Newsroom Diversity Research Articles

Then and Now, Newsroom Diversity Matters for Mississippi’s Black Journalists

ABSTRACT Mississippi newsrooms should be among America’s most diverse. More than a third of residents are Black, and U.S. journalism organizations have long stated a goal of achieving racial parity with the communities they serve. Through the frame of social identity and critical race theory, the researchers analyzed 12 in-depth interviews with Black Mississippi journalists. The findings from these interviews indicate a wide range of challenges in Mississippi newsrooms, with the assertion that achieving diversity is contingent on having diverse leadership. The study explores what these journalists believe is necessary to foster a newsroom culture where minority journalists feel better supported and more empowered to express their opinions, The results also highlight apprehensions about the coverage of Black communities in Mississippi markets, particularly in the capital city of Jackson, where most of the population is Black. Interviewees expressed dissatisfaction with the disproportionate allocation of news reporting resources to cover minority criminal activities, a practice attributed by Campbell, C. P. (1995. Race, Myth and the News. Sage) to a legacy of white supremacy.

Diversity as Capital? Marginalized Identities and Subtle Inequality in Data Journalism

ABSTRACT This study examines the intersectional dynamics of gender, socio-economic status, and migration history in data journalism, applying Bourdieu’s field theory to explore how capital is accumulated and how social change can be pursued. Through in-depth interviews with 13 German-speaking data journalists with marginalized identities, the study reveals that their capital accumulation reflects adherence to existing norms and does not automatically lead to transformative agency. Minority characteristics can enhance symbolic capital through increased recognition in specific contexts, but these same characteristics also hinder the accumulation of economic, social, and cultural capital due to smaller networks and lack of social or cultural fit. Due to the paradoxical function of minority characteristics for capital accumulation, data journalists often adopt strategies to fit in by selectively revealing their minority identities. Yet, interviewed data journalists experience subtle discrimination in informal interactions, such as casual conversations with colleagues. While the data journalists want to increase diversity in who participates in playing the field, transformative change remains limited as these journalists primarily focus on succeeding within existing structures rather than altering them. The study advocates for newsroom diversity initiatives that go beyond mere representation, emphasizing the need to share responsibility for inclusivity across all newsroom members.

Inspiring Critical Consciousness: A Case for a Decolonized Journalism Study Abroad Curriculum

This study explores how a study-abroad program that combines journalism best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion with decolonized curricular materials can foster critical consciousness in journalism education. Against the backdrop of a multiethnic world, growing diversity in student demographics, and a recognition of the lack of diversity in newsrooms and news content, journalism education can explore innovative and radical options to equip future journalists. Data analysis of five cohorts of a journalism study abroad in South Africa finds that using such options translates into journalists-in-training producing news content that reflects a critical consciousness about equity, justice, and colonialism.

Local TV Newsroom Diversity: Race and Gender of Newscasters and Their Managers

ABSTRACT Research has shown that minority newscasters can increase media interest and trust among minority viewers, while also finding people of color are underrepresented as members of the media. This study collected race and gender data of 4,317 newscasters from 64 U.S. television markets, as well as their news directors and general managers. It examines relationships between diversity of on-air staffs and race and gender of management, market size, and location. The study found news teams are significantly more diverse at stations with minorities in leadership positions. It considers the implications of these findings using representation theory.

Is news for men?: Effects of women’s participation in news-making on audience perceptions and behaviors

News avoidance, particularly among women, raises potential challenges for democracy. While research shows audiences don’t penalize women reporters or the outlets that employ them, we don’t know whether the presence of women in the newsroom affects such avoidance behaviors, particularly for women audiences. Additionally, the news may communicate gender to the audience in other ways beyond ascriptive characteristics of the reporter. We ask, do reporter gender, source gender, and gender of issues affect readers’ engagements with news, attitudes toward news avoidance, or perceptions about gender bias in journalism? Results from a survey experiment show that newsroom diversity affects “news-is-for-men” perceptions. Upon reading a masculine-issue story, respondents—both men and women—were more willing to read and seek stories from the same news outlet. News stories from male reporters also caused a stronger belief that the newsroom was dominated by men, which boosted “news-is-for-men” perceptions. As such, though reporter gender may not always impact readers directly, its influence is more pervasive than can be directly captured.

