As newsrooms rush to embrace multimedia storytelling and seek to remain strong with fewer and fewer resources, Gilbert Bailon says they are leaving something important behind: diversity.
As president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) and editor and publisher of Al DÃa, a Spanish language newspaper owned by Belo Corp., Bailon said he has seen diversity become “marginalized, stalled and stagnated.”
Diversity can’t be divorced from other issues of quality, he said in an e-mail interview, arguing that “our newsrooms cannot be relevant and important to our new marketplaces if they decide to bench diversity in favor of other issues.”
Bailon said he has also seen some encouraging signs in his travels around American newsrooms, including veteran journalists embracing new technology and younger newcomers energizing news operations.
What follows is an edited transcript of the e-mail exchange: 
As you travel across the country and visit with editors and others, what is the prevailing mood in newsrooms?
Among the bigger market companies, I hear a lot of angst about whether newsrooms will maintain resources to fulfill their public service role and community importance. I also hear much renewed energy about integrating the Internet into our total newsroom content, which is exciting, new and a true opportunity to increase readership.
How are newsrooms adjusting to the transformation taking place in the news business?
Newsrooms traditionally have been resistant to significant change. I see many organizations embracing and executing meaningful and sometimes dramatic restructuring to provide multimedia content throughout the day. New organizational structures, creative job duties and new beats, along with greater interdepartmental collaboration, have taken root. They should not be seen as a flavor of the month despite some degree of experimentation.
Are we holding onto our basic values and principles as we progress into the digital world?
I applaud credible news organizations that continue to practice and revere journalism of verification. There is a huge undercurrent with opinionated talking heads in broadcast media and with the murky mix in the blogosphere that can potentially tempt news stewards to drift because of innuendos that lack substantiation. Striving for credibility, verification, balance and accuracy are as paramount as ever and are still positive attributes that distinguish professional media from the rest of the media morass.
As we reinvent ourselves, what are some of the models you are seeing that hold promise for the future?
I get excited when I see experienced journalists embrace new technology and dive headlong into learning new skills to stay relevant and up to date: Copy editors who learn how to become a fused wire editor/copy editor/Web editor; still photographers fully incorporating video into their portfolios; beat reporters who expand the audience with blogs; and managers who recognize the freshness and energy from newsrooms infused with new blood.
In our rush to change and also to answer to Wall Street, has diversity become the missing topic in the conversation at the table? If so, what should we do about it?
“Diversity has been marginalized, stalled and stagnated.”
— ASNE President Gilbert BailonBusiness-side pressure wrought by declining revenue and circulation, coupled with the sprint to become multimedia, are overwhelming the necessary focus on diverse hiring and coverage. Diversity has been marginalized, stalled and stagnated. No force is overtly working against it. It’s a tidal wave of other pressing issues that has driven it to the back burner. Our changing ethnic demography continues to redefine many American cities. It’s not a cyclical change.
Our newsrooms cannot be relevant and important to our new marketplaces if they decide to bench diversity in favor of other issues. Diversity is an imperative that must be universally implemented. I feel that too many companies have drifted in this regard, and they must get recommitted before they lose more ground. Too many veteran, talented journalists of color have left our industry in the last couple of years. That gap cannot be quickly overcome. Part of a generation is lost.
Your theme for the year is based on leading in a transformational world. Have you found some good examples of changing leadership styles and dynamics?
Newsrooms are actively reorganizing and restructuring in a number of companies. Corporate ownership changes also are prompting consolidations, new leadership and cost cutting. Those are all parts of the transformation, although the quest for a 24-hour multimedia news cycle is the most common.
Do you think quality journalism is at risk?
It is not at risk as long as credible purveyors of verified news-gathering continue to hold dear their roles in a democracy. The public will continue to exhibit its fleeting attention span and thirst for the celebrity news of the moment. That is not ours to change. But a well-educated, sophisticated audience seeks more than titillation and gossip. We cannot ignore popular public topics, but neither should we be totally consumed if an oddball video or off-beat blog generates a lot of interest. The media are bigger and more diverse than ever. We still occupy a special role that provides a public service, yet we must change to offer a wider portfolio.
Are editors saying there will be more and more cuts, in staff and space and other resources? And have you found more optimism at the smaller and medium-sized newspapers?
Smaller and mid-sized newspapers are enduring somewhat better for a couple reasons. One, they often are more nimble when it comes to innovating or restructuring. Limited resources have been a great motivator of efficiency and focus. Second, they have always thrived in the local marketplace. They are better insulated from large swings in national or classified employment categories. They are feeling the pinch, no doubt, but no news organization can “out-local” them.
The news media has faced numerous First Amendment challenges over the past few years. Are newspapers as vigilant today in their battle to protect the First Amendment as they have been in the past? Or are the economic problems making it harder to spend money on legal issues?
Advocacy of open government and First Amendment Rights continue as an ASNE bedrock. While there are more media outlets than ever, the desire for governments and other institutions to block or withhold information from the public and consumers has not waned. Databases and computerized information technically could enhance the release of more public information. Holders of such information, however, still find ways to block public access to important information.
As you look back on your first few months as ASNE president, what are your overall impressions and feelings? And what are you telling editors?
The quest and relevance for credible, important information remain as strong as ever. … Editors should not despair. News media companies are far from the only ones being transformed by technology, information delivery and customer interactivity. Knuckles clenched tightly onto the past should be loosened unless they are holding cornerstone values that distinguish our role in society.
Customers are not preoccupied by many issues internal to our operations. We have to keep them top of mind. If we serve them with quality, useful information will continue into the future. But it will be more on their terms than ever before. In fact, it will be in their own words and images in some cases. The ability for the public to interact allows us to broaden our sense of community. We have to get out of the office, listen, innovate and be decisive. Hunkering down in a foxhole will get us nowhere.
