Corporate Culture, Minority Hiring, and Newspaper Coverage of Affirmative Action

Interviewing the Interviewers: Journalistic Norms and Racial Diversity in the Newsroom

“…To be branded as an advocate would likely open minority journalists to attack and ensure that their careers would be damaged or ended. This also suggests that minority journalists may avoid covering minority issues, such as stories about Black History Month or pro-immigration rallies, because they need to cover stories that will enhance their careers rather than restrict them (Ankney & Procopio, 2003). Our interviews reveal that some minority journalists truly buy into norms, whereas others craft their work from a rational perspective of selfpreservation.…”

“…Based on minority journalists' perceptions, we can infer that mainstream norms constrain minority journalists so that they are limited in their ability to enhance the news reports on minorities, lending further evidence to assertions that a diverse newsroom does not always result in better or more coverage of minorities (Adams & Cleary, 2006;Ankney & Procopio, 2003;Steele, 1994). Moreover, these findings imply that there is an ''illusion of inclusion'' in the mainstream newsroom (Wilson, 1991).…”

“…On the business side, a diverse newsroom might favorably influence the newspapers' reputation, resulting in increased circulation (Voakes, Kapfer, Kurpius, & Chern, 1996). Owners interested in the profit margin are well aware that they must cover minority issues to attract minority readers (Ankney & Procopio, 2003;Brislin & Williams, 1996;Gross, Curtin, & Cameron, 2001). Furthermore, Byerly and Warren (1996) demonstrated that minority journalists can become politicized by events (such as the L.A. riots) and actively challenge the constraints of traditional news norms.…”

“…Steele's (1994) study of newspaper ownership structure finds that more minorities in the newsroom resulted in fewer words published on tolerance. Similarly, hiring minority staff does not influence the number of stories covering affirmative action (Ankney & Procopio, 2003). Moreover, readership is not likely to improve at newspapers with a more diverse staff.…”

African American Women in the Newsroom: Encoding Resistance

“…Gannett, Knight Ridder) and membership organizations (e.g., American Society of News Editors; Society of Professional Journalists) professing diversity to be a priority (Ankney & Procopio, 2003;Rivas-Rodriguez, et al, 2004), minorities and women remain significantly underrepresented within the industry (Beam & Di Cicco, 2010;Drew, 2011;Rivas-Rodriguez et al, 2004). Data from the American Society of Newsroom Editors (2013) show that the percentage of minorities in the newsroom reached a high of 13.73% in 2006 and has since declined to 12.37%, although minorities comprise 37.02% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013).…”