The recent symposium, "Rethinking the Discourse on Race: How the lack of racial diversity in the media affects social justice and policy," held at the Ronald H. Brown Center at St John’s University in New York, showcased the research, policy proposals, and curricular strategies of key leaders in the field. Presentations tackled such concerns as the impact that misrepresentation of people of color in coverage of Hurricane Katrina had on public opinion and government response to victims. Other researchers showed how local news increases bias against people of color and discussed methods to train journalists to cover diversity as "good journalism." Policy advocates spoke about community internet as a means to distribute alternative media, how to organize grassroots communities to demand accountability from local media, and how to educate consumers about the role of media policy in their everyday lives.
The symposium started an ongoing discussion of these matters and more information is available on the symposium website.
