13 Diversity
Before we dive into this chapter’s broad topic of diversity, we need to acquaint ourselves with some terms and concepts. The following presentation was written by Dr. Meera Kumar, who was the Assistant Director of the Fulbright College Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and a Teaching Assistant Professor in the School Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Arkansas.
Study the presentation slides by using the forward button or clicking on sections of the control bar.
You can also read the text of this presentation as a PDF:
• Cultural Competence, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB)
Media professionals have an ethical duty to make audiences and sources feel valued, regardless of demographics. That imperative is the foundation for our emphasis on diversity.
This chapter relies heavily on viewpoints from media professionals who can help us better understand the term diversity. It includes case examples that demonstrate the importance of seeking a diverse range of perspectives to avoid inflammatory and divisive situations.
A MINEFIELD
Here’s some audio perspective from Steven Holmes, whom you have heard from in previous chapters. In the following audio, Holmes discusses what he describes as the “minefield” that ethical journalists may encounter as they strive for diversity in coverage.
Holmes was a member of a New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for coverage of race relations. He taught at the University of Arkansas for a semester as a visiting distinguished professor of ethics for the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.
GETTING ALONG
Although the audio from Steven Holmes was recorded pre-pandemic, and before racial protests in the summer of 2020, he makes a good point that “we actually do get along fairly well for the most part.” That’s worth remembering as we study diversity.
A 2022 article from Axios suggested that because of the outsized influence of social media platforms and partisan cable news networks, “the people who get the clips and the coverage distort our true reality.”
• The new silent majority: People who don’t tweet – Axios
The Axios article included a reminder that U.S. conversations about diversity don’t have to be divisive, including this helpful nugget:
Most people you meet in everyday life — at work, in the neighborhood — are decent and normal. Even nice. But hit Twitter or watch the news, and you’d think we were all nuts and nasty.
ADVOCACY vs. OBJECTIVITY (revisited)
Consider how the topic of diversity in media returns to a common thread that we’ve studied previously: journalistic tension between advocacy and objectivity, especially for covering issues involving race.
Some media professionals have decided that they can no longer remain objective and idly watch systemic racism and injustice at their jobs and in their communities. They see the status quo of objective journalism as part of the problem. Other media professionals, however, choose to remain objective, fearing that if they advocate for specific social change, their credibility suffers and their audience shrinks.
COUNTER-NARRATIVES
The bio on a website for Alexandra Bell describes her as “a multidisciplinary artist who investigates the complexities of narrative, information consumption, and perception. Utilizing various media, she deconstructs language and imagery to explore the tension between marginal experiences and dominant histories.”
In the following video from 2018, she says, “I’m really trying to see if I can disrupt subliminal messaging about who should be valued.”
Bell’s work may help some viewers see a fresh perspective. It is difficult to refute her examples, and she does not seem confrontational in the manner of her presentation.
DEFINING RACISM
Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a professor at Harvard, has conducted extensive research on racism. Read the following interview:
• Calling racism what it is: 8 questions for Khalil Gibran Muhammad – The Journalist’s Resource
In the interview, Muhammad noted that “racist ideas are much more ubiquitous in our society than avowed, self-identified racists.” Also, he made an interesting distinction between racism and discrimination:
Discrimination is not always racist by definition. Discrimination can simply mean that someone has used their discretionary power or a sense of discernment to make a decision and, in those cases, journalists may err on the side of caution when attributing racist motivations or defining the act itself as racist. But there are many more cases, in the context of the totality of circumstances and any other evidence of individual motivation, that should be defined as a racist act.
The interview is partly based on a 2019 AP Stylebook changes that suggest in certain instances it is acceptable to label an action as racist:
• AP Stylebook update: It’s OK to call something racist when it’s racist– Associated Press
And here are two succinct summaries of AP Stylebook guidance concerning race:
- Identify people by race only when it is pertinent to the story.
- Strive to represent your community by seeking diversity in the people you quote and depict.
TRAYVON MARTIN
The 2012 case of Trayvon Martin can give us valuable perspective on how a story’s narrative can quickly evolve. Here’s a timeline of events from CBS:
Initial reporting about Martin’s death was scant and did not include the subject of race. Because George Zimmerman, the man who shot Martin, was a neighborhood watch coordinator, the early narrative perhaps could have focused more heavily on the potential dangers of stand-your-ground laws.
As the weeks unfolded, though, the narrative began to focus more narrowly on an unarmed 17-year-old Black youth who was killed by a white Hispanic man. Note that reporters who didn’t want to delve deeply into the fuzzy distinction between race and ethnicity could label Zimmerman as white and/or Hispanic. Many of us see the terms white and Hispanic only in either-or terms, but a person could be both white and Hispanic, especially for some standardized forms of data collection.
