Women Journalists of Color: Present Without Power
Embracing Differences

"Many women of color hang onto their unique lenses and unearth and recommend news stories about other cultures that affect a broader cross-section. That viewpoint is invaluable in assuring a multitude of voices in the paper."
African American Newsroom Manager, Southeastern U.S.

Why is it so important to listen to what women journalists of color have to say? What do they add to the journalistic process and product that makes their participation crucial?

Media-sponsored research and focus groups have shown that readers, viewers and listeners flatly reject information that seems to negate or exclude their points of view. For example, women make up a prominent consumer group that news organizations are responding to, because executives know that female consumers' acceptance or rejection of their product can affect "the bottom line." Similarly, because minorities will become the majority population in America by the year 2032, ignoring their views, beliefs, and opinions is shortsighted and imprudent, if only from a business standpoint.

With those facts in mind, a discussion of actual content and texture of the news product is important. Without the presence of accurate portrayals of people of color, many potential news consumers will dismiss what is being produced by mainstream media, and find more responsive sources of information and entertainment. Falling circulation, viewer and listener numbers only confirm that competition for the average consumer's time is rapidly increasing, and media organizations can no longer afford to dismiss or alienate entire communities.

The IWMF survey responses reveal that women journalists of color and their managers believe their presence in the newsroom creates a more accurate, well-rounded product for readers, viewers and listeners. For example, 78 percent of women journalists of color surveyed believe they bring a different perspective to the types of stories covered. Sixty-nine percent believe they also are able to have an impact on the content of those stories.

A political reporter in California explains: "The newspaper I write for serves a predominantly minority community that is largely African American and Latino. In the past, not much effort was made to cover stories that were of great relevance to this community. During my first six months on the job, I have covered legislative stories on issues like 'driving while black' (or racial profiling of African American drivers), [and] the growing influence and clout of the Latino electorate. I believe my point of reference as a woman of color pushes me to naturally gravitate toward these types of stories."

The newsroom managers taking part in this study concur to a somewhat lesser degree. Of those surveyed, 58 percent said women journalists of color bring a different perspective to the types of stories covered, and 48 percent said they affect the content of the news product. Across their ranks, however, there was strong acknowledgment of the value of women journalists of color, as reflected in this manager's comment:

"The women tend to push for stories that go beyond the obvious news angles. For instance, we recently wrote a business piece about cotton and its importance to the Arizona economy in this century. It was a Latino woman reporter who pressed us to write about the women field workers who kept the industry going."

Newsroom managers responding to the IWMF survey shared some thoughts on the women of color who work for them:

• Are more able to bridge communities;
• Challenge assumptions;
• Cover angles that otherwise might be overlooked;
• Talk to people who too often are overlooked;
• Remind us of cultural institutions others are unaware of;
• Understand cultural difference and the impact on daily life.
  

In fact, many women make a concerted effort to cultivate ties in their communities. More than half say they involve themselves in community activities, as a way to develop sources and story ideas to bring back to the newsroom. One journalist says this kind of extra effort, coupled with her own life experience, helps her to be more confident about drawing conclusions in her reporting.

"When I covered the California Republican convention," she explains, "I wrote a story much different than those written by most of my peers. The convention was supposed to highlight Republican Unity, but that goal was quickly put to the test by the discovery of hundreds of racist flyers slipped under the hotel doors of convention delegates. Some reporters chose to ignore the incident. Yet others mentioned the flyers in ambiguous terms saying that Latino delegates 'called them racist flyers.' I led my story with the incident."

But that confidence can prove to be detrimental for some women journalists of color. The very strengths they bring to their reporting are sometimes used against them. "Since most news organizations are dominated by white men, "one journalist respondent wrote, "many times that content/perspective is taken out because it is deemed 'too radical' or it may not fit with the management's view of the issue itself. I have experienced times when editors have had a certain view and I was told to make that view appear in my stories, regardless of what others in the community may think or feel. Because I am in a small community, the 'good old boy' network is hard to overcome and we are told there are people we can't offend."

Yet, despite an apparent consensus that a variety of perspectives are required to cover any community, there is great disagreement about whether newsrooms actually reflect the communities they serve. Only 22 percent of the women journalists surveyed reported that their newsroom staff reflects the diversity of the market it serves, while 53 percent of managers said their newsroom staffs mirrored their markets. Though only 25 percent of journalists stated that the news produced by their organization reflects the diversity of the market it serves, 69 percent of managers said the news they produced reflects their market's diversity.

The survey also suggests that both managers and women journalists of color need to commit to more focused-and non-defensive-dialogue about the barriers to retaining and promoting journalists of color. Only 30 percent of managers say their organization does an effective job of tracking retention, and a mere 17 percent of women journalists of color concur. Forty-six percent of managers say their organization provides diversity training for managers and staff, while only 25 percent of journalists agree.

The managers surveyed were quick to describe their challenges in fostering diversity. Some insist that it is simply a "numbers game," and that they are hampered by a limited supply of potential job candidates. "I have an almost impossible time recruiting women of color because this area is 99 percent white," one manager wrote. "Qualified people of color rarely apply for jobs here, despite active recruiting efforts." Clearly, some women journalists of color suspect the term "qualified" is a buzzword that keeps them at arms' length, or out of newsrooms entirely.

Frequently, managers report they are condemned for appearing to make no effort, and then criticized for not doing enough once they have hired a few people of color. Others describe the frustrations of actively recruiting women journalists of color, spending time and money to train and promote talented women, only to have them quickly wooed away by larger organizations able to offer a higher salary and better career prospects.

The comments of one manager seem to underscore the depth of ignorance about minorities that can hamper recruiting efforts and which often heightens newsroom tensions. "We have no women of color on our staff. We have no men of color on our staff. But we do have openings. Our average snowfall is 200 inches a year and ice fishing is very popular. So please, pass the word."

While that manager's response may have been intended as humor, some women journalists of color may hear something completely different. They may view those kinds of responses as defensive, and consequently feel silenced in their efforts to raise very valid concerns about progress in the diversity effort.

Overall, the women journalists of color surveyed seem to be saying that their strengths as journalists, and the value that their presence brings, are being consistently stifled or ignored. Peggy Peterman, who retired after 31 years of reporting and writing for a leading Florida newspaper, says, "I think the industry is still trying to figure out if young black people, even those who are straight out of college, can read and write and spell and create, simply because they ARE black." Peterman says she frequently meets young black journalists who are working far below their capabilities, who may start off strong but wind up stalling in their careers, and who never get the chance to work in plum beats like the investigative team or on the foreign desk.

Peterman says managers should take the time to reassess this talent pool. "If you just allow them to fly, if you just let them use their eyes and ears, they would more than surpass your qualifications."