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Is diversity, equity and inclusion at risk of becoming just another ‘trend’?

While media is seeing some progress with gender pay gaps and representation, commitment to DEI is waning, with too little focus on systemic change.

 

2023 was a mixed bag on the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) front. It was the year Vogue published its first ever Braille issue, and featured 19 disabled people on its cover, but is also the year when Edward Enninful, having challenged certain advertisers on the inclusivity of their campaigns, was removed from his position at the title and promoted to the much more amorphous ‘Editorial Advisor’.

There have been mutterings that the industry is treating DEI as another ‘trend’, rather than as a fundamental problem. As part of our Media Moments 2023 report, we invited Joanna Cummings, who has been compiling FIPP’s DEI tracker, to pick out the biggest DEI developments for publishers.

It’s a mixed bag. As budgets are squeezed, DEI initiatives are often one of the first on the chopping block. But there have also been a increasing number of programmes launched, and a recognition that there are barriers related to age, class, neurodiversity and more which also need to be considered.


 

The media blame game

As a dizzying array of media companies slash workers, trim ambitions and offer uninspiring plans for growth, here are some of the villains.

Ooof, Brian Morrissey is NOT holding back in this issue of his newsletter. I’ll tease you with this line from villain #2, the loss of distribution power: “It’s somewhat embarrassing that email newsletters, of all things, have emerged as one of the sturdiest distribution channels. I don’t blame Anna Wintour for keeping the sunglasses on for the email meetings.”


 

Inside Pitchfork’s absorption into GQ: When ‘music media’ becomes ‘men’s media,’ what’s lost?

Pitchfork, the most influential music publication of the internet age, is being absorbed by another entity – a men’s fashion magazine.

Talking of Anna Wintour, Pitchfork’s folding into GQ was apparently made after she called for “a careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance”. The big issue here is that by moving the music publication under the umbrella of men’s title GQ, it sets back all the work the publication was doing with women writers and people of colour covering everything from R&B to experimental and global music. “Music is so much more than a ‘men’s interest’ or leisure pursuit,” comments The Guardian’s Laura Snapes.


Are you seeing traffic declines, and are they worrying, or is revenue from referrals still stable? One publisher theorises that the traffic they have now is more of a concentrated jus than a water soup. Join the discussion on our community forum.


 

A shrinking path: Ten young journalists open up about their struggles to break into the news industry

Reporters put up with low salaries, long hours and uninspiring openings in the hope they will find a full-time job. Many may never have one.

Sorry, not a cheery one to end the week on. Gretel Kahn has been talking to emerging journalists from Europe, North America and Latin America to find out what hurdles they face as they get started in the industry. She’s grouped the responses into five common themes, from the exorbitant price tag of journalism school to the years spent doing internships.


More from Media Voices

 

Futureproofing local news: special podcast series

Our latest podcast series, supported by the Google News Initiative, features publishers and experts who are working to find resilient business models.

 

The local news revival gathers pace, but even the brightest sparks hit bumps

In a growing number of spots, local news isn’t just surviving: it’s thriving. But the picture hasn’t been so pretty for others over the last 12 months.

 

Media Moments 2023

This year’s edition of Media Moments will be released in early December. To receive the report as soon as it goes live, please pre-register here.

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