Choices, choices

Choosing Sources: Here is an example of what I suspect goes back to something I discussed in an earlier blog: To wit, a white reporter choosing to use people who look like them over a non-white person who might better be able to illustrate a point or tell the story. Yesterday, we at KOMU-TV (the NBC station owned by the University of Missouri) aired a couple of stories about the new head of the Missouri Conservation Commission, who is black. For one of the stories we aired (a VOSOT, which generally allows for one sound bite), our student reporter selected a sound bite from Governor Matt Blunt (who is white, by the way) talking about the new commissioner Don Johnson, when she should have used a sound bite from the commissioner himself. The governor gets enough face time on Missouri television, and he really had not much interesting to say. Meanwhile, here was a missed opportunity to make a better choice, one that recognizes the achievement of Mr. Johnson while making for a more interesting story. I was not aware of the story until after it aired. Taking the opporunity as a "teaching moment," I plan to write the student a note with a critique that is more or less what I am saying here. And on another note.... Choosing sides: Do we have to? In an earlier blog I alluded to an informal e-mail survey I conducted among a few of my students here at the Missouri School of Journalism. I was interested in knowing how people of mixed race who are younger than I am view themselves in terms of color and ethnicity. Many of the answers were quite illuminating, at least to me. These young people will be working as journalists very soon and, like all journalists, will carry their perceptions and life experiences with them. BRANDON Hometown: New York City Age: 19 Parentage: Barbados/Puerto Rico Question: Compared to when you were a kid, do you have the impression that there are more "mixed" people now than before? Are there fewer? Answer: It’s really hard to know that someone is mixed unless you really know them. I grew up around such pressure to “pick” a race that I would imagine that those who are mixed have since chosen a race to represent and so unless they came out and told me they were mixed, I probably wouldn’t know they are mixed. I think that with many of the stereotypes and taboos falling slowly, but surely we will see more mixed children than ever before with our generation. Question: When you have to complete a form that requires you to pick a race, what do you pick? Why? I always choose Hispanic because I am proud of my Hispanic heritage. I am proud to be a Hispanic in the University of Missouri and be one of the only 629 Hispanic on campus. I feel like it is my duty to do my race proud. Another reason is that I feel as though I just don’t know enough and feel connected enough with my black side; however, when given the option to put multiple races, I choose to put both, since that’s who I am. NAME: Lindsey AGE: 22 Hometown: Moved around with her military family; now based in Belleville, IL Parentage: Pacific Islander (Guam)/White Question: As a child, did you feel you were strange or unusual compared to kids whose parents were of the same race? Please explain. Answer: Not really. I think mostly because I grew up in areas that were very multi-racial. My parents were both in the Navy so we lived a lot of places where I was one of many minorities. However, when I moved to Illinois my Sophomore year of high school, I started to realize the lack of diversity. I never felt weird or that I was treated differently; however, I did notice people paid a lot more attention to my race (ie. I was and still am always being asked what my ethnicity is). Question: Do you identify as one race or do you prefer to identify yourself as more than one race? Why or why not? Answer: I have always identified myself as bi-racial. I'm not really sure why, I guess just because I'm not one race so why not specify both. I think if I was mixed even more I might not go into detail just for the sake of convenience. ______ I am interested in hearing comments from any journalists out there who are "mixed" race. How much does your heritage inform the way you do your job? People have often said to me that biracial people are uniquely positioned to bridge gaps in understanding between the races. I certainly try to do this, on a very micro level. How about you?