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Non-white sources are underrepresented in news coverage. Although not a well studied issue, as many of the reports on diversity in media focus on newsrooms, but when tracked the problem emerges.
When NPR began monitoring the diversity of its sources in 2013, it found that 77% of them were white. Since calling attention to the problem, NPR has increased their non-white sources to 39% in the most recent report from 2021, still short of the 43% of the country that identifies as a person of color.
Today, even as the internet has made finding sources for journalists significantly easier, in the U.S. they remain predominantly white. Algorithms are partly to blame as they push journalists toward people that have already been quoted on different topics, but so too is journalists’ habit of returning to sources they already know, again and again. In my career as a journalist, a guest booker for TV news, and as an events producer, I’ve been guilty of this pattern myself.
When the media covers marginalized communities but fails to include members of those communities in their reporting, trust in media falls, according to a 2023 Pew Research survey on Black Americans’ experiences with the news. More than half of respondents cited the inclusion of more Black sources as a way to make reporting on Black people more fair.
Journalists should actively reach out to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) sources when reporting on their communities. They should seek out BIPOC sources when covering topics beyond race, too.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to diversify sources: for nearly every field of expertise there’s a professional association – a group designed to network, lobby, educate and inform about the profession.
In many cases, there exist smaller professional associations specifically for BIPOC professionals. The executive boards of these associations are composed of BIPOC experts, and they also often host conventions, symposiums, and other events that bring together experts in their respective fields. As an added bonus, many of these associations have dedicated media contacts as well.
Reaching out to these associations can help journalists diversify the sources they interview. Here are a few to consider in fields commonly covered by journalists:
Health and health care
Doctors have a number of professional organizations to reach out to, including the well-known and oft-quoted American Medical Association. But why not reach out to the National Medical Association (NMA), too?
NMA, a “collective voice of African American physicians and the leading force for parity and justice in medicine and the elimination of disparities in health,” offers an opportunity to contact Black sources in the medical field. Like most health organizations, NMA publishes news releases on major health issues, and media contact information can be found in them.
The Association of American Indian Physicians, the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians and the National Hispanic Medical Association all share similar missions for their respective communities. These organizations have a robust social media presence, where they highlight key voices on relevant topics that are frequently left out of the conversation.
Others in the health field to consider reaching out to include the Association of Black Women Physicians, the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society, and the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons.
Business
When covering business, finding a diversity of sources, especially at the C-suite level, can be challenging due to a lack of executives from underrepresented communities. A 2023 Harvard study found that, of the top 100 companies in the S&P 500, only 23% of C-suite executives identified as Asian, Black or Hispanic/Latino. Similarly, of the top 50 companies in the Fortune 500, only seven CEOs were non-white as of August 2023.
Organizations like the Executive Leadership Council, which is working to increase the number of successful Black executives, can help reporters find BIPOC experts in the business community.
The majority of businesses in the U.S. are not publicly traded companies that would appear on the S&P 500 or Fortune 500 lists. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce represents over 3 million businesses nationwide (including many on the S&P 500), yet a study conducted by Public Citizen found that nearly 50% of its funding comes from 46 donors. This has resulted in Chamber policy positions that advocate more for larger legacy businesses, at times to the detriment of small businesses.
For journalists reporting on smaller entities, reaching out to organizations like U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce or the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce could prove more productive. I’d recommend looking at their boards of directors or advisory councils for industry leaders to contact through their respective businesses.
This can be especially helpful when looking for more niche or local sources. For a story about construction, the National Hispanic Construction Association can lead to websites and contact information for regional chapters. For real estate issues, the Asian Real Estate Association of America represents Asian Americans working in the industry, and produces reports and white papers that analyze how the industry impacts their communities, which can lead to direct sources. The Association of African American Financial Advisors lists their board members along with their titles and companies. Reporters can use this information to reach out to businesses like CitiBank and JP Morgan directly with a name in mind.
Science and technology
The STEM workforce, which has been historically white and male-dominated, is gradually diversifying, according to the National Science Foundation. There are plenty of BIPOC associations with experts available.
With a wide range of programs for young, collegiate and professional scientists, the National Society of Black Engineers can guide you to sources on a wide range of topics. Keep an eye on its annual conference, which has an impressive speaker list to pull from.
The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science also offers information on their site about their upcoming and past conferences. This can be an excellent resource to track down Hispanic and Native American sources in STEM.
Education
Although student populations are significantly more diverse, teaching is still dominated by white, non-Hispanic educators – at nearly 80% in public schools. Reporting that doesn’t include marginalized voices leaves a major facet of education policy and achievement out of the conversation, for example, how stress and trauma can especially impact Black students’ schooling.
Organizations like the National Alliance of Black School Educators and Latinos for Education are working to address this disparity in elementary and secondary education. In higher education, the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education and the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education are both striving to increase the number of BIPOC professors at colleges and universities.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of organizations. It is a place to start when considering how to diversify sources while reporting stories, or booking news segments or events. By doing so, journalists can go beyond the obvious sources to dig deeper and find experts that can provide broader, more inclusive perspectives on the issues at hand.
Photo by Christina Morillo via Pexels.
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