Recent Figures Show That Media Is Still Overwhelming White

Many of the major media companies in the U.S. remain mostly white, with recent reports indicating that racial diversity is declining. Digiday, a media company that describes itself as a “leading voice in the media and marketing industry,” recently reported on the latest figures from top media companies like Condé Nast, Hearst, The New York Times, Vice Media Group and Vox Media. The report revealed that media companies are still hiring mostly white people. For the majority of media companies, even though there is diverse representation among new hires, the number of candidates hired from underrepresented racial groups has declined compared to previous years. There are several ways that media companies can address racial diversity and this article will explore these strategies in more detail.

The majority of billionaires that own the major American media companies are white. When looking specifically at the racial diversity among journalists, although racial diversity has increased from previous years, journalism is still overwhelming white. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, 76% of journalists surveyed were white, 8% identified as Hispanic, 6% as Black and only 3% as Asian. Civil Rights Activist Malcolm X once said “the media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent.” The fact that most media companies are white-owned coupled with the fact that the majority of those writing stories are white means that the news we receive is at greater risk of being white-centered.

Writer Toni Morrison has spoken before about the white gaze and how it shows up in writing. The white gaze can be thought of as the assumed white audience that stories are crafted for. With media companies being overwhelmingly white, the white gaze may be more prevalent in the information that we consume. There is a wealth of evidence suggesting racism in the news headlines we read. Increasing diversity equates to more diverse perspectives, which is one way to mitigate this issue.

What are some specific strategies to address the lack of racial diversity within media companies? The first consideration is the criteria used to hire journalists. Data USA 2020 statistics indicate that white students earned 58% of journalism degrees, yet Pew Research Center data revealed that over three quarters of journalists were white. Re-evaluate the institutions that journalists are being hired from. Instead of focusing on the institutions where journalism degrees are earned (which are mostly predominantly white institutions), consider prioritizing other criteria like writing ability, personal qualities, and knowledge of the subject matter.

In addition, consider introducing mentorship and internship programs for underrepresented writers. Through these types of programs, candidates with potential that don’t possess all the necessary skills to be hired as a journalist, can mentored and developed so they can hone their skills. This will help you develop a pipeline of talent from underrepresented racial groups.

Another strategy that can be implemented to improve racial diversity within media companies is to provide ongoing bias training for leaders. Those who are making hiring decisions should be educated on ways that bias can creep into the hiring process. There should also be training provided on formalized processes that can be introduced to mitigate different biases that persist.

Be sure you are not just intentional about hiring employees from underrepresented groups. Also be intentional about growing and advancing underrepresented employees. What tools are needed for talent, and specifically your underrepresented talent, to grow, thrive and develop? Survey your employees to assess what their specific needs are. Increasing diversity among journalists can improve the public’s trust in media sources.

Media companies must take an honest assessment of the ways that bias has prevailed in the newsroom and safeguards should be implemented to mitigate bias. Consider developing a peer-review system where there are multiple channels that review and approve content before it’s published as one way to mitigate bias. Media outlets should also be intentional about reporting on a wide range of stories and topics and should frequently assess whether content is reflective of and relevant to their audience. Lastly, continuously survey your audience to solicit feedback about their specific needs when it comes to reporting and content.