Growing up in Atlanta, Taylor Stephenson always wanted to be a meteorologist. But she had never seen a black meteorologist. So, she wondered. 

 

“I didn’t really have anybody to look up to in terms of black women in meteorology until I was a junior or senior in high school; It’s hard to see yourself in a position when you don’t see people who look like you,” said Stephenson, now a meteorologist in Norfolk, Virginia.

 

After college, she joined 13WMAZ in Macon, Georgia for 2 years and, in June, joined the 13NewsNow family in Norfolk.

 

Stephenson is one of many journalists who recognize diversity as a continuing challenge in news stations across the country.

 

Women of color represent just 7.95 percent of U.S. print newsroom staff, 6.2 percent of local radio staff and 12.6 percent of local TV news staff, according to the 2018 Status of Women in the U.S. Media study from the Women's Media Center. 

 

Another anchor in Hampton Roads acknowledges the problem.  

 

“From where I’ve been before, just like any organization in corporate America, there are miles to go before we sleep,” said Bianca Holman, an anchor/reporter at WAVY TV 10 in Portsmouth, Virginia. 

 

Holman recalled a coworker doing the 6 o’clock news telling her that, “the only black person not in handcuffs or not in a mugshot was her.”

 

The responsibility of young broadcast journalists of color coming up the ladder can be overwhelming.  

 

“I think I have a weight on my shoulders every day of making sure I’m representing young black women well,” said Lauryn Moss, also a reporter/multimedia journalist at WAVY TV 10. “I think I’m also conscious of my role in making sure my community gets a voice.”

 

Stephenson wears her hair natural. 

 

“I wear cornrows. I wear braids, I wear my natural hair because that’s professional too and I feel like we don’t have to fit into some type of standard,” said Stephenson.

 

A 2022 survey of 12,000 journalists showed that 52% of the journalists do not believe their news organization has enough racial and ethnic diversity, according to the Pew Research Center.

 

From 2014 to 2019, the percentage of people of color working in television news increased slightly from 22.4% to 23.2%, while their Caucasian coworkers decreased from 77.6% to 76.8%, according to a report from Statista.

 

In 2014, for the first time ever, black females slightly outnumbered black males in TV news, according to the 2015 Status of Women in the U.S.Media study from the Women's Media Center.

 

Moss recognizes that women of color are underrepresented in the U.S. because they are a minority, but she adds,“Well intentioned or not, there have been steps to bring diversity” in news stations across the country. 

 

One step taken to boost diversity in newsrooms and stations across the U.S. is by connecting with the communities that they cover, according to an article from the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR).

 

13NewsNow and WAVY TV 10 are both in Virginia where people of color are in the minority and women are in the majority,  according to the July 2022 Census. 13 NewsNow is ranked at number 7 and WAVY TV 10 is ranked number 2 out of the Top 15 TV Stations in Virginia, according to Muck Rack.

 

Both stations cover the Hampton Roads area which includes Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Chesapeake, Hampton, Virginia Beach, and Suffolk. 

 

5 out of the 7 cities have people of color as the majority and 6 out of 7 cities have women as the majority, according to the Census as of July, 1st 2022. 

 

13NewsNow is composed of 30 people with only 8, or 26.67%, are women of color, according to their Meet Team page on their website. 

 

WAVY TV 10 is also composed of 30 people, with only 7, or 23.33%, are women of color, according to their Meet Team page.

 

Both stations have under 30% representation for women of color but both of their designated market audiences are 71.43% people of color and 85.71% women. 

 

Stephenson acknowledges that the Hampton Roads community is very diverse and believes a news station should reflect its community. 

 

“If you don’t reflect the community that you serve, can you really connect with the community as well as you could?” said Stephenson. “I think that once you really connect with them at least on those basic levels of ‘I see someone who looks like me,’ I think we can further dive into issues that really matter.”

 

Another step taken by some U.S. new stations and newsrooms train their internal talent and groom them for leadership roles, according to the CJR article.

 

WAVY TV 10 recently had diversity training, the first Holman has been to since she arrived in  June 2022.

 

“What I’ve experienced here at WAVY, what other people experience at their other stations, is not unique,” said Holman. “Representation is not just on air but also behind the scenes and in leadership, and it is something that is discussed among journalists.”

 

Globally, women occupy just 22% of the top editorial positions in newsrooms. The U.S. has the highest number with 44% and 53% of journalists are women, according to a 2023 article from the Observer. The article mentions the 7 top women in cable news but only 2 were women of color: Rashida Jones (president of MSNBC) and Kimberly Godwin (president of ABC News).

 

“If your station has a lot of reporters or anchors who are people of color but the management doesn’t reflect that, you don’t really have anybody that you can run to when things happen,” said Stephenson. “I believe there is always going to be a racial barrier in the U.S., it’s just how it is.” 

 

An additional step taken to boost diversity in newsrooms and stations across the U.S. is by opening up pipelines for talent, according to the CJR article.

 

Stephenson, Holman and Moss believe their stations reflect the white and black communities but they can do more with representing other groups. 

 

“There is a good amount of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that are here,” said Holman. “Also Hispanic residents that live here and I think that our station could do a better job of having better representation there.”

 

The last step taken to boost diversity in newsrooms and stations across the U.S. is by designing fellowships, internships, and classroom opportunities geared towards people of color, according to the CJR article.

 

“I think that companies are starting to get people younger,” said Holman. “Whether that is in high school or college but kind of showing people all of the possibilities that there are in the news.” 

 

Stephenson believes not only should opportunities be geared towards young broadcast journalists of color but there should also be a stronger support system for them. 

 

“More emphasis should be put into uplifting black students who are interested in a career in journalism, because on top of being students, we are black in America.”