Affirmative Action Needed in Media As Well
During my 40 years in journalism I was skeptical about the need to make sure we had blacks and other minorities as colleagues.
I thought we would do right by them, and affirmative action would mean a more talented white might lose a job to a black.
Women was a separate issue. There was no doubt that issues that affected them would be disregarded if they were not present. And of course they had plenty to say on issues that did not directly affect them.
Now, the killings of blacks in Florida, Mississippi, California and New York (I hope I haven't missed something) made it clear we do need minorities. How will we ever know if these deaths have been investigated properly?
The media, just like juries, should be made up of your peers. There is rarely any question of white suspects having to worry about that.
The media often has to be pushed to fully investigate hate crimes. Journalistic rules are invoked to minimize these events. The media even will hold off saying what is obvious.
Some recent stories about blacks being killed don’t even mention their race, merely saying it was being investigated as a hate crime.
Along with this, there is a disturbing sign that police are being called in to control social protests. The Occupy movement is an example.
They have more in common with these protesters than they might think. I fear they are losing touch with communities.
I saw this happen in South Africa. Ultimately, these issues likely will be settled, but will the police, and the media, have burned their bridges?
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