African-American sports writers! Dissertation help needed!

In Sports? None. Which is part of the reason I have been wanting to explore this topic forever. We are actively encouraged to pursue minority candidates with each job opening (I am fortunate to not have just a great deal in my close to five years here in Tuscaloosa), and I am consistently chagrined by the lack of qualified candidates. I believe it is tougher for us to reflect our community to have a staff of 7.5 white guys ... Being so close to the U. of Alabama, also, and their journalism department, it has struck me that few minority journalists come up through their study fields.

Hope that answers some questions! Please keep YOUR answers coming!

David Wasson

 

Can I get in on that deal?

 

I'll bump this again if you take me to Dreamland BBQ...

 

Out of the 40-something writers and editors at my paper, there are only two who are black. Everyone else is white, which creates a weird relationship with the public since so much of the community is black and hispanic.

 

As a middle-aged white guy, I have a theory on this.

I won't discount hiring biases and maybe the fact that it would be harder for an entry-level black sports writer to get a job at a lot of smaller newspapers where they can learn the craft.

But I can't help wonder if some of it is a dynamic where, if someone is from the first generation of their family to go to college, how do you explain to your parents or parent that you have graduated from college with a degree and are taking a job which pays so little. I would think minority parents might be less supportive because they would have a harder time believing things would work out at the end.

And given the nature of the way writers are treated with a long hours, low pay, lack of job security, maybe blacks would have a harder time accepting this and be less likely to believe they would be treated fairly.

I'm curious to see what people think.

 

Because Slappy, John and Mizzou all seem to be falling down on their tasks ...

David Wasson

 

My question is, who's the "0.5" white guy on your staff?

 

Nice...


bump

 

yes, please, do tell...

I'm guessing the person is mixed??? (a subject near and dear to my heart)

 

Maybe the "guy" part is mixed.... someone on the T-News wearing dresses and a cup holder?

 

Sorry for the confusion. In my crazy "SE" mind, I tend to think of folks by their FTE worth every now and then. I typically answer the "how many people do you have on staff question?" with "7.5 -- seven full-time and one super part-timer".

And if people are combining dresses and cups, I can only hope they are doing so on their own time.

David Wasson

 

ah-ha....thanks for clarifying!