Are local news organizations getting the message?
by Attica Scott
Zero people of color as local evening television news anchors. Zero people of color on the editorial staffs of either of our local print media. One person of color doing radio news. Hmm...That lack of diversity says a lot to me.
I'm coming to the realization that maybe I expect too much from our community. When I started writing this column two years ago, I was sure that you all would prove to me that what I saw as racism was nothing more than miscommunication, differences of opinion, or overreactions. Or maybe you would have proven to me that people of color need to just pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
Of course, people of color are responsible for their actions and decisions. And like whites, we must work hard and take advantage of the benefits that our systems and institutions provide. But unlike white people, you will not find people of color in positions of power in most of the major institutions in our society.
Those institutions are many, including educational, governmental, political, and media. Media. I've been grappling with this issue of media as a system or institution for years, especially while pursuing a graduate degree in communications. It was brought back into my consciousness recently while watching the gubernatorial debates on one of our local television news stations.
While I appreciate the opportunity to watch some of the gubernatorial candidates speak their platforms, I am dismayed that the moderator and panelists were all white. It is also disappointing to me that not one organization that actively works with people of color was contacted to assist with this effort.
Yes, some of you are asking, "Well, what about the fact that all of the candidates are white?" Hear, hear. That's something to be addressed in a column all by itself.
The lack of diversity in our local news media is not new. I've had some conversations with a few folks in media about this issue. This topic often elicits the most hostility from local media. And the least action.
And while I do write this column for Metro Pulse, I am not on the editorial board and am not a decision maker. So get that notion out of your head that one Latina TV reporter or one black newspaper reporter is truly representative of where our local media could and should be.
But back to the gubernatorial debates. This was an opportunity for our local news media to get assistance from a local organization of color involved with the political process, i.e., registering people to vote, transporting them to the polls, holding candidate forums, addressing tough issues and holding elected officials accountable by maintaining legislative report cards. That organization is the Knoxville Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Unfortunately, the olive branch was not even extended.
Then there is the blatant absence of a person of color on the media panel. As I ponder how we can build a diverse and welcoming community, it is clear that our local media have a role to play in this effort. Which means that if the television news anchors and reporters are some of the faces that people see when they are introduced to East Tennessee, then those faces must reflect the people that make up this place.
So why name this issue a media malaise? Because this lack of diversity in local news is discomforting to people like me who jump for joy when we see a new face of color on local news—whom we hope and pray will last at least 18 months. Because it should be discomforting to all of our broadcast and print media who claim to be our voice, our light, our heart, or on our side, but fail to engage us.
I acknowledge the progress that has been made in many areas, including the media, but there is more work to be done. The media deliver the news, but they also deliver implicit messages about the values in our community. So I ask you: "What is the message that you are receiving?"
July 4, 2002 * Vol. 12, No. 27
© 2002 Metro Pulse
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