CBS News Called Out for Lack of Black Folks on Election Team
CBS News' Ben Mitchell inadvertently highlighted the journalism industry's diversity and equity issues when he tweeted about the outlet's election coverage team on Friday (January 11).
It's Official: The @CBSNews 2020 Election Team has assembled! https://t.co/0GBCw4mj7s pic.twitter.com/E0rUDAkzf7
— Ben Mitchell (@bfmitchell) January 11, 2019
Twitter users called out the lack of Black staffers over the weekend, addressing the importance of representation in a political climate dominated by racial justice issues like mass incarceration, policing of immigrant communities and reproductive rights:
If only this country had a national association of black journalists that could help outlets find qualified black journalists. Oh wait... https://t.co/e7KmgMSyLI
— Shanita Hubbard (@msshanitarenee) January 13, 2019
Hey @CBSNews, @bfmitchell you know it’s 2019 right?? ?
— ??Eric Seals (@ericseals) January 13, 2019
You couldn’t even find one African-American reporter or producer?? @NABJ could have helped you find 1, 2, 3 or several talented broadcast journalists of color.
Diversity matters!! Try it out. https://t.co/AB3zJnnH6l pic.twitter.com/eocnX7Dsh0
Naw. This ain't it. Try again @CBSNews.
— Soraya Nadia McDonald (@SorayaMcDonald) January 13, 2019
I hear @HowardU has a journalism program that consistently turns out great talent. https://t.co/9fJFZovO2t
This will be the deepest field of black contenders ever, the CBC is the largest it’s ever been, and black turnout is increasingly key to Dem strategy. There are higher ideals for hiring black journos than representativeness or effectiveness but not hiring them is malpractice
— Dad (@fivefifths) January 13, 2019
CBS doesn’t have any black journalists on their Election 2020 embed team because they didn’t want any. At some point you have to realize that this is on purpose.
— Jamie Nesbitt Golden (@thewayoftheid) January 14, 2019