August 15, 2024
Fresh from attending this year’s National Association of Black Journalist’s Conference, Tenee Hawkins, EVP of Cultural Marketing at GCI Health, shared her recommendations for how public relations professionals can help turn the tide for Black journalists, who are underrepresented in today’s media landscape, in an article published in PRWeek.
In the article, Hawkins shared a startling fact: only 6% of all journalists in this country are Black, making America’s newsrooms less diverse than the rest of the U.S. workforce. As PR professionals and their clients benefit from news reporting that’s “authentic, unbiased and useful,” it’s essential that they take action to elevate Black voices, Black media outlets and the work of Black journalists.
“I left this year’s conference energized by this thought: by reframing the relationship between PR professionals and Black journalists, we can advance equity in a way that will also improve the quality and efficacy of news reporting,” said Hawkins.
In this insightful must-read, Hawkins outlines a clear road map for recognizing cultural media as an integral part of the mainstream news landscape and ensuring the narratives we shape truly reflect the diverse communities we aim to reach.
Read the article in PRWeek here.