Colleen on Careers

Swimming laps is my daily exercise. I appreciate the opportunity to swim outdoors year-round, and I prefer to do it alone, uninterrupted by splashing and distractions of pool play.

Halfway through my laps the other day, a dad and his two kids dove in. My initial reaction was quiet disappointment. The kids jumped and splashed and had no sense of their place in the pool.

But they were simply unaware of how their gallivanting affected me. Once their father laid down some rules, their youthful exuberance and my adult solitude were able to share the pool's dimensions. The children reminded me of my youth and brought a greater appreciation for that swim, and much greater joy than swimming alone.

VALUING DIVERSITY

This is part of an occasional series on diversity in journalism. We invite all job seekers to use the Poynter Career Center, and we work with employers to help them promote the value of diversity in their organizations. Good journalism and smart business depend on it. For more information on these columns, e-mail Colleen at ceddy@poynter.org or call her at 727-456-2331. Background on Poynter Career Center Sign up to receive Colleen on Careers by e-mail.

That is the gift of diversity: It shows the value of different perspectives and talents. I have seen this throughout my career in media. Hiring people of different ethnicity, experience, orientation and culture not only has improved my organizations, it has enriched my own life as well.

I am continually reminded of the importance of diversity in journalism when dealing with job seekers and employers at the Career Center. So many of the challenges in today's industry are rooted our in our ability to be relevant to our audience. When our employees represent our communities, we have a better chance of being relevant and preserving our business.

Yet I see diversity taking a back seat to other priorities. Many of my colleagues who support diversity in journalism have told me that budget cuts and layoffs have eliminated people of color and programs to recruit them. The incentives to keep those employees are disappearing -- opportunities for promotion and training, input regarding what issues are covered and funding for internships. As our diversity evaporates, so does our relevance to our communities.

Roy Peter Clark reminded us in a July column called "When Media Leaders Paint the Big Lie" to "think for a moment of how many journalists' expectations of what a good career should look like have crashed into a wall of diminishing resources and technological change."

That wall is present for journalists of all colors, but it looms larger for minorities. For instance, starting pay is low for everyone in the industry, but minorities generally have less financial support to get them through the lean first years.

I learned more about this when I reached out to a group of 12 students who called themselves the "Crazy Brown People" when they attended our summer program for visual journalists in 2000. Half of the eight people I contacted were no longer in journalism, and money was a big reason why.

Here is what a couple of them had to say about diversity:

• "Approach the meaning of diversity not so much in terms of race but of ideology or mindset. You could have a room full of individuals of different races but all come from the same economic, religious, political background and you’ll still end up with a very homogeneous group."
• "Talk about diversity within the scope of a global community. Stress the importance of bringing together people of different cultural backgrounds to have a dialogue in order to forge understanding. It's becoming such a small world because of travel and communication that if we continue to be an insular society, no matter how integrated we are racially, we will still end up isolated and in oblivion."

Bob Giles wrote about the benefits of diversity in "To Whom It May Concern," a project of the American Society of Newspaper Editors:


The industry should prioritize diversity not in spite of economic difficulties, but because of them. In these challenging times, are we losing more than money? Are we measuring success only in terms of dollars and forgetting how a diverse workforce helps us do better journalism?

As you work to recruit and retain the best employees, consider the two approaches Giles recommends:

• "Build awareness of the differences journalists (and business professionals) of color represent, and work smartly with those differences."
• "Build a culture of accountability for the performance of white editors and managers in managing diversity."

I will continue to address this issue in future columns, but I want your input. Give me examples of your success in recruiting and retaining minorities. How did you benefit and what obstacles did you face?

Next week: Treat potential employers like sources.