The Forum on Media Diversity, a partnership of the
Manship School of Mass Communication and the Reilly Center for
Media & Public Affairs, is dedicated to national service by
acting as a source of information and scholarship
about diversity in the academic and professional realms of mass communication.
The forum is based on the ideas that representative and diverse coverage can determine the success of the news industry, and better journalism/mass communication education will help achieve this goal. For example, we recently conducted a survey that found an increase in diversity content in the curriculum of journalism schools. About 60 percent of the journalism programs at U.S. universities are offering at least one course on diversity, which is a 25 percent increase over what we found in an earlier survey several years back.
The foundation of the Forum’s site is its annotated
bibliography on the multiple issues involving media and
diversity – more than 2000 articles from journals and books
comprise its database – all accessible to you at the stroke of a
keyword. Our intention is to provide one consistently updated
source that serves as a valuable tool for educators and
professionals.
Additional components of the site include a
directory of diversity organizations and sites, special
commentary and reports from conferences and workshops.
Components of the site will vary according to the most
contemporary information available. For example, next spring
we’ll post proceedings from a Knight Foundation sponsored
conference on the future of diversity in mass communication
higher education.
I encourage you to explore all the Forum on Media Diversity has to offer, and we welcome your feedback to enhance both the site and its goals. Your ideas, suggestions and comments will help us change and adjust to meet your needs. Send an email any time to Ralph Izard at izard@lsu.edu
Thank you for stopping by. We’re looking forward to your return visit.
Warmest Regards,
Ralph Izard
The National Taskforce on Media Diversity
