Last Updated: June 29, 1999
Printer-friendly version
ASNE on the move
ASNE and the Associated Press Managing Editors have adopted an action
plan in April to increase the diversity of American newsrooms. The initiatives
range from expanding the number of job fairs to compiling a list of diversity
success stories from newsrooms.
The ASNE board voted also to seek funding for longer-range initiatives
in three major areas to expand the newspaper industry's efforts to help
editors, reporters, copy editors and photographers.
These initiatives would increase overall interest in newspaper careers,
increase the interest in newspaper careers, increase the interest of young
people in working in newsrooms and help all newspapers increase their number
of minority staffers.
APME and ASNE members met in February to create the list of initiatives
and passed them separately.
The action plan comes six months after the ASNE board adopted a mission
statement that challenged newspapers to improve minority hiring and retention
so that newsrooms would reflect the general population by 2025 or sooner.
"These initiatives and the partnership with APME represent a strengthening
of editors' commitment to the understanding that in order to better serve
their communities their news staffs must better reflect the wholeness of
those communities," said 1999-2000 ASNE President N. Christian Anderson
III.
Wanda Lloyd incoming chair of the 1999-2000 ASNE Diversity Committee
and managing editor/features, administration and planning at The Greenville
(S.C.) News, said, "This action plan includes bold steps to give newspaper
editors more tools to reach our industry's ambitious diversity goals. I
look forward to leading the ASNE Diversity Committee as we execute the
program outlined by the board."
The action items include:
-
Creating a talent bank. Now the minority journalists' organizations
and the Newspaper Association of America operate job banks, resources that
list jobs available at newspapers. The proposed talent bank would list
college students who are looking for internships or their first full-time
job.
-
Expanding the number of job fairs. Currently ASNE helps sponsor
eight annual job fairs around the country. The job fairs bring together
editors with jobs and students looking for jobs.
-
Compiling a best practices report of diversity success stories.
-
Organize a national Time Out for Newsroom Diversity and Accuracy.
ASNE and APME have launched this project which took place the week of May
17.
-
Examining newsroom culture, promotion opportunities, pay and training.
-
Maintaining a Web site that would be of high interest for high school
students.
