Editor: A taste of diversity in Central Mass. begins in our newsroom
Michael McDermottToday is my first day on the job as executive editor of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
Other than professional athlete (which didn’t work out), leading a newsroom has been the only job I’ve ever really wanted.
So it’s a privilege to have this opportunity.
One of the great things about starting in a new role is meeting new people and experiencing new places, and that’s particularly true in a city as rich in culture and diversity as Worcester.
Journalism is not just a career for me – great reporters truly opened my eyes to a world far beyond the small suburb where I grew up. They exposed me to voices and perspectives that I might not have encountered otherwise, and instilled a mission to learn more that I try to carry on every day.
But while journalism should broaden understanding of our community, it can sometimes do the opposite – particularly if reporters and editors do not open their eyes, ears and hearts to those who have traditionally been excluded from power.
You may have noticed that good journalists have been doing a lot of reflecting on this topic in recent years. At Gannett, the parent company of the Telegram & Gazette, that’s particularly true.
In recent years, we’ve reimagined the way that we cover public safety – by focusing less on individual arrests and more on the impact of crime and incarceration on our neighborhoods.
Additionally, we’ve made a commitment that by 2025 our newsrooms will reflect the communities that we cover in terms of race and gender. We’re not there yet; our newsroom remains 84% white, compared to 71% for the Worcester area as a whole.
In the coming weeks, one of my priorities will be to hire new reporters to the staff. If you are a person who can help us provide better, more balanced coverage – or if you know someone who can do that – I'd love to hear from you.
In preparing to begin work today, I asked the indefatigable editor Mike Elfland for an example of another way the staff has adjusted its coverage over the past year or so.
Here’s what Mike said:
The Worcester area's expansive menu of restaurants includes many ethnic spots, among them Altea's Eatery on Park Avenue, run by Albanian immigrants Oriola Koci and Enton Mehillaj, and Rodrigo Souza's Comeketo Brazilian Steakhouse in Leominster.
We've explored many of these immigrant-owned businesses over the past years. But recently we've taken a different approach. Instead of asking our reporters to wear the hat of restaurant reviewer (although who wouldn't want that job!?), we asked them to focus on the owners, on their background, on the route taken before the Open sign was first hung.
We talked with Achara "Fawn" Weydt of Boylston, owner of a handful of restaurants in Central Mass., among them the Thai House of Holden. Weydt is originally from Thailand, having graduated from Assumption University's program in Bangkok. She earned a degree in business management.
Lacheng "Mike" Li worked in business development in China, and he worked for Microsoft after coming to the United States in 2001. He was soon intrigued by the idea of opening a restaurant.
"For me, I realize I don't know how much time (I have) during my life for exploring new things, and also my entrepreneurial spirit is always in my heart," said Li, owner of Sapporo Korean Barbecue & Sushi Restaurant in Westborough.
It reminds me of what journalism meant to me as a young person looking to broaden my understanding of the world beyond my small town.
In the months and years to come, I promise as your editor to support this sort of community-focused journalism, because while part of the job of a newspaper is to expose problems, we should also be shining a light on the positive things happening in our neighborhoods.
You, readers, can help us do this. If you know of stories that we should be covering, I invite you to reach out to me, or to one of our reporters.
Thank you for reading the Telegram & Gazette.