FYI,
Anita
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 20:05:43 -0500
Subject: Debate on Diversity in Journalism
From: David Honig <<[log in to unmask]>
To: MMTC Board of Directors <<[log in to unmask]>,
MMTC Board of Advisors <<[log in to unmask]>,
MMTC Braintrust <<[log in to unmask]>
Dear Colleagues,
The following debate on the impact of diversity initiatives in
journalism might be of interest.
David Honig
Executive Director
Minority Media and
Telecommunications Council
3636 16th St. NW #BG-54
Washington, D.C. 20010
[log in to unmask]
202-332-7005
fax 202-332-7511
11/14/02
Times_New_RomanThe
following is a National Press Club press
release.
Times_New_RomanNAHJ
President and "Coloring the News" Author to Debate Impact of
Journalism Diversity Efforts
Times_New_RomanContact:
John Aubuchon, 202-662-7517 or Melinda Cooke, 202-662-7516
Event Information: November 18, 2002 - 7:30 PM
National Press Club
Holeman Lounge
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20045
The National Press Club will sponsor a debate November 18, 2002 over
one of the most difficult issues within journalism: the decades-old
effort to increase diversity in America's newsrooms. The president of
the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Juan Gonzalez,
will present the case for increasing diversity efforts, while William
McGowan, author of "Coloring the News," will discuss his book's
conclusion that over-eager diversity efforts have distorted news
coverage.
Terence Smith, the veteran television and print correspondent who leads
the Media Unit of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, will moderate the
event. Smith's work on the NewsHour earned him the Arthur C. Rowse
Award for Media Criticism from the National Press Club in 2002, 2000
and 1999. He formerly reported for the New York Times and CBS News.
Mr. Gonzalez, a columnist with the New York Daily News, has led the
NAHJ to step up its pressure on media companies to recruit more
minorities. A strategic initiative adopted by the organization's board
last month calls on the news industry to double the percentage of
Latinos employed by daily newspapers from the current 3.8 percent to
7.8 percent and to boost the percentage of Latinos working for local
English-language television stations from the current 6.1 percent to
9.0 percent by 2008.
Mr. McGowan contends in "Coloring the News" that diversity efforts have
resulted in excessive attention to numbers of minorities at the cost to
journalism's quality. He further argues that this sometimes extends to
word and quote counts to ensure minority representation in stories,
distorting the essence of the editorial process.
"The question is not whether diversity in the newsroom is good or bad,"
said National Press Club President John Aubuchon. "It's a question of
how we as journalists are doing and how our employers are doing in
trying to achieve it." A resolution adopted by the National Press
Club's Board of Governors in July 2002 declared, "Only by bringing
journalists of color and other minorities fully into our editorial
process can we change the content of our newspapers and broadcasts to
reflect accurately our communities."
But the National Press Club also honored the McGowan book with a Rouse
Award for Media Criticism that month, on grounds that his work had
stimulated debate within the journalism community over an important
issue. That decision drew sharp protests from several minority
journalism organizations, including the NAHJ. In a July letter to
Aubuchon, Gonzalez challenged the National Press Club to sponsor a
debate with McGowan --- a proposal Aubuchon quickly translated into an
invitation to McGowan, the NAHJ and the National Association of Black
Journalists (NABJ). McGowan and Gonzalez quickly accepted; the NABJ
declined to participate.
The event is open for coverage. Admission is free and open to the
public, but space is limited, so reservations should be made by calling
the Press Club's reservation line at 662-7501 or emailing
[log in to unmask]
Times_New_Roman
GenevaAnita Fleming-Rife, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Media Studies Department
223 Carnegie
Penn State University
University Park, PA. 16802
(814) 865-8135
Fax#: (814) 863-8161