How a black LA Times biz reporter brought in ignored voices

Pamela Moreland, the first African-American business journalist at the Los Angeles Times, writes for the paper about how she tried to incorporate Black people into her coverage.

Moreland writes, “I was sure I could cover a business beat, and as a native Angeleno, I was also determined to make a difference in coverage and show readers the Black Los Angeles I knew.

“I wrote about all the kinds of stories a general assignment business reporter covers: corporate shake-ups, bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions. But if assigned a story on mortgage interest rates, I made sure to mention the Black-owned Broadway Federal. A story on insurance companies might include the Los Angeles-based Golden State Mutual Insurance, also a Black-owned business. My turn to take a look at the impact of the deregulation of the savings and loans industry? I wrote about the impact on minority-owned S&Ls in Southern California.

“These were seemingly small additions. But by bringing in voices often ignored, I was trying to give a fuller picture of L.A.’s business world. People noticed. Inclusion makes a difference.”

Read more here.