Pilot Study on Testing Diversity Indicators: selected UK media. Eugenia Markova London MEDIVA Workshop 23 April 2012

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1 Pilot Study on Testing Diversity Indicators: selected UK media Eugenia Markova London MEDIVA Workshop 23 April 2012

2 Selected media outlets Complete testing: The London Evening Standard The Morning Star The Guardian Incomplete testing: The Telegraph (no interview yet BUT content analysis complete) The BBC (interview BUT no access to archive news bulletins yet)

3 Factors affecting diversity ranking Specific: Media ownership political alignment size of enterprise & business model (free distribution vs. paid) General: migration history migration policy economic climate

4 Ownership & political agendas London Evening Standard: free London evening newspaper; Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev & his son own 74% of the paper. In the surveyed period, diverse range of migrant stories but also periodic coverage of news related to Russian nationals (the death of Russian dissident Litvinenko 5 yrs ago; business deals of Abramovich).

5 Since 1945, The Morning Star has been owned by the People s Press Printing Society whose policy, Britain s Road to Socialism, the programme of the Communist Party of Britain, underlies the paper's editorial stance. The Guardian: center-left liberalism as political alignment

6 Indicator 2 - News making practice Ranking: 1. Morning Star: Medium (3.38) 2. The Guardian: Medium (3.25) 3. London Evening Standard: Low to Medium (2.81)

7 News making practice None of the papers has a specific remit on migrants countries of origin. However, they would report on interesting stories around the world that may happen to be migrant countries of origin [LES: 1.5; MS: 4; G: 2]. MS: often a platform for refugees to write about their origin countries. The visibility of such stories depends on their significance (how is it defined? By whom?) [LES:1; MS: 4; G:2]

8 News making practice Short-staffed, small outlets do not publish in the languages of the main migrant groups. The Guardian: some article in the online edition are translated in other languages [LES: 1; MS: 1; G: 3]. Migration issues are covered by the Home Affairs correspondents (ES, G) & Equality & Disability reporters (MS). The news editor decides on the migration news to be published with some input from journalists (Deputy Editor if bigger story) [LES: 2; MS: 1 (chief editor), G: 2] All papers apply the Press Complaints Commission & the National Union of Journalism guidelines [ MS: house style- Britain s road to socialism pamphlet]

9 News making practice For most of the papers stories, there is an open comments section. Racist language is blocked automatically (ES) or edited (G). MS only have letters pages & in a process of introducing online pages for readers comments (limited resources). [LES: 5; MS: 4; G:5]

10 Indicator 3 - Recruitment Ranking: 1. The Guardian: Medium to High (4.4) 2. Morning Star: Low (2) 3. London Evening Standard: Low (1)

11 Recruitment : All outlets comply with the antidiscrimination Acts in recruitment, with equality measures in place. Nonetheless, the adopted business model and/or the availability of resources determines specific recruitment practices.

12 Recruitment: elements Measures aimed at ensuring staff reflects the ethnic composition of migrant population: variation from neither considered nor implemented any such measures (ES: 1) to high sensitivity& implementation of measures aimed at ensuring diversity in both staff & content (G: 5). MS: no in-house regulations on anti-discrimination in recruitment but refugee or asylum seekers volunteers write for them (MS: 3)

13 Recruitment: elements Outreach schemes: small outlets do not have such schemes [LES: 1]; MS: no outreach schemes per se but staff mentor migrants & refugees who want to write for the paper (MS: 3); G (with a complex business model & international presence): work with over 100 migrant & minority organisations (G: 4). Diversity Departments: LES (none: 1), MS (none: 1), G (Diversity Dept. & Head of Diversity: score: 5)

14 What mattered in recruitment? Language skills, writing skills and home country experience in the print media rather than ethnic origin Barriers: hesitation to apply as well as nepotism in established media outlets OR lack of aspirations to work in the media

15 Indicator 3 Diversity Training Ranking: 1. The Guardian: Low to Medium (2.67) 2. Morning Star: Low (1.50) 3. London Evening Standard: Low (1.00)

16 Diversity Training: elements Training for migrant professionals: determined by business model, size (resources) & ownership Similar responses, no training of any kind (ES: 1), no in-house training but all staff attend black & ethnic minority training sessions (MS: 2), to no training for migrant professionals but invite NGO: Migrant Voices to discuss diversity issues (G: 2).

17 Diversity Training: elements (General) Diversity training: determined by business model, size (resources) & ownership Response as no training of any kind invalidates all subsequent questions on diversity training (ES: 1 to all Qs) ; similarly for MS (1 to all Qs). It is only in the Guardian, where Head of Diversity runs internally courses on raising awareness of media professionals on diversity & how to report it (G: 5)

18 Diversity Training: elements Attendance of diversity training: voluntary in all outlets (LSE: 1; MS: 1, training run upon a request by staff:; G: 1) There was no established practice of migrants being involved in the design & implementation of diversity training where applicable Diversity goals were included in HR training policies for all staff levels only in the Guardian (G: 5: LES: 1; MS: 1)

19 Indicator 1 Media Content 1. The London Evening Standard (LES): medium (3.10) 2. The Morning Star (MS): low to medium (2.20) 3. The Guardian (G): low to medium (2.06)

20 Share of migrant related news in total ES: 3% (31/1048) news MS: 0.8% (6/762) G: 2% (38/1942)

21 Representation of TCNs in the news (migrant related) MS: all items were of neutral to positive, to active positive representation; migration issues were discussed via general concepts of gender, inequality & class [political alignment] ES & G are comparable: most items of neutral representation, ES (77.4%) G (60.5%), of negative rep., ES (9.7%) G (7.9%); of positive rep., G (31.6%) - ES (12.9%).

22 Representation of migrant views 1. ES (11 counts, 35%) 2. MS (none) 3. G (5 counts, 13%)

23 Neutrality in representation Squatters have taken a 4 million home [no mention in the title that these were East Europeans] ->ES Women held after man dies in a brothel row, ES [East European women lived or worked at the address] Alleged rape victim arrested for refusal to testify, [East European victim BUT defendants, not specified]-> G

24 Migrant related stories that dominated the printed media 23/24 November 2011: Net migration hit record high (data released by the Office for National Statistics)-> new migration targets set by government [not touched by MS] January/February 2012: (Failed) attempts for deportation of radical Jordanian clerk, Abu Qatada) February 2012: Corruption conviction of most senior Scotland Yard officer, Iranian born Ali Dizaei

25 End of January 2012: Unauthorized, potentially lethal restraint techniques may still be being used to carry out immigration deportations despite assurances from the UK Border Agency and its private contractors. February 2012: Change in law that prevents access of undocumented migrants to the HIV drug)

26 The computation of a total diversity indicator? If the average of the scores on all four aspects of media activity is computed, we can offer general ranking (News making + Recruitment +Training +Content)/4 = Total Score 1. The Guardian: =12.38/4=3.10 Medium 2. Morning Star: =9.08/4=2.27 Low to Medium 3. London Evening Standard: =7.91/4=1.98 Low

27 MEDIA CONTENT See more: Or contact E. ROBERT SCHUMAN CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES