Repairing trust: How newspapers responded to diversity, equity and inclusion discourse in the summer of 2020

Abstract

After George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, the transnational conversation about racism and anti-blackness caused the newspaper industry to consider its past behavior with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This thesis uses a textual analysis of DEI statements published by top U.S. newspapers, which include metajournalistic discourse about race, and case studies of two U.S. newspapers to analyze how U.S. newspapers responded to calls for improved DEI in the summer of 2020. Newspapers often attempted to defend their past behavior even as they communicated a desire to build trust with marginalized audiences. Although the amount of metajournalistic discourse about a newspaper’s DEI initiatives was not predictive of DEI actions, public discussions of a newspaper’s failings might serve as a precursor to real, concrete change.