Who decides what’s news these days? For all the diversity talk, it certainly isn’t Black journalists

‘For all the promises past and present, the playing field is anything but level. Isn’t it time we tried a bit harder, as a society and a profession, to make it so?’ Photograph: Donald Pye/Alamy

There’s a generally accepted ethical requirement for news organisations to reflect society, both in terms of the content they produce and the people who produce it. Unfortunately, this is just not happening. Look, for example, at the new study released this week by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity revealing a DEI backlash in British journalism, with one respondent describing their office as an “apartheid newsroom”. Look, too, at the Press Awards, said to showcase “the best of national journalism in the UK”, and notably the individual awards shortlists. Search for the Black journalists in them. You’ll struggle. Diversity was clearly not a priority: several categories, including news reporter of the year, feature only men.

As the head of journalism and strategic communications at Goldsmiths, University of London, this all makes my heart sink.