On Friday, May 13, we at Editor & Publisher (E&P) released on our website the online version of a nomination-based industry feature we debuted this year, entitled: “Editors Extraordinaire.” The goal of this salute (as stated on the entry page) was to “Uncover and recognize the leaders in our newsrooms whose names may not always be as familiar as bylined reporters, but continue to strive to make our storytelling better, be an aspirational mentor, stand tall against adversity, and continue to remain committed to the quest for truth and accuracy.”
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Just as an “FYI,” when we ask for our readers to nominate colleagues for the various recognition pieces we publish, such as: “15 over 50, 25 under 35, Publisher of the Year, Operations All-Stars, Shooting Stars, and others, we make our decision on those who we “salute” by placing the information received for each nominee in a spreadsheet, to share with a selection committee. There is no indication of race listed. And even gender identity can be hard to determine since some first names are not easily associated with a man or woman.
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Prompted by all of the conversations now taking place in social media, over the weekend I went back and reviewed the many nominations we received in April of 2022 for this year’s inaugural salute for industry editors. Based solely on what I could see via the faces I could find of each nominee, NOT ONE NOMINATION THAT E&P RECEIVED WAS FOR A PERSON OF COLOR!
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I freely admit now, that when I approved and personally released the image and content of the fifteen editors we featured, I was insensitive to that fact. For this, I wish to personally apologize to our readers and to the fifteen deserving editors we featured. You were recognized because you deserve it! And I do hope that you know that the criticism that spread on social media about the lack of diversity within the piece is solely aimed at me and this magazine I publish, not at you!
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In closing allow us to make a pledge that we at E&P will immediately reassess, scrutinize, and improve our nomination process for these special features, so we do our utmost to “cast a wider net" to uncover those of every ethnicity who deserves recognition. I also welcome any suggestions that you may have that may improve that process as well. My phone and email are below.
Mike Blinder
Publisher
mike@editorandpublisher.com
406-445-0000 x1
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