This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
Soledad O'Brien, host of 'Matter of Fact With Soledad O'Brien' and chief executive of Soledad O'Brien Productions, recently spoke out about the racism faced by journalists of color in the industry.
According to a 1995 two-part series by James Ledbetter, titled 'The Unbearable Whiteness of Publishing,' nothing has changed in the past 25 years. The series was recently republished by The Village Voice without an update, highlighting the ongoing issue.
However, there is better news in television newsrooms, where a 2019 study found that people of color made up 25.9 percent of staff. While this is an improvement, the study noted that the population of people of color in the U.S. has risen 12.8 points in the last 29 years, while in TV news it is up just 8.1 points.
As a result, journalists of color are speaking out and refusing to be marginalized. They are demanding a voice and an end to the racism and inequities that have plagued the industry for decades.
As O'Brien stated, 'This is a moment, propelled by the outrage over brutal policing and so many other flagrant inequities, when Black and brown reporters won’t await your awakening.' The time for change is now, and it's time for the industry to take action.
It's been 52 years since the Kerner Commission declared that the press has too long basked in a white world, looking out of it with white men's eyes and a white perspective. It's time for that to change.
