DIVERSITY AND THE MEDIA

What is diversity?
Before we begin, let's discuss the meaning of the word diverse. The word diverse is an
adjective which means showing a great deal of variety or differences. When we say that the
media should be diverse, we mean that all different types of people should be included in the
media. This includes people of different races, ethnicities, ages, genders, religions, political
beliefs, cultures, and more. In this context, diversity is having or including people from
different backgrounds.

To have diversity in the media, we must think about two important points: what story is
being told and who is telling it?
What story is being told?
A diverse media means representing different people in media messages and having different
people create and deliver media messages.
First, the media should not just spread messages about one group of people. All people's
stories deserve to be told. This includes people from different racial, ethnic, and cultural
groups. Diversity in the media means telling the stories of the different groups of society.
These include the dominant group, which is the group of people that has the power and
status in society, as well as the marginalized groups, or the groups of people in society
(often minority groups) that have less power and opportunity.
Marginalized groups are often determined by a person's race, culture, or gender. For
example, in many countries, women have less power or opportunities than men. Therefore,
women would be considered part of a marginalized group which was determined by gender.
Imagine now that every story that you read about in a newspaper or saw on television was
about men. How do you think women would feel? What stories or information would
everyone not receive?
Who is telling the story?
The people who create and deliver media messages should also be diverse. In other words,
the people who write new stories, create advertisements, or speak on the nightly news should
be from all different backgrounds. This allows us to see and hear things from different points
of view.
Again, imagine if you never saw a woman on television or heard one on the radio. How
would that affect women? How would this affect the information we receive?
The importance of diversity in the media
 To be media literate, we must know if certain views are being left out of a story.  In
addition, if the media does not include different ideas or points of view, they are sending the
message that those ideas or views are not important. It is not enough for the media to simply
include diverse people. They must also be sure to show, or represent, these people accurately
and fairly. In other words, the media should not stereotype people. To stereotype means to
unfairly group all people with a particular characteristic together. People often stereotype
others because of their age, gender, race, or culture.
For example, people might say that all teenagers are lazy, or all men are strong and tough, is
this really true? Are all teenagers lazy? Are all men strong? Many might be, but it's not fair
to say all.
The media may stereotype people by describing them all the same way, such as lazy, or
strong. The media also may stereotype people by always showing certain people in certain
roles. For example, on television shows, doctors might only be shown as men, and women
might always be shown as nurses. There are many women doctors and male nurses
throughout the world, this should be shown in the media.
 If people watching the media constantly see stereotypes of a group of people, they may start
to believe them.  If the media only shows certain people in certain roles, they will spread the
idea that those are the only roles for those people. This tells a false story or message.
Let's review, diversity in the media is important because including all points of view in
media messages allows us to get the full story. In addition, portraying diverse people in
media accurately and fairly prevents stereotypes from developing. Stereotypes lead to false
stories and inaccurate messages. Remember, to be media literate, we must be able to tell
when we are hearing only part of the story, or an inaccurate story.