Why It's Good To Think Like A Black Man

I was recently on a panel discussion looking at the issue of black men working in TV news. We all know the kind of thing; group of young black men in the audience listening to a panel of black professionals imparting “pearls of wisdom” and being suitably “inspiring”.

One of the questions that came up is whether black people brought a unique perspective to a newsroom and if so if that is an advantage. My fellow panellists all had stories of interviews that they were able to get because of their colour that they don’t think their fellow white journalists could have got. They also had examples of communities they could access that might be shut off to their colleagues. I think I said something similar or I might have mouthed some platitudes about diversity and story ideas… I don’t actually recall. The truth is I was troubled by the very question of what a black perspective can bring to a TV production. At worst I think it might well pigeonhole our careers, and at best I think it underplays our true strengths and how valuable we really are.

Let me take the worst case scenario first.

If you accept that people from diverse backgrounds have better access to stories from their respective communities than our non-diverse colleagues it is hard to argue against the idea that middle-class white people have better access to middle-class stories.

The thing is, however, that most people working in TV, regardless of background, try and make their contacts into different groups and communities as broad as possible. It pays to do so. To try and sell yourself on the fact that you can access one group in particular is about as appealing as a journalist trying to market themselves on the fact they only have unique access into the medical profession. Great to start off with but eventually that journalist will get frustrated and want to do something other than medical stories.

That’s why this line of reasoning can limit our careers as black journalists. So often we are brought in to cover a “black story” on rioting for example, but then dropped in favour of white colleagues as the news agenda moves on.  We want to be able to work on all stories, and not be pigeon holed.

So what is the best case scenario?

The reality is I think people from diverse backgrounds do have unique perspectives that make us incredibly valuable to any broadcaster or news organisations.  But let’s be clear. My black perspective is not about whether I know how to cook rice and peas or whether there are people in Brixton or Harlesden that will chat to me (although I have worked on black specific programmes). As a series producer I have overseen films about traveller communities in which very white and very middleclass producers negotiated access and as a black producer I negotiated access into some of the country’s “whitest” most exclusive institutions.

My black perspective is not about these visible means of demonstrating my heritage. My black perspective enriches my work by giving me a different insight into the programmes I make and oversee, in a much less obvious way.

Take my move to Scotland as Head of Current Affairs. I had only been to Scotland a few times previously, but when I started the job I immediately understood the dynamics of being a minority culture in a wider British setting.  I completely understood the idea of people wanting their lives and views represented on a national stage while maintaining their minority culture and importance. And due to my knowledge of issues such as self-determination and independence in Africa and elsewhere, , I had been raised on seeing nationalism as being both a positive and negative force, which meant that I was able to see nationalism in a broader context than the BNP or far-right organisations, (often the far right is the first experience many English people have with nationalism).

I am not saying that all these issues could not have been overcome by someone from a more traditional non-diverse background, but I have no doubt that my black perspective gave me a quicker understanding of them, and ultimately made me a better Scottish news and current affairs exec.

Similarly, I have recently overseen several high profile programmes on disability issues. I am not disabled but I am sure their success is due, in part, to the fact my black perspective has given me an interest in diversity issues. A diversity of life experiences is enriching to any production team or news room.

So next time I am on a panel discussion and someone asks what a black perspective brings to a broadcaster I’m not going to talk about black stories or scoops, because every journalist worth his salt should be doing that regardless of background. Instead I will just say “It simply brings higher-quality programmes, in ways I am still discovering”.