Public Radio Takes DEI to the Next Level

It’s one thing to say you support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and another to implement the framework for a program. But to live it – fully, is another level altogether. That is what public radio is doing.

Diversity encompasses a lot. That is the point, to be inclusive. From gender to race and ethnicity, equity includes everyone. DEI also includes sexual orientation, gender identity, age and disabilities. Additionally, NPR considers political persuasion, social class, location and faith in its programming.

Moreover, NPR contemplates veteran status, family structures, marital status, national origin, immigration status as well as educational attainment. Essentially, they consider the whole human being and how that may impact their life experiences and overall perspective. Understanding how these experiences intersect and affect our families and communities adds an additional layer of much-needed understanding.

Breaking through barriers and setting new standards is what Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are all about. Over the last several years NPR has escalated its commitment to DEI both in employment and sources. Moreover, their example has helped others develop their own DEI programs and continue the pursuit of progress.

Approaching DEI Head-on 

In January 2020, NPR CEO John Lansing stated that expanding the diversity of their audience was the “number one goal”. This was in a personalized message titled, Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Is Not A Project: It Is Our Work posted on the NPR website. Lansing went on to say "We cannot embrace and reflect diversity in our content if we don't do it in our workplaces, in our newsrooms and our board rooms. We set that goal because we need to be better."

NPR’s CEO made a very important clarification in this announcement. We know we “have miles to go.” One of the most impactful ways to move forward in this endeavor is by understanding that it’s a process—a journey. We are going to trip over rocks along the way. Surely, we will stumble and occasionally fall. But that doesn’t mean we won’t get to our destination.

Younger generations are proving to be more environmentally and socially conscious than we’ve been in the past. It’s less about “whoever dies with the most toys wins” now and more about being socially responsible across the board. Regarding diversity NPR CEO Lansing also stated, “We must do all this not as a 'project', not as an extracurricular activity, we must do this because, by definition, it is our work. It is inseparable from all of our collective efforts to serve the American audience with trustworthy content on all platforms.”

Action-oriented Initiatives

Chief Diversity Officer Keith Woods works with Chief HR Officer Carrie Storer to bring powerful leadership to the training and infrastructure around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to ensure that NPR is a best-in-class organization. Woods is also providing intensive workshops to leaders and staff at Member stations and providing consultation and referrals to Member station leaders and staff members looking for support and resources regarding DEI. In addition, NPR has conducted Unconscious Bias training for all those in management roles, as well as made it available to all staff. Furthermore, NPR launched a series of Unconscious Bias workshops specifically for content producers which is also open to others across the company.

Moreover, NPR has implemented incredibly helpful source tracking for both internal responsibilities as well as communities at large. Those efforts include: 

• Implemented diversity in sourcing, content, and staffing for the collaborative journalism network, as well as baking sourcing metrics into collaborations with Member stations

• Expanded the diversity of the senior leadership team and the hosts of our digital and broadcast programs, bringing new voices and perspectives to their content

• Hired Marcia Davis as Supervising Editor to lead and edit coverage of race and identity from the National Desk

• Increased investment in marketing and promotion of programming including Code Switch, It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, Throughline, and Louder Than a Riot, all of which offer diverse perspectives on important issues

Additional efforts and focus have been given to recruitment and ensuring diversity is represented at NPR in staff.

• Utilizing Public Media Village, a collaborative recruiting effort at the NABJ, NAHJ, NAJA and AAJA conventions

• Ensuring that every finalist pool and every hiring committee have racial/ethnic and gender diversity

• Consultant Doug Mitchell is continuing the NPR NextGen Radio program, which connects college journalists with professionals from NPR and Member stations across the country with a strong focus on bringing young people of color into the system

• Implemented the Reflect America Fellowship, a year-long program aimed to help newsroom teams expand the diversity of their sources while introducing NPR to new, talented journalists

• Require that diversity be represented among the NPR staff members who interview job candidates for open positions, as well as ensure that diversity is represented among the pool of candidates for recruited positions

Tracking Results Divulge Progress 

The overall racial and ethnic diversity of NPR's sources has increased annually since they began tracking this data in 2013. This is because when analyzing the data, organizations can better comprehend and implement necessary changes.

The greatest attribute of tracking is understanding where you need to improve. NPR’s tracking system shows where they have made progress and in what areas they need to advance. A brief breakdown:

• Since FY19, Black sources have represented the primary driver of the increased racial/ethnic diversity of our sources.

• Latino representation is lagging in relation to population approximately 1%.

• Asian sources are provided at 4% greater than the population would command.

• People of color appear more often as sources, but predominantly in stories about race.

• Public media newsmagazines consistently produce a far greater diversity of sources by gender and ethnicity when speaking with members of the general public.

 Gender

• Men are still the most contacted sources for the most covered newsmagazine topics.

• In FY21 NPR’s newsmagazines saw an increase in the number of women of color.

• Data for transgender and non-binary sources began in FY18.

• In FY21, transgender and non-binary individuals represented just more than one-half of a percentage point, an incremental increase over previous years.

Ultimately, women and people of color are less likely to be featured as subject matter experts. However, NPR is actively working on increasing these sources. Just as certain story topics tend to dominate newsmagazine coverage, expert sources from the same professions tend to appear most frequently year after year — politicians and government officials, non-profit and business leaders, healthcare experts, as well as journalists from NPR and beyond. 

Putting Theory Into Action

NPR’s newsroom mission statement proclaims, “We seek to look and sound like America." Implementing source-tracking and responding accordingly ensures that NPR continues to lead and grow in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Most recently, NPR's Chief Diversity Officer Keith Woods used his acceptance speech at the 2023 RTDNA Foundation First Amendment Awards to articulate the need for diversity, equity and inclusion, particularly in newsrooms.

According to Mr. Woods, diversity is central to journalism ethics. He went on to explain the correlation between the First Amendment and the necessity of implementing DEI to provide true journalism. It was both insightful and powerful. You can access the speech in its entirety here.

Public radio is and always has been committed to education and progress. Their never-tiring approach to DEI ensures that both listeners and employees have the best possible experience with their organization. Because Diversity, Equity & Inclusion aligns with NPR’s mission, their work is only amplified and improved by implementing tracking and programming to ensure long-term success and continued development.

Fundamentally, DEI is a part of the framework that makes NPR successful. Executing their mission requires the implementation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and ensuring that it evolves along with society. Ultimately, inclusion affords diversity representation and more to NPR’s programming, allowing not just employees, but communities to grow and thrive.