Diversity in Theory and Practice

Research on media and diversity has mainly focused on content analysis, or more precisely, on how immigrants are covered by the mass media. This book concentrates on the media workers themselves, and on mass media organizations. News journalists with immigrant backgrounds responded to interview questions such as: How do journalists with immigrant backgrounds experience their working conditions, career possibilities, and their possibilities of influencing media coverage? and How does ethnic diversity contribute to a change in the media coverage? Field studies were conducted in both Swedish and German newsrooms in order to explore diversity in practice. The volume deals also with the mass media as organization and with diversity from a theoretical stance by addressing the following question: What are the possibilities and limitations of mass media organizations in managing diversity issues in accordance with the common ideals of equal opportunity? Diversity management is discussed as one possible option.This book is the result of a multidisciplinary project that brings together work in sociology, journalism and media studies in order to analyze cultural diversity in media organizations.

Content

Foreword

Introduction
Heike Graf, Jan Inge Jönhill

Exploring Media and Ethnic Diversity in Sweden and Germany
Gunilla Hultén, Heike Graf

Mass Media Organizations and Managing Diversity: Possibilities and Limitations: From a Communicational System Theoretical Perspective
Jan Inge Jönhill

Diversity Disorders: Ethnicity and Newsroom Cultures
Gunilla Hultén

Examining Ethnicity in German Newsrooms
Heike Graf

Making a (small) Difference? Swedish Media Workers’ Views on the Contributions of their Ethnic Minority Colleagues
Leonor Camauër

Appendix: Swedish Media Companies on Diversity. Survey, June 2008

The Authors