The leadership in journalism’s top jobs is growing more diverse
A small but heartening sign that newsrooms are making good on their promises to change.
A song to read by: "Slipped Disc," by Lizzy Mercier Descloux
What I’m reading: "Real Life," by Brandon Taylor
Diversity at the top
Midway through this month, I wrote a list article for Adweek that chronicled all the women who had been hired as editors-in-chief at top publishers in 2021. I wanted to write the list primarily because I had seen a slew of heartening appointments across the industry, and it felt like the kind of trend that, on an individual level, might not be so surprising, but taken together felt important.
When I published the piece, I made a note in the copy that it was a working list, and that I would be happy to add other names that I had overlooked. Since then, four other publishers have contacted me, asking for their new editor-in-chief to join the ranks of her peers.
On Monday, Joshua Benton at Nieman Lab published a similar article, though his focused specifically on the 20 biggest daily newspapers in the country. He had observed a similar trend, taken a different angle and found a parallel result: 12 of the top 20 dailies in the country were run by women, people of color or both. (One position was vacant.)
Benton’s article more fully fleshed out a component of my list that I had alluded to, but not outright mentioned, which was its racial composition.
I have to add the three of the four new names to my Adweek list (one site fell below the traffic threshold we recently established to more quantitatively define “top newsrooms,” but I will include it here), but once I do so, the racial breakdown looks pretty encouraging.
In total, in my soon-to-be-updated Adweek list, of the 17 women hired as editor-in-chief at a major publisher in 2021, nine are Black, five are journalists of color and the other three are white.
Combined with Benton’s list, after accounting for the three redundant names (Sally Buzbee, Katrice Hardy and Maria Reeve) and one vacancy (Honolulu Star-Advertiser) that leaves: 33 total editors-in-chief, composed of 21 women and 12 men.
Of the 21 women, the breakdown goes: nine Black, six white, three Latina, two Indian and one Asian.
Of the 12 men, the breakdown goes: seven white, three Latino and two Black.
Obviously these numbers do not reflect the racial composition of journalism leadership across the country; they are just two similar lists of editors-in-chief that have been combined, not a methodically compiled compendium that offers the final word on the diversity of journalism. Benton also mentions some other important qualifiers, such as the fact that larger publishers are statistically more likely to hire diverse leadership.
Plus, it should be noted that hiring a non-white or non-male editor-in-chief does not ensure that they are a good leader, kind person or progressively valued individual. Race alone colors only a portion of a person’s worldview, and issues of class, physical ability and sexuality are also critical factors in shaping how someone evaluates the world.
But, the hires do signal that some of the largest publishers in the country have made good on at least a part of their promise to diversify their newsrooms. While the victory might be small and riddled with relevant asterisks, I think it is worth noting nonetheless.
Below are the two lists, joined together with a note demarcating the two. Here’s to hoping this trend continues. (Both are listed in alphabetical order.)
The Adweek List
Name: Danielle Belton
Publication: HuffPost
Start date: April 12
2. Name: Marielle Bobo
Publication: EBONY
Start date: April 28
3. Name: Sally Buzbee (She is on both lists, but will only be included here)
Publication: The Washington Post
Start date: June 1
4. Name: Thatiana Diaz
Publication: Remezcla
Start date: June 11
5. Name: Vanessa De Luca
Publication: The Root
Start date: April 19
6. Name: Leah Finnegan
Publication: Gawker
Start date: April 12
7. Name: Alessandra Galloni
Publication: Reuters
Start date: April 19
8. Name: Katrice Hardy (She is on both lists, but will only be included here)
Publication: Dallas Morning News
Start date: August 1
9. Name: Patricia Hernandez
Publication: Kotaku
Start date: June 2
10. Name: Raina Kelley
Publication: The Undefeated
Start date: May 3
11. Name: Mary Margaret
Publication: Entertainment Weekly
Start date: April 12
12. Name: Geraldine Moriba
Publication: The Grio
Start date: June 2
13. Name: Maria Reeve (She is on both lists, but will only be included here)
Publication: Houston Chronicle
Start date: July 19
14. Name: Swati Sharma
Publication: Vox
Start date: February 16
15. Name: Versha Sharma
Publication: Teen Vogue
Start date: May 24
16. Name: Leta Shy
Publication: Self
Start date: May 10
17. Name: Lindsay Peoples Wagner
Publication: The Cut
Start date: January 4
The Nieman Lab List
Name: Dean Baquet
Publication: The New York Times
2. Name: Nicole Carroll
Publication: USA Today
3. Name: Lee Ann Colacioppo
Publication: The Denver Post
4. Name: Gabriel Escobar
Publication: The Philadelphia Inquirer
5. Name: Michele Matassa Flores
Publication: The Seattle Times
6. Name: Emilio Garcia-Ruiz
Publication: The San Francisco Chronicle
7. Name: Deborah Henley
Publication: Newsday
8. Name: Mark Katches
Publication: The Tampa Bay Times
9. Name: Brian McGrory
Publication: The Boston Globe
10. Name: Colin McMahon
Publication: The Chicago Tribune
11. Name: Kevin Merida
Publication: The Los Angeles Times
12. Name: Matt Murray
Publication: The Wall Street Journal
13. Name: Keith Poole
Publication: The New York Post
14. Name: Rene Sanchez
Publication: (Minneapolis) Star Tribune
15. Name: Kevin Whitmer
Publication: The (Newark) Star-Ledger
16. Name: Robert York
Publication: New York Daily News
17. Name: Vacant
Publication: Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Some good readin'
— I have been busy at Adweek! Here is a piece about The New Yorker, and here is one about Architectural Digest. (Adweek)
— This is a must-read if you want to understand the rapidly shifting state of play amongst the digital media giants. (New York Times)
— This newsletter from the woman who does socials for Mel Magazine, called Yes I Was High, which is absolutely hilarious and also beautifully written. (YIWH)
— If you haven't read this true story about a German social experiment that placed foster children with pedophile caretakers ... it will unhinge you. (New Yorker)
— I was waiting for Alicia Kennedy to write about the Anthony Bourdain movie, and she did not disappoint! (From the Desk of AK)
— Finally, Gannett has sold 26 local newspapers back to buyers from the community. If this works out well, it will be good! (Poynter)
Cover image: "Black Untitled," by Willem de Kooning