The human angle can engage an audience, illuminating a city s diversity or explaining complex race issues. To raise the bar, find characters that advance the story in compelling terms. Too often, journalism neglects the power of the human prism. Frequently, timidity clouds coverage of race and ethnicity. Participants often spoke of a racial minefield.
Worries can range from adverse newsroom reaction to audience backlash.
Be mindful of sensitivities, participants said, but do not become fearful. Again, raising the bar means transcending timidity. Demography is destiny News organizations see the demographic forces transforming their communities, but often fail to pull all the pieces together, as was done by the San Francisco Examiner or The State. New beats or specialists may be needed. As in San Francisco, it may require putting the staff in vans to tour obscure parts of a changing city.