Call to Action for Media Justice in the Millennium

From the seminar "Lawrence, Macpherson and the Media - a new beginning?" organised by The Creative Collective and the Media Trust, Thursday 14th October 1999

After the findings of the Macpherson Report into the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation were announced back in February, a black journalist was asked by a white colleague working on a major national newspaper if he had any black stories 'bubbling under' that might form the basis of a future campaign.

The reason for the request, he told the black journalist, was quite simple - the Daily Mail had stolen a march on its rivals with its coverage of the Lawrence campaign. His publication needed a new campaign to champion to even the score, the white colleague explained.

Such attitudes are, unfortunately, not uncommon. As with most if not all British institutions, the news media - both print and broadcast - continually fail to reflect the diversity of today's multicultural society.

Newsrooms remain steadfastly white, producing copy that more often than not suffers from the lack of a black perspective. By and large, the coverage prefers to play on tired and lazy racist myths and stereotypes.

While there have been examples of imaginative and accurate reporting of race-related issues in the national media, they remain the exception rather than the rule. From the inflammatory coverage of the so-called asylum- seekers crisis in Dover to the obvious discrepancy in the reporting of the trials of childminders Louise Woodward and Manjit Basuta, it is clear that there is still a long way to go.

As we enter the new millennium, it is no longer acceptable for members of Britain's black communities to pick up a newspaper, turn on the television or the radio and not see themselves and their experience reflected there.

We believe that this seminar will play an important part in redressing the balance. The Creative Collective is made up of black multi-skilled journalists, media and social policy training professionals whose wide range of abilities and experience of professional journalism can only enhance the mainstream media.

Joy Francis, Jon Snow and Henry Bonsu

Along with the Media Trust, led by Jon Snow, our aim today is to build upon the momentum created by the Lawrence Inquiry and begin the process of creating a dialogue between media managers and the country's black communities. We hope that such an exchange will allow for constructive debate and the development of strategies for change within the media.

It makes good practice and business sense to offer racially integrated news coverage, rather than play lip service to the notion of equal opportunities. By nurturing a dynamic and ever-evolving relationship with black communities, we can overcome the general mistrust they have of the media. In this way, exciting stories, significant trends and miscarriages of justice will not be overlooked, but rather will lead to well-informed writing about modern-day Britain.