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ASNE, others urge news organizations to fill out 2018 diversity survey by Oct. 12

News organizations that have not participated in the 2018 ASNE diversity survey have until Oct. 12 to submit their data. This deadline extension, announced during the ASNE-APME conference last week, is to drive greater participation in the survey so we can provide an accurate analysis of the current state of diversity in U.S. newsrooms. With only 234 out of nearly 1,700 newspapers and digital media outlets that filled out this year's survey, we can't share the results until we collect more data that we can say is representative of the contemporary media landscape. 

"We realize how busy editors are, juggling a growing list of priorities with dwindling resources, but we must rally to get a better handle on where we stand so we may identify trends and solutions," said ASNE Diversity Committee Co-Chair Karen Magnuson, editor and vice president of news at the Rochester (New York) Democrat & Chronicle. "If you're struggling with diversity in your newsroom, ASNE is here to help. We're in this together. Diversity in staffing and news reports is a business imperative. If we as an industry do not reflect and connect with communities of color, we won't be able to grow and uphold our First Amendment responsibilities. Please participate!"

In response, Farai Chideya, program officer for Creativity and Free Expression at Ford Foundation; Molly De Aguiar, managing director of the News Integrity Initiative at the CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism; Jim Friedlich, executive director and CEO at The Lenfest Institute for Journalism; Tom Glaisyer, managing director of Public Square Program at Democracy Fund; Jonathan Logan, president and CEO of the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation; Jennifer Preston, vice president of journalism at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; and Andres Torres, program officer at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, released a joint statement:

"As foundations committed to furthering diversity, equity and inclusion in journalism, we stand together today to call on newsroom leaders to take seriously the work of building newsrooms that truly represent the diversity of our nation." 

Read the entire statement


If your newsroom needs a link to the survey, then please contact immediately lead researcher Dr. Meredith Clark, assistant professor of the University of Virginia's Department of Media Studies, at mdc6j@virginia.edu, or ASNE Executive Director Teri Hayt at thayt@asne.org. The new expected release date of survey results and analysis, along with data visualizations from the Google News Lab, is early November.

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