Objectivity
Poynter conducted a study of 167 journalists and published the results on September 1st. The results are fascinating, and worth analyzing, as they seem to document a change in the way our industry views objectivity, but the biggest takeaway was the responses to a question about mission.
The Woke Ones
While it’s appropriate that we react with protest and outrage over blatantly discriminatory situations like, keep in mind that small, more subtle forms of bias can do as much damage, if not more.
Dream Deferred
That decision was changed quickly and the director sent an email telling parents that “no families are opting out of our planned activities.” I have been thinking about that school for two days now, trying to imagine the parents who wrote letters demanding that their children not be forced to learn about Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass.
Hate Crimes
Last year, more than 10,500 people in the U.S. reported being targeted by a hate crime. That’s a significant increase over 2019’s numbers, and the highest number since 2008. Each year the FBI compiles the data and publishes an annual Hate Crime Statistics Report.
Misidentifying Black People
What I learned: We have to stop pretending it’s easy to tell people apart if they belong to a race that is not our own.
One Drop Rule
I find it distasteful in the extreme to gossip about someone’s private business. But it’s probably important to mention that Berry’s comments come within the context of a bitter custody battle over her young daughter, and that she’s accused the child’s father of racism.
An Anti-Racist Future
Racism is the idea that one racial group is inferior or superior to another and has the social power to carry out and benefit from systemic discrimination. This applies to most, if not all, institutions in this country, including public media.
Why are so many journalists of color leaving the profession?
In September, Sam Sanders tweeted out a list of public radio hosts from marginalized communities who have left NPR in recent months: Lourdes Garcia Navarro, Shereen Marisol Meraji, Shankar Vedantam, Maria Hinojosa, Maddie Sofia, and Joshua Johnson.
Star Wars
What I learned: As our movies and TV shows continue to diversify, we can expect racists to become more frightened and yet more abusive.
Beware The Stereotype
This is a question I asked a group of friends last year, pre-pandemic, as we were chatting in my kitchen in Maryland. Everyone stopped to check out what people were wearing. Most of us were dressed in blue jeans and brightly colored t-shirts; I was wearing a red dress. Only one of us was in all black.
