Newspaper leaders respond to Poynter study of newsroom diversity

11.09.01

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A new study — “The News & Race Models of Excellence” — showed that where there is strong agreement in the newsroom on the importance of diversity, news coverage is broader, more substantive and fair. The challenge, researchers wrote, is for managers who make diversity a priority to “get that message across to the staff.”

The survey cited the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News and The Seattle Times, saying their employees “indicate unanimity in the newsroom in support of diversity efforts” and as a result produce a high-quality news product.

We asked David Yarnold, executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News, and Frank Blethen, publisher and chief executive officer at The Seattle Times, how a leader communicates that diversity is a newspaper value.

Their responses follow.

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