Diversity: Policy

John C. Watson

Diversity policies at news media organizations are designed to increase the presence and influence of those population groups who historically have been underrepresented or misrepresented in news reports and in the newsroom. These policies are often developed and explained in terms of journalism ethics, social responsibility, inclusiveness, or good business practice. As a business practice, the implementation of a sound diversity policy has a proven ability to increase a news medium's audience, market share, and profits. Nonetheless, news media organizations are much less likely than other organizations to publicly present their diversity policies as outgrowths of financial, political, or legal concerns. Diversity in the news media is usually presented as a value based on principles of ethics and social responsibility. It has been a long-standing value in American journalism, but it has developed a broader interpretation since it was articulated in the first professional codes of journalism ethics created in ...

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