Diversity in staff and coverage remain at the core of our identity
The word diversity makes some people uncomfortable.
I saw it firsthand in 2020 when, shortly after I was named executive editor, I wrote about how I wanted to diversify the staff and coverage at the Journal Star in order to better reflect the community. People are skeptical or even critical of the concept.
Why does it matter? Why don't you focus on other things?
Others were appreciative of the effort. Since that column in 2020, a lot has happened in our newsroom and in our world. In 2020, social justice and COVID were the biggest recurring headlines. So much is happening in our world right now: Social issues remain a topic of discussion, along with inflation, the specter of a recession and a war across the Atlantic.
While the worries of the day may change, diversity is at the core of our identity as a company and how we serve the community in a modern world. So we'll stay focused on the mission, no matter what else is happening. So every year, we will talk about what we've done and show you the progress.
Based on percentages, there have been slight changes in the racial and gender makeup of the newsroom. In 2020, we stated our goal was to have our newsroom better reflect our community by 2025. The biggest gap between our newsroom demographics and our community was the amount of female staff members.
After we hired two reporters this summer, including one woman, a male staffer told me that it would be nice if we could hire another female reporter. It's important to have a diversity in age, race, gender and ideas. My story ideas are different from others in the newsroom because I have different experiences, different perspectives and interact with different social media circles. And reporters in their 20s add a totally different dynamic than reporters in their 40s.
More: Gannett newsrooms making steady progress in overall diversity
A newspaper has always been a platform that covered a variety of topics: local government, local sports, business and entertainment, etc. The types of stories within those topics should also vary and that comes with a diverse newsroom.
We still are not quite where we need to be. But now I have a better understanding of the challenges of recruiting diverse talent to central Illinois in the shadow of Chicago. And that's OK. We'll always hire the best applicant available, no matter gender or race. And even once our diversity goals are met, we'll continue to tell you how we're doing and work to maintain that balance.
In 2021:Diversity of staff. Diversity of thought. The Journal Star remains committed to evolving
Romando Dixson is the executive editor of the Journal Star. He can be reached at rdixson@gannett.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Journal Star committed to diversity in staff, coverage
