An update on where The Providence Journal is on hiring journalists of diverse backgrounds

The Providence Journal along with our parent company said we would strive over the last three years to have our newsrooms more closely resemble the communities we serve. Our pledge was that we would attain that lofty goal by 2025. It is our hope that by setting that target we would keep a fire to our own feet, and to remind ourselves that our communities now more than ever is a tapestry of different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds. 

We also promised that we would keep you updated. Today, I keep that promise.

Our ranks of reporters who represent a diverse background has not grown. We are still a newsroom that is approximately 92% white. But part of this annual retrospective is to remind ourselves, or rather myself, that my job is just not about marshaling the newsroom to cover the day’s events but to also keep pace with the world around us. 

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Even with the pandemic and the current economic climate churning the seas of our industries and others, we are still seeking to find journalists who can best relate to the many communities that make up Rhode Island.

As a person of color who professionally grew up in newsrooms when few Black, few Latinos and ever fewer Asians joined our ranks, it is a professional goal.  As a person of color who is also the highest ranking person in The Providence Journal newsroom, it is a personal mission.

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I do not embark on this mission alone or without support. The USA Today Network, a collection of more than 260 local publications that includes The Journal, is my ally sharing its vast pool of candidates from around the nation. But I’m also thankful to our readers and subscribers as we make the needed change to staffing and coverage to attain those goals.

And most of all, we thank you for sharing your stories with us.

Best,

David Ng

Executive Editor

Related:Gannett newsrooms making steady progress in overall diversity