Press Release

NAHJ Disappointed with Decline in Percentage of Journalists of Color in U.S. Newsrooms

Washington, D.C. - The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is once again disappointed by the lack of progress made toward achieving diversity in the nation’s newsrooms.

As pointed out in the 2007 newsroom census released March 27 by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), minority representation in newsrooms slipped by 0.25 percent, to 13.62 percent. The percentage of Latino journalists dropped from 4.51 percent to 4.41 percent.

“Our industry is in the midst of rapid change, but one thing remains the same,” said NAHJ President Rafael Olmeda. “Latinos continue to be severely underrepresented in the newsroom workforce. We are asked to adapt to changes in the industry, learn new skills and think differently about the way newspapers deliver the news to readers. Is it too much to ask the industry to adapt to changes in the U.S. population, changes that make newsroom diversity more necessary than ever?”

This year, for the first time, ASNE’s census included journalists working full-time online, an addition that makes it appear in the survey that newsrooms added nearly 2,000 jobs. Including online journalists helped the numbers for minorities, who make up 16 percent of that sector, according to the survey. Without including online journalists, the picture for minority hiring and retention is even more bleak.

Minorities also make up 10.9 percent of newsroom supervisors, another decline from last year.

Through the Parity Project, NAHJ has proven that news organizations that commit to increasing Latino representation can succeed. The project has not only improved numbers; it has improved coverage of the Latino community and relationships between news organizations and their readers. To date, 150 Latinos have been hired at 25 Parity Project partners.

When ASNE committed in 1978 to achieving parity in the nation’s newsrooms by 2000, the intention may have been noble, but ASNE President David Zeeck referred to it Tuesday as a “hot check” because the association did not have the ability to deliver. Today, the industry strives to reach that goal by 2025, but it is clear to NAHJ that it will be impossible for news organizations to achieve parity at the current rate. The population of the United States is increasingly non-white, while the population of newsrooms just took a step in the other direction.

NAHJ believes it is time for diversity to cease being a slogan or a “value.” It’s time for diversity to be an unqualified commitment at all levels, from coverage to hiring to upper management.

NAHJ encourages media organizations to work with our association and other partners in Unity: Journalists of Color to play an active role in increasing representation in our newsrooms. The Parity Project, in addition to being a strong program, should be a model to the entire industry of how commitment backed by action can change a newsroom.