Washington, D.C — The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is disappointed and frustrated with the news that the number of minority journalists has declined, as reported today by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE).

According to the 2001 ASNE newsroom employment census, the number of journalists of color has declined for the first time since ASNE began tracking daily newsroom staffing levels 23 years ago. NABJ is particularly disheartened to hear that the number of African American journalists has declined from 5.31 percent in 2000 to 5.23 percent in 2001.

"We're going in the wrong direction. Our nation is becoming increasingly diverse and our nation's newspapers are becoming less diverse. Is that any way to truly represent our communities in an accurate, balanced and fair way?" asked NABJ President William W. Sutton Jr. "I simply don't understand why so many top editors are so willing to mouth the right words but go into their offices and do the same things. If this were an advertising, circulation or a general revenue problem, I'm sure more people would be paying attention and there would be more positive results.

The total number of journalists of color dropped from 6,665 to 6,563 because so many journalists of color left the profession and the retention rate took a hard hit, dropping from 96 percent last year to 90 percent this year.

Sutton noted that there are several programs through newspaper and media companies and non-profit foundations and organizations that work to reverse these trends. But few of those efforts are in partnership with NABJ or other journalism organizations of color in any significant way. "We need creative programs, mold-breaking moves and editors, publishers and others who are gutsy enough to say that they'll spend a concentrated period of time with NABJ and other groups to put words into action with the help of those who can make the cultural connections," said Sutton.

While NABJ is pleased to see that 19 percent of all journalists of color are supervisors, the percentage hasn't changed since last year and journalists of color account for only nine percent of all newsroom supervisors.

"People of color have to be better represented at all levels in the newsrooms," said Sutton, deputy managing editor at The News and Observer in Raleigh, N.C., a McClatchy newspaper. "Newspaper executives are failing to show how important it is to diversify the specialty areas. Hiring African Americans and other journalists of color as copy editors, designers, infographic artists and photojournalists is something that will truly make a difference in how we reflect our communities.

"But how many newspapers have more than one or two in any of these categories?" asked Sutton. "Not many. And how many internships go to students of color in these categories each summer? Not many."

The ASNE census reports that more full-time professional journalists of color were hired in 2000 than in any of the past 10 years, yet the number of journalists of color fell from 11.85 percent to 11.64 percent. Nearly 600 minority journalists were hired in 2000, but by year's end, 698 minority journalists had left their newspaper jobs.

"This trend cannot be tolerated, Sutton said. We cannot be concerned only about recruitment. Part of retaining black journalists is promoting black journalists and having black role models for young black journalists to look up to. Part of retaining black journalists is having editors who are respectful, sensitive and anxious to work with people unlike themselves as a part of creating a richer newsroom environment."

As a result of these declining numbers, ASNE President Rich Oppel has called for "vigorous attention on all fronts, particularly retention."

"NABJ is committed to working within our organization, with the other three associations of journalists of color and with ASNE in putting together an action plan to reverse this trend," said Sutton, who supervises artists, copy editors, designers and photojournalists. "Retention of African American journalists and other journalists of color has to become a priority now, not years from now, to adequately reflect our nation's ethnicity. Its a matter of journalistic integrity."

Sutton will be one of the panel members at a Thursday ASNE plenary discussion about retention. It will be at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C. He plans to communicate some of the deep concerns shared by the organization's members and others as well as some possible solutions at that time.