Sourcing Diversity, Shifting Culture: Building "Cultural Competence" in Public Media

This study looks at the "cultural competency" efforts of one U.S. public media station as it attempts to shift a culture of whiteness and increase the representation of people of color within both staffing and online and broadcast coverage. Using a field theory framework and a combination of ethnographic observation and interviews, it follows a project that seeks to change sourcing and community engagement practices. The study charts where colorblind ideology and traditions of journalistic objectivity are and are not disrupted-and the challenges of moving from a project to an institutionalized process of culture change that embraces reflexive journalism.