Bob Satchwell







Diversity is a priority for the media

In January 2001 the then-BBC Director General said that the corporation, owned by the people of Britain and founded with a clear public-service remit, was 'hideously white'. It was a shock awakening for Britain's broadcasting industry. In 2002 the Journalists at Work report by Journalism Training Forum/Skillset underlined Dyke's analysis and put into equally stark relief the overwhelmingly white and privileged make-up of Britain's print journalists. This chapter recalls the effect those pivotal moments had on the nation's newspaper industry and charts the steps taken to address the need for a more diverse workforce by the Society of Editors and the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), with funding from the newspaper industry. But it warns that there is still much progress to be made.

Keywords: NCTJ, Journalism Diversity Fund, Society of Editors, 'hideously white', newspaper diversity


References

  1. Cole, Peter (2004) Diversity in the newsroom: Employment of minority ethnic journalists in newspapers, Cambridge, Society of Editors. Available online at: http://www.societyofeditors.co.uk/userfiles/file/Diversity%20in%20the%20Newsroom%20Report%20PDF.pdf, accessed on 3 July 2012
  2. Journalism Training Forum/Skillset (2002) Journalists at work: Their views on training, recruitment and conditions, July. Available online at: http://www.creativeskillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_262.pdf?1, accessed 3 July 2012
  3. Society of Editors and the Media Trust (2005) Reporting diversity: How reporters can contribute to community cohesion. Available online at http://www.societyofeditors.co.uk/userfiles/file/Reporting%20Diversity.pdf, accessed on 3 July 2012
  4. Wilby, Peter (2008) A job for the wealthy and connected, Guardian, 7 April. Available online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/07/pressandpublishing4, accessed on 20 July 2012