Ernie Schlegel of Reading sent me a letter he said the Reading Eagle would not publish.
I’m happy to post it below. It seems fairly harmless compared to some of the fire-and-brimstone intolerance the newspaper often publishes in its letters-to-the-editors section.
Schlegel says the Eagle newsroom is not very diverse.
Schlegel said he got this response from editorial-page Jim Homan:
“Mr. Schlegel, You are welcome to comment on the editorial, but you may not comment on the diversity of the staff. The one has nothing to do with the other.”
The Eagle’s guideline says “Letters should … address a specific topic of general public concern or interest.”
It seems the makeup of the newsroom staff of our most powerful Berks County medium fits the criteria “a specific topic of general public concern or interest.”
Click here for “Not Everyone Will Be Saved,” a letter the Eagle DID publish that doesn’t seem to tackle any “specific topic of general public concern or interest.”
Anyways, Homan is on vacation. Managing editor Dave Mowery has not responded to my inquiries:
• How many reporters and editors do you have now who are black, Latino, Hispanic, Asian, brown-skinned, mixed-race, Native American or openly gay?
• How many on the staff speak Spanish?
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“I read with interest the editorial ‘Good reason to evict Nathan Bedford Forrest from park’ [in which the [Reading Eagle] editorial board tried to be a moral compass when writing about the City Council in Memphis, Tenn., voting to remove a 9,500-pound statue of Confederate Lt. General Nathan Bedford Forest and its marble base, which contains his remains along with his wife.
“This because the lieutenant general was responsible for the slaughter of black troops at Fort Pillow in 1864 and was the first Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard.
“Ironically, the Reading Eagle started in 1868 and in its 147 years seems no further along in diversity of its management.
“The percentage of overall executives, editors and reporters who are black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American or multiracial has remained virtually unchanged and does not reflect the historical image of our city.
“It seems the Eagle is even further behind the national standard of minorities in its front office staff. There are a lot of Hispanics in labor jobs at the Eagle working hard to make living. America prides itself on being a melting pot. But the distinct cultures and personalities of its people remain intact. Minorities in America may embrace American values, but they hold on to their own uniqueness.
“And minority journalists make sure that uniqueness, that perspective, is included in the media's coverage of minorities. They need to be here to tell our story. A competent reporter tells our story best. They need to be there in the meetings where decisions are made on how things are covered. It is time for the Reading Eagle diversify its reporting organization.”
I'm loath to say this, but I agree with the Eagle. Unless the letter writer has sufficient information to suggest that qualified minorities have applied and been turned away, there is no basis to begin this debate or to level accusations or implications of racism. I have seen firsthand how race-baiters, like former City Councilman Frank McCracken (later indicted and jailed), cause all sorts of commotion about hiring issues and charges of discrimination. When the facts were unearthed (this is 20 years ago) it showed that no minorities had shown interest in the positions for which McCracken claimed minorities were being excluded or they had not passed mandatory civil service testing.
ReplyDeleteThis is inflammatory stuff, as we all know, and there needs to be some factual basis to back up the finger-pointing.
Kevin I disagree. Yes this is inflammatory stuff but how can we expect the eagle to be the true voice of the people without asking appropriate and well intended questions about the diversity of their staff? If the questions come from a good place and are asked in a well mannered fashion then why not engage in that conversation?
ReplyDeleteDear "Anonymous"
ReplyDeleteI don't believe a newspaper is necessarily supposed to be a "true voice of the people." That sounds like a politician's job. A newspaper reports based on facts and hopefully provides some insight along the way. Those facts shouldn't change dependent upon somebody's race. The race of the reporters writing about Vaughn Spencer and Francis Acosta's current problems, for example, is irrelevant. Spencer and Acosta's race or ethnicity is also irrelevant. And, again, I go back to the question of what basis is there on the part of the letter writer to level these accusations, which is really what they are. Should a news organization, or any business for that matter, be compelled to divulge the statistical data of the ethnicity of the people who apply for jobs? I don't think so. Government may be another story. But the Eagle is a privately owned company. If you don't like the makeup of the staff or the views expressed, don't read it. Many people have abandoned it as their source for news and more will likely continue to do so.
Kevin , I did ask questions of staff ,both in the front of the house and in the back.
ReplyDelete