Responding to “Fake News”: Journalistic Perceptions of and Reactions to a Delegitimising Force

The “fake news” phenomenon has permeated academic scholarship and popular debate since the 2016 US presidential election. Much has been written on the circulation of “fake news” and other forms of mis- and disinformation online. Despite its ongoing proliferation, less effort has been made to better understand the work of those engaged in daily news production—journalists themselves. Funded by the Australian Research Council project Journalism Beyond the Crisis, this study investigates how journalists perceive and respond to this phenomenon at a time when the industry has come under significant attack, and trust in news media has fallen globally. To do so, it draws on in-depth interviews with journalists in Australia and the UK, providing topical insights on their perceptions of and reactions to this profoundly delegitimising force. While on one hand, our findings show journalists expressing significant concern about the rise of “fake news,” they also proactively seek—and, in some cases, implement—deliberate counterstrategies to defend their profession. These strategies range from discursive means—such as stressing and re-asserting journalists’ professional authority and legitimacy—to tangible measures at an organisational level, including newsroom diversity and increased transparency in the news production process.

“Through Our Prism”: Black Television Sports Journalists’ Work Experiences and Interactions with Black Athletes

ABSTRACT Black local television sports journalists throughout the United States were surveyed to discover how they view both their perceived place in the newsroom and media treatment of, and their own interactions with, Black athletes. The majority say that Black athletes are negatively stereotyped and that, as Black journalists, they have an easier time relating to and telling the story of the Black athlete. Using a thematic analysis of the open-ended comments, the authors found perspective, realization of racism, discriminatory hiring practices, and emotional labor to be common themes. Findings from this mixed methods study point to their belief that hiring more Black television sports journalists could improve coverage of Black athletes, but there are doubts that those job opportunities exist. When discussing their own experiences, the Black television sports journalists said there is some “tokenism” within television station hiring practices that makes it difficult for many of them to be hired. Practical implications for the future of sports journalism and newsroom diversity is discussed.

Visibility, Inclusion, and exclusion: three generations of Russian-Israeli women journalists

ABSTRACT This study focuses on Russian-Israeli women journalists who resettled in Israel during the mass wave of immigrations from the Former Soviet Union in the 1990s. More specifically, it examines their experience of intersecting exclusion due to gender, ethnicity, and immigrant status. Based on narrative interviews with 18 Russian-Israeli women journalists, the study conceptualizes how their complex subjectivities emerge in their journalistic work. The findings demonstrate that their work experience is constructed by their positioned identity as it relates to their generation of immigration – the first, second, and 1.5 generations. The conclusions suggest that each generation of women journalists experienced, adopted, and developed distinct mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion deriving from their social visibility. This finding may refine how we understand the challenges and contributions of diversity in journalism and newsrooms.

Contextualization of Curriculum: Inclusion of Caste Perspectives in Media Studies Curriculum

This article explores caste as a site of communication. It also delves into how caste is a matter of concern in everyday news reporting, news selection, programme production, media history, community media, communication for development, advertising, gender studies, new media and film. It will also attempt to illuminate the role of caste in media ownership, newsroom diversity and creative content creation. This article will further examine the mandate for the inclusion of caste as a site of communication in media pedagogy. This study will analyse the data collected using desk research. Desk research refers to secondary data or the data collected without fieldwork. The data for this article are collected by reviewing published sources, that is, books, articles, reports, and the curriculum of media studies courses offered at different universities across the country.

