MEDIA DIVERSITY AND NEWSROOM LAYOFFS

Diversity will Help Reporting
TheLeafChronicle.com
In journalism, people of color are still a minority. And, among journalists of color, those who are opinion writers are a minority within a minority. According to the American Society of Newspaper Editors' 2008 diversity index, Latinos, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Native Americans collectively make up just 13.5 percent of newsrooms. More

Welcoming Nonwhite Journalists and Politicians
Denver Post
In journalism, people of color are still a minority. And, among journalists of color, those who are opinion writers are a minority within a minority. More

Latinos, Asians Outraged by CBS Immigration Story
Journal-isms
"As if Katie Couric didn't already have enough problems. "Weighed down by record-low ratings at the anchor desk of 'CBS Evening News,' and by reports suggesting she will leave that post two years before her multimillion-dollar contract expires, Couric now has civil rights groups - mostly Hispanic - on her back," Gebe Martinez reported Tuesday on the Politico.com site. More

Don Imus Struggles to Recoup Ratings
Crain's New York Business
Don Imus may have a job, but he's not exactly setting the world on fire. The latest iteration of Imus in the Morning, which debuted on WABC-AM in December, was ranked 20th among persons aged 25 to 54, according to the winter survey from Arbitron. More

In L.A., Spanish Newscasts Called Superior
Journal-isms
"Last year, the immigrant governor of California told a convention of Latino journalists that immigrants should watch only English-language TV so they can understand the language and news of their home state," Joe Mathews wrote from Los Angeles Sunday in the Washington Post. "'You've got to turn off the Spanish television set,' Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger advised the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. More

Will the Seattle Times Layoffs Affect Newsroom Diversity?
nwasianweekly.com
The Seattle Times announced last month that it would lay off 190 positions company-wide, including 49 positions in the newsroom. More

*****************************************************************************
MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENTS

NABJ to Establish Professional Scholarships for Laid-off Journalists
National Association of Black Journalists
In response to the large numbers of journalists of color cut from the nation's newsrooms in 2008, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has established professional scholarships for members affected by the job cuts to attend the quadrennial UNITY: Journalists of Color Convention, July 23-27, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. More

Clarion University Recognizes Outstanding Graduate Students
Clarion University News
Clarion University named its 11 outstanding graduate students during the seventh annual Graduate Student Research and Professional Activities Conference in the Carlson Library. More

Press-Enterprise Sweeps Top Journalism Honors
The Press-Enterprise
The Press-Enterprise swept top honors Saturday in the Society of Professional Journalists Inland Southern California chapter's Southern California Excellence in Journalism Awards. More

5 of Color on London Paper's "Top 50 Pundits" List
Journal-isms
Commentators of color on its roster include Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile, no. 19; Juan Williams of Fox News and National Public Radio, no. 31; Roland Martin, CNN and Essence.com commentator and radio host at Chicago's WVON-AM, no. 33; Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, who appears on MSNBC, no. 37; and former Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., "a regular contributor across various networks." There were no Latinos, Asian Americans or Native Americans. More

********************************************************

MEDIA EDUCATION

UNM journalism, Mass Communication Programs Accredited
New Mexico Business Daily
The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications has unanimously approved the accreditation of the journalism and mass communication programs in the Department of Communication & Journalism at the University of New Mexico. More

Phil Lewis: Not just a J-school is at Stake
Naples Daily News
Florida's public agencies and state institutions are in the midst of a belt-tightening exercise that calls for some hard decisions. More

***********************************************************

Read more news on the UNITY website, by clicking here.