Press Release

NAHJ Frustrated at Diversity Stagnation in TV Newsrooms

Washington – The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is frustrated by the lack of progress local broadcasting stations have made in diversifying their newsrooms as documented by the 2005 RTNDA/Ball State University annual newsroom survey released today.

The study found that the percentage of journalists of color working at local TV stations dropped slightly from 21.8 percent in 2003 to 21.2 percent in 2004 and the percentage working at local English-language stations declined from 19.8 percent to 19.5 percent.

The report also noted that journalists of color working at local radio stations declined from 11.8 percent to 7.9 percent.

The report found that local broadcast outlets have failed to keep pace with the growth of the nation’s communities of color and have made little progress in diversifying their newsrooms during the past 15 years. People of color make up more than a third of the U.S. population.

“While it’s a relief that Latinos in the newsroom remain a constant, it’s troubling to know that there’s no increase,” said NAHJ President Veronica Villafañe. “The reality is that the Latino population in the United States continues to grow. So does their purchasing power. It is only logical that they should have stronger representation within the television industry, in front of and behind the cameras and in key decision making positions. NAHJ once again offers to help any station seeking to truly diversify their newsrooms. That’s why we’ve established the Parity Project. We can make a difference.”

Overall, the percentage of Latino journalists working at local TV stations dropped slightly from 8.9 percent in 2003 to 8.7 percent in 2004.

NAHJ is encouraged by the increase in the percentage of Latino journalists working at local radio stations from 3.9 percent in 2003 to 6.0 percent in 2004. However, it is discouraged by the overall decline in the percentage of journalists of color working in radio from 11.8 percent in 2003 to 7.9 percent in 2004. As RTNDA noted, the number of radio stations responding to the survey has declined despite the group’s increased outreach efforts. This may explain why the figures have fluctuated so dramatically. For example, the report found that the percentage of Hispanic radio news directors jumped from 2.7 percent in 2003 to 8.8 percent in 2004.

The report noted a couple of positive trends:

•The percentage of Latino TV news directors working at English-language TV stations increased from 2.4 percent in 2003 to 2.8 percent in 2004.

•The overall percentage of TV news directors of color also increased at English-language stations from 8.1 percent to 8.4 percent

The report noted a couple of troubling trends:

•Most of the general managers working at Hispanic stations (that responded to the survey) were white.

•Most general managers of color worked at public broadcast stations even though there are significantly more commercial stations.