WRITING
Black Journalism Matters. So, Why Do Only a Few Get Opportunities?
The industry has failed to provide equitable opportunities
In America, only a handful of Black journalists write for newspapers, magazines, and broadcasts. As a result, Black voices and perspectives are often suppressed from reaching wider audiences. The Pew Research Center suggested only six percent of American journalists are Black, illustrating the industry's failure to provide Black journalists with equal opportunities. And while some hiring managers are racist and hold unjustifiably negative views of Black journalists, it's important to note that people don't have to be racist to perpetuate the racial hierarchy. After all, racism is already backed into our American pie, so all hiring managers have to do is maintain the status quo for White journalists to continue receiving the most available opportunities. The shortage of Black journalists persists for several reasons.
Like any industry, American journalism consists of a network of people, in this case, working for various newspapers, magazines, and broadcast companies. However, this network is not innocuous or race-neutral; it consists mainly of White people, many of whom attended prestigious universities and are familiar, on some level, with their colleagues. By accepting…
