Race and news media top editors
White people are overrepresented as top editors in five different markets across four continents. In every country covered, the percentage of non-white people in the general population is much higher than it is among top editors, according to a fact sheet from Reuters Institute covering Brazil, Germany, South Africa, UK and US.
Overall, 21% of the 82 top editors across the 100 brands covered are non-white, despite that, on average, 43% of the general population across all five countries are non-white. If South Africa is excluded, 8% of the top editors are non-white, compared with, on average, 31% of the general population.
In Brazil, Germany, and the UK, as in 2021, none of the outlets in the sample have a non-white top editor. In the US, 33% of top editors are non-white, up from 18% in 2021, and in South Africa, 73% are non-white, up from 60% in 2021.
“In the four countries where data are available on the number of non-white journalists, there continues to be no simple relationship between the percentage of non-white journalists and the percentage of non-white top editors”, the fact sheet says.
“In Brazil and the UK, there are fewer non-white top editors than there are non-white journalists. In South Africa and the US, there are more non-white top editors than non-white journalists.”
“The share of internet news users who say that they read news from at least one major outlet with a non-white top editor ranges from 0% in Brazil, Germany, and the UK to 91% in South Africa.”
“It matters both practically and symbolically who occupies top editorial positions in major news outlets. Top editors are key figures in the leadership and direction of newsrooms. They make important decisions every day, and their personal experiences will sometimes be among the factors that influence these decisions. They also matter for how news outlets, and the news media more broadly, are seen by the public.”
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