Gerry Baker, The Wall Street Journal's editor in chief. Monica Schipper/Getty Images Reporters and editors at The Wall Street Journal have signed a letter to management expressing concern about the roles of women and people of color in the newsroom.

"Diversity in the newsroom is good for business and good for our coverage," says the letter, which was obtained by Business Insider. "We would like to see The Journal undertake a more comprehensive, intentional and transparent approach to improving it."

The letter comes at a time of dissent at The Journal, when leadership has been internally criticized for being soft on President Donald Trump, and over a year after the employees' union published details of pay disparities in the newsroom.

The letter is addressed to The Journal's editor in chief, Gerard Baker, and his deputy, Matt Murray. It was signed by 160 staffers, one person told Business Insider, although that number couldn't be independently verified. This person said they didn't know when the letter was delivered but that it was expected to have been handed to management on Tuesday morning.

"Our highest-ranking female role model left the company earlier this year," the letter says, alluding to Rebecca Blumenstein, the 22-year Journal veteran and deputy editor in chief who left for The New York Times in February. "There are currently four women and eight men listed as deputy managing editors, and both editorial page editors are men. Nearly all the people at high levels at the paper deciding what we cover and how are white men."

The letter references a report published last year by the employees' union, the Independent Association of Publishers' Employees, that found there was a gap between men's and women's pay at The Journal. The Journal's parent company, Dow Jones, had pledged to address any pay disparity.

But the letter says the employees "feel that the underlying issues regarding pay equity have not been adequately addressed."

The letter also cites a recent report by the Women's Media Center that showed a decrease in the number of the Journal's A-section bylines by women in September, October, and November.

"There are troubling signs in other parts of the paper as well," the letter says. "For example, over the past six months, the high-profile Saturday Review cover piece was written by a woman just once. And following the most recent round of layoffs and buyouts, just 18% of our union-represented writers, editors, visual journalists and reporters are people of color."

Representatives for The Wall Street Journal did not return calls seeking comment.

The letter closes with a list of specific suggestions to help improve the situation: