THROUGH OUR LENS
Race
How has systemic racism been upheld by newsroom decisions?
While U.S. newsrooms have long upheld objectivity as a professional ideal, their staffs and leadership have historically failed to reflect the racial diversity of the communities they write for. In many cities, newsrooms and their editorial boards look nothing like the communities they serve, and desegregating newsrooms has been a slow and incomplete process that surveys no longer track. Beyond representation, demographics directly shape who holds editorial power to determine what is newsworthy and whose experiences are trusted.
Our coverage examines how newsroom decisions, from hiring and promotion to sourcing and editorial priorities, can perpetuate systemic racism. We scrutinize how news organizations’ reporting and editorial choices reflect communities of color and whether their practices reflect their stated commitments to racial equity.
John Sengstacke, part owner and general manager of the Chicago Defender, one of the country’s leading Black newspapers in 1942. Library of Congress / Jack Delano.
THROUGH OUR LENS
Race
How has systemic racism been upheld by newsroom decisions?
While U.S. newsrooms have long upheld objectivity as a professional ideal, their staffs and leadership have historically failed to reflect the racial diversity of the communities they write for. In many cities, newsrooms and their editorial boards look nothing like the communities they serve, and desegregating newsrooms has been a slow and incomplete process that surveys no longer track. Beyond representation, demographics directly shape who holds editorial power to determine what is newsworthy and whose experiences are trusted.
Our coverage examines how newsroom decisions, from hiring and promotion to sourcing and editorial priorities, can perpetuate systemic racism. We scrutinize how news organizations’ reporting and editorial choices reflect communities of color and whether their practices reflect their stated commitments to racial equity.
How we think about our coverage
Journalism doesn't exist in a vacuum.
Every story is shaped by the institutions, assumptions, and power structures behind it. Our lenses help us examine not just what gets covered, but how news can better serve our communities.
How we do our coverage
