According to a report from The Insight Center for Community Economic Development, women of color possess a wealth of approximately $100 compared to white men and women with over $40,000. The situation is direr for single women of color, of whom almost half have no or negative wealth. Tim Grant of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette—the only newspaper of 600 to publish a response—took great interest in the report as an African-American finance reporter, but most journalists simply blamed single mothers of color for perpetuating poverty. This lack of newsroom diversity is one reason why diverse stories in the media are sparse. While some media outlets like The Guardian have noted that ethnic minorities are less likely to be hired by employers and own homes, journalists also avoid the issue of education, choosing to make this issue about race instead of class and thereby ignore important socioeconomic factors.
“Wealth Gap Yawns—and So Do Media: Little interest in study of massive race/gender disparities,” Julie Hollar, Extra!, 6/10
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4078
“US wealth gap grows for ethnic minorities,” Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian, 10/19/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/oct/19/usa.suzannegoldenberg
Student researcher: Alyssa Jarrett, CSU Fresno
Faculty evaluators: Malik Simba, PhD and Matthew Jendian, PhD, CSU Fresno