Black Journalists Collective UK - 4 Point Representation Manifesto

On the 22nd December 2018 over 100 black jouranlists signed an open letter by the the Black Journalists' Collective UK ( @BJCUK1 ) calling on newsrooms across the UK to adopt their "4 Point Representation Manifesto" to increase diversity, inclusion and representation in journalism.

I am proud to have been involved in its drafting and a signatory.

Please find the letter in full below:

Dear news editors

The poor and misleading quality of reporting related to people of colour in the UK has been brought into sharp focus in recent days by Raheem Sterling and Jamelia Davis. These are only the latest in a long litany of inadequacies in newsroom coverage of race and how stories of non-white people are covered.

We, as members of the Black Journalists’ Collective UK (BJCUK), believe that there is a direct correlation between the ethnic makeup of the staff in a newsroom and how issues are covered.

There is a chronic underrepresentation of black journalists across British newsrooms. The December 2015 survey of 700 journalists, conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism revealed that only 0.4% of British journalists are Muslim. The same survey also revealed only 0.2% of working journalists are black.

The evidence shows this is not due to a lack of available graduates from ethnic minority backgrounds. 2017 research by the NCTJ revealed that only 8% of black journalism graduates were able to obtain jobs in journalism, compared with 26% of white journalism graduates.

We need journalism that better serves all communities in the UK and therefore we need newsrooms that reflect the society they serve. We do acknowledge that news providers like ITN and the BBC have already published their intentions to improve recruitment and close the ethnicity pay gap. However, there are some who have not been so forthcoming.

It is clear there is much more progress to be made, therefore the BJCUK is calling on all newsrooms to urgently show their commitment to improving their reporting of racial issues and subjects, and to increasing the diversity of their staff by signing up to the points outlined in the manifesto below.

THE REPRESENTATION MANIFESTO

Based on four guiding principles, the BJCUK believes newsrooms should commit to undertake the following essential actions:

1. REPRESENT SOCIETY

Newsrooms should commit to the long-term goal of their staff at every level, accurately reflecting the society in which they operate. They should also commit to short-term goals set against specific deadlines by which progress can be measured.  

To this end, newsrooms should openly commit to measurable and easily understood goals and implement and publish methods by which they intend to recruit, retain and advance diverse journalists and editors.

2. TRANSPARENCY

Openness and transparency are essential to measure progress and for people - both within the and outside any organisation – to be able to trust the actions of the newsroom.

To this end,
newsrooms should publish detailed diversity figures within their organisation – both in functional areas and seniority levels.

3. FINANCE

Finances are a clear signal indication of the priorities of an organisation. Financial commitments build credibility and - if no organisation wants to waste money - helps to focus the actions of the organisation.

To this end, organisations should make clear financial commitments to increase diversity within their organisation and output by publishing percentage total salary spend on different diverse groups to training budgets.

Organisations should also commit to delivering and providing more robust unconscious bias training amongst its senior decision-makers and management.

4. EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY

We can only ensure that people are promoted on talent if everyone is given an equal opportunity to compete for jobs. Therefore, ensuring that as wide a pool of people have access to important information is one of the best methods to ensure equality in an organisation.

To this end,
as many employment opportunities as possible should be open to as many people as possible with information about job opportunities advertised as widely as possible.

Annually the number of job opportunities which were advertised (externally and internally) compared to the number of actual new jobs, moves and promotions made should be published.

We want any news organisation that believes it is serious about improving representation within the British journalism industry, and is serious about halting the steady stream of careless reporting of stories around race and diversity, join us to formulate plans for ensuring this industry is fit for right now and fit for Britain’s future.

The quality of journalism depends on reporters and commentators who have access to a comprehensive and varied set of sources and perspectives.

Freedom of Speech dies

if only the powerful and majority culture is given a platform to be heard

Democracy dies if

only the powerful and majority culture is given the means to voice their reality and experiences

Society is poorer

if we are deprived of the creativity, stories and vision of any one section of that society

Diversity and Inclusion are not luxuries

but essential elements of a functioning, free and equal society

Equal representation across newsrooms is key

to achieving better journalism and a better society

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Note to Editors:

Direct all BJCUK Media enquiries to

Marverine Cole, Journalist, Broadcast & Academic

marverine@marverinecole.co.uk

Black Journalists’ Collective (UK) – BJCUK - is a newly-established, and fast-growing, support network which represents the views of over 100 black and minority ethnic journalists and broadcasters, working in newsrooms across the United Kingdom.