Multicultural Reporting Resources

Multicultural Resources

Presented byBrett Atwood

Demographics

• Media staffs are becoming more diverse in response to criticisms of “white male” bias

• Many critics believe that there is an unintentional bias in the choice of words and angles used in the reporting of stories focusing on non-whites– Be careful of “white at the center” terminology

Hot Topics

• Multiculturism media critics argue:– Non-whites underrepresented– Non-whites are disproportionably mentioned in

negative context– Unfair comparisons are made between different

ethnic groups– Over-reliance on select group of ethnic

“spokespersons” to represent the entire ethnic group

Multicultural Coverage

• Diverse reporting needs to be consistent – Beyond “token” coverage of events, such as

“Black History Month,” etc.

• Sources should be diverse – even on stories that are not “diversity-related”

• Recognize that there is complex diversity within each respective culture

Online Resources

• Asian American Journalists Assn.• National Assn. of Black Journalists• Maynard Institute• National Assn. of Hispanic Journalists• National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Assn.• Native American Journalists Assn.

Online Resources

• There are resources to help you cover issues that involve disabilities

• The Center for an Accessible Society• Disability Resources on the Internet• Disability Data

Writing the Story

• Identify the ethnicity and/or disability only if it relevant to the story

• Be careful not to use “code words” with presumed negative meanings– Examples:– “ghetto”– “underprivileged”

Terminology

• Racial categorizations are often controversial and contested

• Here are some current guidelines:– American Indian/Native American or Alaska Native– Asian or Pacific Islander/Asian American– Black/African American– Hispanic/Latino– White