Learn more about multicultural considerations in reporting in this journalism lecture.

1. Multicultural Resources

2. Demographics
• Media staffs are becoming more diverse in
response to criticisms of “white male” bias
• Many critics believe that there is an
unintentional bias in the choice of words and
angles used in the reporting of stories
focusing on non-whites
– Be careful of “white at the center” terminology

3. Hot Topics
• Multiculturism media critics argue:
– Non-whites underrepresented
– Non-whites are disproportionably mentioned in
negative context
– Unfair comparisons are made between different
ethnic groups
– Over-reliance on select group of ethnic
“spokespersons” to represent the entire ethnic
group

4. Multicultural Coverage
• Diverse reporting needs to be consistent
– Beyond “token” coverage of events, such as
“Black History Month,” etc.
• Sources should be diverse – even on stories
that are not “diversity-related”
• Recognize that there is complex diversity
within each respective culture

5. Online Resources
• Asian American Journalists Assn.
• National Assn. of Black Journalists
• Maynard Institute
• National Assn. of Hispanic Journalists
• National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Assn.
• Native American Journalists Assn.

6. Online Resources
• There are resources to help you cover issues
that involve disabilities
• The Center for an Accessible Society
• Disability Resources on the Internet
• Disability Data

7. Writing the Story
• Identify the ethnicity and/or disability only if it
relevant to the story
• Be careful not to use “code words” with
presumed negative meanings
– Examples:
– “ghetto”
– “underprivileged”

8. Terminology
• Racial categorizations are often controversial
and contested
• Here are some current guidelines:
– American Indian/Native American or Alaska
Native
– Asian or Pacific Islander/Asian American
– Black/African American
– Hispanic/Latino
– White