The Pundit Class Gets More Diverse

New York Times:

The historic and long-running presidential campaigns of Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton have injected issues of race and gender into politics as never before. With campaign coverage center stage on the cable channels, producers and critics are again assessing the diversity among pundits, who talk (and talk) about things like Mr. Obama's pastor, the Hispanic vote, Iraq and the economy.

Both MSNBC and CNN this election season have given new prominence to a handful of contributing commentators from varied backgrounds and perspectives: blacks, Hispanics and women. Whether such moves signal real progress in diversifying the punditocracy or merely reflect the needs of a particular news cycle is the question, some media experts say. The most prominent positions on television remain overwhelmingly with those who are white and male, and some critics note how striking that non-inclusion can seem during this election year.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[PioneerKing]

they will be gone after the conventions

[Jay20]

i seriously am bothered by the political correctness going on. The problem is that all the blacks on TV all support Obama, and have no diversity on what actually matters: OPINION. I think the reason more blacks are on TV is so that no one calls the media racist when all white guys talk about a black candidate. I think this PCness is going to ruin America.

[TruthAndConsequences]

Here's what I just wrote the NYT reporter of that piece (part two):

In fact, the situation is so bad and has gone on for so long it could be considered a running joke: if you are conservative and an ethnic "minority," hurry over to the cable news nets because they are eager to hire or book you. Sometimes those conservative "minority" pundits make me shout in anger at my TV, for they either do not know their history -– that modern civil rights gains they benefit from have come largely from Democrats and the left wing, and were fought by Republicans -– or are willingly dismissive of it.

I've been a copy editor at newspapers and online for 20-plus years. Even though I have reflected my views here (which of course I see as factual), had I seen your story in this form before it ran, professionally and objectively I would have bounced it back and asked that you address head-on the scope of political diversity among "minority" pundits.

[TruthAndConsequences]

Here's what I just wrote the NYT reporter of that piece (part one):

Ms. Lee, your shallow piece about "diversity" among TV's political pundits is as guilty as those networks are in deeming "diversity" to be just about skin color. Diversity, especially in the news sense, is also about reflecting the full spectrum of views from left to right. When seen that way, cable news is far less diverse, since most ethnic "minority" pundits skew to the political right (on top of their white-male bretheren), and in today's climate, definitely to the right of most of the public. Didn't you want to touch that in your piece? (Citing Donna Brazile and perhaps two other left-leaning "minority" pundits does not balance this heavily tipping scale. Where are the Barack Obamas -- truly liberal ethnic "minorities" -- among today's pundits? I watch a lot of cable news and I don't see any!)

[HippieChick]

Personally, I would prefer that "news" organizations (what a joke!) fire all of their "pundits" and start filling the vacancies with genuine "news" people (if that category still exists, that is...haven't seen anyone aspiring to be the next Cronkite in many years). Pundits contribute nothing but division to this nation, and I refuse to invite them into my living room.

[VOTER]

CNN and MSNBC

Until networks retire pundits like the "Moral Gambler," Bill Bennett And Joe Scumborough who cares?

Bring on new pundits but only those educated and intelligent enough to argue their

points of views with FACTS AND NOT SLANDEROUS WORDS.

[HippieChick]

May I add Pat Buchanan to your despicable pundit list, Voter?

[VOTER]

You bet!

I certainly didn't list all of them. : - )

[Simone]

There is a long way to go since even among women pundits the emphasis is on showcasing conservatives.
Amy Holmes, a conservative strategist
Leslie Sanchez, a Mexican-American Republican strategist
Donna Brazile, who is black and a well-known Democratic strategist
Michelle Bernard, black and conservative;
Rachel Maddow, who is white and liberal
Angela McGlowan, a Republican strategist who is black
Michelle Malkin, a conservative Filipino-American journalist
Linda Chavez, Hispanic and conservative
Laura Ingraham, white and conservative.

Thank goodness for Donna Brazile and Rachel Maddow but we need more liberal women on television and some should be over 50.

[backfist64]

While *guests* may take on the newfound appearance of diversity, the behind-the-scenes ranks of CNN, MSNBC and FOXNews remains pretty homogenenous--not just in color, but in background, cultural experience and outlook.

Can you image Wolf Blitzer's position being held by a Black man? Neither can CNN.

[robXdion]

There is something SERIOUSLY wrong about having 3 white men and 1 white woman sit around discussing the dynamics of latinos and black people or black culture and Obama's role. And there is something very WRONG about having 4 white men and 1 black man sit around discussing the effect of women in the election. And this should not stop with the "pundit class". The managing editors and producers are almost entirely white and the takes of nearly ALL news shows on minority issues is just pathetic because the people behind he scenes creating the story have no idea what the hell they are talking about. And that BS about "there's no qualified minorities" is some ole BS. There are minorities flowing out of colleges with degrees in telecommunications forced to work in fields not related to their studies. There are minorities that were very experienced in the field but were forced to switch careers because they news organizations didn't want to look too ethnic.

[mediamarv]

Hmmm.. I find it curious that the name Linda Chavez was brought up and identified as hispanic.
She is hispanic in the same sense that Campbell's tortilla soup is... remember how she had to drop out of consideration for an admin position because she was hiring illegal nannies, not paying their SS tax, all the while ranting on the Repub bandwagon about losing jobs to illegals, et al..
Also anyone who has read her columns (the SF Chron foolishly used to print her pieces every so often) knows she has the political, social and cultural biases that would allow her to fit into, say, Texas country club social circles quite well.
I fear that McCain would happily put her in his admin, thinking he was doing the world a favor. Somewhere, there is an old folks Veteran Home with McCain's name on it.

[txshldm0007]

My favorite of this class of pundits is ... no other than ....

Bill Bennett ... Hypocrite extraordinaire!!! Great advocate for the GOP and "moral" minority!!!

Think about it...
1. He was United States Secretary of Education... No success there
2. Drug Czar ... Great Failure There
3. Head of the National Endowment for the Humanities under Reagan ... hmmm Nata
4. It was in 1986 that Bennett switched from the Democratic to the Republican party ... No flip flopper here

What about the Gambling issues he had ... that makes him an expert on morality!!!!

Well I guess a very "typical" conservative to qualify for the top conservative pundit!!!

Great job CNN

[TotobiAyokoh23]

Wolf Blitzer keep reeating, "the best political team" on national TV (on earth). It is very nauseating and autistic. Who made that declaration, and why should the WOLF keep repeating it? Nonsense.

[JScott]

I rather the pundit class (no, the chattering, clucking, yakking class) just stfu and get way SMALLER.

[brwnizofmine]

Well Amen, it's about time!