Giving Compass' Take:

• Sarah Scire highlights a report on the stagnant state of diversity in nonprofit newsrooms, much of which stems from issues in organizations' employee-retention.

• How critical is diversity in nonprofit newsrooms in accurately representing communities? What can we do to use this research to improve diversity in nonprofit organizations around the U.S.?

• Read more about the necessity for improved diversity in nonprofit newsrooms.

More than half of all nonprofit outlets have either no people of color or “only a small percentage” within their ranks. The vast majority — more than two-thirds — do not have a single person of color in leadership at the executive level.

The ranks of nonprofit newsrooms are growing as more founders choose community-supported models over dependence on advertising. But are nonprofit newsrooms reflecting the people they want to serve?

The INN Index surveyed 117 nonprofit news organizations — roughly half of the Institute for Nonprofit News’ membership — on the diversity of their staffs in 2019 and asked related questions about hiring practices and inclusion efforts. The report represents the broadest sampling of diversity, equity, and inclusion data in the sector to date.

Back in 2016, INN found only eight member organizations either led by people of color or serving communities of color out of more than 100 members. Three years later, with more than 285 members, INN found that “about 60” are led by people of color and 30 are dedicated to covering underrepresented communities.

Despite that upward trend, INN found the majority of respondents said their staff does not reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.

The INN report concludes that though “nonprofit news publishers tell us they place a high value on increasing racial and ethnic diversity in their organizations,” they’re not always following through with action. In fact, more than a third said they have done “little or nothing” to address inclusion, equity, or diversity within their organizations.

Overall, in 2019, “for every 10 white employees hired that year, nearly six left a nonprofit news outlet. But for every 10 Black employees hired, nearly seven left. And for every 10 Hispanic employees, nearly nine left.”

Read the full article about diversity in nonprofit newsrooms by Sarah Scire at NiemanLab.