WASHINGTON -- The ethnic and cultural mix in American newsrooms is directly linked to the accuracy and credibility of newspapers, organizers of a national newsroom self-examination project said.
"The National Time-Out for Diversity and Accuracy" project asks reporters and editors to meet during the week of May 17-21 to discuss ways race and ethnicity affect choices of what is covered and who is assigned to cover it, organizers said Monday. Discussion guidelines and questionnaires also examine photographs and hiring.The project is a joint effort by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Associated Press Managing Editors.
"We want to accurately reflect life in our communities. If our newspapers are not inclusive enough to regularly portray the diversity of those communities, then we are presenting a fundamentally inaccurate report," the two groups said in a letter mailed this week to about 1,500 daily newspaper editors.
"That lack of accuracy undermines our journalistic credibility," the letter continued.
About 50 newspapers already have agreed to participate, along with the 47 domestic news bureaus of The Associated Press, said ASNE Executive Director Scott Bosley.
Participating newspapers are asked to sign up by April 15 and return a form describing the discussion and results by May 28. Results of the surveys will be presented during Unity 99, a minority journalists' conference, in Seattle in July.
Bosley said ethnic diversity has increased from about 4 percent of newsroom employees 20 years ago to about 11 percent today.
"We're nowhere near where we need to be," Bosley said Monday.
ASNE set a goal in 1978 to make minority representation in newsrooms equal to that in the population by 2000. That would be about 25 percent.
APME President Pam Johnson, executive editor of The Arizona Republic, said the campaign is part of the wider Newsroom Diversity Project 2000, in which the two organizations will work with publishers, minorities, foundations, educators and others.
"Our commitment ... shows our determinedness to serve our readers in the communities even better," Ms. Johnson said.