The Independent , the Diaspora ’ s Multicultural Voice February 28 2017 5
Comment
Where ’ s diversity in the newsrooms ?
During a White House press conference on February 16 , April Ryan , an African American reporter for the American Urban Radio Networks , asked US President Donald Trump whether he is going to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus ( CBC ), an organisation that represents African American members of the US Congress .
Trump responded to Ryan by asking if she would like to " set up the meeting " with the CBC . " Are they friends of yours ?" he asked .
After the back and forth between the journalist and the president , many websites sought to highlight how Trump ' s comments might reveal racism or " how he views people of colour ". The exchange also highlighted another issue in the room that day , the absence of people of colour among the journalists .
In photos and video from the press
Seth J . Frantzman conference , few other black faces are visible . This is a largely ignored , but well-known , elephant in the room . " White House press corps of largely white faces ", wrote Paul Farhi at The Washington Post in 2013 .
He wondered why US President Barack Obama was trying to discuss complex issues of race in the United States when the " people poised to convey his remarks to the world were overwhelmingly one race - white ."
A study by the American Society of News Editors found that in 2015 only 12.7 percent of employees at US daily newspapers were minorities . More than 88 percent of reporters and supervisors were white while 83 percent of videographers were .
Overall blacks and Hispanics were represented about equally at slightly over four percent for each group .
Distressingly , the data revealed that minority interns made up more than 34 percent of many large circulation newspapers , but internships were not leading to jobs for them .
According to Farhi , only seven of 53 correspondents who report on the White House were African or Asian American in 2013 . In the Trump press conference , it didn ' t seem to be that different .
While other American industries , such as banking and universities , now have slick websites that showcase diversity , the White House Correspondent ' s Association ' s website has an image of reporters raising their hands to ask questions . Almost all of the 29 clearly visible faces are white ( and mostly male ), although there is one black man at the very back holding a camera and two women of colour .
It ' s not the WHCA ' s fault that it is so monochrome . In an America , where minorities account for 38 percent of the total population , according to the US Census Bureau , few of them find their way into the newsroom and even fewer find their way to prestigious beats ( PDF ).
In a globalised world , many media appear less than globalised in their staff and local newsrooms , and they often don ' t reflect their own societies .
The Columbia Journalism Review noted that " newsrooms have addressed the issue in fits and starts over recent decades , but those efforts have stagnated in the past 10 years ." Their study showed that even in cities such as New York , where Hispanics , blacks and Asians collectively account for 65 percent of the population , The New York Times , was more than 75 percent white .
Nothing could be starker . Veteran journalist Howard French called this the " enduring whiteness of the American media ", when he looked back at decades in the profession .
He recalled the 1988 presidential campaign where Jesse Jackson , an African American candidate , was routinely referred to as " street smart " and " flamboyant ".
These were code words for " othering " the black candidate , just as media referred to Barack Obama as " articulate ". He was president of the Harvard Law Review , of course , he is articulate , does anyone comment on Hilary Clinton being " articulate "?
Lack of diversity starts with hiring . Many industries increasingly stress the importance of diversity . A PricewaterhouseCoopers ad in Britain notes that they seek to " offer great opportunities for people with diverse backgrounds ". Whereas , a recent job posting from a major newspaper seeking a Middle East correspondent thought that having Arab-language skills was only one of several necessary skills . Diversity wasn ' t mentioned .
Having journalists with different life experiences and backgrounds would seem essential to a newsroom . Journalists sometimes pretend they are neutral observers above the fray . But everyone brings their
Caravan of Central American migrants ' mothers hold pictures of relatives
bias and baggage with them . The world of elite journalism often looks like a nepotistic fraternity more than the mosaic of the world it covers . This colours coverage .
Kevin Carter took a famous 1993 photo of a starving Sudanese child about to be preyed upon by a vulture . He was later criticised for not intervening to help the child . Journalists tend to shield themselves from such criticism by saying it is their job to be detached and not become part of the story . Would there be the same emotional detachment if the starving child was white ? Would media write about refugees in Europe differently if more journalists were Syrian or Afghan ?
How much is the concept of " detachment ", a function of the fact that journalists in many countries often come from a relatively homogenous background ?
Eva Tapiero , a French freelance journalist , told me that the lack of diversity harms coverage . " Especially because we are getting used to not being challenged at work . If everyone has the same schooling background and asks the same questions , I think it becomes harder to think outside the box ."
When major media tends to draw on the same schools or social circles , reproducing the last generation ' s preconceptions , the barriers to entry for outsiders are even higher .
In a globalised world , many media appear less than globalised in their staff and local newsrooms , and they often don ' t reflect their own societies . For instance , journalist and editor Siddharth Varadarajan noted that in India many newsrooms lack " caste diversity ".
While UNESCO calls for gender equality in journalism , noting that " media are a mirror of society , as they should be , they certainly need to reflect better the fact that gender equality is a fundamental human right ", there doesn ' t seem to be an equally consistent call for other types of diversity to mirror society ( PDF ).
Journalists and their management should take this into consideration . Instead of hiring minority reporters to cover minority communities or hiring local stringers in foreign countries , but rarely bringing foreign and diverse voices into the headquarters , they should make a better effort to increase diversity .
This also applies to columnists in opinion sections . While online-only media has increased the diversity of bloggers and op / ed writers , much old media have not .
