Diversity begins with values and ends with feedback, rewards

Other Voices

Commentary

By David Yarnold
Executive editor, San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News

11.09.01

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David Yarnold

Also see Yarnold's remarks on "Community Media Connections: Linking with the News" at a Pew Center Maynard Workshop.

Communicating diversity objectives begins with passion, clarity of purpose and consistency.

At the Mercury News, our commitment begins in the newsroom mission statement that we publish every day on Page 2A. It reads, in part: "We will reflect the changing demographics of the community in both coverage and hiring, recognizing that diversity is a core component of accuracy."

That's quite a promise to live up to every day.

Our commitment manifests itself in daily news meetings where senior editors regularly address diversity in our daily critiques, which then are synthesized by our managing editor, Susan Goldberg, and sent to every staff member.

Our daily promise to value diversity guides our staffing decisions — ensuring that our race and demographics team, for example, is fully staffed. It guides story selection: Since Sept. 11, we've worked especially hard to both report acts of intolerance and to seek out acts of tolerance.

Our reward and awards systems also acknowledge diversity as a value, from our quarterly staff awards to individual annual evaluations.

In short, a deep, passionate commitment to diversity is a closed loop. It begins with a clear statement of values. Then, leaders walk the talk. Staffing allocations are guided by the commitment. Story decisions follow. And feedback, rewards and evaluations close the loop.

Does it work? Here's what one reader wrote to me recently: "By some strange twist of fate, we were offered (at the beginning of September) 13 weeks of the Mercury as a gift. So I've had the opportunity to read the Mercury since 9/11.

"I have been absolutely impressed at the Mercury's local coverage. As a half white/half Mexican-American teacher living in Sunnyvale and teaching for the Redwood City School District, I often have felt the media (be it print or television news and entertainment) ignores my reality. Whether it was growing up in Los Angeles or living here in the Bay Area, it's hard to find true diversity (especially not just black and white) fully represented. Your coverage has been exceptional. … I feel like I'm actually seeing my reality and my perspective of the world in the Mercury."

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