A newspaper is a mirror for a community, reflecting both its good and bad points. But if the paper does a poor job covering certain segments of that community, those readers may feel ignored or rejected.
In fall 2003, NIU undergrads were …
73 percent white
13.1 percent African American
6.5 percent Hispanic
6.1 percent Asian
1.3 percent nonresident aliensGraduate students were …
77.3 percent white
5.4 percent African American
4.7 percent Hispanic
3.9 percent Asian
8.5 percent nonresident aliens
So, overall it's safe to say that one of every four NIU students is non-white.
NIU students also are 54.8 percent female (that means, journalism majors, that it is only 45.2 percent male).
These stats are taken from the NIU Data Book.
Diversity represents one of the biggest challenges for editors. The following
are some areas that can help a newspaper better reflect its entire community.
One large newspaper group uses a technique called "mainstreaming." It means including a variety of voices in all news stories - not just those dealing with diversity issues. This tactic can be taken to an extreme - reporters choosing sources strictly on the basis of their skin color rather than their expertise, in order to meet a corporate quota. But used sensibly and with knowledge of your community's makeup, mainstreaming can help the newspaper be a truer reflection of its readers.
Example 1: A reporter and a photographer cover football tailgating. Knowing that this event involves a wide cross-section of NIU, they find a variety of people to talk to and photograph - people of different races, ethnicities, Greeks and non-Greeks, people of different ages.
Example 2: A reporter is doing a story on NIU tuition increases. Since any news story is most effective by focusing on the people it affects, the reporter interviews several students. She makes sure at least one of those students is of a race or ethnic background different than her own.
The natural tendency for journalists - and people in general - is to talk only with people who look or speak like them. Northern Star reporters and photographers must consistently step outside their comfort zones and approach a cross-section of people.
Check yourself:
- Are you approaching people of many races and ethnicities?
- Are you being careful not to stereotype by your choice of sources?
Diversity of thought:
Often, journalists will do a good job of diversifying their sources racially
and ethnically, but they neglect to look for, or recognize, diversity in
point of view.
Example: A journalist who leans one way politically may fail to see an entire other side to an issue, and sometimes he/she may completely misunderstand and/or misstate that side's point of view. The result is lost credibility, and accusations of biased journalism.
You can avoid this problem by reading news from a variety of sources, to educate yourself from more than one perspective. For example, read the editorial pages of both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Both have excellent writing and arguments, but often from different ends of the political spectrum.
The Inter-Race Institute, in a 2003 study of news coverage in Minneapolis-St. Paul, concluded:
"It is not enough to do positive stories on the African American community during Black History Month or Indian History Month. Rather, reporters should have a deep understanding and level of trust in the community so that positive stories are happening all year."
Reporters, photographers and editors must recognize stories that are
important to various racial / ethnic / religious communities - and not just
during pre-programmed weeks or months. This boils down to good beat reporting.
The people on your beat can alert you to story possibilities. Reporters
and editors should keep phone and e-mail lists of sources in various groups.
And then, each semester, keep expanding and updating that list for the benefit
of your successors. These lists are only useful if they are kept up-to-date.
Not worth covering? Not every event, program or meeting is worth sending
a reporter and/or photographer. But, a good newspaper still will give its
readers easy-to-understand ways to get their news in the paper.
- People should know whom to call or e-mail with news.
- The newspaper should have easy-to-follow forms available - both online
and on paper - for submitting news items
- Deadlines should be clear … and if people turn in their material
on time, they should have reasonable assurances that it will be published
in some form.
- The paper, Web site and radio station should offer daily advice about
how to get news items in the paper.
- If items such as photos are lent to the paper, they should be returned
promptly after they are published.
- Bottom line: Someone thought this news was significant enough that they
contacted the newspaper. What message does the paper send if this news is
ignored? What message does the paper send if it finds space for this news
- either through coverage or a brief?
Of course, not all news stories are "good news." But when a newspaper does a good job of covering everyday life in its community, bad news like crime or scandal gets a less-suspicious reception from readers.
Racial identification: guidelines
By Keith Woods / The Poynter Institute
Used with permission
The use of racial identifiers in the media was for decades a means of singling out those who were not white. The practice helped form and fuel stereotypes and continues today to push a wedge between people. We can handle this delicate material better if we flag every racial reference and ask these questions:
Is it relevant?
Race is relevant when the story is about race. Just because people in conflict
are of different races does not mean that is the source of their dispute.
A story about interracial dating, however, is a story about race.
Have I explained the relevance?
Journalists too frequently assume that readers will know the significance
of race in stories. The result is often radically different interpretations.
That is imprecise journalism, and its harm may be magnified by the lens
of race.
Is it free of codes?
Be careful not to use welfare, inner-city, underprivileged, blue collar,
conservative, suburban, exotic, middle-class, Uptown, South Side or wealthy
as euphemisms for racial groups. By definition, the White House is in the
inner-city. Say what you mean.
Are racial identifiers used evenly?
If the race of a person charging discrimination is important, then so is
the race of the person being charged.
Should I consult someone of another race/ethnicity?
Consider another question: Do I have expertise on other races/cultures?
If not, broaden your perspective by asking someone who knows something more
about your subject. Why should we treat reporting on racial issues any differently
from reporting on an area of science or religion that we do not know well?
Other tips
Identifying people: Black or African-American? Hispanic or Latino/Latina? Follow the Northern Star's stylebook when possible. If you're still unsure, ask the source which he/she prefers.
