Diversity Toolbox
You have to circulate to percolate.
By Yanick Rice Lamb
I thought the line was corny when Id overhear a professor say it over
and over again at Ohio State University, but its so true. The best journalists
are all over their beats.
Sure, you know the history, you know how things work, you can sniff out a trend,
and you often (or always) beat the competition. But do you really know all the
issues and all the players? Look closely at your Rolodex. If you sorted your
sources roughly by age, gender, race, geography and so on, where would you come
up short?
When I was at The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution,
an editor gave a pop quiz. She had all these trick questions, like whos
the president of the NAACP or Urban League. Although we were based in a hub
of the Civil Rights Movement, many editors and reporters failed the quiz miserably.
When I moved on to The New York Times, I was impressed by the talent
both inside and outside of my newsroom. Yet I read and watched an amazing number
of stories that did not reflect the diversity of this densely populated international
city.
This is not at all about being politically correct; its about doing good
journalism. Fair, accurate, balanced, solid and thorough journalism. If youre
really on top of your beat, youre interviewing experts who look like you
as well as those who dont. It doesnt matter whether your beat is
housing, education, politics, courts, business or health. Good experts are everywhere,
and theyre easy to find. Heres how to find them:
Be honest. Dont be afraid to tell colleagues
and sources that you want to cast a wider net to truly reflect the community
and the country.
Hit the streets. Visit neighborhood churches, restaurants,
community centers, and schools. Attend meetings, games and events. You never
know who youll meet or what youll hear.
Pick some brains. Ask existing and new sources
for other contacts. Solicit their opinions on coverage as well as story
ideas.
Go to groups. Theres a professional organization
for every field, and often an ethnic counterpart.
Contact colleges and universities. Most institutions
of higher learning have programs focusing on specific topics or various
groups, whether by ethnicity or gender. Also contact historically black
universities to obtain directories listing the specialty areas of their
faculty and staff.
Raid Rolodexes. Reporters have been doing it to
me for years, and I dont mind. They know that if I dont have
the perfect name, I know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody
who does.
Move beyond so-called leaders. Ask everyday folks
what they think. And dont assume that leaders speak for
everyone or that a group is monolithic.
Check out the rest of the competition. Go beyond
what you normally read and watch. Turn to community papers, radio stations
and web sites.
Look at your newsrooms history. If coverage
has been virtually nonexistent or imbalanced, your newsrooms rocky
record could affect a sources inclination to confide in you. The good
news is that your efforts to reach out will pay off over time.
Yanick Rice Lamb, who teaches journalism at Howard University, has worked at newspapers and magazines ranging from The New York Times to Child.