November 11, 2016

Local journalists tend to interview White people more than they interview non-White people, according to a report published Friday by Pew Research Center.

The survey, conducted by Pew in February, shows that Whites reported being interviewed 10 percent more than non-Whites. Those with college degrees reported being interviewed 13 percent more than those without college degrees, and people with high school degrees were half as likely as college graduates to be interviewed.

White men reported being interviewed by local journalists six percent more than White women. This gender gap, however, disappears among men and women of all races.

The report also points to a correlation between civic engagement and likelihood of being interviewed:

The highly civically engaged, however, are still more likely to have had conversations with a local reporter, as found in a recent Pew Research Center report. For example, those who always vote in local elections are more likely to have been interviewed by a local journalist (35%) than those who do not always vote (22%).

You can read the full report here.

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Benjamin Mullin was formerly the managing editor of Poynter.org. He also previously reported for Poynter as a staff writer, Google Journalism Fellow and Naughton Fellow,…
Benjamin Mullin

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