>>> A NEW REPORT SAYS THERE ARE VERY FEW JOURNALISTS WHO LOOK LIKE ME.

A STUDY FINDS THAT IN A SAMPLE OF 12,000 U.S.

REPORTING JOURNALISTS, JUST 6% WERE BLACK.

WHEN TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT WHO IS COVERING WHAT, BLACK JOURNALISTS MAKE UP ONLY BETWEEN 2% AND 8% OF ALMOST ALL REPORTING ON THINGS LIKE THE ENVIRONMENT, SPORTS, POLITICS, AND HEALTH.

BLACK JOURNALISTS REPRESENT 15% OF JOURNALISTS IN SOCIAL POLICY.

JOINING US NOW ARE SYLVIA SNOWDEN, ADVOCACY CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS CHICAGO CHAPTER AND POLITICAL FOR HIM.

LECTURER OF AUDIO JOURNALISM PROGRAMMING AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM, ANTONIA HILL, MULTIMEDIA REPORTER AT THE TRIBE, A DIGITAL MEDIA TO PLATFORM LOOKING TO RESHAPE THE NARRATIVE OF BLACK CHICAGO.

WELCOME TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT: BLACK VOICES", EVERYONE.

I AM THRILLED YOU ARE HERE.

SYLVIA, LET'S START WITH YOU.

6% OF ALL JOURNALISTS ARE BLACK, WHAT IS YOUR REACTION?

>> I WISH I COULD SAY I WAS SURPRISED, BUT I AM NOT.

I HAVE BEEN IN THIS INDUSTRY A LITTLE WHILE NOW, AND I SEE THIS EVERY DAY.

HOW MANY BLACK ATHLETES ARE THERE?

BUT, THERE SIMPLY ARE NOT THE JOURNALISTS TO COVER.

THE SAME THING WITH POLITICS.

IN A CITY OF CHICAGO, WE HAVE SO MANY AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN A POLITICAL TOWN.

AND IT IS A RELATIVELY AFRICAN-AMERICAN CITY, WE MAKE UP A THIRD OF THE POPULATION.

YET, WE ARE NOT ON THE SCENE.

I WISH I COULD SAY I AM SURPRISED, I TRY TO GET PEOPLE INTERESTED IN JOURNALISM.

BUT, FOR WHATEVER REASON -- >> IT IS A LOT OF WORK.

AS IS THE JOB, AS WE ALL KNOW.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE REPRESENTATION OF BLACK REPORTERS IMPACTS THE COVERAGE OVERALL?

>> I THINK IT MEANS THAT OUR NEWS COVERAGE IS NOT ADEQUATELY REFLECTING THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE COVERING, YOU KNOW?

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT CRIME, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT -- EVEN IN A CITY LIKE CHICAGO, THERE ARE SO MANY STORIES THAT COME OUT OF OUR CITY, OUR BLACK STORIES.

AND IF WE DON'T HAVE BLACK REPORTERS ON IT, THEN WE MISSED A BIT OF NUANCE.

SO, I WOULD SAY WE ARE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CAN TEACH BLACK STORIES, BUT WE ARE MISSING A GREAT DEAL OF OVERALL COVERAGE AND JUST THE LANDSCAPE OF NEWS COVERAGE WHEN WE ARE NOT PROPERLY REPRESENTED, WHEN OUR NEWSROOM DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THE COMMUNITIES WE ARE REPRESENTING.

>> COVERAGES MAY BE A PERSPECTIVE, RIGHT?

LIKE, WE MIGHT SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

>> I HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF HAVING A COUSIN SHOT TO DEATH.

AND READING SOME OF THE COVERAGE -- AND I READ 1 MILLION STORIES ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE GUNNED DOWN.

BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL IT HAPPENED TO MY COUSIN THAT I COULD SEE THE VERY RACIALLY CHANGED WAY THOSE STORIES OFTEN TIMES ARE.

AND IT TOOK ME, TAKING AN OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE AN OP-ED IN THE POST ON WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A HORRIBLY DONE ARTICLE ON HOW THEY DIE ALL THE TIME.

BUT, IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY WITH EXPERIENCE GETTING THAT PHONE CALL AT 2:00 A.M., I AM SORRY, YOUR RELATIVE IS DEAD, YOU NEVER GET THAT VANTAGE POINT.

SO, I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT, IN A CITY WHERE CRIME IS AN ISSUE, WHERE GUN VIOLENCE IS AN ISSUE, TO HAVE YOUNG BLACK AMERICANS WHO HAVE HAD THAT EXPERIENCE, TELL THAT STORY.

>> SO, WE HAVE A TRIBE, A PUBLICATION, BLACK LEAD, MAJORITY BLACK NEWSROOM.

YOU GUYS ARE PRETTY YOUNG.

BUT, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR COVERAGE?

>> TO ADD ON TO WHAT THEY SAID, WE NEED IT.

WE NEED THAT PERSPECTIVE.

WE ALSO NEED OUR VOICES ON STORIES, AND I THINK EVEN SYLVIA'S POINT ABOUT TALKING ABOUT VIOLENCE, I THINK THERE IS SOME NUANCES THAT -- WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT VIOLENCE.

LIKE, WHEN MAINSTREAM NEWS OUTLETS COVERED THE CURRENT, IT IS MORE OF A NUMBERS WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT.

LIKE, THIS PERSON WAS SHOT AT THIS TIME, AT THIS LOCATION, THIS WAS THEIR NAME, THAT IS IT.

BUT, WE ARE TRYING TO ALSO RESHAPE HOW WE TALK ABOUT CRIME.

