Here's a gift -- a good news update from the world of journalism.
The problem: Back in 2002, the
Asian American Journalists Association released a study documenting the underrepresentation Asian-American men in television news. Women outnumbered men in newsrooms and in journalism school classrooms, too.
The volunteers: A team of AAJA members, men and women led by
Randall Yip, a TV news producer at KGO in San Francisco. They decided to take on the challenge by using the power of what they know best -- visual storytelling.
The project: In 2004, the team released a DVD entitled "
The Men of AAJA: A DVD Showcase." The video featured the on-air work of 60 Asian-American broadcast journalists. I served as a volunteer adviser to the project and
wrote about it in 2004, when it was released at the annual Radio-TV News Directors Association convention. The goal was twofold: raise the profile of men already on the air and recruit aspiring journalists to follow them. Then, in 2006 they turned out a second DVD, called "
More than a Job: Broadcast Journalism," a recruitment video featuring six Asian-American journalists showing and talking about the work they love. I'll embed that video at the end of this column so you can check it out.
The results: Randall Yip sent me an e-mail recently, with results of a follow-up survey by AAJA.
- The number of Asian-American men on the air in the top 25 markets has increased by 73 percent. There were 22 Asian-American men on the air in the top 25 markets in 2002. There are now 38.
- The number of Asian-American women has also increased in these markets, 84 in 2002 compared to 129 in 2008, an increase of 54 percent.
- The ratio of Asian-American women to men in these markets has also improved. In 2002, the ratio was 3.82 to 1. In 2008, the ratio is 3.39 to 1.
What's happened to the 60 guys in the 2004 DVD?
- 56 responded to the survey and 87 percent of them remain in journalism.
- 71 percent of the men featured in the DVD have either been given a promotion (defined as a change in job title or a market jump of at least 10 markets) or made a lateral move (including those still in the same position).
I shot a note back to Randall, with a few questions.
Jill Geisler: What have you learned from this project and the results?
Randall Yip: I learned people can really pull together to make things happen. With the support of the AAJA staff, which was invaluable, we pulled this off almost entirely with the sweat and determination of dozens of volunteers. We produced two DVDs and released a study from the Annenberg School for Communication at USC in just six years.
We put an issue on the map that few in television news had heard of prior to our efforts. We've made progress in increasing the number of Asian American men on the air in television news in the top 25 markets.
We realize while the gains we've made are encouraging, they are far from being complete. In 12 of the 25 markets we surveyed, there are no Asian-American men working as reporters or anchors.
What message do you have for newsroom managers about hiring and retaining journalists of color, especially Asian-American men?
The candidates are out there and the commitment to journalism from these candidates is strong. The good retention rate among the 60 men featured in our Men of AAJA DVD four years ago proves that with a wide support network and a positive, challenging and rewarding work environment, you should be able to both hire and retain journalists of color.
Here's a look at that "More than a Job" video, which is now on YouTube. It's well done, right down to the outtakes at the end.
If you're receiving this via e-mail newsletter and have trouble viewing the video, please use the video player on the SuperVision page.
By the way, I want to repeat the advice I shared with Randall when we first discussed his DVD project. By all means recruit for on-air jobs. The faces of TV news should reflect the faces of those they serve. But don't stop there. Recruit for the off-air jobs that are often a pipeline to management. After all, it's managers who do the hiring!
FYI from Jill: For the next few columns, I'm adding reminders about the Poynter Leadership Academy (October 12-17). This is one of my all-time favorite Poynter programs, because it unites high-potential managers from print, broadcast and online journalism. They come from around the world to learn from each other, from top Poynter faculty and an all-star lineup of guest faculty. This year that team includes Len Downie of The Washington Post,
Candy Altman of Hearst-Argyle, Rob King of ESPN.com, and Mae Cheng of Newsday's amNewYork.
If you want to lead your newsroom into the future, you need the latest info and the best skills. To join us, apply by August 27th!
