Newsroom power shortage - minorities in journalism

Black Issues in Higher Education, August 6, 1998 by Eric St. John

Are students of color getting the inside scoop on what it takes to become news editors and producers?

Chasing the breaking news story. Writing the thoughtful, definitive piece that will effect the course of history. Getting that byline and the name-recognition that could lead to fame and fortune. These are just a few of the lures that attract students to journalism schools and careers as reporters.

As enticing as these may appear, the real power in journalism is in editing -- and according to the numbers, too few people of color currently sit on these thrones of power.

"The critical thing is that editors are the folks who make the decision on what stories are assigned, how they are covered, what the play will be in the newspaper, and what the priorities of the newspapers are," says Veronica Jennings, diversity director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE). "So certainly, you want as much diversity as possible from the people who are making those decisions.

"It's hard to convince people that the real power [in television news] is in producing and not in front of the camera," she says. "But if you want to be wielding significant power in this business, you need to be thinking about editing."

According to ASNE's 1998 Newsroom Census, 9 percent of newsroom supervisors are minorities, up from 1 percent in 1978. Minorities also comprise 10.2 percent of copy and layout editors, up from 3 percent in 1978. (see Incredible Whiteness, page 40, for more newsroom demographics).

"The numbers are disappointing," says Todd Beamon, senior editor of BET Weekend Magazine. "And there is no particular excuse for that, when you have so many [minority] journalists who have good educations -- who have excellent educations -- and who are well-experienced. There is simply no excuse. They are there, and they are available."

Getting On Track

While the current number of African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American editors may be small, most experts agree the future health of the news industry requires a more diverse management demographic. Achieving this goal may very well require concomitant change in the way the nation's schools of journalism prepare students of color.

"J[ournalism] schools need to talk about the career paths necessary to get on the management and editor track," Jennings says. "Students need to be getting the special skills in copy editing and leadership that will help them be identified as potential editors."

But where are aspiring editors supposed to get the necessary training? Some journalists -- like Vanessa Williams, president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and a reporter for The Washington Post -- believe that editors are trained after they get out of journalism school.

"Many of the experiences that you need to be a good editor are hard to find in school," says Williams, adding that the best editors have to spend at least some time in the trenches. "For an editor to manage a journalist, it makes sense that he or she understands what it's like to be out there on the streets to find a story, confronted with the various ethical and technical difficulties that might come into play."

"I am not an advocate of getting a master's in journalism, unless you want to get into management," Jennings adds. "Getting a master's in journalism theory and philosophy won't necessarily help your career; getting reporting and editing experience will. But it: you do get [an advanced degree], get it in something that will elevate you on the management side."

Beamon sees it a little differently. He graduated with a degree in journalism from Marquette University in 1980, and though he does not have an advanced degree, he advocates getting one.

"Advanced degrees are necessary [in journalism] because technology is changing anti the world is changing, becoming a global marketplace, very quickly," says Beamon. "Some of the things I learned at Marquette, while they are not obsolete, have to be quickly adapted because there have been so many changes in such a short time."

Beamon worked at publicaions in Duluth, Minnesota, and Richmond, Virginia, before doing a six-year stint as a full-time copy editor at The New York Times. From there, he became a business editor at both Philadelphia Daily News and The Washington Post.

Ritchie, however, disagrees about when the training of newspaper editors should begin.

"To get managers, you have to have people who are really good. They have to know how to write, how to edit," she says. "Students have to start thinking about long-term management [in journalism] as undergraduates. [When you] get on the management track after graduation, [the people at tine media outlet which hired you] tend not to teach you what you needed to learn in undergraduate school.

"Our goal is to have them think about the news decisions they are making now and apply them to a professional setting," Ritchie continues. "It's not a natural connection to make. Many students think being on a college newspaper is like playing journalism. But we insist that they don't take this as a game. And, we encourage them to start their internships early."