Actually, ASNE s leadership was attempting to establish interim goals and tracking systems to achieve full parity. Despite efforts to correct the misperceptions about the draft, the sentiment among many minority journalists was that diversity was no longer a priority in newsrooms and that commitment had publicly waned. What is involved here is a matter of will, not know-how. Sharon Rosenhause, managing editor of the San Francisco Examiner and a diversity committee member, wrote that ASNE should define diversity more broadly or inclusively than race or ethnicity although the emphasis should continue to be on race and ethnicity. But to ignore gender and sexual orientation is shortsighted and ignores the reality of most of our newsrooms.
Editors cite realities Conversely, editors struggled with some grim realities.
Currently, journalism school graduates barely fill the slots lost through attrition each year. Let s be realistic, they said, without minimizing the dedication behind diversifying newsrooms. Let s not set up the organization for future failure, some editors advised. Minorities who have long believed that the goal would be met simply because it had been established have had their hopes crushed somewhat cruelly it seems. A handful objected to the premise.