The following 2013 article from Poynter, published on the one-year anniversary of Martin’s death, is essential reading to understand how the narrative angles unfolded:
• On anniversary of Trayvon Martin death, lessons and reflections on race and media – Poynter
For the purposes of this chapter, here are two key takeaways from the Poynter article:
Takeaway 1 – Talking about race isn’t necessarily racist. Examining people of color and their unique view of diversity isn’t necessarily racist. Even biracial people such as Zimmerman often self-identify as members of a minority group. Acknowledging that isn’t racist, either.
Takeaway 2 – If the Trayvon Martin case teaches us anything about media, it’s that the digital world’s ability to spread information and galvanize opinion means little without ethical, accurate fair-minded journalism to help everyone make sense of it all.
JUSTINE SACCO
Beyond newsroom reporting, a 2013 tweet by Justine Sacco is often cited in the field of public relations. Learn about the case by watching video coverage from ABC News:
Howard Bragman, an ABC consultant who was an interview source in the video, cited teachable moments from this case, including the following:
- Think before you tweet.
- Never put out something that can be perceived as racist.
If you are interested in the aftermath of Sacco’s life-altering tweet, you can read the following.
• How one stupid tweet blew up Justine Sacco’s life – New York Times Magazine
(University of Arkansas students have free access to the NY Times by signing up via campus email credentials)
Some observers suggested that the zeal to punish Justine Sacco through social media posts seemed more cruel than the original original offense. Sacco’s post was racist, but piling on with harsh criticism through social media, especially after she publicly apologized, did not minimize harm.
To add a twist to Justine Sacco’s career, in 2019 she returned to work in a division of her former company:
DIVERSITY IN SPORTS BROADCASTING
Media professionals should strive to use diverse sources and diverse visual depictions in their content. The same should hold true for hiring practices in their own work environments. We’ll use sports broadcasting as an example.
Danyelle Musselman has an extensive background working in sports broadcasting as an anchor, host and reporter for the NFL Network, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports and ESPN.
In the following audio, she emphasizes the importance of hiring talent from many minority groups.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
There is no simple principle or one-size-fits-all rule that media professionals can apply to ensure diversity. Here are a few general suggestions that emphasize the word value:
- Contribute to an environment where everyone in your audience and all of your co-workers feel valued.
- Add value to your content by seeking diversity in the people who are quoted or depicted.
- Add value to your personal and professional growth by valuing the viewpoints of people who are not part of the cultural majority.
Here’s a closing example to illustrate why media professionals should recognize their own potential shortcomings and constantly strive to make others feel valued. In November 2022, announcers for CBS Sports failed to understand the cultural significance of a Wichita State University basketball player’s name. Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, who is half Native American, grew up on a reservation in South Dakota.
The announcers instead referred to him as Pooh Bear and made references to the children’s story Winnie-the-Pooh.
After the game, Wichita State University issued a statement denouncing the broadcast, including this sentence.
Unfortunately, during the Nov. 21 broadcast of the Shockers’ victory over Grand Canyon University, CBS Sports Network’s on-air talent made inappropriate and insensitive comments directed at Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, insulting both Isaiah and his Oglala Lakota heritage.
CLOSING REVIEW
WRITE ABOUT IT
Answer each of the following numbered items in approximately four or five sentences each. When possible, strengthen your responses with brief supporting content from this chapter.
1. Cite and explain a key takeaway from Alexandra Bell’s counter-narratives video.
2. After reading the interview with Harvard’s Khalil Gibran Muhammad along with AP Stylebook guidance about the evolving definition of racism, how would you describe the difference between discrimination and racism? What criteria would you use to determine when an action should be labeled as racist?
3. After reading the Poynter article about the Trayvon Martin case, discuss in detail one thing you learned or had not previously considered about this case study.
4. In the case study involving Justine Sacco, to what extent do you think the fervor to criticize Sacco went beyond improving awareness of diversity concerns and instead became unethical attacks that did not minimize harm?
5. Based on audio from Steven Holmes and Danyelle Musselman along with other content in this chapter (and your own research from credible sources if you so desire), summarize the challenges that media professionals face in one or more of the following areas:
- covering other cultures
- striving for diverse viewpoints
- ensuring that workplaces include a diverse group of media professionals
6. The opening presentation for this chapter includes three separate slides with personal exercises and questions for reflection. After studying the presentation as a whole, pick one of those three slides involving self-reflection and write a brief personal reflection in response to the question(s) on your chosen slide.
