Photography department with Michael Chritton, photographer

Listening to the other experts

I’ve spent my adult life in newsrooms. I know them pretty well. At least I thought I did. They’ve changed since I took my first anxious breaths in one more two decades ago. The changes have come fast and furious, and I have experienced them as a part of a team trying to find how we would continue to be a profitable and relevant news organization.

In the face of these changes, the importance of racial and ethnic diversity seemingly became unimportant; my own value as a minority was subjugated

by me, by my bosses, by the new environment. That wasn’t always the case. In fact, I think my minority status was one of the things that moved my resume to the “second look” pile during the push for more diversity in media. The need to understand the new environment’s impact on minorities in the “new” newsrooms and eventually its potential impact on audiences drove me to find minority journalists working in today’s newsrooms and listen to their voices.

The interviews

One of those voices was Mike Cardew, a photographer and photo editor. See some of his interview below.

The voices of  newsroom experts, so far, have been powerful and telling. With three interviews under my belt, I’ve heard some personal stories of change. These experts — ranging from 2 years to 25 years of work experience, were all aware of a new environment for newsroom diversity and the effect it is having on minorities.  In exploring these stories I found two big themes resonating within them: diversity is needed in top management (a seat at the table) and age diversity is a top concern in the digital age.

More research and interviews are slated. Come back and hear more the changing landscape for minorities and the changing culture of the traditional newsroom.