When they failed, miserably, to reach that mark, they weakened the goal then gave themselves another 25 years to reach it. Now they're going backward. Same Old Song Hall's well-meaning comments mean little when editors repeat them annually with little effect. Their empty statements, hollow promises and disingenuous assurances simply highlight the weakness of the industry's diversity efforts. To make it real, newspaper editors need to put their money where their mouths are.
Inadequate retention is a major reason for the decline in minority employment.
Harris is the most prominent minority departure this year. He quit because he believed projected Mercury News layoffs would cut quality in an attempt to keep profit margins high. In too many newsrooms you don't have that. It will take more than ASNE's annual hand-wringing to improve journalism's disgusting diversity situation. Sutton challenged the editors to commit to work with NABJ to develop a plan with goals and timetables at each newspaper.