BIPOC Journalist Experience After George Floyd and News News Media's Racial Reckoning
Tonight/This morning at midnight on International Labour Day, I’m thrilled to present the thesis for my Journalism Masters program. This has been 18 months in the making since I began work on my study, as well as my written and video format summaries thereof. I have become deeply invested in the research and I humbly believe that there are remarkable lessons to remark upon. I’ve worked very hard to do them justice.
Please enjoy my original thesis and the half hour video summary I produced from released interview content. I hope that it may start meaningful conversations in your life, work, and community.
Abstract
Since the death of George Floyd, journalists of color have driven dramatic changes to mainstream ethical norms within the journalism industry by speaking out on social media and on other platforms. Politicized discussions on applications of Critical Race Theory (CRT) raise questions about the conversations on systemic racism our society is able to address. Yet the Voice of Color tenet (of CRT) asserts the value of minority voices in understanding the nature of the racial reckoning our society and media industry are currently undergoing. This study seeks to explore the range of perspectives presented by a diverse group of journalists to understand 1) the expectations placed on minority journalists in an historically white institution, 2) the scope and nature of industry-wide changes currently underway, and 3) the ways that news organizations can better support their journalists in meeting the changing needs of the public.
My findings support common criticisms of systemic discrimination within and propagated by the journalism industry. They also suggest a growing prioritization among journalists of social responsibility over more traditional norms of detachment and journalistic objectivity.
The link below will download my study report, which can be viewed, and downloaded freely. If you enjoyed my research, please consider subscribing and sharing this with at least one person who might benefit from it.
The video and written essay are both copyright © 2022 Emeri Burks of EB Words
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