Abstract
For the media to create accurate, fair, and rich content, it is essential to represent the diverse voices, realities, perspectives, and values in their community. This is also becoming a matter of survival in this world of infinite choice where every outlet is facing the need to be ‘chosen’ by their audiences, as a relevant and trusted source of information and entertainment.The rapid changes brought on by technology, as well as the media reckoning from #MeToo, Black Lives Matter and the pandemic, have pushed the media in the United States to review and declare their goals, strategies, and achievements in diversity and inclusion of their culture, practice, and content. Newsrooms are starting to conduct source diversity audits and monitoring as well as to create diverse source databases, to examine and improve how they are reflecting the broad spectrum of the communities they serve.Keith Woods, Chief Diversity Officer of NPR, a leader and mentor for many newsrooms in their diversity efforts, says that the media has a responsibility to help people see themselves in the news and understand the society around them—not by reflecting the inequities of the world, but by reflecting the diversity of the communities they serve, providing different points of view and different ways of understanding and solving problems.Kaori Hayashi, Professor of Mass Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Tokyo points out that by bringing into view the voices and issues of diverse communities, underrepresented, and marginalized people, the media can empower them to create changes for themselves and society, making the world a better place for everyone.
