Journalism goes beyond reporting facts and events of daily life. Imagine that you are a journalist who wants to tell stories that matter to people.

Stories that can inspire, challenge, and connect them. Stories that can make a difference in the world.

Sounds great, right?

So, how do you find those stories? How do you know what people care about, what they need to know, or what they want to hear? How do you make sure that your stories are not just repeating the same old narratives, but are actually reflecting the reality of the society you live in?

The answer is simple: you need diverse voices.

If accuracy and integrity are at the heart of its production, journalism is the path to open dialogues for debate on subjects with diverse audiences.

It has the power to stimulate critical, collective, and empathetic thinking.

The diversity problem

However, from the very birth of the profession, right up to the present day, most newsrooms have been or are still composed of predominantly white men. The media still lacks diversity in terms of staff, sources, and content.

No matter the channel (TV coverage, newspaper media, websites, or social media), you don’t have to look far to realise that diverse voices are missing from the discourse.

We are talking about a stunning lack of contributions from ethnic minority groups, women (although the women who are employed in the industry are mostly white), people of non-traditional genders or sexual orientations (as defined by society), people with disabilities, and people from different religious/cultural backgrounds.

It is not difficult to see that many groups within society are being marginalised and discriminated against, and there is a wealth of evidence to highlight the scale of the issue.

For example, in 2016, the Pew Research Centre published a report about the state of diversity in the newsroom. Their analysis revealed that just 23% of newsroom employees were people of colour, whilst 61% of newsroom employees were men. Read more on the Pew Research Centre website.

Pew also conducted more extensive research, by interviewing 11,889 U.S. journalists between 16th February and 17th March 2022, identifying several specific areas of concern for journalists.

These included the future of press freedom, the lack of employee diversity, political polarisation, and the impact of social media. See more on the PRC website.

Whilst the results did show that newsrooms are improving their efforts to increase diversity (the employment gap between white and people of colour has decreased), there is still a long way to go before equality is in sight.

Why everyone should have a seat at the table

Diverse voices are not just a nice thing to have in journalism, they are essential.

They are the key to unlocking new perspectives, insights, and ideas, reaching wider audiences, building trust and credibility, and creating value and impact.

One recent example which perfectly illustrates how current hiring practices in newsrooms can be responsible for increasing cultural errors in journalists’ work, is The Guardian newspaper’s case of mistaken identity.

They published a picture of UK rapper Kano alongside a story referring to fellow grime artist Wiley, who was, at the time, under scrutiny for antisemitic comments.

Curious? Check out the The Guardian newspaper’s case of mistaken identity story for yourself.

Perhaps, if The Guardian’s newsroom had a more diverse makeup at the time, at least one of the journalists would have spotted the serious faux pas before it had reached the public domain.

It is clear to see, that they were not connected with all audiences at that moment in time, being out of touch with the realities and diversities of the demographic they were trying to talk to.

Why authentic representation matters

The journalism profession has the responsibility to reflect the diversity inherent to the society it represents, by including the look, voices and perspectives of different groups and communities.

It is a way to promote, not only inclusion, but quality, credibility, and relevance too.

Proven fact!

When the audience sees itself or its interests represented in the media, it feels connected, embraced, and valued.

It follows then, that when journalists in general do not seek or do not listen to diverse voices, they can miss stories, angles or important ideas that could enrich their reports and attract new audiences like you and me.

Diversity is not just about meeting quotas, it is about quality, relevance, and making journalism more awesome. That means having journalists from different backgrounds, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and experiences, including contributions from sources and experts from different communities, groups and sectors, and producing content that covers a wide range of topics, issues, and interests.

Concluding: journalism needs more diverse voices because diversity is not only a moral duty but also an asset, helping shape the values of our developing, often inexperienced, society. Diversity can help journalism fulfil its role as a public service that informs, educates, and empowers people.