Fewer than one in five media workers believe newsroom diversity is a top priority in their workplace
The NUJ's Equality Council is concerned about new findings from a report by the Financial Times’s consulting division FT Strategies.
Cristina Lago, Equality Council co-chair, said:
“According to Diversity Inside Media Organisations, a survey of more than 450 employees from news and media organisations, by the Financial Times’s consulting division FT Strategies, only 18 per cent of respondents at large news organisations said creating a diverse workplace was among their company’s top three priorities.
“Although 65 per cent of those surveyed said they had diversity goals in their organisations, with over half agreeing that D&I is a strategic priority, it is disappointing that building a diverse workforce was the last out of seven possible answers when ranked against commercial priorities.
“Journalism in the UK remains a homogenous profession. The latest data from NCTJ showed that: 88 per cent of journalists in the UK come from white ethnic groups; the number of women journalists is lower than the proportion of women working across all the economy (41 per cent compared to 48 per cent); and 72 per cent of people in the industry come from households where a parent works/worked in a higher-level occupation - one of the key determinants of social class.
“This homogeneity is more prevalent among senior roles.
“Diversity in the media is essential for quality journalism and to ensure that the plurality of voices and views that exist in society are properly represented. It is also a basic requirement to strengthen public trust in media outlets as independent organisations able to hold power to account.
“We call on employers, big and small, across the media industry to take diversity, equity and inclusion seriously and to place it at the top of their business priorities.”
‘Diversity still not a priority in practice’ in news industry, survey finds