Despite slight increases in the number of minority journalists working nationwide, newsrooms continue to struggle at offering staffs representative of the communities they cover.

To increase interest in journalism among minorities, many scholarships and programs are being offered to encourage young writers to pursue a career in reporting. At the same time, many members of the journalism community question the influence of these programs.

‘Everyone is a little bit culpable, and everyone has to do a little more,’ said Joel Kaplan, professor of newspaper journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. ‘The profession clearly has an obligation to hire many more, because newsrooms do not reflect the communities they cover.’

According to a yearly census conducted by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, minority journalists account for almost 13 percent of daily news writers, though about 40 percent of all daily newspapers employ no minority writers. This number increased about .5 percent since the previous study.

The percentage of minorities in the U.S. population right now is about 32 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Scholarships currently offered include the prestigious Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Business Reporting Program, which doles out 12 summer business-reporting internships to minority reporters. Other offerings include a $400,000 program run by the S.I. Newhouse Foundation, and even a $500,000 offering from Wal-Mart.

‘There still aren’t enough minority journalists, so their ideas and backgrounds aren’t represented,’ said Dan Fogleman, spokesman for Wal-Mart. ‘We’re simply filling a gap that’s been identified by industry specialists.’

Wal-Mart announced that it would award $500,000 to minority journalism students at 10 top news schools across the country, including Syracuse University. Four students at each school would receive $2,500 a year, starting in their junior year.

But Jannette Dates, the dean of the John H. John School of Communications at Howard University, is not convinced such measures will be effective.

‘The journalism profession doesn’t look as welcoming to minority students as it might – as some other opportunities might – because of the traditional feeling that it’s not open or ready to receive people of color,’ Dates said. ‘Alums get into jobs and do not feel welcomed, so we’ve got a revolving door.’

Dates was especially critical of scholarships like the one offered by Wal-Mart.

‘They are trying to strengthen their position in communities where, traditionally, Wal-Mart had not been placed,’ Dates said. ‘Every little bit helps. The more that we have going on to help alleviate an issue, the better. This is one step in the right direction, but we need many more.’

Kaplan agreed that much has yet to be done to address the problem, but said that a lack of engagement in journalism among young minorities was a main cause. This, he said, contributed to a tendency to blame newspaper employers and colleges or universities when few young people are willing to pledge themselves to the profession.

‘The interest in high school journalism and high school papers has waned lately,’ Kaplan said, pointing out that a full-ride scholarship program run by the Post-Standard folded due to a lack of interest in attending Newhouse for journalism. ‘People at that age just don’t know what they want to do the rest of their lives.’

Jen Nuzzo, a sophomore broadcast journalism and music major of Asian descent, agreed with Kaplan that interest was an important factor.

‘I think people have their mind set on what they want to do when they’re going out to get a scholarship,’ Nuzzo said. ‘I don’t think people would go into it just for the money.’

Nuzzo, however, did think that programs that foster minority participation in journalism were beneficial.

‘Because of affirmative action, I feel that I might have a better chance of getting a job and doing well in my field,’ she said.

Published on August 31, 2004 at 12:00 pm