Who Didn’t Respond
Much of the story of this survey is not about who participated but who did not. Of the 36 newsrooms that completed the organizational survey, 16 were a nonprofit organization, and nine have independent local owners. Newspapers owned by McClatchy participated in the organizational survey but not newsrooms owned by chains such as Lee and Adams. There was limited participation among Gannett newsrooms. In the case of Gannett newsrooms, corporate record-keeping can make it difficult for those newsrooms to participate in surveys such as this. One Gannett respondent to the organizational survey indicated that they were unable to provide demographic data because it is held by a central corporate office.
Additionally, participating newsrooms were located predominantly in metro counties and mostly concentrated in just a few, particularly in the Triangle which includes Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Twenty-two of the 36 newsrooms that completed the organizational survey were located in Mecklenburg (Charlotte), Buncombe (Asheville), Wake (Raleigh), and Orange (Chapel Hill) counties. In terms of staff location, approximately 55% of the staff members counted in the organizational survey work in a newsroom in Wake County.
Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural-urban continuum classification of counties, newsrooms were designated as being in a rural, metro, or nonmetro county. Thirty-one of newsrooms participating in the organizational survey are located in a metro county, and nearly 90% of respondents to the individual survey work in a metro newsroom. In other words, this survey gives a picture of diversity in the newsrooms serving North Carolina’s urban centers and suburbs but not those serving its rural and nonmetro communities.
Analysts’ Perspectives on Survey Participation
Cierra Brown Hinton noted that the method of outreach may have contributed to lower survey participation than was desired, but she was encouraged by the participation of nonprofit news outlets. “As a nonprofit news leader, I was encouraged and unsurprised to see strong participation from other nonprofit news organizations. This was a real bright spot in the survey: Here we have a group of organizations that in so many ways has already committed to doing things differently than has previously been done in the field of journalism.” She concluded, “Indeed, nonprofit newsrooms may be the core group that allows us to build momentum and shift the larger ecosystem.”
Analyst Tony Elkins found the overall low rates of participation troubling but specifically focused on the lack of participation by many of the state’s larger, corporate-owned newsrooms, finding it a potential indicator that diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are not a priority to them. “There are several causes of concern in the initial finding. The first being the lack of participation, or reporting, from some of the state’s largest journalism employers in newspapers, digital media, television and radio). This is a potential signal these companies may outwardly support diversity efforts, but are not putting in the work, or transparency, to make substantial change.”
He also called attention to the disparity in responses between print newsrooms and TV newsrooms. “The findings also highlight a large divide (in responses) between traditional print companies and broadcasting (television). With journalism resources and positions contracting, it’s important [that] a concerted effort across all platforms make a commitment to filling positions with more diverse candidates.”