2010 NABJ Print Census

2010 NABJ Print Census of Newsroom Managers

The National Association of Black Journalists’ census of top managers in print newsrooms was last completed in 2004. The NABJ Print Task Force, concerned about the layoffs in the industry during the six years since, decided earlier this year to undertake and to update the study under the direction of the Vice President-Print.

The information below is as of September 2010. The census found that there are few black journalists in the middle-management ranks who are being groomed for top jobs because of the recent exodus of journalists of color as documented by NABJ’s studies and the annual report by the American Society of News Editors. This is an area of growing concern for the future of our organization as we become an increasingly diverse nation and coverage of communities of color remains a primary goal for NABJ.

2010 NABJ Print Census
(updated, Nov. 11, 2010)

HIGHLIGHTS

There are more top editors, but the publisher and managing editor ranks are down from 2004, the last time a count was done on African-American print executives in the newspaper industry.

There are 18 blacks heading newsrooms around the country, up from 13. Some of those joining the top ranks were Hollis Towns in Asbury Park, N.J., Robin Washington in Duluth, Africa Price in Shreveport, La., Mark Russell in Orlando, Glenn Proctor in Richmond, Va., and Martin Reynolds in Oakland, Calif.

The most significant drop came at managing editor. There are 10 MEs nationally; there were 17 in 2004. There are nine publishers; there were 14 in 2004.

There are one-two punches (African-American editor-managing editor) in three cities: Oakland, Shreveport and Jackson, Miss.
 
Publishers
2004: 14
2010: 9
 
Editors
2004: 13
2010: 18
 
Managing editors:
2004: 17
2010: 9