New institutions by Black journalists are crucial to the industry’s ethical reckoning
By DAYSHA LOPPIE
Black journalist Nana aba Duncan said that for change to happen, journalists need to work from a place of courage instead of fear. This sentiment rings true especially considering that while reform of the journalism industry is underway, much more radical change is needed. In fact, it is integral to the future of journalism that Black journalists create their own institutions.
Although the improvement of the industry’s practices often happens within newsrooms, a lack of diversity is impacting progress. An article by Asmaa Malik and Sonya Fatah highlights how organizations in Canada have ‘failed’ to be representative of the country’s growing diversity in both content and staffing through a study they conducted over twenty-one years.
The study found that, despite a decline in the proportion of white people in Canada’s population, the number of white columnists in the opinions/editorials section increased (Malik & Fatah, 2020). They found that there were only three Black male journalists in all the op-ed sections and no Black women (Malik & Fatah, 2020).
This is concerning for several reasons. Firstly, the lack of diversity in the newsroom will be reflected in its content. If there are very few to no Black journalists in Canadian newsrooms, stories important to our community may be overlooked or potentially distorted. Furthermore, as racialized people with a unique history of being oppressed, Black journalists are the driving force behind pertinent conversations about race and ethics in the industry. Regardless, more Black journalists need to be in newsrooms.
The findings of a case study by Sue Robinson and Kathleen Culver highlighted a need for Black reporters. It was conducted over five years in Madison, Wisconsin, a city ranked one of the worst with racial disparities (Robinson & Culver, 2016). They found that white reporters followed traditional media routines; they used their existing networks instead of finding new sources (Robinson & Culver, 2016). They also separated themselves from the communities they were to report on (Robinson & Culver, 2016).
Racialized community leaders that were interviewed said that reporters needed to build trust and long-term relationships with the communities they were covering. Citizens expressed feeling apathy towards news that didn’t represent them and the issues that they were impacted by (Robinson & Culver, 2016). Community leaders suggested that news organizations should hire more Black journalists who would represent their community and tell their stories appropriately (Robinson & Culver, 2016). Without Black reporters, community leaders said trust would remain non-existent and racial disparity would be perpetuated (Robinson & Culver, 2016).
The work done by Malik, Fatah and Robinsons clearly demonstrates the need for Black reporters in the newsrooms. The industry must take accountability and action to evolve; first, by revealing how many Black people are in the newsroom and then, by hiring more.
However, it is even more important that Black journalists create space for themselves outside of traditional newsrooms. A lack of diversity in the newsroom could mean hiring more Black journalists to fulfil a quota, but once hired, those journalists may still face anti-Black racism. The Canadian journalism industry has not fully taken accountability for its role in oppression, nor has it addressed the truth that it is also afflicted with systemic racism.
Therefore, innovation instead of tradition is needed in journalism; new institutions being created by and for Black journalists should be supported. An example of such an establishment is The Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ), currently led by journalist Nadia Stewart.
In an interview with Emily Morantz, Stewart said she experienced anti-Black racism and exclusion as a young Black journalist. This led her to the CABJ, which she worked hard to revive. Stewart said the CABJ is crucial because it works to support and connect Black journalists who often feel isolated in an industry where they are a minority (Morantz, 2021).
This is a common reality for Black journalists and is aptly depicted by Kathleen Newman in her piece For Black Women in Media, A “Dream Job” is a Myth. She states, “For me, the dream has always been to change the system from within,but how you salvage a burning building when you’re trapped inside alone?”
In Morantz’s article, Stewart said she decided to focus the CABJ’s programming on elevating young Black journalists. This is significant because young Black journalists are challenging traditional reporting practices in terms of covering race, while also resisting anti-Black racism in the workplace. We are ultimately the pioneers of a cultural revolution in the journalism industry. Thus, support of Black journalists, especially from other Black journalists, is crucial.
It is important that Black journalists take up space inside the newsroom. But hiring more of us means little if within the industry we are still disregarded and undervalued. Therefore, it is even more important that new institutions created by and for Black journalists, such as the CABJ, are established and then supported by traditional media organizations. In this way, Black journalists will serve the communities we are supposed represent while propelling the industry forward into a revolutionary era of reporting.
REFERENCES
Malik, A., & Fatah, S. (2020). “Newsrooms not keeping up with changing demographics, study suggests.” The Conversation. Retrieved 1 October 2021, from https://theconversation.com/newsrooms-not-keeping-up-with-changing-demographics-study-suggests-125368.
Morantz, E. (2021). “Nadia Stewart is Creating Space for Black Journalists in Canada—Here’s
How.” Review of Journalism. Retrieved 1 October 2021, from https://reviewofjournalism.ca/nadia-stewart-is-creating-space-for-black-journalists-in-canada-heres-how/.
N. Duncan, JRN271, September 28, 2021.
Newman-Bremang, K. (2021). “For Black Women In Media, A “Dream Job” Is A Myth.” Refinery29.com. Retrieved 1 October 2020, from https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2020/07/9878117/systemic-racism-canadian-media.
Robinson, S., & Culver, K. (2016). “When White reporters cover race: News media, objectivity and community (dis)trust.” Journalism, 20(3), 375-391. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884916663599.
About the Author
Daysha Loppie (she/her) is a Toronto-born writer. From a young age, her passion for writing was apparent. In grade two, she used lined paper and folders to create her own books. Her passion blossomed in high school after briefly attending Etobicoke School of the Arts. She then moved to Bermuda where she wrote her first article on a local art exhibit. Now enrolled in Toronto Metropolitan University's undergraduate journalism program, she recently won the 2020/2021 Dell Bell Memorial Award and the Len Coates Memorial Award for most promising journalism student. Daysha is also a freelance journalist who has worked with organisations such as By Blacks, artsUNITE, and 1919 Mag. She is working towards one day running her own publication.
