiring and recruitment of minority journalists and attracting minority youth to journalism.

For background for the Dec. 4 discussion, information was shared on minority representation and graduation rates in journalism and mass communication schools, as well as the departure rate for minority journalists. The information was drawn from research done by Lee B. Becker of the University of Georgia and ASNE. In summary:

• Journalism/mass communications schools produce about 750 minority print journalism graduates yearly.
• Daily newspapers hired about 600 minorities in 1997 for their first, full-time newsroom jobs.
• The net increase in minorities annually has been about 200 since 1978.
• Newspapers will need to add 1,250 minorities next year to increase newsroom minority employment one percentage point.
• The turnover rate for minority newsroom professionals is 12 percent (NAA 1998 report).
• Minority journalism graduates seeking jobs at daily newspapers are less well prepared for newspaper careers than white journalism graduates.

Selling Journalism/Preparing for Journalism Careers

• Push lower into elementary and junior high/middle schools to attract minority youth to journalism.
• Develop "road warriors" approach, which would send one to four people across the country to "sell" journalism to school-age students.
• Strengthen campus newspapers at historically black colleges, Native American tribal colleges, and other j-schools with significant minority enrollments.
• Mandate that every high school have a campus newspaper. Provide scholarships for "B" students and help school districts oppose barriers to papers.
• Establish a fund for assisting scholastic journalism through a 1/10 of 1 percent of newspapers’ operating profits for five years.
• Increase entry-level salaries.

• Create a training institute for recruiting and hiring of nontraditional journalists modeled after former Maynard summer journalism workshop and Latin American countries.
• Develop a Journalism Career Corps, similar to national program for teachers that would allow industry to help pay off educational loans in lieu of certain number of years in business. Program also could encourage minority journalists to work in less diverse communities .
• Target minorities attending community colleges and encourage four-year institutions to accept transfer credits for journalism.

• Increase demand through eliminating "fraternity house thinking", increasing entry-level salaries, and adding more paid newspaper internships.
• Invite local minority activists’ with interest in journalism careers.
• Encourage intellectual diversity among students.
• Provide incentives/recognition for newsroom staff that helps with minority recruitment, content improvement.
• Develop program for editors and minority journalists to serve as visiting professionals-in-residence at high schools and college j-schools for short – and long-term assignments.
• Increase the exposure and involvement of journalism faculty in newsrooms.
• Continue diversity dialogues with state press associations and college media groups.

• Develop a task force to track progress of minority journalism graduates in internships and full-time jobs.

Propose a 10-year or 20-year plan for enhancing diversity.