 Hugo (Okla.) Daily News
PERCENTAGE OF MINORITIES ON STAFF: 10,000-and-under CIRCULATION [Chart]
Stan Stampler
Publisher
Hugo (Okla.) Daily News
 Please describe your approach to increasing diversity in your newsroom. We always hire the most qualified individual. If employee credentials are equal, Native-American candidates usually prevail, because we publish in an area with a significant Native-American population/readership. We have hired African-American writers for the same reason.
What is the toughest obstacle to success and how have you worked to overcome it? Finding qualified writers at our budget levels is always very challenging. Therefore, we must find the individual with the most favorable skill sets and continuously train them.
What are the benefits/paybacks of greater diversity? Quality news coverage demands quality writers who have a clear understanding of the readership interests of our subscribers. Although we will not pass over a qualified applicant to select a minority, we have no reservation about hiring minority applicants whose skill sets make it possible for them to connect with our readership.
How does greater diversity in your newsroom affect content? Having a greater percentage of minority writers gives us a better perspective on issues of importance by our minority readers.
Please cite one example of a story that was impacted by diversity in your newsroom. Since our assistant editor is a Choctaw Indian, he had a specific interest in helping his tribe in preserving the spoken Choctaw language. Each week he published a Choctaw/English vocabulary lesson that encouraged readers of all ages to be more aware of the Choctaw language. Clearly, this elevated the awareness of the Choctaw language and the need to preserve it among our readers.
What advice do you have for editors seeking to improve diversity in their newsrooms? Make it a point to monitor your present diversity situation and when filling available positions, evaluate how new prospects would affect this balance.
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