I guess someone selling homes can do whatever he or she wishes, whatever message it may wind up sending. But one of the best lessons I learned in the news biz is making the Maynard Institute's Fault Lines part of our daily and longer-term routines. Now it's part of what I push as I work in a reporting lab full of students.
To me, seeking diversity (and not just racial diversity) flows from the chief ethical guideline of journalists: to seek the truth and report it. Casting a wider net and asking whether news coverage is perpetuating stereotypes are two ways to work toward diversity.
Sharon Bramlett-Solomon, who will lead our discussion on diversity and the news media, is an ace on the subject. There are special challenges in seeking diversity in high school news coverage, and she's going to focus on that.
Here's a helpful SPJ column on the Fault Lines. If that doesn't work, this "Anchorman" clip, assuming your school doesn't block YouTube and assuming the content doesn't get you fired, can be a fun way to start the discussion.
Steve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix
I notice disparities in representation all the time especially in advertisements, and it always bugs me--especially when young women are used to "sell" things--because they not only provide an inaccurate stereotype of the consumers of that product (all types of people eat yogurt) by representing the product with a reductive character, but also because those casting choices objectify women by using their bodies as selling points.
ReplyDeleteCarver Weakley
Cosby High School
Midlothian, Virginia
Absolutely, Carver. One thing I've fought in news coverage is the tendency to go where a reporter is most comfortable when it comes to gauging public reaction to a news event such as the State of the Union. I've caught many student and professional reporters heading to a suburban mall and wound up redirecting them after a conversation about how we could add diverse voices in terms of age, gender, socioeconomic status, race and more.
ReplyDeleteSteve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix
The idea of diversity is something that I'm constantly thinking about because of the narrow demographics at my high school. The general student body is white, affluent, and of the same dominant religion. I get so frustrated when my students assume everyone is like them and discount what they could be learning from those who are different.
ReplyDeleteMy students also got slammed for a recent section of our newspaper that someone thought was stereotypical and badly done. How do I help my students get away from stereotypes and be fair in what they write, especially with our limited demographics?
Emily Sell
Bingham High School
South Jordan, Utah
Diversity is so important for students, people, to grasp. As the video clip demonstrates, some people think they know what it is, but it can be hard to define. It is more than a word - it's an experience.
ReplyDeleteGoing over demographics and what a target audience is helps journalism students to see who is being missed when pieces are produced.
It makes them, also, reflect on why they are producing something and think about what else they should be doing to catch the rest of the audience.
I found that knowing demographics, beyond just ethnicity, can help to shape a student's outlook on what diversity really means.
Lisa Cass
Independence
Glendale, Arizona
Emily Sue, I too think about diversity but the demographics are very different in my inner city school from what you describe. We have students with skin color every shade of brown, they are all economically challenged, and most speak English as a second language.While they recognize that their school has diversity, they do not recognize the term "minority". Because to them, I am a minority (a white woman). The issue they speak of most often is how the student body stays closest to those most like them-and they define that on many levels-background, language, food preference. Some of my seniors looked into whether or not they would be the only ______ on a college campus however.
ReplyDeleteAnn Neary
DeWitt Clinton High School
Bronx, NY