BALTIMORE–Threatening political action if the situation doesn’t improve, the nation’s largest civil rights organization has blasted the television industry for falling “seriously short” in achieving diversity by not increasin
BALTIMORE–Threatening political action if the situation doesn’t improve, the nation’s largest civil rights organization has blasted the television industry for falling “seriously short” in achieving diversity by not increasing minority representation on programs and in decision-making positions.
Benjamin Jealous, president and chief executive officer of the NAACP, said, “At a time when the country is excited about the election of the first African American president in U.S. history, it is unthinkable that minorities would be so grossly underrepresented on broadcast television.
Jealous was responding to a 40-page report recently released by the NAACP Hollywood Bureau titled Out of Focus, Out of Sync – Take 4.
“Perpetrating the situation is the fact that the few African Americans in higher positions in that industry lack power to green light new series or make final creative decisions, which has translated into a critical lack of prime-time programming by, for or about people of color,” added NAACP Hollywood Bureau Executive Director Vicangelo Bulluck.
According to the report, the number of minority actors in prime-time shows has remained flat or even declined in recent years, decreasing from 333 in the 2002-03 season to 307 in 2006-07. The number of minority writers working during the 2006- 07 season was 173, a drop from the 206 employed during the previous season, the report said.
Perhaps one bright spot in the television industry is reality programming, which typically has reduced employment prospects for white as well as minority actors and writers. But on some shows like Survivor and American Idol, the cast is likely to be more diverse than most scripted series, the NAACP noted.
The report said that the shortage of minority faces on prime-time television can also be traced, in part, to the “virtual disappearance” of Black programming since the merger of UPN and WB networks into The CW network.
Before, Black-oriented shows such as Moesha and The Steve Harvey Show were prominently featured.
CW’s lineup now includes many white-oriented shows such as Gossip Girl and 90210, although it also airs the Black sitcoms Everybody Hates Chris and The Game.
Despite the NAACP’s dissatisfaction with the overall industry, the report noted that the four major broadcast networks have made “important strides” in increasing diversity–but not enough.
The NAACP report called for the creation of a task force with network executives, educators and other advocacy groups similar to a coalition formed several years ago with Asian American, Hispanic and Indian groups.
The goal would be to create best practice standards throughout the industry.
The Take 4 report called on networks to revisit a 2000 agreement to diversify the ranks of actors, writers, directors and executives.
The report raised the possibility of political action if progress isn’t made, including a boycott against an unspecified network and its major advertisers or class-action litigation against the networks and parent companies. Special to the NNPA from the Afro- American Newspapers
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