Making Media in the Age of Obama

The last lecture I attended revolved around subjects that are very near and dear to me. Yes, there is the obvious, President Obama. But there is also his not-quite-so-obvious effect on the news, specifically speaking, how he’s allowing race and culture to find their ways back into mainstream media. And not in the bad, controversial, Times-Picayune way.

We were lucky enough to be graced by four prominent journalists, Gilbert Bailón, Scott Nishimura, Cheryl Smith and Bob Ray Sanders, all of whom were eager to put their two cents in on the importance of diversity.

“I love seeing diversity–diversity of your minds and hearts,” said Smith, commenting on how diversity may not always entail physical and racial qualifications.

Bailón then commandeered the mic and told us how in this industry “you need to be trilingual,” and not in the traditional sense. You need to be able to speak English beyond what is sufficient. You need to command the language, a skill that can only be gained through intensive reading and writing. Next, you need to be literate in yourself and be knowledgeable of your abilities and talents. And finally, you need to be literate in multimedia, a medium that is without a doubt the future of journalism. Using technology as a journalistic tool is definitely a highly sought after expertise in the business.

Then came the pivotal question of the afternoon, the real focus of the day.

“Is the Obama presidency going to make a difference in the industry?”

Sanders jumped at the answer.

“It already has.”

He gave credence to his response by explaining that people who weren’t commonly in mainstream media are suddenly getting coverage today.

Obama is an internationalist. He believes that this world extends beyond our borders. And it shows. His proactive outreaching to foreign countries through emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy are beginning to appear in the headlines. Essentially, with Obama, comes stories on international issues and international figures. And with that comes the broader understanding and acceptance of such issues in the American journalistic arena.

However, the remnants of previous media continue to keep contemporary journalism hanging by a thread. The true test will be revealed in the 2010 Census, which all four journalists agree will show that newspapers have not been doing their jobs in reaching out to various demographics.

Diversity matters.

“Diversity matters for business and for coverage,” said Bailón. With more exposure to international and racial issues, we need people who better comprehend them. Therefore sending a white American to cover stories on Chinese New Year or on the rise of crime rates in a primarily African American neighborhood, or on the impact of Islamic law on women’s rights, isn’t always the most practical idea. That’s not to say that people of color and of diverse backgrounds are completely necessary in coverage. Nevertheless, it helps.  Fundamentally, we need journalists of all colors and of all backgrounds. If we learn to embrace the broadening of the newsroom populace, we’ll get new perspectives, better understanding and generally more thorough and legitimate coverage.That’s why diversity in the newsroom is important.

In response to this, Smith proclaimed proudly, “I see the color and I celebrate the color.”

Let’s hope that Obama ushers in that era, that era in which journalism also sees the color and celebrates it too.

-Stephanie Kuo, SPJ UT Austin