A sickly ecosystem that lacks diversity cannot survive

By Sally Lehrman.

In the natural world, a population with nearly identical individuals is destined for doom. All too easily, too much rain, a warming trend, a new predator, or any challenge can wipe everyone out. Whether in the sea, sky, forest or desert, adaptation relies on difference.

That's why I think that the only newspapers still alive and flourishing ten years from today will be the ones that have staffs at leastas diverse as the communities they serve. They may be national or hyperlocal, all online or delivered on thin-film sheets that double as photovoltaic panels,who knows? For certain, though, they will be nimble. The Asian American, black, American Indian, Latino and white women and men in their newsrooms will form a web of talent and resources that allow speedy change under pressure.

It's not that the white men who dominate newsrooms today can't think. Or that Latinas have all the answers. The key to these papers' survival will be the vitality that emerges from an exchange of perspectives andexperience. Central to that mix, of course, will be the atmosphere of respect and curiosity cultivated at every level. People will feel free to speak up, challenge each other, argue, and even change their minds. These are the papersthat will come up with the inventions and the business models that keep journalism alive.

Coverage will be different, too. It's doubtful these editors will have gone the route of more celebrity news and more shocking violence. That's not a long-term survival strategy. Instead, they will tell thestories that their communities need to know in order to understand scientific advances, voice concerns about schools and roads, and take part inthe policymaking process. And now, every story will include voices anecdotes from all corners of the community.

Even in the most diverse newsroom, this won't have come naturally. Outlets with the most captivating coverage, who produce the"office cooler" stories, will have spent some time learning about the faultlines of race, class, gender, generation and geography. Reporters will have explored their own unconscious tendencies to head toward familiar faces and environments, whatever their own backgrounds. They'll push themselves to recognize the diversity needed in every story, and to notice the stories that might have been invisible to them if they had not learned better ways to see.

And in their reporting, they will go deeper. To most of us, it's obvious that we must consult a mix of voices and perspectives just to approximate the "truth" in a story, no matter the subject. But when it comes to race and gender in our society, truth involves more than individual experience. Reporters will educate themselves about the racial history of the United States. They will shine a light on the structures built into healthcare, education and criminal justice that limit opportunities for people ofcolor. They will sensitize themselves to the assumptions we make about eachother and how those can leak into a story.

Resilient, creative, these papers will truly be the voice oftheir communities and a hub for information and exchange. With diversity attheir heart, they will thrive and grow.