| The title, We Need To Talk, is based on the shared experiences of two journalists, one black and one white, who came away from an assignment not even speaking to one another. Later they were assigned another project dealing with race. They decided to talk openly. The result was an award winning series produced by two friends.; White distrust of black journalists is an extension of the ancient stereotype that blacks are intellectually and moray inferior. Black distrust of white journalism is essentially defensive. The goal of this study was to see if black journalists believe that cultural differences with white editors can impede the flow of news. The results may assist policy makers diversify their newsrooms.; African Americans have worked in mainstream newsrooms since the mid-1960s, thanks to the Civil Rights Movement and urban riots. News organizations have been reluctant to hire blacks in great numbers. This tokenism is a mirror of the greater society.; The literature on cultural and racial diversity is extensive, However, most references to the newsroom experience are either brief and passing or narrowly focused.; One applicable theory is intercultural communication. Others include organizational communication, spiral of silence, agenda melding, and double- and triple-consciousness. The divide between blacks and whites predates the nation and remains its most complex problem.; This study employs a triangular approach: a mail survey, follow-up interviews, and personal recollections of the author. The three methods are complementary and strengthen the study.; The survey results do not support the hypothesis that a majority of black journalists believe stories about race were substantively edited or killed because white editors failed to understand their African-American viewpoint. This suggests that blacks get along well with their white supervisors. These positive responses are tempered by others that reveal a subtle but pervasive mistrust. This mistrust received strong general support in the interviews and the author's recollections. Still, the positive findings indicate continued progress, but change will come slowly. Each side must realize that its perspective is but one of several. |
