Nonprofit newsrooms are increasingly more diverse, like the communities they cover

The barriers that slow progress vary from place to place, but INN sees several paths to accelerating DEI in leadership. We encourage funders to include general operating funds with even project grants, specifically so that smaller and younger news startups can accelerate diversity efforts.”

Sue Cross, executive director, Institute for Nonprofit News

At least one segment of the news media community is making measurable strides to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive newsrooms. According to a 2023 study, nonprofit news outlets are leading the charge.

Published on Oct. 24, 2023, by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), “The INN Index 2023: Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Nonprofit News Sector” summarizes a survey of INN’s members — more than 425 members from across North America. The report was sponsored by the Google News Initiative (GNI) and produced with additional funding from the Knight Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and other philanthropic donors.

The study has an impressive team behind it, including Lead Researcher and Writer Susanna Dilliplane, who directed a group of researchers, Editor Laura Colarusso, and Research Associate Ha Ta, who provided the data visualization.

“Greater gains in racial and ethnic diversity have been made at the staff level than at the leadership level,” the team found.

“I believe we will see the same increases at the executive level that we see in all staffing — as long as we don’t let up, as long as we keep DEI goals front and center in reinventing news media,” Sue Cross, INN’s executive director, told E&P in an email.

“The barriers that slow progress vary from place to place, but INN sees several paths to accelerating DEI in leadership. We encourage funders to include general operating funds with even project grants, specifically so that smaller and younger news startups can accelerate diversity efforts,” Cross continued. “Larger news organizations with more funding have more diverse leadership than smaller newsrooms, and we believe having resources to actively put DEI practices in place is a key factor. We also see success from programs like INN’s Emerging Leaders Council, which supports BIPOC and first-time executives in building skills and networks that advance their leadership across the field.”

The study also revealed that women account for approximately half of nonprofit newsroom staff and an even larger percentage of management and executive roles. Still, these figures represent little change in the gender composition of nonprofit newsrooms: “Newsrooms reported that 1.6% of personnel identify as non-binary or non-confirming, and 0.6% of individuals identify as transgender,” according to the summary.

Finding funding

INN’s 2023 DEI Index Report found that 28% of its members — nonprofit news outlets — reported an increase in BIPOC representation among executives and managers during a two-year period between 2020 and 2022. More than half (51%) saw an increase in BIPOC representation among their staff. (Photo by Ha Ta, courtesy of INN)

INN’s team also took a deep dive into philanthropic funding — how it has been awarded and distributed to nonprofit news outlets.

“INN found that BIPOC-led outlets — particularly startups and those covering state and local issues — reported a higher median amount of foundation funding than white-led counterparts. But among the cohort of national outlets, particularly the older organizations, the reverse is true, with white-led outlets reporting higher levels of funding,” they stated.

“Moreover, newsrooms flagged the need for funders to bring a stronger equity lens to their grantmaking, acknowledging both historical patterns of oppression and inequity, as well as current funder practices that continue to perpetuate inequities, including racial bias in some funders’ decisions about whether and how much funding they are willing to give BIPOC-led outlets vs. white-led outlets,” the authors added.

Gretchen A. Peck is a contributing editor to Editor & Publisher. She’s reported for E&P since 2010 and welcomes comments at gretchenapeck@gmail.com.