Editing in stereo: editing out stereotypes

How can we avoid overediting, echoing stories that sound like stereotypes?

“When I was in college, I could see signs that said ’white’ and ‘colored’ when I went to the movie theater. That was an easy target for me to aim at,” says Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP board. “Today, I don’t see those signs, but I know that these divisions still exist.”

This quote is from an Associated Press story the DI ran Thursday. After reading the whole story I was a bit disappointed.

Sure, Bond says divisions still exist, but no where in the article does it state what those divisions are. And it’s ironic because one of the points of the article is to show that the NAACP is working on convincing people discrimination still exists. However, the article fails to include the part that would do the convincing.

In fact, I could see how people reading this story might easily be unconvinced and think this Bond lady is just an ungrateful black woman who has nothing better to do than complain. (Haha, who's posting this blog?)

Interestingly, I could not find the article online at the DI’s Web site, but I found a longer version on the Pennsylvania Times Herald’s Web site: http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/doc4993c6dccfcdc739983360.txt

Here’s a passage paraphrasing the CEO of the NAACP from the Herald’s story that the DI cut from its story:

He cites figures such as a 70 percent unsolved murder rate in some black communities, blacks graduating from high school at a far lower rate than whites, and studies showing that whites with criminal records get jobs easier than blacks with clean histories.

When I read the DI story I wanted the quotes to be backed up. Now I see that they were but someone made a decision to cut it from the story.

It would be helpful if the information included in the Herald’s story was also backed up by reliable statistics instead of coming from another person, but it’s getting there. Still, to make a story credible, fair shouldn’t we spend the extra time finding those numbers, making sure they are accurate or not? And then, why not keep going? Why are those numbers important? What do people think about them? Let's talk to people who are unconvinced and see why.

Anyway, I know things like limited space may leave unanswered questions, but I think it is important to make sure one is sensitive to how the information we’ve decided to include will come across.

Since I’m very passionate about race relations and my mission is to use journalism to bring people together, perhaps I see these things more. Still, I am very sensitive to how all sides perceive things and I think that what we can learn from this story is worthwhile.

Consequently, I think we should be conscious of how we portray minorities’ issues. We need to show why they are relevant, why people should care. (To me it’s clear why they are relevant, since I know resolving or at least reporting on issues that divide us will result in greater harmony, but I digress.)

I just think that when we’re editing we need to make sure we don’t edit in or out information that implicitly reinforces stereotypes, leaving in part of the story, when the other part(s) may be necessary for the issue to sink in. I know it’s hard with pressing deadlines and limited space, but for the fairness’ sake we must try harder.