By
Mallary Jean TenoreWhen reporting on race, finding the courage to ask tough questions can be difficult. But it's the questions that make us vulnerable and challenge us to step outside our comfort zones that can lead to untold stories.
The Chicago Tribune's
"Exploring Race" forum encourages users to ask the tough questions, such as,
"Are immigration reform marchers missing a key demographic?",
"Will Obama 'enslave' the white race?" and
"How do you change the racial perspective of a grandmother or a grandfather who's not exactly 'racist,' just set in ways and beliefs about people ...?"
Here are some preliminary questions to consider before asking the tough ones:
- By asking this question am I being insensitive?
- How might I frame the question differently so as not to offend the person I'm interviewing?
- How important to the story is the question I'm about to ask?
- What questions am I avoiding, and why?
To genuinely answer these questions, it helps to assess the prejudices and preconceived notions that we bring to a story. "Exploring Race" offers links to
quizzes and
videos in its "Etiquette" section to aid in this assessment. "Exploring Race" also has a section called
"Eyewitness," which features readers' accounts about how race has affected their lives, and another titled
"Revelations," which includes essays about race-related learning experiences.
On the right-hand rail of all these sections is a "Question and Answers" feature, a reminder of the importance of creating a dialogue about race.
Chicago Tribune columnist Dawn Turner Trice, who started the forum, said tough questions can sometimes lead to diatribe, but they can also spark healthy dialogue. "If you read some of the comments on the site, it's true that there's a vocal group that spews venom," Trice said. "But it's also true that some people have achieved a sort of nuanced color-blindness in which they appreciate racial differences and work hard not to stereotype or discriminate against people because of them."
She said she got the idea for the forum after Sen. Barack Obama won the caucuses in Iowa, a predominantly white state. "I wondered if there was some paradigm or something slightly askew with our thinking on race," Trice said. "We Americans paint with such a broad brush. It's in our national DNA. I wondered if we need to start picking apart how we see one another."
By painting broad strokes, we tell generalized stories. By picking apart issues and asking tough questions, we make way for stories that speak to greater and more meaningful truths about diversity.
What is your news organization's Web site doing to help foster a discussion about race? I recall workshops the state held to create dialogue about...
