New Rubric Aims to Boost Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Newsrooms
A new tool, a rubric, is set to help newsrooms evaluate and enhance their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. This comes as journalists of color share experiences of discrimination, and BIPOC communities express a lack of trust in journalists. The rubric aims to address systemic racism and underrepresentation in newsrooms, particularly at leadership levels.
The rubric will assess various factors, providing clear guidance and highlighting areas for improvement. It will help newsrooms understand and tackle systemic racism, which is often complex and misunderstood. Some newsrooms, like the Philadelphia Inquirer and WHYY, have acknowledged issues and sought research, but many lack resources or understanding to do so.
Scholars have studied how systemic racist practices in media lead to stereotypical coverage of BIPOC communities and poor relationships with them. The rubric is designed to improve workplaces and the industry at large, including newsrooms' poor record in engaging audiences of color. A study detailing its use is planned for publication.
The rubric is a step towards addressing the lack of diversity and inclusion in newsrooms, particularly at leadership levels. It will help newsrooms understand and tackle systemic racism, improve relationships with BIPOC communities, and engage audiences of color more effectively. The upcoming study will provide insights into its effectiveness in assessing and enhancing newsrooms and news ecosystems.
