In a world where news stories shape our opinions, decisions, and perspectives on society, it’s crucial that the editorial team selecting and researching that news is diverse. A diverse team of journalists, reporters, and editors with different gender, cultural, and religious backgrounds increases the likelihood of the news being diverse as well.
When everyone at the table has a similar background, blind spots and one-sided stories arise. But if there’s someone from a minority group, they’ll ask different questions than someone with the so-called ‘white privilege’. And a man views some topics differently than a woman. There are many other differences between people that together create balance.
As a medium, especially a public broadcasting medium, you represent an entire society of differences. The news must be there for everyone. And of course it’s normal you don’t feel represented in every article. But we all need to feel represented regularly.
But a newsroom unfortunately doesn’t become diverse overnight. And resistance can also arise during the process. That’s why it’s important to actively involve people in the process. This applies to all organizations where diversity and inclusion are on the agenda. In this article, I’ll tell you more about the impact of a non-diverse team on output. Finally, I’ll tell you more about my workshop that helps editorial teams (and other organizations) embrace diversity in the workplace.
The impact of a non-diverse editorial team
An editorial team without diversity often lacks the right perspectives to broadly address issues. I’m not naive: I know that you can’t cover a story from all sides; it then becomes a kind of thesis or encyclopedia. It’s more about not always taking the same dominant perspective, but rather varying the perspectives. It’s about embracing the backgrounds of your colleagues and talking about what questions they would ask about a particular topic. Lacking this opportunity to discuss can lead to:
• Distorted worldview
Topics like poverty, migration, or healthcare become too narrowly focused when only white, highly educated journalists write about them. Why do we give the microphone to wealthy top politicians to share solutions for poverty, and not (often) to the people who deal with poverty every day?
• Stereotyping
Perceptions of certain groups stay clichés from the majority if those minority groups don’t get the chance to contribute to the articles themselves. This co-creation, in particular, is still in its infancy in journalism, but I already occasionally see some excellent examples in research conducted not on, but with, the target group, such as in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, in the Afrikaanderwijk neighborhood and at Erasmus University.
• Not enough checking in with people
Topics that affect minority groups or other cultures are rarely addressed because journalists don’t have them on their radar. Greater diversity and inclusivity in newsrooms provides a much broader view of what’s happening in society and better connections to minority groups.
• Inadequate verification
Reputable sources and networks are preferred because we trust them, while alternative perspectives remain out of sight because they don’t have the same ‘trusted’ status. But well-known sources can also (accidentally) share untruths, and untrusted sources can share important truths. It’s important to continue to approach everyone objectively and with the same curiosity.
Benefits of diverse editorial teams
When you bring together journalists with diverse backgrounds and experiences, you see immediate results in the quality of the news:
• Broader perspective
Editors with different cultural, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds bring unique perspectives. I also always find it fantastic when someone goes into journalism after studying something different. Think, for example, of people with a science or beta background.
• Better and diverser network of sources
Diverse editorial teams build a more diverse network of local contacts, experienced professionals, and experts.
• Greater readert trust
When you present stories that do justice to people’s lived experiences, people are more likely to identify with the stories and feel that the medium represents them, which strengthens the credibility of the news and the publication. Trust in the media has been declining for years, which is worrying in the age of fake news and AI.
• Innovative stories
Diverse life experiences lead to surprising reports and in-depth analyses that might otherwise never have been initiated.
Workshop: Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
I believe that people only fully embrace diversity when they see the impact the lack of diversity has on their work output and then start to feel the urgency. When they learn to see their blind spots. And that doesn’t just happen in your comfortable bubble. You need others who can point out those blind spots. That’s what happened to me in my work. Even though I wanted to represent everyone well, I also needed many conversations with minorities to understand my own blind spots. I can now share those lessons learned, along with my background in intercultural communication.
To raise awareness among editorial teams about these challenges and offer concrete guidance, I’m give the workshop ‘Diversity and inclusion in the editorial team’.
In an interactive session, teams learn:
• What is diversity and inclusion to you? Do you feel like a minority yourself?
• Recognize unconscious biases through practical cases and role-playing.
• Develop editorial guidelines to prevent stereotypes and unbalanced reporting.
• Reviewing hiring policies: what is already being done to promote greater diversity in the workplace?
• Expanding networks with new resources and community partners.
The workshop is customized, seamlessly aligned with your editorial situation, and lasts 3 hours. We’ll engage in discussions and examine many practical situations to keep things concrete. After this workshop, you and your colleagues will be more aware of the importance of diversity and inclusion and know how to approach topics from unexpected perspectives in your daily work.
This workshop can also be booked for non-journalistic organizations. In that case, a consultation will take place to discuss the current situation. I can also help you build better mutual understanding in teams that are becoming more diverse and need to adjust to each other.
Ready to embrace diversity?
Do you want to prepare your editorial team for more inclusive news and better stories?
Contact me today for the ‘Diversity and inclusion in the workplace’ workshop. Send an email to info@bridgetj.nl or call 0(031)643863279. Together, we’ll build a society where everyone feels heard.