2009 Assessment of the Status of Diversity Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Programs

Abstract

This article assesses the status of diversity education in 2008–2009 in both accredited and non-accredited journalism and mass communication programs in U.S. colleges and universities. Using survey responses from 105 academic programs, findings support earlier studies that found the number of special courses on media diversity is increasing steadily. Findings also identify a preference for integrating diversity content across the curriculum. Among factors pushing these improvements are accreditation standards and an increasing multicultural environment.

Building a diverse curriculum: The role of diversity across communication coursework

“…Instructors, especially communication teachers, can use the totality of the communication curriculum to reinforce the need for students to be critical consumers of media and honorable producers of content. By focusing on diversity in these initiatives, instructors can help students understand the value of diverse perspectives (Ralph & Masudul, 2009).…”

Perceptions of Cultural Competence Among Students, Staff, and Faculty in a School of Journalism and Mass Communications

“…JMC studies investigating diversity and cultural competence matters have conceptualized these terms as “any teaching or research about race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, sexual orientation, age, social class, or multiculturalism in general” (Biswas & Izard, 2010, p. 379). Two additional categories were included in the present study to reflect how other disciplines have operationalized cultural competence: religion and political beliefs (Kumas-Tan, Beagan, Loppie, MacLeod, & Frank, 2007; Sue, 2001).…”

Social work and the media: A collaborative challenge

“…Concepts of community journalism, advocacy journalism, media-assisted prevention and social marketing, for example, all occupy places on a continuum of journalistic practices in the context of social responsibility. There are significant challenges in this field regarding the redefinition of journalism based on changes in technology (Claussen 2010;Strong 2012) and in reporting of diversity (Biswas & Izard 2010), and it is crucial to gain an understanding of this changing landscape in order to develop a useful picture of how social workers and journalists intersect in their work. It has already been put forward that social work as a profession should be more than usually engaged in media activities given its principles of social justice and commitment to social change/advocacy -activities which require an expertise in networking, communication skills and 'media consciousness' (Briar Lawson, et al 2011;Gelman & Tosone 2010;LaLiberte, et al 2011;Tower 2000).…”