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It's time to boost ethnic minority representation in the media It's time to boost ethnic minority representation in the media
(2 months later)
Today is a perfect example of why I started the Twitter hashtag #AllWhiteFrontPages. Sounds offensive, right? But All Black Front Pages sounds unlikely. Every evening, BBC producer Nick Sutton tweets the front pages of national newspapers the day before they go on sale. Frequently, every image featured is of a white person, inspiring me to start the campaign to highlight how often all-white front pages occur. Today is no exception; a panoply of images of celebrating Andy Murray's win at Wimbledon. While I'm as happy as the next British tennis fan, the Times' double spread showing a sea of white faces in the Wimbledon crowd does not reflect a London I recognise.Today is a perfect example of why I started the Twitter hashtag #AllWhiteFrontPages. Sounds offensive, right? But All Black Front Pages sounds unlikely. Every evening, BBC producer Nick Sutton tweets the front pages of national newspapers the day before they go on sale. Frequently, every image featured is of a white person, inspiring me to start the campaign to highlight how often all-white front pages occur. Today is no exception; a panoply of images of celebrating Andy Murray's win at Wimbledon. While I'm as happy as the next British tennis fan, the Times' double spread showing a sea of white faces in the Wimbledon crowd does not reflect a London I recognise.
As a born and bred Londoner, I only have to walk outside my door to see a wide range of people with a variety of skin colours. Yet, when I flick through the newspapers, all I see is whiteness. The Creative Access organisation, which helps find internships in the creative industries for talented young people from under-represented black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds articulates it well: "Media cannot reflect society, if society is not reflected in the media".As a born and bred Londoner, I only have to walk outside my door to see a wide range of people with a variety of skin colours. Yet, when I flick through the newspapers, all I see is whiteness. The Creative Access organisation, which helps find internships in the creative industries for talented young people from under-represented black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds articulates it well: "Media cannot reflect society, if society is not reflected in the media".
When I returned to London, having spent time living and working in east Africa, I felt marginalised. My daily trawl though the UK papers yielded barely any stories on or by people like me. The TV I watched was much the same.When I returned to London, having spent time living and working in east Africa, I felt marginalised. My daily trawl though the UK papers yielded barely any stories on or by people like me. The TV I watched was much the same.
I wondered how my teenage nephews felt in a system that wasn't designed to help them thrive. In a recent article in Britain's biggest-selling black newspaper, the Voice, entitled The Evening Standard of Whiteness, one student said: "Sir, if all the images of black males shown to me are negative, therefore my perceptions of black males are negative, how am I supposed to succeed?"I wondered how my teenage nephews felt in a system that wasn't designed to help them thrive. In a recent article in Britain's biggest-selling black newspaper, the Voice, entitled The Evening Standard of Whiteness, one student said: "Sir, if all the images of black males shown to me are negative, therefore my perceptions of black males are negative, how am I supposed to succeed?"
I know there are brilliant black British, Asian and Middle Eastern men and women toiling away out there in the midst of this recession, but if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes I might not think they existed – and I doubt that some in our leafy suburbs do. Why are there barely any journalists or columnists of colour in national and local papers? London is just one city in the UK that would fall apart if we (people of colour) suddenly decided to leave. When black people are seen in newspapers, more often than not it's around sports, entertainment or crime, which feeds into the time-honoured tradition of negative stereotypes.I know there are brilliant black British, Asian and Middle Eastern men and women toiling away out there in the midst of this recession, but if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes I might not think they existed – and I doubt that some in our leafy suburbs do. Why are there barely any journalists or columnists of colour in national and local papers? London is just one city in the UK that would fall apart if we (people of colour) suddenly decided to leave. When black people are seen in newspapers, more often than not it's around sports, entertainment or crime, which feeds into the time-honoured tradition of negative stereotypes.
The author of that Voice article, Rodney Sealy, counted the photos of BAME people in one edition of the London paper. The results were not pretty (or colourful). Why are we not either seen or heard? After all, according to the Office for National Statistics, the non-white British population was 9.1 million in 2009 – one in six people.The author of that Voice article, Rodney Sealy, counted the photos of BAME people in one edition of the London paper. The results were not pretty (or colourful). Why are we not either seen or heard? After all, according to the Office for National Statistics, the non-white British population was 9.1 million in 2009 – one in six people.
As the New Statesman pointed out last year, two of the 99 named witnesses at the Leveson inquiry into the press were from ethnic minorities. Last year, the Guardian published a guide to the 100 most important people in the media, which included just three who were non-white, while the Independent recently made history by appointing the first non-white editor of a national newspaper, Amol Rajan. According to the latest NUJ stats, 94% of journalists are white.As the New Statesman pointed out last year, two of the 99 named witnesses at the Leveson inquiry into the press were from ethnic minorities. Last year, the Guardian published a guide to the 100 most important people in the media, which included just three who were non-white, while the Independent recently made history by appointing the first non-white editor of a national newspaper, Amol Rajan. According to the latest NUJ stats, 94% of journalists are white.
These numbers give a clue as to why there is a lack of representation. It was in the light of these statistics that Media Diversity UK, aka @WritersofColour, was born. Our aim is to highlight the lack of representation in the media, agitate for change (by encouraging newspapers to sign up to a media diversity charter) and provide a space for writers of colour to publish their work. A space where editors can search for articles, republish (at a rate paid to the author, not us) and find writers to commission. These writers will not be focusing solely on race issues, but will write book reviews, economic analyses and political commentary and will provide support to others already working in the industry.These numbers give a clue as to why there is a lack of representation. It was in the light of these statistics that Media Diversity UK, aka @WritersofColour, was born. Our aim is to highlight the lack of representation in the media, agitate for change (by encouraging newspapers to sign up to a media diversity charter) and provide a space for writers of colour to publish their work. A space where editors can search for articles, republish (at a rate paid to the author, not us) and find writers to commission. These writers will not be focusing solely on race issues, but will write book reviews, economic analyses and political commentary and will provide support to others already working in the industry.
Isn't it time that BBC's Today programme reflected the diversity of this country? BAME political and business leaders need as much of a grilling as our white ones. Isn't it time that BBC Woman's Hour took advantage of that colour palette of women already working their magic in the media? Writers like Reni Eddo-Lodge, presenters like Marverine Cole; political lobby journalists like Anne Alexander are there ready for the asking. These women don't have the same political beliefs or backgrounds, which means you'll get different perspectives, as any society needs in order to flourish. An all-black Woman's Hour may mean they actually graduate to BBC Question Time one day. And wouldn't that be a sight to behold?Isn't it time that BBC's Today programme reflected the diversity of this country? BAME political and business leaders need as much of a grilling as our white ones. Isn't it time that BBC Woman's Hour took advantage of that colour palette of women already working their magic in the media? Writers like Reni Eddo-Lodge, presenters like Marverine Cole; political lobby journalists like Anne Alexander are there ready for the asking. These women don't have the same political beliefs or backgrounds, which means you'll get different perspectives, as any society needs in order to flourish. An all-black Woman's Hour may mean they actually graduate to BBC Question Time one day. And wouldn't that be a sight to behold?
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