Last Updated: August 13, 1999
Printer-friendly version
Time Out
Mention the phrase “need for diversity in news coverage” at a meeting
of journalists and you can expect several things to happen.
Someone will dredge up a war story about a herculean but unsuccessful
effort to fit a person of color into a story. Around the room there will
be fidgeting, eye-rolling and clock-watching.
Looking around the room during our Time Out session, my first thought
was that we need diversity in here, since I represented all people of color.
As an African-American, holding such a meeting is both inspiring and
depressing. It’s wonderful that the paper is concerned that all voices
be heard. However, you have to wonder why reporters and editors have to
be told to seek comment from women and people that look like me.
On the whole, I think that despite the whiteness of our staff, we do
make an effort most times to include the opinions of other racial groups
in our stories. But we don’t do a good job. Just recently, in a story about
the death of our company’s president, there was not one quote from an African-American
even though he was hailed as a catalyst for civil rights in Baton Rouge.
During the meeting, a couple of editors talked about how some African-Americans
still don’t trust the paper because of our practice, until the early ’80s,
to write mostly about crime, sports and misfortune in that community.
The managing editor mentioned his own study, in which he found that
photographs of black people appeared on news fronts about 30 to 35 percent
of the time. However, it was not clear how many of those photos were of
blacks involved in the criminal justice system.
I hope we don’t become one of those papers that counts bylines, sources,
pictures and quotes as a means of measuring diversity efforts. Instead
I hope the public will express its approval of our improvement.
The meeting, though, left undefined just what our goals are with diversity.
Some wanted to know whether reporters would be required to quote at least
one African-American or female in every story. If that is the intent of
diversity, then it is too simplistic.
Diversity takes work. Reporters must make an effort to build a bank
of minority sources who can speak on a wide array of subjects, such as
banking, medicine, the environment and mental health.
Building a list is one thing, but reporters must feel comfortable and
compelled to use it.
When they call an African-American for a comment, do they follow through
with another call if the first is not returned?
Editors must push their reporters to interview people of color.
We are still trying to figure out what diversity in news coverage means
at our newspaper. That’s a good thing. At least there is an effort being
made.
The question now is just how committed are we?
Pratt is a columnist and editor of the SATURDAY edition of The Advocate,
Baton Rouge, La.
