As CNN saw our growth in African-American viewership, they affirmed a fundamental truth of news coverage - people will watch you if they see themselves in what you report. It doesn't hurt if the people doing the reporting look like them, too.
Interpretation
Diverse representation in media can enhance audience engagement and connection.
In this quote, Soledad O'Brien emphasizes the importance of representation in news media. She asserts that when viewers see themselves reflected in the stories and faces of reporters, they are more likely to engage with the coverage. This highlights a broader truth in media: diversity among those who report the news can lead to increased viewership and a more authentic portrayal of the community's experiences and perspectives.
In practice
In a panel discussion about the representation of minorities in media.
I don't think journalism changes. It's about digging into stories and telling them well. The basic tenets of great reporting stay the same while things around it change. Technology has made reporting easier, but it has also caused job loss. Social media has increased discussion around topics, but it has its own challenges at times.
The reality is that the media are probably the most powerful of all our institutions today and they, or rather we [journalists], too often are squandering our power and ignoring our obligations. The consequence of our abdication of responsibility is the ugly spectacle of idiot culture!
Too many of our conversations in the media hinge on conflict delivered in three-second sound bites.
I can swear on a stack of Bibles that not once in doing the 'CBS Evening News' for 19 years - well, I take it back. Once perhaps. But during 19 years, with perhaps one exception, was I ever aware of any political or commercial pressure on that broadcast whatsoever.
I suppose popularity is measured by ratings. If a broadcaster is known as the leader because of ratings, then that's where people most want to be seen and heard, so there's no question that there's an advantage.
Television is simultaneously blamed, often by the same people, for worsening the world and for being powerless to change it.
The lowest form of popular culture - lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people's lives - has overrun real journalism.
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