A Handbook for Journalism
and Mass Communication Educators, published by the Accrediting Council on
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Diversity: It's just good journalism
I don't think a new curriculum has to be devised. Often schools put a
"journalism and diversity" course on the list. Our assumption includes the
principle that diversity is a healthy aspect of journalism. It should be part
of every course. Then students realize it is a true commitment to diversity.
In journalism classes, we talk about it as a part of journalism.
I teach an ethics course, and it is incorporated into the work. It's
seamless. We discuss influences of class, race, geography. We look at hoaxes
and manipulation, then at racial and racist hoaxes. We look at where the
power is in the workplace. We discuss bias or tolerance and work in a discussion
of African-Americans--a whole history of tolerance and intolerance.
I focus on ethics across the spectrum--journalism, advertising, public
relations, online, various workplaces.
We must train the next generation of journalists to embrace diversity
as part of good journalism. The community is diverse and becoming more diverse.
If we think of journalism, we cover all the bases.
My students don't know we're covering diversity. We do not cover diversity
from a political view. We approach it through journalism--as an aspect of
our jobs. We eschew the politics of fairness and focus on the philosophy
of fairness.
We do a section on civic virtues, which is one of the most popular. All
of our civic virtues as they have evolved since the Magna Carta in England.
(Revolution to freedom for colonist landowners to all men to men and women,
etc.) We do case studies on how freedom evolves. What role will you play
in media history?
Anyone can do this, just as any reporter can write a balanced story.
Embrace diversity as an aspect of good journalism. We look at the hypothermia
tests done by the Nazis in WWII. Would you use the results in a story? We
discuss whether it is science or "Nazi science." Our goal is sharpening
perceptions and deepling consciences.
I embrace the tenet but I don't like to isolate it.
1. You can add a diversity element to any journalism class by focusing
on the community.
2. You can add a diversity element to any assigned reading by analyzing
what's there or what's missing in the text.
3. Discuss and design exercises
to help perceptions. I ask white students to recall a time when they were
really excited about something. Then they talked to a parent or partner
but got an entirely different message back. How did they feel? Angry? Hurt?
Disappointed? I also ask students of color how racism made them feel. We
get the same responses: anger, hurt, disappointment. The idea is not to
preach diversity but to construct an exercise to make people feel as well
as think.
Appeal to the conscience.
Good coverage of diversity is a product of journalistic zeal.
