Blog

Guest Post: A guide for an equitable Scottish journalism sector

Guest post written by Rachel Hamada

Illustration by Heedayah Lockman

The Equal Media and Culture Centre’s comprehensive report looking at equality, diversity and inclusion (thankfully we’re still allowed to use these words in the UK for now…) in Scotland’s creative sector covers so many vital issues. I’d really encourage you to read it, especially if you’re in a position of some power.

The report makes it clear that what is required to create a field that mirrors the society we live in is more than just crude representation. What’s needed is to change the DNA of our sectors to create a culture of belonging, where everyone, including women, trans and non-binary people from a wide range of backgrounds, can be not just employed but welcomed, valued and supported to do their best work.

I’d like to home in on journalism, where much of my experience lies. Rather than focussing on the negative (rampant misogyny! fewer women now working in journalism! having the same conversations we’ve been having for years!), I will make a few suggestions for how to work towards a Scottish sector that is equitable and therefore effective for everyone.

1. Public support I was on the Scottish Government’s Working Group on Public Interest Journalism, a cross-industry group that drew up a series of recommendations for government. We strongly underlined the value of creating a Scottish Public Interest Journalism Institute, which would have a number of roles, but principally to distribute grant funding to support public interest news and help promote a diverse, sustainable and pluralistic sector. Many national governments do subsidise public interest media – if Scotland’s did, obviously at a long arm’s length, it would give the sector more ability to breathe and therefore to work on ways of improving models beyond fighting for clicks and survival.
2. Journalism as a service Things are shifting just now in journalism, with gradually increasing awareness that in a time of rampant misinformation and malign influence in the slowly degrading social media sphere, the antidote is timely, accurate and trustworthy local information. This allows everyone to play their role as a citizen – take part in local government processes, join protests, find out about plans for their neighbourhoods and go along to community events. New initiatives such as the Edinburgh Minute and Greater Govanhill magazine have tapped into this need – politicians and media management should take heed. If we want to hold off the far right and create communities that are resilient, knowledge is power.
3. Truth to power There continues to be a vital role for accountability journalism –  holding the powerful to task for their actions and exposing wrongdoing. This is where the bums on seats in newsrooms really matter. If newsrooms continue to employ the same old people (white, cis, abled and often middle-class men), the pool of ideas will be shallow, and the lived experience of harm often limited. How can you tell truth to power when you’re part of the system of power – which gatekeepers are? A truly representative newsroom, where team members are supported and have resources to develop their ideas, would mean a much vaster spectrum of stories being told, harms being exposed and ultimately, hopefully, addressed.
4. Culture of belonging A key strand to ensuring that we move towards a more inclusive and diverse media in Scotland is creating a culture of belonging in newsrooms. We don’t just want to be recruiting a range of people, we want to make sure that a culture is intentionally evolved that makes everyone feel at home in the workplace. Simple things like understanding people’s different ways of working and supporting those (for example, is someone neurodivergent? Do they have caring responsibilities? Are they dealing with menopause or other health issues?) as well as using non-exclusive language and practices (for example, are people using jargon that’s going to be unfamiliar to a new journalist? Is anyone being forced to code-switch? Is going to the pub the default social activity?). Consult with staff and freelancers and listen to what they say; your working culture can continually evolve.
5. Think about the page and screen too The people that make up newsrooms form a huge part of what makes a media outlet what it is – but we also all have our inbuilt defaults and biases. Good news is that these can be challenged! For example, you can look at your sources – how many of these are white men? You’d be surprised. It’s usually a disproportionate number. Once journalists become aware of this and take just a little more time looking round for a range of sources and voices, the resultant stories start to become more reflective of the world we live in.

The funny thing is that in all of this I have barely mentioned the word woman/women. That is because there has been no need – if we invoked all these principles, and listened to what journalists and the public need, we would be able to create an environment where everyone can thrive and tell diverse stories that create impact and improve our lives for the better. It’s a win-win situation.

Rachel Hamada has moved into a more arts-based role recently, running Take One Action, Scotland’s film and arts organisation for social change, as well as recently completing an MSc in Playwriting at the University of Edinburgh. However, her working background is in journalism. She helped set up The Ferret in Scotland, where she is currently chair, and has worked in journalism and media for over two decades. In the last decade or so she has worked with a particular emphasis on changing how we do journalism so that it is more inclusive across the board, leading on community-led investigative journalism at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as on their Change the Story project about reimagining local news. She has also worked on creative projects interrogating the media’s default ways of working, such as It’s Criminal in Glasgow. 

Read the Equal Media and Culture Centre’s new report ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: women in media, creative and cultural sectors in Scotland.’