No more talk -- we demand action on diversity, equity and inclusion
People of color make up only about one third of our newsroom, but an outsize number have departed for greener pastures, citing low pay and lack of advancement opportunity.
We, the members of the Dallas News Guild, commit ourselves to changing the face of our newsroom to reflect the cultural diversity of the communities we serve.
The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is 45% white, 29% Hispanic, 16% Black and 7% Asian. As of July 2021, our full-time Guild members are 68% white, 19.4% Hispanic and 9.7% Black. The Guild is 57% male and 43% female.
Most American newsrooms don’t reflect the communities they cover. The Dallas Morning News is no different. Our identities shape the way we work and the voices we promote.
As one of our members said in a recent diversity survey conducted by the Guild, “We can't cover our community well if we don't reflect it.” Dallas and North Texas deserve better.
People of color and women have historically been excluded and denied opportunity and access in male-dominated newsrooms such as ours.
Black and Latino journalists and women have left our newsroom at an alarming rate, harming not only our workplace but the people and institutions we cover.
The Guild unit, which also includes Al Dia Dallas, was 34% people of color as of April 2021. But of 27 departures from the Guild unit positions between September 2019 and June 2021, 41% were people of color.
We acknowledge that the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council is focusing on recruiting and retaining these populations. However, the company and the Council’s efforts are not enough to stop the problems in their tracks. We need to do more to address this crisis as it hurts our newsroom.
Pay disparity is a driving force behind attrition. In Guild exit interviews, employees often cite the low pay as a main reason for their departure. According to internal pay data — people of color make about 75 cents for every dollar paid to white people.
For women the pay gulf is often worse. Women of color make 65 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
The Dallas News Guild is bargaining to include provisions in our contract that diversify our staff. We recognize this issue impacts all Dallas area residents, not just workers.
The disparity between us and the community we cover may not be surprising. It is a problem in need of an urgent solution. We therefore call on management to commit to meeting with the Guild as soon as possible to discuss implementing the following measures:
-- Pay equity
-- Adoption of a policy to diversify our hiring pool
-- Clearing paths and increasing budgets for professional development and growth
-- More aggressive recruiting and retention efforts
-- A plan to promote more people of color to leadership roles
-- A detailed list of goals to diversify our leadership and workforce with specific percentages and timelines
The company’s DEI Council is committed to addressing the disparities, but diverse employees continue to leave our newsroom. We acknowledge the intention to do better exists, but we demand meaningful action and clear goals to help get us there.
Signed in Solidarity,
Members of The Dallas News Guild
Ready for a bit of irony? The anti-labor law known as “right to work” started with an editorial in The Dallas Morning News 80 years ago. And here we are!
The Dallas News Guild covers more than 130 journalists across all departments of the newsroom, including reporters, columnists, data journalists, copy editors, librarians, web producers, audio producers, page designers, photographers and videographers. Eligible newsroom workers voted in October 2020 by a margin of over 75% to form a union.
Keep up with our bargaining efforts on Instagram and Twitter — @DallasNewsGuild — and at the NEWS tab at DallasNewsGuild.org.
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