Let's try this again: Candidates and their qualifications...

I apologize for any harsh tone my previous post may have had, it wasn't intended that way. I am new to the message board concept. This is my question:

As an industry, many people feel it is important to reflect our readers in the newsroom -- having different races, sexes, backgrounds, etc., represented. And I agree -- we should represent our readers, communities, etc. But at what point does it become more important to have diversity in the newsroom than hiring the most qualified candidate?

I know some companies offer their papers a bonus if they hire a candidate of color, so, especially in Sports, which traditionally has been a white-middle-aged-male field (but is evolving), does it ever worry people that a hire is being made for reasons other than the paper's bottom line? And I am not specifically speaking about race, it's also an age issue, gender issue, etc. There are good and bad journalists of all races, ages, genders, etc., but at what point does an "advantage" become a "disadvantage"?

 

Diversity and the lack thereof

Responding to CopyGK's threads:

Some newsrooms are interested in diversity for diversity's sake -- i.e., the team picture -- rather than what any individual might bring, in comparison to the other individuals up for the same job. Does it balance out? I dunno. But print still isn't as deliberately diverse as broadcast, where it's an unwritten rule that the 6 and 11 news teams have to look white-black-female-Hispanic. The best hire in a TV newsroom is a Hispanic-surnamed black women, because she covers three categories. Check your local listings for examples.

And to the owners of this circus: If this isn't a reasonable topic for the Journalism board, then there are none.

 

Re: Diversity and the lack thereof

It's a reasonable topic when not broached by a dude who clearly got passed over for a job and wanted to piss and moan about it.

 

You are a glutton for punishment. There are some issues people don't want t debate, regardless of the merits. Much name-calling is in your future. Welcme to SportsJournalists.com.

If you want to make quick friends around here, start a thread saying George Bush sucks.

 

is it me, or does CG still sound bitter?

 

Pallister, I don't even like the "George Bush sucks" threads anymore, and I'm left of Fenian.

Somebody obviously got passed over for a job by a female or minority and is trying to make himself feel better by claiming women and minorities are unqualified.

 

It's a legitimate curiosity.
I know of editors who have regretted hiring a minority because they have been told from above to make certain quotas.
However, I know of certain editors who have been miserable because of hiring some white male. It doesn't matter. There are good journalists and bad journalists.
But you're also looking at being "qualified" as being the best possible candidate because of what someone has done at another shop. I can tell you that my last job suffered because we had nothing but white males making every decision 99 percent of the time. Having that narrow of a staff affects readers much more than damn near anything else. It constricts the types of stories that are worked on, and it affects PR with the community.

 

I know, SC. I'm just having a little fun with the fact that not even 10 posts in, this guy's already been marked.


There can't be much room to the left of Fenian, but you're small enough I guess.

 

Well, this one has been done to death, and these threads always start with the premise of "minorities and women are taking jobs from white males," with the implication always being clear that the minorities and women are not nearly as qualified as the white male. So, yeah, I don't blame the moderators for having some trepidation about allowing this dead horse to be flogged some more.

 

MU, thank you, I really appreciate your perspective.

 

I'm wondering which job CG got passed over for. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out considering the limited number of minority and women hirings in the last two months.