This will likely be a relatively shorter read today, but I felt like some of the events in the British media landscape over the last week deserved some recognition before ploughing on with your regularly-scheduled programming.
Over the past week or so, there have been a lot of fires erupting in the world of journalism, both internally and externally. Writing this on Tuesday March 16, it feels like the criticism of the racism in British media after Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview was a year ago rather than just a week ago.
There’s been so much journalism discourse that I’m not going to describe each and every instance of it. But a common reaction I’ve seen from both individuals and organisations is the instinct to jump to the defensive at the first sign of criticism.
Case in point: this statement from the Society of Editors, stating that the UK media “is not bigoted”, as a direct response to Harry and Meghan’s interview. Although they clarified that “there is a lot of work to be done in the media to improve diversity and inclusion”, this clarification came two days later.
The immediate reaction to claims that the UK media is racist was not to digest, reflect, or even consider that the idea could be true. The reaction was so quick, quite literally overnight, that no investigation could have been done into it.
This reaction to criticism could stem from a range of things: fear, embarrassment, guilt, etc. For many, criticism is always seen as a negative, but for any industry to experience growth, there needs to be a shift in focus.
Criticism is one of the best ways to learn and grow. No one is perfect 100% of the time - that’s the reason I started a newsletter. Of course, systemic racism within the UK media is more than just a light-hearted fail, but regardless of what the criticism is related to, it’s more constructive and valuable for everyone involved to process it, see whether it has merit to it, and then work to learn and grow from it, rather than instinctively react with what you think would be the best response.
As journalists, we often need to respond to news and events quickly, but there’s no shame in re-assessing your position as you receive new information. There’s no shame in acknowledging that we exist within an industry that has a lot of problems, not least lack of access to marginalised groups, but various cases of bigotry that are impossible to deny.
There is shame, however, in ignoring any criticism that goes against what you would like to be true and silencing voices from those within the groups most affected.
Transparency and honesty are vital if we’re ever going to create a media landscape that is truly free from bigotry. The Society of Editors were not the only ones in the last week to immediately deny any wrongdoing without taking time to appreciate where criticism might be coming from, and they likely won’t be the last. I’m hoping that if we can stop seeing criticism as attacks, then that might change in the future.
Others have also written more insightfully than me on the racism that’s prevalent in British media and I’d encourage you to have a read and educate yourself further, especially if you’re working in British media.
Of Course There's Bigotry In The Media. We Need Allies, Not Silence, To End It - Marcus Ryder
Julie Burchill abused me for being Muslim – yet she was cast as the victim - Ash Sarkar
Ultimately, if you ever face criticism, it’s understandable for your first instinct to be to deny it. No one wants to see themselves as flawed or in the wrong. Take a breath, step back, and evaluate. Listen to those who are voicing concerns, even if it’s not what you want to hear. It might be the learning moment you’ve always needed.