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ASNE calls on newsrooms to be transparent with diversity numbers

Columbia, Mo. (April 5, 2018) - The American Society of News Editors, long known for its efforts to improve diversity in U.S. newsrooms, applauds The New York Times and ProPublica for releasing the gender and ethnic breakdown of their staff and encourages other news organizations to join in publicly sharing their efforts to build more diverse and inclusive journalism communities.

"We commend The Times and ProPublica for sharing their diversity numbers," said ASNE Executive Director Teri Hayt. "The ASNE diversity survey has stood for years as the benchmark, the only mechanism to review diversity across the journalism workforce. It is encouraging to see newsrooms collecting and releasing their data without prompting."
 
ASNE has committed to diversity since 1978 by tracking the status of diversity in staffing in America's print and online publications. The purpose of the annual Newsroom Employment Diversity Survey (formerly, the Newsroom Employment Census) is to document newsroom employment trends and help newsrooms better reflect the growing diversity of their audiences.
 
The survey measures progress toward ASNE's goal of having the percentage of minorities working in newsrooms nationwide equal to that of minorities in the nation's population by 2025. In addition, the survey documents the evolution of local news organizations and the jobs journalists perform in the modern multiplatform newsroom. 
 
The 2018 survey, supported by the Democracy Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Google News Lab, will launch this month. ASNE asks all news organizations to be as transparent as The Times and ProPublica in releasing their figures this year and demonstrate their commitment to equality and representation in journalism.
 
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About the American Society of News Editors
The American Society of News Editors focuses on leadership development and journalism-related issues. Founded in 1922 as a nonprofit professional organization, ASNE promotes fair, principled journalism; defends and protects First Amendment rights; and fights for freedom of information and open government. Leadership, innovation, diversity and inclusion in coverage and the journalism work force, opinion journalism, news literacy and the sharing of ideas are also key ASNE initiatives.

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