Why do you think it is that people of colour are underrepresented in the field of journalism?

 

Generally three explanations are put forward for this, firstly, to break into journalism, working for free, volunteering, work experience and unpaid internships seem to be a requirement. The luxury of being able to partake in unpaid work is generally something which middle and upper class non coloured/ white people can afford to do.  The second reason is the existence of what is known as ‘the old boys club’, those who have either worked in the media for many years or have friends in high places, these ‘old boys’ ensure their children/family/children of friends obtain entry into the world of journalism. Most of these people themselves attended prestigious universities like Oxford or Cambridge (Two institutions renowned for their non- minority friendly admissions policy), and are generally white upper class; they are then able to pass on this prestige and connections they have to young people who move in the same circles as them.

 

A third reason is ‘typecasting. If an incident occurs in a majority ‘Afro- Caribbean area’ then a journalist of that background is sent there. However the same journalist will not be called upon to cover a normal mainstream event such as to cover a session at parliament. This creates a situation where only a small number of ‘coloured journalists’ are required to cover issues which are related to minority groups in the UK.

 

A lack of diversity and positive and varied representation in the media is by no means a new issue. Is this something you have wanted to tackle for some time, what inspired those behind Media Diversity UK to begin this project now?

 

To quote our founder Samantha Asumadu “There was a Media Diversity shaped hole, for us, for the writers, to get read”.

 

Sam was inspired to start the organisation after reading Rodney Sealy’s ‘The ‘Evening Standard’ of Whiteness’ for The Voice. The article unveiled the continued lack of representation for the non- white population in the media, focusing particularly on the Evening Standard newspaper.

 

What inspired you to become a part of this project?

 

On a personal level, there is no subject which Media Diversity avoids. All too often discussions around race and discrimination on a global scale are swept under the carpet. The organisation does not shy away from these. Be it publishing pieces on inter-minority racism in the UK or on the UK’s war on drugs being a war on black men, Media Diversity publishes those things which other publications are too afraid to address and acknowledge. When people claim that soap operas like Eastenders are a reflection of British society, Media Diversity allows us writers to challenge and criticise this through our work.  

 

We challenge the lack of diversity in the British media while also tackling every form of injustice we encounter on a global scale. Be it the failing of education in Pakistan or stories from Darfur, we have found a platform through which we can get our voices heard. This is particularly good for someone like me who specialises in writing on Africa.

 

When writing articles for Media Diversity what I feel is the ability to contribute towards some form of change in society today. I think myself and my fellow writers are keen to be part of such a project because it ensures that our words become our voice. Racism, discrimination and unjustness exist on many levels in the UK and worldwide and the media is largely responsible for this.  We may not have incidents such as the infamous bus incident faced by Rosa Parks, but such discrimination manifests in different ways today and is continuing to be more apparent in the presence of problems such as terrorism.

 

Media Diversity takes a stand against this, educating people through our campaigns and articles and for this reason it is a privilege to be part of such a project.

 

 

Next Friday, look out for the second half of our interview with Samira Sawlani, in which she tells us a bit more about what to expect from Media Diversity UK in the coming months and years, campaigning in the age of social media, the organisation’s global focus, and what you can do to help them in their work. In the meantime, you can find them on Twitter @writersofcolour and at their website.