|
|
Updated: Thursday, February 8, 2007
Published: Thursday, February 8, 2007 |
As U.S. Presidential Race Kicks Off, NABJ Calls on Media to Send Diverse Staffs on the Campaign Trail
Black journalists should be on the front of the campaign bus
WASHINGTON, D.C. January 29, 2007- With less than two years to go before America elects a new president, the early field of potential candidates is already proving to be the most diverse in the nation's history. But will those national journalists covering the campaign be as equally diverse?
Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Gov. Bill Richardson are examples of the diversity as they prove that blacks, women and Latinos are willing, able and ready to seek the highest office in the land.
Their candidacies will have a seismic impact on American politics, offering a remarkable journalistic opportunity to examine not only the usual discussion of domestic and foreign policy issues, but also the country's ongoing debate over race relations and gender equality.
Against that backdrop, the National Association of Black Journalists is calling on all major news organizations print, broadcast and online to assure that the diversity of America is reflected in their coverage teams.
Nearly one-third of Americans are people of color, said Bryan Monroe, NABJ President and vice president and editorial director of Ebony & Jet magazines in Chicago. It is finally time that the press corps covering the campaigns also looks like America.
According to a 2004 study conducted by Unity: Journalists of Color and the University of Maryland, only one in 10 writers, editors and bureau chiefs in the Washington daily newspaper press corps are journalists of color.
This campaign season is the perfect opportunity for media outlets to tap their veteran, energetic journalists particularly those black journalists and others of color and send them out to cover what may be one of the most historic campaigns in U.S. history. From Michael Fletcher of The Washington Post, to Byron Pitts of CBS News, to Suzanne Malveaux of CNN, there are already thousands of black journalists delivering first-class political coverage today.
Americas newsrooms include many stellar journalists of color who are eager to hit the presidential campaign trail, added Ernie Suggs, a reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and NABJ vice president/print. They bring unique perspectives to stories that have been overwhelmingly crafted by whites, and white men in particular. A diverse press corps would also seek out diverse sources and communities, as well as raise important issues relating to people of color, women and the poor.
NABJ is also sending letters to the heads of major news organizations, re-emphasizing this need to reflect the diversity of the nation in their elite campaign coverage teams.
We also stand ready to assist outlets as they search for the talent necessary to carry out these ideals. Through partnership, the coverage of the 2008 presidential election presents an opportunity for our industry to reach a new storytelling plateau. |
