There is a pressing need for greater diversity in our media and newsrooms. A report released this week shows more than half of opinion articles on the topic of race in Australia contain a negative portrayal of racial minorities.
The report from the University of Technology Sydney and All Together Now shows three newspapers were responsible for 91% of these articles and 96% were authored by people from European or Anglo-Celtic backgrounds. This is simply not good enough in 2019, when one in three Australians is born overseas.
Multiculturalism is part of our national identity. It is time the media got on board with this and began highlighting diverse voices and the positive stories happening in these communities.
At minimum, journalists and commentators must report ethically on race – upholding their own editorial checks and balances. As community members, we should rightly expect all editorial content – even opinion – to adhere to the core tenants of journalism: truth and accuracy.
This is an excerpt from an opinion piece by SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis published on Mumbrella. Click here to read the article in full.