ESPN executive tells leaders: 'Leave your comfort zone'

• By: ASNE staff
• On: 09/19/2011 17:12:00
• In: Leadership in diversity sessions

NEW YORK -- Leon Carter's formula for diversity is fairly simple: Among other steps, recruit talent from places where others don't always look, leave your comfort zone to find voices unlike yours, advocate for diversity when the newsroom staff levels are cut, and grow your own from among newcomers to the business.

p> Making the formula work, however, can be another story, in the face of dwindling resources at some companies, and requires a multi-pronged effort.

“Diversity is alive, despite shrinking newsrooms. It is incumbent on us to be sure it continues to be. When the bean counters come in we need to let them know what's important.”

Carter, vice president and executive editor of ESPNNewYork.com, was interviewed by Columbia Journalism School Dean of Student Affairs Sree Sreenivasan in a session titled “ESPN: Blueprint for Success" during the second “ASNE Leadership in Diversity: New Models for Growing Audience, Talent and Revenue” summit at The New York Times Conference Center.

Carter described what has been a decades-long challenge to push for diversity both in coverage at the newspapers where he's worked and now at one of the fastest growing online sports news sites. The result, he said, means audiences and readers are likely to better connect with the content, and recruitment becomes easier if prospective talent see a diverse workplace.

“When you look around and you interview for a job and you see other people of color and women, too, it makes a difference...It does something to you,” said Carter. “When you join a place like the Louisville Courier-Journal and you don't see anyone who looks like you it has an impact.

”Carter spent 25 years as a sports newsman at newspapers like the Courier-Journal, Newsday and the New York Daily News before joining ESPNNewYork.com in April 2010. His site is one of five that ESPN has launched to cover local sports, with the others in the very diverse markets of Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Dallas.

Carter said diversity should go beyond just people of color. Having women on staff to report on sports is also key. “We need to hear women because women are Yankee fans, too.”

Asked how hiring managers can find diverse talent, he suggested they visit journalism programs at schools with diverse student populations, like Hampton University in Virginia, Howard University in Washington, Florida A&M and others. “We want to let them know we exist and that we want them to know we want them” to work for us, he said.

But too often, he said, recruiters continue to stay within their tight-knit circle. “You have to be out there. When you leave work, where do you go? Home. When you go out for drinks, who do you go with? People like us. When we leave our jobs we don't go into areas of diversity. When we don't, the only thoughts you hear will be those you hear on the jobs,” Carter said.

Asked about progress in sports news staff diversity hiring, Carter said that not long ago, while he was executive sports editor the Daily News, he was among five African Americans who headed departments at newspapers. Today, he said, there is only one, although a report issued in spring 2011 for The Associated Press Sports Editors gave newspapers a grade of C-plus for their diversity in 2010 versus just a C in 2008.

During opening remarks, Carter praised ESPNNewYork.com for its representation of African Americans and women among its columnist ranks, including writers like Shaun Powell, Rob Parker, Johnette Howard and others. During a Q&A, however, he was asked about the lack of Latinos who are columnist and writers for his New York site. Carter said that he's recently filled positions, few, if any, Latinos have been among the talent pool he considered.

“They are in other markets. Some are in positions like copy editors,” he said. “We haven't come up with any in the pool.” It was suggested that he consider reaching out to corporate sister, ESPNDeportes, a Spanish-language sports web and broadcast operation, to seek potential talent.

In closing, he said, “Diversity is very important. As we try to do our jobs, I hope that each of us can serve as a role model for someone who looks like us.”

Some 80 news leaders and executives and diversity advocates are registered to attend the two-day session focusing on revenue potential for reaching markets of different types.The sessions were planned and coordinated by a broad cross section of news industry representatives and news-related institutes with financial support from the ASNE, Ford, Gannett and McCormick foundations, the Philip L. Graham Fund and The Times.