Clark Merrefield
Race and the Newsroom
What Seven Research Studies Say
Niemanlab, 2020
What's inside?
Seven studies of race in the newsroom challenge the very idea of objective journalism – whose objectivity?
Recommendation
As racism tears at the social fabric, journalists are examining their own biases in the newsroom and attempting to find cures. Reporting for NiemanLab, writer Clark Merrefield examines seven research studies focusing on race and the newsroom. Each research project posits a different question, but the answers apply across the board, from visually reflecting a community to leaning into its needs before problems arise. These studies reveal ways the media could address internal bias and challenge the very idea of objectivity in journalism – whose objectivity?
Summary
About the Author
Writer Clark Merrefield covers economics and inequality for Journalist’s Resource. Previously, he was a reporter for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He reviewed seven studies:
- “Racialization of news: Constructing and challenging professional journalism as ‘white media’,” Humanity & Society, December 2018.
- “Repeating history: Has the media changed since the Kerner Commission?” Race, Gender & Class, January 2018.
- “The role of minority journalists, candidates and audiences in shaping race-related news coverage,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, May 2018.
- “When white reporters cover race: News media, objectivity and community (dis)trust,” Journalism, August 2016.
- “Challenging assumptions about ownership and diversity: An examination of US local on-air television newsroom personnel,” International Journal on Media Management, January 2019.
- “African American women in the newsroom: Encoding resistance,” Howard Journal of Communication, July 2015.
- “Revising legacy media practices to serve hyper-local information needs of marginalized populations,” Journalism Practice, May 2020.
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