Courier Times, The Intell make progress in newsroom diversity
Danielle CamilliOur diversity is our greatest asset. We value who people are, where they come from and how it shapes their views.
And we in our newsroom at the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer know the importance of reflecting our communities as we work to tell their stories.
Today, we share our most recent diversity census looking at the makeup of our own newsroom as we strive to be more inclusive. I am proud to say in just two years, as the world and the workplace were changing under the most challenging conditions, we have made progress.
Diversifying our newsroom, bringing in talented journalists who understood and valued our commitment to serve all of our communities better, has been a priority. It's certainly a goal, as our USA TODAY Network has set a goal of newsrooms reflecting the diversity of their communities by 2025, but it is much more than that.
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It's a commitment to do better and be better. It's also the foundation of good journalism. How can we cover all the communities, including those communities of color that we admit have not always been represented in our pages, if journalists from those communities are not in our newsrooms?
The simple truth is, we can't. Each person brings their experience, world view and background to the job. They challenge the status quo and make us all better, bringing new ideas and perspectives to our coverage. They let us know what we are missing and help us shape more inclusive coverage going forward.
For the Courier Times and The Intell to succeed, we must have an inclusive and diverse workplace where employees are valued and feel empowered.
Since our first census in 2020, our newsroom has become more diverse. Two years ago, our newsroom was nearly all white, at 96.3 percent. We acknowledged that we needed to do better.
Today, our newsroom is 65 percent white — compared to 87.4 percent of the population in Bucks County, according to U.S. Census data — and now includes journalists of color among both our staff and management. I am proud to say our leadership team is 100 percent female, and I am the first person of Hispanic background to lead the paper.
In addition to diversifying our staff, we have worked to ensure we are better covering our communities of color and issues around race and ethnicity, and how they impact Bucks County and its residents.
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We want to tell stories that truly reflect these communities, including their celebrations and challenges. We want to educate our readers and share stories of impact. We want to make sure our sources are diverse and present a wide range of views.
I am proud of the work we have done, and remain committed to continuing to ensure our coverage is inclusive and reflective. While we all share so much, and there is much to celebrate here, we also know there are rich stories to be told in our differences.
With our progress and our continued commitment, I am confident the Courier Times and The Intell can be a place where everyone in our community has a seat at the table and a voice that will be heard.
We are committed to building and sustaining a workforce that is reflective of the diversity in the communities we serve.
As part of our commitment to an inclusive culture, we are annually publishing the makeup of our newsroom staff. That same commitment is being carried out across the USA TODAY Network, which is made up of more than 200 local publications and USA TODAY.
This information, a snapshot as of July 1, 2022, includes the gender and racial makeup of our news workforce and our coverage area, as well as for managers within our newsroom.
A diverse and inclusive workforce helps us better connect and serve you, our readers and our community partners.
The American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau asks two separate questions, one about Hispanic origin and one about race, allowing individuals to self-select from multiple options. However, to compare with internal Gannett employee information that asks individuals to mark only one option, we used the following categories: Hispanic or Latino (for ACS, regardless of any other race selected), White (not Hispanic or Latino), Black or African American (not Hispanic or Latino), Asian (not Hispanic or Latino), American Indian or Alaska Native (not Hispanic or Latino), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (not Hispanic or Latino), or two or more races (not Hispanic or Latino). All information on racial identity is provided voluntarily by employees. Gannett also allows an individual to not disclose their race or ethnicity.