Counted out or taken in: mapping out diversity of journalists in three Indian digital native English newsrooms

ABSTRACT Digital news media aim to seize the opportunity of the growing market of the Internet use in India. While the rise of digital start-ups or digital native news websites in the news industry is remarkable, it has not heralded significant changes in newsroom diversity. It has been established that media in India, as elsewhere, is largely dominated by male journalists and that the narratives are created by those from upper class and caste. This invites questions over the institution’s ideology toward having representations from religious minorities, dalits, adivasis, women, LGBT, disabled etc. that could result in producing pluralistic discourses. This study explored newsroom diversity and its manifestations in three Indian digital native newsrooms. Data were collected through participant observation and interviews from founders, editors and journalists in the three newsrooms. The study revealed that all three newsrooms are reasonably diverse on the basis of gender but less diverse in terms of religion and caste.

“The Paper Is White”: Examining Diversity Issues With the Next Generation of Journalists

Although the lack of diversity in newsrooms and reporting remains a serious issue in the journalism industry, college journalism education and student media provide a critical opportunity for change. Yet prior research has found notable diversity gaps in both. This study analyzed the state of diversity at a Midwestern university student newspaper and found significant gaps in coverage of diverse populations. The findings suggest the need for more comprehensive diversity education within the college classroom and campus media advising. This is important not only for more representative student media, but also for the future of journalism.

Look Who’s Writing: How Gender Affects News Credibility and Perceptions of News Relevance

Women reporters are underrepresented in newsrooms and assigned to gender-stereotypic roles, but to what effect? To better understand the role of gender in news making, this article utilizes three survey experiments to investigate the effects of journalists’ gender on reader perceptions toward reporter credibility, outlet credibility, and the relevance of news to them. We find little evidence that readers doubt the credibility of a reporter or a news outlet based on the gender of a reporter, the gender of the source, or the gendered nature of the issue. Our findings have implications for media credibility and newsroom diversity.

Social Justice Dialogue Powers Diversity and Innovation in Electronic Media

For media organizations, the clarion call for more diversity in newsrooms to report and cover the complexities of racial inequality and unrest in the nation dates back more than 50 years. The Kerner Commission Report of 1968 challenged newsrooms to do more than the right thing in terms of hiring so that newsrooms reflect the diversity in their communities. This invited essay explores the progress made and the opportunities yet to be explored in today’s electronic media. The author makes the case for diversity, equity and inclusion as an essential part of any organization trying innovate, grow and retain audiences.

Diversity in British, Swedish, and German Newsrooms: Problem Awareness, Measures, and Achievements

ABSTRACT A core tenet of journalism is to contribute toward a functioning and healthy public sphere by ensuring transparency over issues and perspectives from different segments of society. However, it has become increasingly doubtful whether the news media can reflect the true diversity of society while lacking internal diversity in their newsrooms. In our study of three European countries (Germany, Sweden, and the UK), we assess how news organizations cope with the challenges of achieving diversity among their editorial staff and fostering a diversity-sensitive newsroom culture. Drawing on semi-standardized interviews with editors-in-chief and managing editors at 18 outlets, our analysis systematically regards different levels of influence following the model by Shoemaker and Reese (2014. Mediating the Message in the 21st Century: A Media Sociology Perspective. 3rd ed.. London, New York: Routledge.). We aim at identifying issues and obstacles that news organizations need to overcome as well as strategies they can adopt to improve diversity in their newsrooms. Our results stress the importance of (1) personal commitment of people in leading positions, (2) close monitoring as a base for strategic management, (3) acknowledgment and promotion of different perspectives in daily newsroom routines, and (4) the reflection and addressing of structural inequalities inside and outside the organization.

MEDIATIZATION AND STRATEGIC APPROPRIATION: POLITICAL MOBILISATION THROUGH MEDIA

It is a well-known fact that the media plays a very crucial role in framing public opinion and it can influence the decision-making process as well as the future of a country. Despite being divided on the lines of caste, religion and language India is lagging its diversity in newsrooms all over the country. The essence of religion has been changed with space and time and through modern influences. Religion plays an important role in the lives of people. So, how religion becomes politicized concept? In other words, how to understand politicization of religion? The essence of religion varies from time to time, depends on the influence of political circumstances. Religion is a powerful phenomenon which is ideologically constructed and institutionalized for social domination. The main concern is that how the relationship between religion and politics is reflected through the media.

