Measuring racial diversity in journalism.

In the summer of 1967, racial tension in the US reached a breaking point. Acts of rebellion erupted in more than 150 urban centers throughout the country, leaving thousands injured and many dead. Before the dust had settled, President Johnson appointed a special committee to investigate the causes of the unrest and to provide recommendations for the future.

In short, they found that "our nation [was] moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal." While they suggested several governmental and societal changes to help bridge the gap between these societies, the committee spoke at length about the role that the media played. They stated that:

Along with the country as a whole, the press has too long basked in a white world, looking out of it, if at all, with white men's eyes and a white perspective. That is no longer good enough. ––Kerner Commission, 1968

According to the committee, the field of journalism in particular had been “shockingly backward in seeking out, hiring, training, and promoting” black people, specifically. Ten years after this report was released, the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) challenged newsrooms to reach racial parity with their audience by the year 2000. Though they didn’t quite reach parity by the new millennium, they have since changed the goal to 2025.

With less than 10 years to go, will US newsrooms meet the challenge?