WSJ reporter: Why we need more black journalists

Jared Council, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, wrote for Quill magazine about the importance of black journalists.

Council wrote, “I’m grateful that I have black colleagues and managers at The Wall Street Journal, who have helped me navigate these trying times by sharing their feelings and ideas on the matter and listening to mine. But we as an industry need more. I became the Indianapolis Business Journal’s first black reporter in 2014. It’s a shame that that’s still happening in the 21st century, especially when race is such an important and consequential topic. We need minority editors and writers who not only understand the nuances of covering race, but also the nuances of managing minority employees.

“As black people progress in society and climb new heights in media, business, and more, it brings a false sense of accomplishment that the work is done. Far from it. Yes, black people want to stop seeing their people unjustly profiled and killed — but they also want America to dismantle the systemic racism that has led to massive black-white gaps in pay equity, wealth, education and much more. That’s part of why they’re protesting. This is the challenge: Fighting even as progress is made and keeping sight of race. Princeton professor Naomi Murakawa said: ‘If the problem of the 20th century was, W.E.B. Du Bois’ famous words, ‘the problem of the color line,’ then the problem of the 21st century is the problem of colorblindness, the refusal to acknowledge the causes and consequences of enduring racial stratification.'”

Read more here.