“I’m resigning from my position on the board of the SoE. I didn’t do so in the immediate aftermath of Ian Murray’s statement saying the UK press wasn’t bigoted b/c I was assured by fellow board members that a robust rebuttal...would soon be forthcoming” pressgazette.co.uk/eleanor-mills-…
“Two weeks after the extraordinary board mtg in the wake of Murray’s departure that apology & clear statement about the Society’s current view in regards to whether the lack of diversity in our newsrooms amounts to structural racism in the UK media is still not forthcoming.”
“I have lost confidence in the SOE ever delivering such a statement. Unlike many board members I have no institutional ties keeping me from resigning on this matter of principle, so today that is what I am doing.”
“In August Women In Journalism...published research showing that in the wk that we monitored Britain’s premier news outlets not a single paper published a front-page story by a black reporter; and in that time only one black person was quoted on the front page of a newspaper”
“I feel like I need to explain the background a bit. Our press becomes not a true reflection of society but a distorting lens if those making the decisions and writing the stories are not representative of the broader population.”
“The chronic lack of diversity in British newspaper newsrooms and the lack of representation of BAME groups in decision-making amounts in my view and those of many others, to structural racism in the media.”
“This is not to accuse individuals of racism but merely to remark that the lack of a broader perspective and representation of non-white views can result in unfairly slanted coverage.”
“Often segments of our media do operate a double standard when it comes to race & I believe it is the duty of the SOE to come out & say so. If there’s no agreement even on the scale of the problem we’re dealing w/ then it’s hard to have confidence in the decisions...to remedy it”
“I joined the board w/ a remit to increase diversity in newsrooms & to argue hard for it behind closed doors.This I’ve done passionately.While there are some excellent colleagues on the SOE board...I don’t think they’ve adequately distanced themselves from Ian Murray’s...remarks”
“The WIJ research in the summer shows that the press lags seriously behind TV and radio in the UK (some 30% of TV presenters are now from BAME backgrounds, though only 12% of journalists are).”
“Most UK newspapers either have zero or single digit numbers of BAME editors and reporters on their staff. For the media to fulfil its duty in a democracy to inform the public fairly, this has to change.”
“I wish my former colleagues on the SOE board all the best for their future efforts to increase diversity, there has been some good work going on behind the scenes. But for me the failure to roundly condemn Murray’s remarks means I cannot in good conscience stay.” #BestRoyalReads
1 of the most honest takes I’ve ever read on the state of racism in the UK media from a white person in the UK media. No finger pointing at social media. No saying ‘it’s those other reporters not me’. No gaslighting & claiming it’s cancel culture gone mad.Thank you @EleanorMills!
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