The Journalist's Speech: A Phenomenological Study of Stuttering in the Newsroom

ABSTRACT Journalists commonly advocate for newsroom diversity and inclusivity. Yet stuttering, a speech disability affecting nearly 1% of the population, is seldom referenced in diversity training materials and newsroom surveys. Journalists have shared their experiences with stuttering. However, researchers have yet to examine how stuttering influences journalists’ career decisions and affects their professional lives. This study takes a phenomenological approach with semi-structured interviews with current and former journalists (n = 19) about their experiences as people who stutter (PWS). It examines professional socialization and role performances, and whether public and self-stigma adversely affect careers of PWS. Interviews with participants with varied job titles, career trajectories, and stuttering severity revealed a common experience: Journalism's emphasis on verbal communication and expectations of speech fluency is challenging for PWS. Stuttering did not dissuade most participants from pursuing and sustaining a news media career, but it commonly limited career options and led colleagues to question their competency before they had proven themselves professionally. Implications for newsroom hiring and support of PWS are discussed.

Latinos in Twitter News: The Effects of Newsroom and Audience Diversity on the Visibility of Latinos on Twitter

This study examines Latinos’ visibility on Twitter, exploring whether social media serve as an alternate space to promote the coverage of Latinos who are almost invisible in news and entertainment media. Specifically, the study uses standpoint theory and theories of newsroom economics to examine how 2 factors—newsroom diversity and audience demographics—affect the extent to which Latinos are mentioned in tweets posted by news organizations. Results show that Latinos are mostly absent on Twitter, though they are more visible than other minorities such as Asian Americans. However, the economic pressures of the media business motivate news outlets to appeal to their audiences’ needs and tastes, such that newspapers circulating in diverse markets with a large Latino population are more likely to feature Latinos in their tweets, through promoting the role of Latino journalists in the newsroom. This is especially true for national media that are characterized with a greater willingness to cater to a diverse audience. This study thus argues that promoting the visibility of Latinos on social media news is not easy—increasing diversity in the newsroom can be the first step, but it is most effective for publications that cater to diverse audiences.

Sound Archive Access: Revealing Emergent Cultures

This article contends that researchers can and should be active participants in making sound archives more accessible. In fact, such advocacy can be consequential in setting up possibilities for creative research on race within radio history and sound studies. Using the example of NPR’s All Things Considered archive spanning from 1971–1983, I demonstrate how academics and archivists can work together to make possible the preservation and accessibility of sound archives. This particular collaboration offers an opportunity to take a cultural approach to understanding newsroom diversity, more specifically: the cultural constraints of linguistic norms and the emergent cultures that arise as aberrations from such norms. The article reflects on this project’s implications for other scholars who work with archives that wish to invest in sound archive preservation and use.

The Role of Minority Journalists, Candidates, and Audiences in Shaping Race-Related Campaign News Coverage

The question of whether press coverage of racial/ethnic minorities has improved remains. This study tackles it by examining (a) how journalists’ race/ethnicity affects campaign news coverage of race-related issues and (b) whether the nature of coverage is moderated by minority candidates and the racial composition of audiences. We pair local news coverage of 3,400 state legislative candidates with news data from 663 news outlets. We find newsroom diversity by itself does not influence the coverage of race-related issues. But in areas with large numbers of minority audiences, media outlets with diverse newsrooms are significantly more likely to cover race-related issues.

Journalism–Business Tension in Swedish Newsroom Decision Making

ABSTRACTFrom Kohlberg’s moral reasoning approach, this study analyzes the decision-making process of a group of Swedish newspaper editors. We use a qualitative methodology to examine how editors respond to three ethical dilemmas related to company loyalty, journalistic values, and newsroom diversity. Findings suggest that commercial considerations do not outweigh the inherent ethical/journalistic influence on decisions concerning the newsroom. Further categorization reveals that ethical and managerial reasoning co-exist in a news media landscape that requires capturing readers and investors without neglecting journalistic values and norms. In investigating the moral, ethical, and business aspects of newspaper editors’ decision-making process, our findings reveal the delicate balance Swedish editors strive for during an increasingly difficult and transitional period in journalism.