The Top Habits of Highly Diverse Newsrooms (Part II)

By: Randy Dotinga (Editor's note: This is the second in a two-part series examining how newsrooms can meet diversity goals.)

Hundreds of newspapers have all-white newsrooms, and diversity boosters have heard the usual explanations: You can't find minority journalists. Even if you can, they'll move on to better jobs in nothing flat.

But editors across the country are finding that a little creativity goes a long way. Boosting diversity may be as easy -- and cheap -- as picking up the phone or recruiting your own staff. Here are some of the tricks of the trade:

1. Market your newspaper.

Editors at smaller papers often complain that they can't find qualified minority candidates because those with just a few years of experience get snapped up by larger papers. These editors fail to realize that their workplaces have hidden advantages that may appeal to minorities, said Aly Colon, director of Diversity Programs & Ethics Faculty at The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Fla. "Find out what the individuals think they need, and make them aware of things they could really use that would enhance their own background as a journalist," he said.

Perhaps a minority journalist in an urban area is looking for a rural experience or vice versa. Maybe a candidate would like to take on a number of roles -- writing and editing, perhaps -- that are impossible to combine at a large newspaper.

Colon's own story is a good example. Even though he had just finished a prestigious fellowship, he let himself be wooed early in his career by a small newspaper, The Herald of Everett, Wash. He stayed there for seven years, working as an editor and reporter, before moving to the nearby Seattle Times. "I had a chance to grow and extend myself in ways that may not have been possible at a bigger paper," Colon said.

2. Send your staff on the road.

Journalists love to compare notes about the newspapers they work for, and minorities are no different, especially when they're job hunting. "They want to know what kind of support and pressure there is from management," said Julio Moran, executive director of the California Chicano News Media Association, an advocacy group for Latino journalists. "They want to know if they will be the only 'one' and have to represent entire communities. They want to know about the local communities of color."

If the reviews are positive, the grapevine can contribute to a high level of diversity in a newsroom, said David Tepps, deputy managing editor at the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News. According to a 2002 report, a stunning 31.7% of newsroom employees at the Merc were minorities.

His newspaper makes special efforts to send minority staffers to annual conferences by providing incentives such as transportation, lodging, and paid time off. Some newspapers refuse to pay the full fare for journalists who attend conferences, and others fear the staffers they send will get picked off by other papers.

"If one of my copy editors is at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention, he or she may come back and say, 'I met so-and-so and you ought to give him a call. He might be itchy [to get a new job],'" Tepps said. "If someone is thinking about the Mercury News, just the fact that they see people from our paper raises its profile. You're just out there."

3. Get on the horn.

Last week's column explored how local colleges and universities can help a newspaper's drive for diversity. Journalism organizations also offer resources for the cost of a mere phone call.

Consider the experience of the Independent Record of Helena, Mont. Last summer, Editor Dave Shors wanted to expand coverage of the state's American Indian community, but his newsroom staff was all white. With an assist from the newspaper's owner, Lee Enterprises in Davenport, Iowa, Shors hooked up with the Freedom Forum's Diversity Institute. It offers intensive 12-week training programs in journalism for minorities who don't have experience in newsrooms but appear to have potential.

Shors went to a local Indian group for help and quickly found an aspiring writer named Shawn White Wolf. "He was working at a Hardee's restaurant, had worked on an Indian alliance newsletter, and he was really intent on becoming a writer," Shors said.

White Wolf went through the Diversity Institute's program in Nashville, Tenn., and now works as a reporter covering Indian affairs. "If you sit back and wait for someone to come into your newsroom, you won't find a candidate," Shors said. "Sean would never have come into our newsroom."

Seventeen students have graduated from the Diversity Institute since its creation last year, and about 25 will come on board this year, said Executive Director Wanda Lloyd. The Freedom Forum also subsidizes internships for college students and sends young minority journalists to two-year stints at small newspapers. They get a $20,000 cash bonus for sticking around for the duration.

4. Say goodbye with class

Considering the heavy demand for their services, it's no surprise that many minority journalists jump from job to job. Even so, too many newspaper editors consider a resignation to be a form of treason, especially if a staffer lands at a competing paper. Plenty of newsroom employees can recall giving notice to bosses who responded with disappointed or angry looks.

Editors shouldn't give the evil eye to short-timers. Instead, they might consider the enlightened attitude of Patricia Walker, editor of the Bucks County Courier Times in Levittown, Pa., which has one of the most diverse newsrooms in the country. "This newsroom's commitment to the diversity effort is to help people to move to the next step," Walker said.

In other words, she's not in it for keeps.