Here's where the Repository stands with its diversity

Newsrooms are supposed to be filled with people who reflect their communities — a mishmash of varying races, genders, religions, cultures, sexual orientations, political leanings and other backgrounds.

Why? Because those different eyes, ears, voices and brains help us identify, understand and report on important issues — topics that might otherwise escape our attention.

That diversity also supports our role as a community cheerleader and watchdog. It's a lot easier to pinpoint our accomplishments and uncover wrongdoing with a diverse staff.

The Canton Repository and the USA TODAY Network, which includes more than 200 publications, strive to mirror the Stark County community within our newsroom and create an environment where employees are valued and feel empowered. 

As part of our commitment to an inclusive culture, the Repository has published a statistical breakdown of our newsroom by race and gender the last two years.

We are doing that again today.

More on Gannett diversity: Gannett newsrooms making steady progress in overall diversity

What is the racial and gender breakdown at the Repository?

This information is a snapshot as of July 1, 2022.

Eighty-six percent of the Repository newsroom is white — which is in line with the overall Stark population of 87.5%, according to the latest U.S. Census figures. 

Meanwhile, more than 10% of our newsroom is composed of Black staff members, mirroring the Black population of Stark County, according to the census figures.

The newspaper has one Asian reporter, but no Hispanic or Latino writers. The Hispanic/Latino population in Stark is 2.4%, while the Asian population is 1%.

How to contact us: Here's our newsroom directory

Meanwhile, women hold 36% of the editor, staff writer and photographer positions at the Repository. Women make up 51% of Stark's population.

We have focused on increasing the number of minority and female staff members over the last few years — and that's reflected in the percentages. We have added Peter Holland Jr. to our sports/news team, and Paige Bennett, Cassandra Nist and Sam Zern to our news team.

We know we can do better.

We also have attempted to connect more with Stark County's Black and LGBTQ+ communities. Those efforts within the past year have included highlighting Black-owned businesses during Black History Month, featuring guest essays on our opinion pages and showcasing the inaugural Stark Pride Festival.

We know we can do more.

We will continue to look for ways to boost diversity within our staff and showcase diverse stories. And we remain committed to trying to fill openings with people of color and women — again, because of the diversity of thought that provides.

If you have ideas, please contact us.

Rick Armon is the managing editor of The Repository and Massillon Independent. He can be reached at 330-580-8310 or rarmon@cantonrep.com.

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.