By Ryan Kadowaki
Yvette Cabrera had been called a racist. She received an angry message from a man criticizing her for only covering the Latino community in her column for the Orange County Register.
Cabrera immediately addressed his concern by calling him back and explaining to him that the paper strived to accurately reflect the community. After all, changing demographics suggest that by 2050, 1 in 4 Americans will be of Latino descent. The next day, Cabrera came in and had another message from the same man. Only this time, it was an apology.
After their conversation, the reader had realized that the paper was simply meeting the needs of diverse audiences in its community. Journalists cover subjects that run the gamut politically, socially, culturally and economically. Step into any major newsroom and look around. According to minority journalists working in the field, diversity in the newsroom is a current issue all media organizations must responsibly handle.
“There is a point of view in the newsroom that can enable a better understanding of issues in minority communities that are often ignored,” said Robert Meeks, a print journalism student at Cal State Long Beach and staff writer at the Compton Bulletin. “But even the most diverse newsroom has to battle with not just representing the interests of the majority, but also being balanced and fair as a journalist should be.”
Cabrera gets many angry phone calls, but according to her, it's all part of the job. As a columnist and Latino coverage coordinator for the Orange County Register, Cabrera insists that having a diverse newsroom is the only way an organization can accurately cover the community.
“I think when you have reporters from diverse backgrounds they also bring their culture and upbringing into stories,” Cabrera said. “This allows them to connect with the community in a way that you wouldn't be able to if you didn't have them on staff.”
This can also be problematic when journalists are not able to separate themselves from the story they're covering. Dr. Raul Reis, an associate journalism professor at Cal State Long Beach, said this type of reporting could lead to biased coverage.
“Journalists, no matter what their backgrounds, have to be able to separate their personal and professional lives,” Reis said. “The best way to do that is by recognizing one's own identity and beliefs, and making sure that those do not interfere with the story.”
According to a June 2005 report published on the Knight Foundation web site, the percentage of non-whites working in USA Today's newsroom stayed at 17.2 percent between 2004 and 2005. If organizations are truly attempting to diversify newsroom staff, this number suggests otherwise.
Reis offers a different viewpoint. He says that although some organizations are far from achieving balance in their newsrooms, others set out to find minority journalism graduates. Organizations such as the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) have made many efforts to diversify newsrooms across the country.
“Spanish-language media are also growing by leaps and bounds,” Reis said. “They desperately need Hispanic professionals who are bilingual and can work in those communities.”
Once hired at an organization, minority journalists can do a number of things to network and be promoted. Cabrera suggested pulling editors aside and asking for advice and story ideas.
She also said seeking mentors could help when looking for work and letters of recommendation.But before branching out, she said to always keep an open line of communication with supervisors.
“One of the things I always tell young journalists is to make sure that their bosses know what their goals are so they can help you get there,” Cabrera said. “Outside of the newsroom, there are so many journalism organizations that you can join that host events to get you out of your environment.”
Reis said membership in different minority journalism associations such as the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and the Asian-American Journalists Association (AAJA) is a great way of networking. According to the AAJA web site, the organization has approximately 2,000 members in 19 chapters across the U.S. and Asia. Journalists can interact with members from around the world to gain valuable contacts in both their personal and professional lives.
Meeks and Cabrera, however, caution that minority journalism students may experience pressure from minority groups in the community to cover stories that normally get overshadowed by more mainstream issues. Since the beginning of their journalism careers in the newspaper industry, both writers have received a fair share of phone calls asking them to cover particular minority-related topics.
“A lot of times minority issues are general issues like home ownership and education – things everyone cares about,” Cabrera said. “Newsrooms have to be careful and make sure that they're not putting that responsibility solely on one reporter and that they're asking the whole newsroom to look out for these stories.”
But in the end, despite diversity issues, Cabrera said it comes down to one thing – being a great journalist.
“If you do your work and do a good job, it will get you noticed and people will want to get to know you as well,” Cabrera said. “That's why we all get into journalism – to help make a difference.”
Last update: 8/29/06
