First Draft by Tim Porter

Diversifying Unity

Jay Rosen is turning Pressthink into an op-ed page. Continuing the debate over what is diversity that arose from the Unity convention, Unity president Juan Gonzalez, outgoing president of the National Asssociation of Hispanic Journalists and a columnist for the New York Daily News, writes on Pressthink that the time has come for Unity to be more inclusive.

"It has always been open to participation by white journalists and executives, though I will be the first to admit there are significant numbers of members within each of the minority organizations who are not comfortable with inviting more white journalists, straight and gay, to attend our conventions. Those members, in my opinion, are wrong, and I have always told them.

It is a thoughtful, provocative piece that not only addresses diversity, but also the other lingering illnesses of the newspaper industry -- lack of training, lousy communication and slipping standards. Read it all.

Posted by Tim Porter at August 12, 2004 11:57 AM