Axios Hard Truths: Warping reality

Plus: Newsroom reckoning | Saturday, November 13, 2021

Axios AM Deep Dive: Hard Truths By Sara Fischer ·Nov 13, 2021 View in browser Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us for the 13th in our Hard Truths Deep Dive series. Today, we explore race and the media industry. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,081 words ... 4 mins. Led by Sara Fischer, Russell Contreras and Sara Kehaulani Goo.     1 big thing: Warping reality Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   The drive to bring more diversity to media is more than a moral mission — it's a business imperative driven by the transformation of U.S. demographics, Axios' Sara Fischer and Russell Contreras write. Why it matters: If newsrooms and studios were more inclusive, they could better address falsehoods in a society blighted by racial stereotyping, misinformation and distrust in institutions. A new study from The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and Stagwell's National Research Group finds that a vast majority of Black women are looking for more complex portrayals of themselves onscreen. Black women, the study found, overwhelmingly feel they're depicted via stories about Black pain and struggle, instead of joy and success. If there was more diversity behind the scenes among editors, writers and stylists, Black women say they would be better represented onscreen, said Cindi Smith, VP of diversity, equity and inclusion at National Research Group. In newsrooms, the urgency to address shortcomings around equity in coverage has sent hiring managers scrambling to add editorial positions and products that specialize in coverage of race. In Hollywood, studios and governing bodies — including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — are making changes. But data shows the industry has a long way to go. By the numbers: Gonzalo Del Fa, president of the multicultural division at GroupM, told Axios the company estimates that less than .05% of all media buys goes to minority-owned media. GroupM now has 50 clients that have pledged to spend at least 2%. Share this story.     2. Mapped: Oases in news deserts Data: Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Partial list is based on CUNY's "State of Latino News Media"(2019) and "State of Black Media" (2020). Map: Sara Wise/Axios Ethnic news outlets have been filling a void in local news, and serving up coverage that seeks to rectify journalistic bias in story selection and how news is framed, Axios' Eileen Drage O'Reilly and Sara Fischer write. Why it matters: The spread of "news deserts" — areas where local newspapers have folded and communities have no coverage — has endangered the role the press plays in disseminating accurate news and empowering the public. Share this map.     3. How stock photos can reinforce racism Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   Stock photos — images bought from online libraries — surround us in digital and real life. But advertisers and stock image companies know they have a diversity problem, Axios' Shoshana Gordon writes. Why are the results so white? One factor: The more customers search for racial stereotypes, the more likely those images will keep rising to the top. What to watch: Stock image companies are creating new libraries and filters to help address the issue. Ethnicity filters are another possible solution. iStock created ethnicity filters in 2019. Shutterstock now offers them as well. What's next: Black and brown creators have launched their own stock image sites that showcase racial diversity, including CreateHERStock, Mocha Stock, Nappy, NativeStock Pictures, Pixels in Colour and Tonl. Example of how it works.     A message from Axios Local news from Axios, delivered to your inbox     Get a daily digest of what's happening in your hometown with Axios Local newsletters. Local reporters will deliver the latest news and insights on politics, business, sports and more. Subscribe for free.     4. Newsrooms reckon with their own story Data: RTDNA and ASNE. (ASNE stopped conducting surveys after 2018 due to low participation.) Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios After covering the news about America's racial justice movement in the summer of 2020, many newsrooms looked in the mirror and faced a reckoning of their own, Axios' Shawna Chen and Russell write. Newsroom employees are still more likely to be white and male compared to U.S. workers overall, according to Pew Research Center. Reality check: Improving racial representation in newsrooms doesn't necessarily mean coverage will reflect the communities they serve. But it's a start, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) told Axios. Castro has been putting pressure on media outlets and Hollywood to hire more diverse staff. Though underrepresentation persists, news media companies are unable to even measure its severity. In 2019, the American Society of News Editors (now called the News Leaders Association) suspended its annual newsroom diversity survey — started in the mid-1970s — after participation dwindled to a historic low of 17%. The big picture: In the last few years, journalists of color have been leaving establishment newsrooms to pursue projects that focus on their own communities. Share this story.     5. Media's opportunity gap Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   Despite high-profile efforts to bring more funding and ad dollars to minority-owned media businesses, there have yet to be many measurable outcomes, Russell and Sara Fischer write. Why it matters: Without stronger and more reliable funding, it's harder for minority-owned media businesses to compete with well-funded mainstream media outlets. "From my experiences with (ad) agencies, there's a lot of good intent to make good on these pledges, and we're working to facilitate that," says Mark Larkin, president and chief operating officer of Group Black, a media collective and accelerator for Black-owned media properties. "But it's hard to get metrics." What to watch: Startups owned by people of color often struggle to lure investment from venture capital and private equity firms. Former magazine editor DeShuna Spencer started kweli.tv a few years ago. It's a streaming service that houses independent films, animation and documentaries from Black filmmakers around the world. Spencer told Axios that following the death of George Floyd, she heard a lot of lip service from VCs about wanting to invest more in Black-owned startups to fight systemic racism. "But since then, all I've heard is crickets ... I have a lot of people offering mentorship, but I don't need more mentors. I need funding." Go deeper.     6. Audiences build their own solutions Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   Media consumers are more empowered than ever to create their own content, or to access new options, when they see bias in coverage and gaps in representation, Axios' Hope King writes. Univision, one of the largest Spanish-language broadcast networks, overtook The CW this fall in reaching a coveted 18- to 34-year-old audience. NextShark saw its readership and audience grow after activist Amanda Nguyen's viral video drew widespread attention to Vichar Ratanapakdee's death and anti-Asian hate crimes. Go deeper.     7. The next generation Data: Common Sense Media. Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios New research shows characters in TV shows and movies for kids significantly underrepresent Latinos and Asians, despite efforts to increase diversity in children's and family programming in recent years, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez writes. Why it matters: Not being exposed to portrayals of people of different backgrounds "creates a normal for [children] that is not the real normal," said Polly Conway, senior TV editor for Common Sense Media, a children's advocacy group. A new report from Common Sense Media finds that kids' screens today overwhelmingly feature white faces and stories, "and people of color are often stereotyped or, in some cases, absent altogether." The data shows that Asian and Latino characters are grossly underrepresented in film, television and streaming roles, including children's sitcoms. Share this chart.     A message from Axios Local news from Axios, delivered to your inbox     Get a daily digest of what's happening in your hometown with Axios Local newsletters. Local reporters will deliver the latest news and insights on politics, business, sports and more. Subscribe for free.   Like this email style and format? Learn more about Axios HQ. 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