A Look Back at the Journalism Talk "Media: Diversity or Diversion?"

To discuss issues involving diversity in the media, the Master’s 2 Journalism students invited Nassim Kashkooli (PLUJ IHECS), Safia Kessas (RTBF), Aurore Mudiayi Bukassa (Belgium), and Sabri Derinöz (researcher).

This final talk of the first semester, organised in partnership with the Association of Professional Journalists (AJP) to mark the publication of the study on "Diversity in the Journalism Profession, 2012-2023", examined the current state of diversity in the media, its impacts, the challenges to be overcome, and the initiatives implemented to improve the situation.

The topic of diversity in the media covers a variety of aspects and is part of a global strategy for the profession. It involves not only the representation of different elements of society, but also changing the way certain topics are addressed so as to no longer perpetuate stereotypes or generate discrimination. Topics such as feminism, racism, migration, and domestic violence were the subject of well-reasoned commentary, highlighting flaws and practices that need to be corrected.

Discussions between students and panellists demonstrated that newsrooms often lack diversity, and that this influences their choices and narratives, and sometimes fuels public distrust by contributing to a biased view of reality. Furthermore, initial training and recruitment processes can hinder inclusion and are obstacles to editorial diversity. To overcome these main obstacles, several media outlets have implemented mechanisms to contribute to greater inclusion and internal processes to promote best practices. However, the findings are rather mediocre for a professional sector whose objective is to read, describe, film, and report on society.

Promoting diversity in the media is one of the essential conditions for promoting quality content, in line with the realities of citizens. The composition of editorial staff greatly influences the production of more comprehensive and nuanced content. Finally, the key role of journalism schools in shaping students' sociological identity and the challenges related to educational programmes on these issues were highlighted.