Op-Ed: Why we need a rubric for assessing local news coverage of traditionally marginalized communities
, scholars have studied how systemically racist practices in the media have resulted in both stereotypical coverage of BIPOC communities and poor relationships with BIPOC community members. More recently, journalists of color have stepped forward to share their experiences with discrimination in newsrooms. And as the integrity of some of the country’s foremost media publications has come under fire, the visibility of racism in journalism continues to grow. Over the past year alone, we have heard horror stories about the lack of commitment in many newsrooms toward issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Groups including Free Press and severallocal chapters of the National Association of Black Journalists have actively led the charge in the past year to urge the industry to take a closer look at how it treats BIPOC communities both inside and outside of the newsroom.