It ' s time to acknowledge the problem and press for change . Readers and journalists have nothing to lose and they stand to gain a plethora of new perspectives and ideas for covering stories that have gone underreported .
Seth J Frantzman is a Jerusalem-based commentator on Middle East politics and has lectured in American studies at Al-Quds University . He has just returned from fieldwork in Iraqi Kurdistan .
Canada ’ s own immigration ban
By Dafina Savic and Debbie Folaron
While the world is outraged , and rightly so , by recent policies south of its border , we are quick to forget that not too long ago the Canadian government imposed its own ban of sorts , one that aimed to restrict entry into the country of a specific group of people fleeing persecution .
It did so on the premise that these people were " bogus refugees " undeserving of Canada ' s protection and explicitly targeted them as " criminals ".
Earlier this month , Anthony Housefather , Member of Parliament for Mount Royal delivered a poignant speech during the emergency debate on the executive order signed by United States President Donald Trump to ban refugees and immigrants of Muslim-majority countries from entering the US .
Housefather shed light on Canada ' s own issues of xenophobia and the politics of fear . From the Chinese Exclusion Act , to the rejection of Jewish refugees aboard the St . Louis , he cited example after example of the darker side of Canada ' s past .
And although these historic examples rung strong and true , where was mention of the more recent instances of injustice and discrimination in Canadian immigration policy ?
In 2013 , financed with Canadian taxpayer money , the government initiated a billboard campaign in the predominant countries of origin of Roma claimants .
It sought to deliberately deter Roma from seeking asylum in Canada , stating that " people who make a [ refugee ] claim without sound reasons will be processed faster and deported faster ."
The billboards were placed in countries such as Hungary , a country which is still listed as " safe " under the current government .
Until the federal court deemed it unconstitutional in 2015 , refugee claimants from the Designated Country of Origin ( DCO ) list were denied their right to appeal in cases of rejection , so as to avoid " abuse " of the system .
The Conservative government ' s policy and rhetoric targeting Roma asylum seekers as " bogus and fraudulent refugees " undeserving of Canada ' s protection " were not only effective in blocking Roma from entering the country .
They also served to embed in Canadian media and political discourse the very stereotypes and hate Roma were seeking to flee in their countries of origin .
In this climate of animosity and hostile attitudes towards Roma , many Roma refugee claimants were being taken advantage of by their legal representatives and subjected to biased decision-making at the Immigration and Refugee Board .
Despite increasing refugee acceptance numbers under the current administration , Canadian authorities continue to practise racial profiling against Roma . In 2015 , dozens of Hungarian Roma with valid travel documents were prevented from boarding flights to Canada for allegedly lacking proper documentation to enter the country due to their Roma ethnicity .
With little attention from the media , in May 2016 the Canadian government reinstated visas on Bulgaria and Romania to curb Roma immigration .
However , with European Union hesitation and the diplomatic sensitivities surrounding the Canadian-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement ( CETA ), the move proved to be problematic , and the Trudeau administration was forced to lift the visa requirements on those countries .
Such disagreements regarding CETA ratification are reminiscent of the pressures that had stalled the agreement under the previous government and which eventually led to the imposition of discriminatory policy measures against Roma refugees .
However , the more it changes , the more it ' s the same thing . While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Europe in mid-February to finalise the CETA agreement , all issues affecting Roma were left off the agenda and conveniently unaddressed .
Despite recent court decisions and widespread criticism that the DCO creates a " two-tier " refugee system , the " Safe Country " Review Panel was recently dropped from the mandate of the current Minister of Immigration Ahmed Hussen .
This not only means that the DCO list will remain as is , but also that no panel of experts will be delegated to review and reassess the human rights situation of the countries listed .
While a designated " Safe Country " may be safe for most of its inhabitants , it is by no means safe for all . Without a thorough review of the policy in Canada , Roma refugees fleeing persecution and racism in Europe will be left behind while our very own ban will be left unaddressed .
As raised in a recent opinion article published by Al Jazeera , Roma are often made to be the culprits of anti-refugee sentiment in Europe , while they are fleeing those very issues . Even in situations of violent conflict certain populations are not granted equal attention , treatment and compassion .
Noteworthy is the European Roma Rights Centre ( ERRC )' s report that the Domari populations , who have been present in the Middle East for thousands of years , have been equally , if not doubly , affected by the ongoing crisis and violence in the region .
According to a 2014 ERRC report , out of the estimated one million registered and unregistered refugees from Turkey , some 30,000 were of Domari origin . Political polarisation and ethnic and religious divisions often make it impossible for Syrian Domari populations to stay in official refugee camps .
After meeting with President Trump , Trudeau reiterated that we ought to be an example for the world by being the open country we are . Now is a crucial time for Trudeau to demonstrate his and the country ' s true commitment to refugees .
A step in the right direction would be to end the two-tier Designated Countries of Origin system and suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement with the US , and to implement authentic review and assessment of each refugee claimant ' s case on the basis of merit .
Only then can the light of true justice prevail , and hope be given to Roma and others who have suffered the consequences of Canada ' s failed legal system . It is , indeed , only by facing our darker moments that we can hope to learn from them .
Dafina Savic is the founder of Romanipe , a Montreal-based , not-for-profit organisation seeking to fight discrimination against Roma worldwide .
Debbie Folaron is associate professor in Translation Studies at Concordia University , Montreal