Diversity Inc. (Corrected)

Take a look at the Houston Chronicle Columnists page....

Notice anything?

How about when you look through the writer bios at The Texas Tribune?

Anything?

I'll give you a hint: The Dallas Morning News does a little better, but their stuff is hidden behind a pay wall so it doesn't matter to anyone outside of the MetroPlex.

Unsurprisingly the Austin American-Statesman does a pretty good job.

I'm referring, of course, to the diversity in the reporting and editorial staffs. For the Tribune and Chronicle, two major sources of political news, there is none Correction: As Evan Smith kindly pointed out to me via e-mail, the Trib has two minority members on their staff, one Hispanic reporter and an Asian multi-media reporter. To their credit that's better than ChronBlog). The perspective of both these institutions is that of the liberal-arts educated Caucasian liberal. Not that they don't have a right to hire who they want (they do, provided they're not violating any civil rights statutes of course) but it cuts into their credibility when they're shrieking about diversity (typically, of course, Republicans' lack of it). Much the same way ardent supporters of tax increases and more public transportation solutions lose their credibility when they refuse to both pay more taxes themselves, or cannot remember the last time they sat on a bus (or train).

Again, people have the right to do what ever they want. If you want to drive a car down the block to pick up some milk, go right ahead. My proclivity is to walk or ride my bike*, but that doesn't mean yours should be. The problem is that, in today's media, you only have one viewpoint represented. It colors both the writing and the narrative that surrounds Texas politics. It's also the main reason that Even, Kevin and I started Texas Iconoclast not to rail against the "evil Lib'rul media", but to offer up another perspective.....that of the Middle Class, Caucasian Conservative. The main difference is we don't screech at you for your supposed lack of diversity**. All these media outlets engage in that, which short-sells the public.

They could do better. The people of Texas deserve more. At the bare-minimum they deserve to not have their level of diversity chastised by some of the least-diverse working environments in the State.










*I'd gladly ride a Metro bus but there's almost NO service in my area. There used to be a little more, but cut-backs to push everything toward the toy train downtown have changed that. Not that I'm griping, I'm OK not riding a Metro Bus, I've still got my feet and my bike, but those of you who advocate for less Metro service outside the Loop while griping at people who live outside the Beltway are...well, you're just not thinking things through. Moving "Inside the Loop" isn't a viable choice (for me, and many others) either. Not that "viable choices" play much of a role in Houston Tomorrow Future-Fantasy Land.

**As a matter of fact, I'm willing to bet that the ethnic make-up of the authorship for the items in our link-posts are way more diverse than anything the State's rather pathetic, monochrome, political media is pushing out.