On Friday night, #JournalismSoWhite trended across the United States and Toronto. The hashtag, a spinoff of #OscarsSoWhite, takes aim at demographic uniformity in journalism. This is a much needed discussion, and one that I tried to add to with my November 2015 article, “The Unbearable Whiteness of Canadian Columnists.”
There is more to come from the Ryerson Review of Journalism on the lack of diversity, of all sorts, in Canadian journalism. Until then, here are a few of the best tweets from #JournalismSoWhite.
If news media is examining diversity of Hollywood, Silicon Valley, etc, then we must also examine our own industry. #JournalismSoWhite
— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) January 22, 2016
It'd be nice if media/schools/etc were interested in opinions & expertise of journalists of color beyond race & racism. #JournalismSoWhite
— Joel D. Anderson (@byjoelanderson) January 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/AndrayDomise/status/690729358231769088
when White journalists report on race, it's "reporting"; when journalists of color do it, it's "having an agenda" #journalismsowhite
— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) January 22, 2016
@jaeahjlee Journalism is a relationship biz, not true meritocracy. Newsroom cultures often create invisible barriers. #JournalismSoWhite
— Jeff Chu (@jeffchu) January 22, 2016
@joseiswriting 7 afghan journalists were just killed by a suicide bomber, but since they aren't French no one cares #journalismsowhite
— ariana delawari (@arianadelawari) January 22, 2016
About the author
Davide is the blog editor of the spring 2016 issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism. He also works as an associate editor for the Islamic Monthly. Davide's articles have appeared in numerous publications including Al Jazeera America, The Globe and Mail and the National Post.