De diversiteitsparadox: Over de veranderende relatie tussen journalistiek en etnisch-culturele diversiteit

• Published in: Tijdschrift voor communicatiewetenschap 2014-09, Vol.42 (3)
• Main Authors: Müller, Floris, Frissen MA, Renée
• Format: Article
• Language: dut
• ISSN: 1384-6930; 1875-7286
• DOI: 10.5117/2014.042.003.265

The piversity paradox. Analyzing the changing relation between journalism and cultural diversity. In this article we study the relationship between journalistic practice and the ideals of diversity and multiculturalism. By means of interviews with 61 Dutch journalists we demonstrate that the journalist’s practice is dominated by a ‘diversity paradox’. On the one hand, journalists seem to collectively reject the idea that ethnic minorities should receive a special treatment by the news media. Yet, on the other hand, the same journalists choose to explicitly name (issues related to) diversity when it comes to bad news. The analysis of the transcribed interviews shows that, even though journalists feel a certain responsibility towards covering diversity, in daily practice this ideal can easily conflict with other journalistic norms and values. As a result, in their everyday routines, the place of diversity is not determined by these (conflicting) journalistic ideals but rather by contextual factors such as personal preferences and time constraints.