Assessing Education's Response to Multicultural Issues

Abstract

Stereotypical news coverage about minorities (then concerning Native Americans) was present in the first English- language newspaper in the country, Publick Occurrences, and research suggests that stereotypical coverage continues today (Pease and Smith, 1991; Center for Integration, 1994). Whereas increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the newsroom has been seen as a partial solution to the problem of stereotypical coverage and anti-minority bias in the media (Lawrence, 1990), journalists have been criticized for a lack of success in achieving diversity (Shaw, 1991). Some researchers (e.g., Martindale, 1988; Bramlett-Solomon, 1989; Stocking and Gross, 1989; Holloway, 1990; and Martindale, 1991) have suggested that journalism and mass communication education has an important role in solving the problem of racial and ethnic bias and stereotyping of minorities in the media by sensitizing journalism students. However, researchers also have suggested that journalism and mass communication education is not doing enough to recruit minority students and faculty (Murphy, 1988; and Martindale, 1990) or to foster sensitivity toward minorities in the classroom (Cole, 1993; Dickson, 1993a, 1993b; Kern-Foxworth and Miller, 1993; and Murphy, 1994). Though discussion concerning diversity issues often focuses on race, other issues also are involved. Attempts to find an all-encompassing term usually focus on the word multiculturalism. Even though the term sometimes is seen as divisive because it suggests separation rather than inclusion (Cole, 1993, p. 7), it has become a useful catchword for a variety of diversity issues. Cohen, Lombard, and Pierson (1992) defined to include of color, ethnic minorities, gender distinctions, religious beliefs, and other attributes that distinguish one identifiable set of people from another (p. 7). Even earlier, however, Schwartz (1988) stated that educators' definitions of should be broadened beyond racial and ethnic minorities and gender to include people with disabilities. Manning-Miller (1993) also agreed that the term multiculturalism should include ableism, i.e., people with disabilities. Such a definition also could be extended to include sexual orientation. Journalism and mass communication education's response to calls for a multicultural curriculum resulted in the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication's Standard 12 in 1982. It requires that accredited units offer courses providing information about contributions by minorities and women and must help prepare students to understand and relate to a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and otherwise diverse society. Standard 12 requires that accredited institutions recruit, advise, retain, and prepare minority students and minority and women faculty. It does not specifically mention other aspects of diversity. An accredited unit's effort in fulfilling Standard 12 must be documented through the unit's curriculum, student interviews, classroom activities and course syllabi, and must be integrated throughout the unit's program. Literature review Understandably, much of the research concerning multicultural issues in journalism/mass communication education has focused on racial minorities. For example, Wilson (1971) concluded that journalism schools had not made much progress in regard to studies since the National Advisory Commission on Civil Rights (Kerner Commission) in 1968 criticized the media's role in furthering racial stereotypes. In 1978, De Mott and Adams (1984) found that one in six members of the American Society of Journalism School Administrators responding to their survey reported having a course about minorities, but such courses most often concerned the history of the black press. Kern (1982) found that 15 percent of the journalism schools offered a course in minorities and the media, findings quite close to those of De Mott and Adams. …