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U.S. newsrooms are still largely male, white

The New York Times headquarters in Manhattan. Photo: Bebeto Matthews / AP

American newsrooms are on average 39% female and 17% non-white, per a 2017 survey of 661 news organizations analyzed by Nieman Lab. The U.S. population as a whole is 39% non-white.

The big picture: These numbers haven't significantly changed since 2001, when newsrooms were 39% female and 14% non-white.

The newsrooms

  • The Washington Post: 50% male, 69% white
  • The New York Times: 57% male, 81% white
  • The Wall Street Journal: 55% male, 81% white
  • The Los Angeles Times: 60% male, 67% white
  • The Chicago Tribune: 61% male, 81% white
  • The Boston Globe: 62% male, 83% white
  • USA Today: 67% male, 78% white

Worth noting: Survey results indicated better-than-average gender and racial balance in online-only newsrooms. Of journalists working at those news organizations, 48% are female and 24% are people of color.