WE WANT TO GET TO THE ROOT CAUSES THAT LED TO THIS MOMENT, BECAUSE IT WASN'T JUST SOMEONE WAS INJURED, OR HARMED, IT WAS INSTITUTIONAL HARM THAT ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS MOMENT.

WHAT INSTITUTIONAL FAILURES WERE HAPPENING FOR THIS CRIME TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE, AND WHAT COULD WE HAVE DONE TO PREVENT IT?

>> YOU MENTIONED 15% OF JOURNALISTS REPRESENT THOSE COVERING SOCIAL POLICY ISSUES IN THE PAST YEAR, DOES THAT SORT OF LEAD TO EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHAT BLACK JOURNALISTS CAN AND CANNOT COVER?

>> IT DOES.

IT IS KIND OF THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT WE USED TO EXPERIENCE, WHERE WE WOULD HAVE JOURNALISTS CAST TIES FOR WANTING TO COVER BLACK THINGS.

AND NOW, IT TURNS INTO WAS BEING EXPECTED TO BE THE EXPERT ON ALL THINGS BLACK IN OUR NEWSROOM.

AT THAT ALSO IS NOT FAIR.

WE ARE NOT BEING PAID TO BE CEI EXPERTS IN OUR NEWSROOM.

WE ARE NOT PAID TO BE CONSULTANTS.

WE ARE NOT PAID TO ALSO BE AN EDITOR AND EDIT EVERYONE ELSE'S THING TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE AREN'T COMING UP WITH CARBON COPIES.

>> WE ALSO CANNOT BE THE VOICES OF ALL BLACK PEOPLE.

>> WE CANNOT BE THE VOICES OF ALL BLACK PEOPLE.

SO, IT IS SETTING UP A LOT OF TIME, SETTING UP THOSE VERY REPORTERS WHO ARE ON THE BLACK, THE RACE BEAT, WITH A DESIRE TO HELP IMPROVE COVERAGE.

WE CAN BURN THEM OUT, WE CAN MAKE IT SO THEY LEAVE THE INDUSTRY WAY TOO SOON, AND IT JUST DOESN'T BENEFIT EVERYONE WHEN WE KNOW THAT RACE IS REALLY A PART OF EVERY STORY THAT WE DO, IN ANY BEAT.

IT REALLY SHOULD BE STRETCHED OUT, IT SHOULD BE A COMPETENCY THAT EVERYONE, EVERY SINGLE REPORTER, SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO UNDERSTAND.

>> SONJA, WHAT YOU THINK ARE SOME OF THE BARRIERS, OR THE ISSUES THAT BLACK JOURNALISTS RUN INTO WHEN TRYING TO GET INTO THE INDUSTRY, OR EVEN BEING IN THE INDUSTRY?

>> ACCESSIBILITY, IN COLLEGE, WE TALK ABOUT THE INTERIM THING.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE ON UNPAID INTERNSHIPS.

AND A LOT OF THEM ARE UNPAID.

THIS IS REALLY AN INDUSTRY WHERE IT IS LIKE WHO YOU KNOW MATTERS AND IF YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE THAT, IT IS HARD TO BREAK IN.

BUT, FOR ME, PERSONALLY, I HAVE BEEN REALLY FORTUNATE, ACTUALLY.

I HAVE HAD BLACK WOMEN WHO HAVE HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY HERE.

BUT, I THINK ONE THING THAT IS ALSO A THING POINT -- PEOPLE NOT WANTING TO TAKE A CHANCE ON A BLACK JOURNALIST.

AS WE WERE TALKING BEFORE BACKSTAGE, PUTTING YOU IN A BOX, AND THINKING THIS ONE SPACE IS WHAT YOU ARE BEST AT, AND NOT THINKING YOU CAN HANDLE MORE COMPLEX STORIES OR THINGS LIKE THAT.

>> SYLVIA, BEYOND DIVERSITY ON PAPER, AND IN THE NUMBERS, WHAT DOES TRUE EQUITY, THE VERSION YOU DO -- LOOK LIKE IN THE NEWSROOM?

>> EFFICACY IS REALLY MAKING SURE THAT BLACK JOURNALISTS ARE NOT JUST IN SPACES THAT TRADITIONALLY HAVE IT.

BUT, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE COMFORTABLE AND THEY ARE WELCOME.

IF SO, WHAT HAPPENED SOMETIMES WHEN JOURNALISTS GO INTO NEWSROOMS, IS THEY ARE THERE, AND THEY WANT TO COME OUT WITH THEIR NEW IDEAS, THEY WANT TO COME WITH A DIFFERENT STORY.

SO, I THINK WE JUST HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, DIVERSITY ISN'T JUST SOMEONE WITH A DIFFERENT SKIN TONE.

IT IS SOMEONE WHO HAS A DIFFERENT THOUGHT.

IT IS SOMEONE WHO HAS A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT.

IT IS SOMEBODY WHO THINKS DIFFERENTLY.

WHEN YOU COME WITH THOSE DIFFERENCES, YOU CANNOT RESIST THEM, PUNISH THEM, HOLD THOSE THINGS AGAINST THEM.

WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE ARE GIVING THEM THEIR SPACE TO ALLOW THEM TO BRING THEIR WHOLE SELVES IN TO DO THE WORK.

>> SAME QUESTION TO YOU.

WHAT DOES TRUE DIVERSITY LOOK LIKE IN THE NEWSROOM?

BEYOND THE NUMBERS.

>> DIVERSITY LOOKS LIKE PEOPLE THAT LOOKS LIKE THE CITY WE ARE COVERING, OR THE NATION WE ARE COVERING.

AND THAT IS, LIKE SYLVIA SAID, ALSO INCLUDING DIVERSE EXPERIENCES, INCOME,