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| Martin |
It's worth noting that Martin was among a relative handful of minority publishers. And his exit follows that of another senior minority executive: Wanda Lloyd, who was the Advertiser's executive editor before retiring early this year.
Earlier: A less-diverse Gannett board of directors with Harper's retirement.
There you go again, fanning the flames of diversity using worn-out metrics based only the color of one’s skin. If you were a sports reporter, would you include that metric every time a white player left an NBA team? Of course not….time the same were applied here.
ReplyDeleteIf the NBA's stated goal was, as with Gannett, to seek more diversity, then, yes, I most certainly would.
DeleteThen add what Gannett’s goals are (something you still have yet to do in your response) and how this departure impacts it - if at all, else it looks like you’re trying to make this bigger than it is.
DeleteGannett's diversity goals generally seek a governing board, a workforce and editorial content that mirror the communities where the company does business. It sets this out in written policies, in advisory committees, and in annual awards.
DeleteConcerning the board of directors, "The board will continue its successful efforts to gain and maintain diversity among its directors," according to the company's principles of corporate governance.
That same document says: "The company will continue its successful efforts to gain and maintain diversity among its employees and management."
Gannett also maintains a Leadership and Diversity Council. Its mission "is to develop strategies that attract and retain superior talent and assist the company in developing a diverse workforce that is in balance with the communities we serve. Diversity includes racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender, religious beliefs, as well as thought, skill and ambition."
The company also gives annual Leadership and Diversity Awards to sites and to individuals.
Finally, soon after Kate Marymont was promoted to run Corporate's News Department for the U.S. community dailies, she called for a recommitment to diversity principles. "A local news report is not balanced, fair or accurate if it ignores those in the minority because of ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, or any other reason," she wrote.
So Jim, what's up with your new line of pointing out everytime a person of color leaves Gannett? You have moved beyond converying facts to insinuating this is a purposeful trend.
ReplyDeleteI called you on this tactic previously and you made a feeble attempt to side-step the question. Doesn't matter; we all know what you are doing.
I've been writing about diversity issues since day one; click on the diversity tag and you'll see. How, specifically, am I insinuating anything?
DeleteMaybe because Gannett screamed about diversity to the point where reporter had to find minority sources or risk losing their jobs?
DeleteOne employee out of thousands is meaningless. Write about something we care about.
DeleteIf you really want to write about diversity then write about the whole company, not simply two high-profile people leaving, news of which just fell in your lap.
You should be a politician the way you spin BS.
And maybe because Gannett partially bases it's executives' and editors' bonuses on the number of minorities on their staffs.
DeleteWow, Jim, you've hit a sensitive nerve with Corporate. This must be a talking point at Corporate because they're awfully defensive.
DeletePerhaps that is why today their paper says that Syracuse won the National Title.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2013/04/syracuse_edges_michigan_for_ti.html
Wow, that is really bad.
DeleteMight be one of those "More Mush From The Wimp" moments.
DeleteIs there a publisher trend here? Word of pubs in Wisconsin leaving, and Shreveport, now Montgomery, Ala. Is something brewing? More consolidation? No, I'm not a "sky is falling" poster, but I don't believe in coincidence, either.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!!!!
DeleteWorking for Leslie ain't easy. Might have had enough.
ReplyDeleteMontgomery should be relieved that she'll be spending a lot of time "onsite" according to the story.
Make sure the car gets washed while she's there.
Having worked for Sam, I can tell you that the paper has lost a good man, as well as the loss of Wanda Lloyd. both had great insight and were well respected in the community. Sam was active in several areas of the community, something the previous publisher was not. Montgomery is over 50% minority now, so the paper should reflect the community it represents. Now there is only one minority on the OC - the Director of Advertising and Marketing. I wish him the best wherever he lands. I suspect we are looking at this site becoming a GM site instead of a Pres & Pub level. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I worked for Sam as well, one of the best I have ever had the privilege of working for. He will land somewhere better, no doubt.
DeleteI had the pleasure of working with Sam at the Cincinnati Enquirer. He was always a fine gentleman and active in the community. He always supported his staff and worked diligently to build the sales and support team. He certainly deserves a job opportunity at the highest level.
ReplyDeleteNoting the diversity angle to this story is fair game. This is a newspaper that serves the city that saw the Montgomery Bus Boycott and which has the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s former church. It's just down the road from Selma, Ala., home of Bloody Sunday. So, yes, this is a notable event. It is both a cradle of the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement, which makes it all the more notable if there is no leader of color in the top ranks at the newspaper.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteHere's my favorite Gannett diversity story.
ReplyDeleteI worked in the south, and remember getting a tongue lashing one time because the deadline for turning in my diversity stats.was approaching. The boss sent out a scathing reminder note, but included kudos for the one reporter who had, indeed, reported her stats early. Why was that reporter early? Well, her report included a few entries while mine was pages long because I took my job and diversity that seriously. I sure wouldn't do that now that I realize that the entire thing was just something that fed into bonuses, and had nothing to do with diversity.Pitiful stuff. Yes, there is life after Gannett. Run.