Ethnic & Racial Diversity In American News

Diversity                               Fitzgerald                                 Time: 3:48

            THe representation of ethnic and racial Diversity in America’s news today is controversial. Stereotypes are often used, which often allow all audiences to be skeptical of other ethnicities, whether it’s due to being portrayed unfairly or whether it’s a lack of exposure to more positive aspects of a certain ethnicity’s subculture.

            One factor that feeds this tendency is a lack of diversity in the newsroom itself, thus excluding certain ethnicities to have a voice at all, even forcing those minorities who are employed in the news to promote a news outlet’s specific agenda.

            The coverage of different ethnicities also cannot be considered balanced all the time. a study conducted by Richard Campbell, Director of Miami’s Journalism program, reveals a prime example of this injustice.

           After the psychedelic music and drugs era of the 1970s, many people turned to crack cocaine in the 1980s. Campbell’s study examines the racial aspect of news coverage on stories about cocaine, and striking differences were found between whites and african-americans.

            “You went from this redemption narrative about white people to a gangster narrative mostly about blacks using drugs. The use by blacks and whites of drugs…cocaine: 80 white, 20 percent blacks.”

            Campbell explained also that crime is a major factor in the limitations of news, because it’s easily accessible and occurs in neighborhoods that tend to be more striken with poverty.

            Cindy Moore is the editor for the Crucible magazine, Miami’s first multicultural publication. Moore is advocating diversity on campus in the form of educating students about diversity through her publication. Although moore acknowledges the presence of other quality publications on campus, she feels some minorities on campus are overlooked since Miami has one predominant demographic.

            “The majority of students here come from a similar socioeconomic class. Although I think that Up and MQ does a great job of entertaining the masses, I don’t know if they do a great job of including all of the masses.”

            Although there is a lack of diversity in news coverage, there is some hope on the horizon. a study conducted by the Western INterstate COmmission for Higher Education asserts that so called minorities will become the majority population in public high schools by 2018.

            Eloiza Domingo-Snyder, Director of Diverse Student Development at Miami, has an optimistic outlook on the future of diversity in the news in the context of expanding diversity in the general population itself. The fact that diversity is an issue means that someone will eventually act upon it, and that can lead to progression and increased diversity in the newsroom and the news itself.

             “Some of the best things in our world have come out of conflict in diversity. Oppression is fought off; people don’t get hurt as much when people conflict with difference, and that’s where greatness comes from.”

            Of course, the conflict amongst diverse people will be in the context of the newsroom, with a wider range of diverse reporters attempting to project more points of view.

            Justin Slauter is an african american journalism student aspiring to be a television broadcaster. he believes that even though he is entering a field that tends to lack DIVERSITY, that fact actually drives him and inspires him to be a voice for his race when he enters the workforce.

             “I feel like I’m like that vehicle that can get other voices active and viewed upon in the media and to the masses so everybody knows their different stories and struggles.”

            if slauter is right, hopefully more ethnic diversity will flood the newsroom in the near future, and negative coverage of minorities as described by campbell will be significantly reduced.

            Also, The Crucible and similar efforts by this generation can change the culture of not only Miami’s campus but also impact the coming generations in america. The more diversity that is celebrated, and the more conflicting views that are represented, the more democratic, news conscious, and the more tolerant of diversity the united States of America will become.