Walking the walk

By Terry Greenberg

On the Thursday of this year’s ASNE convention America’s editors sent an embarrassing message about our commitment to diversifying America’s newsrooms. Then early the next morning, I was saddened to read a column by one of the college students brought to Washington to cover the convention for the ASNE Reporter.

Amy Leang, a photojournalist from Ball State University said her experience made her wonder how committed we are to increasing diversity. We’ve talked about wanting more diversity. Most of us have more diverse newsrooms.

But then I listened to Will Sutton rant a bit Thursday morning about how many minority journalists don’t feel they belong in our newsrooms.

So we’ve improved diversity, but we’re chasing them away?

I hope we’re not doing that in Elkhart - I would hope that’s not happening in the newsrooms of many friends for whom I have great respect.

But how would a lot of editors know? We had almost 600 people registered for this convention and there were barely 100 people in the spacious Capitol Ballroom to hear the discussion on minorities in newsrooms.

Of course, as the panel started to wind down, people started flooding in so they could hear Sen. Hillary Clinton’s address that followed.

By the time Sen. Clinton began, we had a full house — I know — as a floor manager I was pointing out seats for people who straggled in late. People didn’t have trouble finding seats about an hour earlier.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to hear Sen. Clinton. But what message does it send when so few of us are there to hear about retaining minorities - but we’re wedging in to hear the former first lady.

It sends a simple message - we’re more interested in coming to hear high-profile speakers than hear information that will make a difference in our newsroom.

I enjoy hearing high-profile speakers at the convention - but I left the 2001 convention with much more important things - a brilliant credibility handbook, solid information on how to make our paper better from the Readership Initiative, information on leadership, FOI and a discussion that will help our convergence efforts.

I was concerned with what Will Sutton said and even more concerned editors sent a message that we must not care.

Then the next morning I read Amy Leang’s column in the ASNE Reporter. She was taken aback the Capitol Steps performance Tuesday evening - when two members of the comedy group played Chinese officials negotiating for the release of the American spy plane.

She was bothered by the Asian stereotypes portrayed. But she was more concerned the assembled editors - her future bosses - were laughing and enjoying the skit. The jokes were funny, but I remember telling my wife that I wondered if some people would be offended by the stereotypes and, in another bit, one of the women doing Diana Ross in what appeared to be black face.

At the end Amy’s column, she wrote, “I still love journalism and what it strives to be. I love to tell stories through my photographs and to know that I’ve helped someone. But after this experience, I can’t help but feel as though my presence here is only lip service to the idea of diversity in newsrooms. I don’t want to be disillusioned by the people running this industry, but now I am. And this frightens me because I’ve barely started.”

We stand at a crossroads.

We say we’re committed to diversity. But for the first time in a long time, the numbers are down.

We have new programs - such as ones from the Freedom Forum - to help attract more minorities to our newsrooms. But the National Association of Black Journalists survey says we’re chasing many away.

Are we sending a mixed message, when we should be sending a unified one?

Or are we too busy back home telling everyone about what Senator Clinton said about Trent Lott’s hair?

Greenburg is editor of the Elkhart (Ind.) Truth.