Spotting red flags: Some photos or cartoons reinforce negative stereotypes
Example: A Star editor once caught and removed - on deadline - a feature photo of an African American male student holding a plastic pistol for a video game. The photo was to have run next to an unrelated crime story.
Sometimes it's a good idea to run questionable material past a member of the potentially offended group and get that person's opinion on whether the material should be published.
Photo identification: It is important to identify all of the people in any news photo, but it is critically important when identifying members of minority communities. Why? Because not identifying the person in a photo sends a subtle message to readers that the person wasn't important enough to be identified.
Quote:
"I try to cover life as it is, not as we would wish it to be. There is a tendency among white liberal editors and reporters to revert to what I call gee-whiz stories about minorities, stories that have a message, hidden or blatant, that says, 'They are real people, just like us.' Conversely, there is sometimes a tendency among minority journalists to do 'advocacy' types of stories, stories that paint a particular under-represented group in a purely positive light. … I simply try to do what I think is honest journalism - truth-telling.
- Alisa Valdes, reporter, The Boston Globe, quoted in "Reporting and Writing: Basics for the 21st Century," by Christopher Scanlan.
Many newspapers do a terrible job of covering religion in their communities. This despite the fact that a high percentage of readers say religion news is important to them. College students' interest in religion has increased in recent years, too.
What are some ways newspapers have failed at religion reporting?
How can a newspaper improve its religion coverage?
Can a reporter who is religious cover religion news without creating a conflict of interest?
Can a sports fan cover sports? Of course. A reporter with deep religious faith will understand issues far better than a reporter who isn't religious at all.
Reporters on any beat do need to recognize their biases and make every effort to write a fair and balanced story. Example: A reporter who is a devout Christian is assigned to do a story about a new Muslim group on campus. The reporter simply writes a fair story and lets readers draw their own conclusions.
A true conflict of interest would occur, say, if a reporter who is part
of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship were assigned to cover an event sponsored
by that group. Those situations should be avoided, just as with any other
beat.
Because one in four NIU students is non-white, the Northern Star should
strive for a similar percentage among its employees - particularly among
news employees who will cover the campus community.
Note: Only 13 percent of all daily newspapers in America achieved this
goal in 2004.
Why this is important: Imagine picking up your daily newspaper, knowing that none of the people who wrote or edited that paper are the same race, ethnicity or religion as you. Would the paper feel like "your" paper? Would you trust what it says about your community?
It's also important to think about diversity of viewpoint. A 2004 Pew Research Center survey of America's journalists and news executives showed this:
7 percent considered themselves conservative (33 percent of general public
did)
34 percent considered themselves liberal (20 percent of general public did)
54 percent consider themselves moderate (41 percent of general public did)
So, the media can worry so much about racial and ethnic diversity in newsrooms that they forget another important issue: diversity of background and social attitudes. This is equally important in covering a community fairly and accurately.
NIU's anti-discrimination policy (see separate section) prohibits making any employment decision based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, political affiliation or any other factor unrelated to professional qualifications.
For the Northern Star to reflect its community, it needs a wide variety of talented student journalists. It is student managers' responsibility to recruit, train and retain this diverse staff.
Recruiting
Don't expect to throw open the doors of the Northern Star for an open house, or to hold a public forum on campus, and then see large numbers of underrepresented students applying to work here. The Star will get the best results if it goes to various clubs, organizations, ministries and cultural centers on campus. Get to know key leaders, explain the Star's goals and get them to help in the recruiting effort.
Training
No Northern Star employee should ever be able to say he or she did not receive the training needed to succeed in the job. The Star is in constant training mode. Managers and advisers must learn what type of training employees need and then provide it.
Of course, there may be other reasons employees do not succeed: lack of time, lack of talent or lack of interest in pursuing journalism, to name a few. But if managers hire carefully, and are clear about the Star's expectations for employees, the number of employees who leave for those reasons can be minimized.
Retaining
The Northern Star's office atmosphere plays a huge role in whether talented students will stay here. Beware of cliques, and of people feeling left out - of news decisions and of general newsroom conversations. This leads to people feeling like they don't fit in … and before long, they leave. The Star should be an atmosphere where any dedicated staffer can rise through the ranks. Every employee has a stake in making that happen.
Tips for staffing news coverage:
Reporters: If you have the cultural affairs beat, give special attention
to the groups you have no personal affinity with. Don't simply cover the
groups you feel more comfortable around.
Editors: Beware of the trap of, for example, only assigning Latino reporters
to cover Latino events. This may place the reporter in a tough position
with sources who may expect him/her to serve as a sort of public relations
officer for a group.
If you work at the Northern Star very long, you may encounter opinions from some individuals or groups on campus who believe the Star is "racist." Rather than quickly saying that's not true (and it isn't), it may be better to ask the person or group, "Why?"
Here are a few opinions heard over the years:
While few if any of these statements may be valid, they represent the perceptions of some of your readers. And, in a given year, despite the staff's best intentions, there may be a grain of truth to some of them. The Star must listen to these concerns, take them seriously and work to answer them.
Community Outreach
The Northern Star has committed to holding at least one community forum
each semester, generally dealing with diversity. These have taken different
formats, but generally they give readers a chance to relate questions and
concerns about the paper. These meetings also can become a great forum for
ideas for future projects.
The editor in chief is responsible for scheduling and organizing these forums.