With all the talk about newspaper readership shrinking in tough times, and amid lots of handwrining about how the Internet is killing print, one of the elephants in the room is that media that cater to more diverse readerships, as well as specific under-served minority communities, are growing dramatically. At its recent expo in Atlanta New America Media released the results of a new study that should give all “mainstream” and even alt-weekly outlets pause. Here’s just one of the findings:
The number of adults reached by ethnic media has increased by approximately 16 percent during the last four year.
There should come as no major surprise for those who keep up with both demographic and generational trends in the U.S. For one thing, as I talk about elsewhere on this blog, younger media consumers *expect* diversity in their media. They may not want to sit around and discuss diversity all the time — after all, why should you need to *talk* about something so basic!? — but all of the research backs up the obvious: they care about diversity in media. Yes, including young white media consumers.
Our experience here at the Jackson Free Press at least anecdotally (we believe decisively) backs up the idea that today’s media consumers (and advertisers) respond to diverse media (which includes stories, images and advertising messages). Our paper’s revenue has continued to steadily grow, as has our readership. We strongly believe that is in no small part due to our dedication to diversity throughout our newspaper and our Web site. In other words, we believe strongly that diversity is good for business. And all of the studies back us up, so hey. 
Business of Diversity, Demographics, Millennials
content, Ethnic Media, Millennials, New America Media
Here’s a great idea the rest of us should borrow for our papers: New America Media is featuring a story by Hispaninc Business that explores whether President Obama stiumulus funds are reaching minority-owned businesses in California:
Meanwhile, during a press conference on Thursday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke — the first Chinese-American to hold that post — acknowledged that the federal government is a “huge bureaucracy.”
As a result, he said, minority-owned firms often don’t know how to access federal resources set aside for them.
“I know what a struggle it is,” he said during the teleconference. “I had to work in my dad’s grocery store for many, many years. … My dad was a small-business owner, and was constantly struggling.”
He said minority-business owners interested in applying for contracts from the Economic Recovery Act should visit the Web site of the Commerce Department’s “Minority Business Development Agency,” as well as .
Content, Do It Now, Story Angles
Business, Latinos, New America Media, Stimulus
New American Media announced in late June a call for its members—ethnic media outlets—to run the same editorial calling for Congress to enact “a just and humane immigration reform package that will reunite
families, reinvigorate the economy, and remove the term “illegal or
undocumented immigrants” from the dialogue in this country.” The editorial is offered in 10 languages in addition to English at that link.
Content
Ethnic Media, Immigration, New America Media
New America Media, an influential ethnic-media organization, has an Earl Ofari Hutchinson column that warns not to call Barack Obama the nation’s “black president”:
The instant Barack Obama tossed his hat in the presidential ring nearly two years ago, the twin mantra was that he could be the first black president, and if that happened, America would finally have kicked its race syndrome.
Read more…
Media Bias
African Americans, New America Media, Obama
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