As the plight of African-Americans in this country, systemic racism, bigotry, and social inequalities in education, employment, politics, big business and media, move to the forefront of our country’s social consciousness, some company’s have executed historical shifts in hiring practices.
ABC News Executive Barbara Fedida Proves Racism Is Alive In The Newsroom
The cries of the underrepresented Black media have been heard loud and clear. The lack of diversity found in decision making and editorial jobs at media giants across the country has made it hard for people of color to express their stories accurately, culturally, and from a personal perspective.
The Washington Post has been one of the flagship newspapers in the history of our country, but like most media machines it lacked diversity at the top. It fell short in its duty to make its newsroom a reflection of the larger world that it serves.
Krissah Thompson — a veteran editor and reporter with nearly two decades of journalistic experience — has been named managing editor for diversity and inclusion at The Washington Post, making her the first Black woman to hold this position at the publication, theGrio reports.
I’m so excited to get to work!! “A diverse staff makes our reporting better. We’re better when we have more perspectives and we can cover communities as deeply and widely as possible.”https://t.co/edsnVnc66b
— Krissah Thompson (@Krissah30) July 28, 2020
According to The Washington Post, Thompson’s new senior position is a step towards resolving racial disparities within their staff.
“A diverse staff makes our reporting better,” Thompson said in an interview with The Washington Post on Monday. “We’re better when we have more perspectives and we can cover communities as deeply and widely as possible.”
Considering the downpour of Black journalists that have come forward in the past few months to give testimonies of their experiences with systemic racism, marginalization, harassment and discrimination, the time was now or never for an iconic news source to take the lead in evening out the playing field.
“Krissah will be in charge of ensuring significant, consistent progress on diversity and inclusiveness in everything we do – our coverage of race, ethnicity and identity as well as improved recruitment, retention and career advancement for journalists of color,” Executive Editor Marty Baron said in an official statement.
“Today, after two decades in our newsroom, she is among its most trusted voices,” Baron continued. “Krissah is also a generous listener, and you can expect her to move quickly to hear your aspirations for both The Post and your own professional development.”
Every step towards equality counts.
