THE fact that women of colour are “missing” from Scotland’s media landscape is a damning indictment of how far the press has to go to reflect modern society.
Media representatives were told during an event in Glasgow on Tuesday, hosted by Pass the Mic, how little women of colour are utilised as experts by the press, and the difficulties women from minority backgrounds have in breaking into journalism.
Women of colour were frequently used in photographs but rarely quoted in print. A Sunday Post front page declaring the historic win of SNP MSP Kaukab Stewart following the 2021 Holyrood election, where the first quote was from Nicola Sturgeon and there were no words from Stewart herself, the first female MSP of colour, was a prime example of this issue, and caused much discussion between attendees.
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This is no surprise to any of us who work in the industry - most of our newsrooms are white and male-dominated.
I’ve written before about the lack of women in the Scottish political lobby and the impact it has on our democracy. That there is only one male reporter of colour, and no women, should be a wake-up call for the industry - but male decision-makers don’t appear to be engaged with the problem.
Not one male media representative decided to attend the event - and they were invited.
A number of female journalists and editors took part, but while those of us in the room were allies and supported changes being made, change doesn’t happen by talking in an echo chamber. We need men to become involved too.
It also comes just days after a Holyrood round-table on violence against women and girls, where only two male politicians showed up, and no male journalists.
The panel at the event told journalists their own personal experiences
And, what is particularly astounding is the extent to which women of colour are excluded from the news.
Research undertaken by Professor Karen Boyle, director of gender studies at the University of Strathclyde, Melody House, and Pass the Mic founder Talat Yaqoob, highlighted how far the Scottish media has to go to include a diverse range of voices in its output.
The trio undertook research in 2020 and 2021, the second period covering the Holyrood election, of media monitoring newspapers including, The Herald, The Scotsman and The National.
They found that in the sample of media reports analysed in 2021, 0.4% of journalist bylines were from women of colour, compared to 31.2% for white women and 40.7% for white men, and that only 2.1% of “experts” used in news stories were women of colour. White male contributors topped the list at 49.6%, white women 26.9% and men of colour 5.9%.
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“The fact that women of colour were more likely to be photographed than quoted,” Yaqoob said at the event. “The cynic in me, is looking at that saying, are we ticking boxes for equality and diversity to say the image looks like Scotland?
“But when it comes to the expertise, the analysis, the influencing of public narrative and opinion, women of colour are missing.
“But we do want to put the imagery there to say that we were representative - that's what's happening.”
Yaqoob is a media commentator and founded Pass the Mic
There are plenty of experts out there who are women of colour - so why aren't journalists engaging with them?
Research suggests the problems come from a mixture of issues from fast-paced newsrooms where reporters rely on contacts who will pick up the phone quickly, to a lack of support and media training for women of colour to feel confident in speaking to the press - though Women in Journalism Scotland and STV’s Expert Voices have been trying to plug the gap.
That isn’t even getting into the lack of opportunities for women of colour to get into journalism, the barriers young reporters face in gaining experience - mostly unpaid - is more accessible to those from wealthier backgrounds who can afford to work for free at the start of their career.
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For those of us who are working class, it can require juggling multiple jobs while undertaking a degree, and graduates who are women of colour undoubtedly face greater barriers than their white counterparts in getting a foot in the door.
There’s a lot of work to be done, but it would be perhaps helpful if the white men who run our media would turn up to an event and engage with the problem.
Otherwise, nothing is ever going to change at all, is it?
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