New research shows characters in TV shows and movies for kids significantly underrepresent people of color, particularly Latinos and Asians, despite efforts to increase diversity in children's and family programming in recent years.
Why it matters: Not being exposed to diversity "creates a normal for [children] that is not the real normal," said Polly Conway, senior TV editor for Common Sense Media, a children's advocacy group.
Media consumers are more empowered than ever to create their own content, or to access new options, when they see bias in coverage and gaps in representation.
Why it matters: Legacy news and entertainment companies no longer have a monopoly on audiences and attention. Organizations that ignore blind spots risk further losing trust and potential revenue from the fastest-growing segments of the population.
Stock photos surround us in digital and real life — but advertisers, stock image companies and consumers know they have a diversity problem.
Why it matters: Stock photography forms the little-noticed backdrop to our lives, and has the power to reinforce or dismantle our implicit racial biases.
After covering the news about America's racial justice movement in the summer of 2020, many newsrooms looked in the mirror and faced a reckoning of their own.
Why it matters: The people covering the news have a tremendous impact on the information Americans consume. Newsrooms can't build trust and news companies can't build a business if they don't understand the communities they cover.
Despite a concerted effort to bring more funding and ad dollars to minority-owned media businesses, there have yet to be many measurable results.
Why it matters: Without stronger and more reliable funding, it's harder for minority-owned media businesses to compete with well-funded mainstream media outlets.
Ethnic news outlets have been filling a void in local news, and serving up coverage that seeks to rectify journalistic bias in story selection and how news is framed.
Why it matters: The spread of "news deserts" — areas where local newspapers have folded and communities have no coverage — has endangered the critical role the press plays in disseminating accurate news and empowering the public in a democracy.
Efforts to bring more diversity to media are no longer just a moral mission but a business imperative driven by the transformation of U.S. demographics.
Why it matters: If newsrooms and studios were more inclusive, they could better address falsehoods in a society blighted by racial stereotyping, misinformation and distrust in institutions.
Elon Musk sold another 1.2 million shares of Tesla stock on Friday, bringing his sales for the week to a total of 6.4 million shares, CNN reports.
Why it matters: Musk's sales for the week total $6.9 billion after he sold almost $5 billion in Tesla stock on Wednesday. Until this week, Musk had not sold any shares of the company's stock since 2016, per CNN.
