guidelines_diversity

Guidelines to Avoid Ethnic and Racial Stereotypes

Excerpt from Living Ethics:

“Journalists who follow such guidelines and resist ethnic and racial stereotypes have a personal edge over insensitive counterparts. The edge is two-fold. Journalists who reject racism also avoid errors associated with misperceptions. They write or document complete accurate stories or target consumers or publics with insight and precision. Perhaps more importantly, however, they learn different ways to solve problems, approach assignments, appreciate cultures, contribute to communities and, above all, disseminate appropriate and accurate information.”

-- Michael J. Bugeja

The best way to resist stereotypes is to be able to recognize situations that often generate them. These guidelines, developed by Michael J. Bugeja, appear in Living Ethics: Developing Values in Mass Communication (Allyn & Bacon).

Ask yourself:

1. Is the racial or ethnic angle in my story, photograph, illustration, advertisement or campaign absolutely necessary?
2. If so, is it appropriate?
3. If I am unsure, can I check with a member of that racial or ethnic group to determine appropriateness?
4. Do I or my company have a resource list of experts on minority relations with whom I can regularly consult?
5. Do I have access to handbooks that note offensive racial or ethnic terms?
6. Am I reinforcing stereotypes by omission, eliminating people of color as sources for or subjects of non-racial stories, photographs, illustrations, advertisements or campaigns?
7. Do I know enough about a particular culture to cover or target that culture without resorting to clichés or labels?
8. Can the views, words or images in my work be misconstrued by people who do not share my own racial or ethnic type?
9. Do the views, words or images in my work reflect my true beliefs or do they suggest a false racist or ethnic bias for which I may nonetheless be held accountable?
10. Have I underestimated the intelligence or sensitivity of the audience, client or consumer in any way?

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The guidelines below were developed by the authors of News Watch, a publication by the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism, San Francisco State University, and adapted by Michael J. Bugeja to suit all journalism sequences.

Appropriate Descriptions:

· Apply consistent guidelines when identifying people by race. Are the terms considered offensive? Ask individual sources how they wish to be identified.
· Only refer to the ethnic or racial background of people when it is relevant. When it is, the identification needs to be sensitive.
· Consult a supervisor if you are unsure of the offensiveness or relevance of a racial or ethnic term.
· Use sensitivity in descriptions of rites and cultural events Avoid inappropriate comparisons. For example, Kwaanza is not “African American Christmas.”
· Be specific when using ethnic or racial identification of individuals. Referring to someone as Filipino American is preferred to calling that person Asian. The latter term is better applied to a group.

Appropriate Coverage

· Strive to present an accurate and full report to your readers, viewers, listeners, clients and customers.
· Don’t overemphasize issues. For example, overemphasizing crime can perpetuate stereotypes, especially if minorities are depicted as the perpetrators.
· Do cover a variety of stories about minorities, not just those related to race, and depict or quote minorities in non-race related photographs, advertisements, illustrations, and campaigns.
· Find out how issues affect different segments of society.
· Expand your Rolodex. Include minorities who can provide authoritative opinions for a variety of subjects.

Appropriate Relationships

· With the help of a community member tour your city regularly, especially in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
· Journalists and their supervisors as well as other media staff should educate themselves about the communities of people being covered or targeted.
· Work on building relationships with someone different from yourself. It can even be a mentoring relationship.
· Ask yourself if you’ve allowed preconceived ideas to limit your efforts to include diversity.
· Take inventory of your circle of friends, coworkers, reading material, music and extracurricular activities and see how diverse they are and make some changes if diversity is limited.