Why inclusivity in the media must become the norm - not just a rare success

Participants at the two-day event organised by Pass the Mic. Picture courtesy of Anisha Yaseen

By Anisha Yaseen

As a woman of colour, it is frustrating to feel ignored and marginalised by the media. It’s not okay for the media to represent women of colour without giving them a voice or a chance to share their ideas.

Simply including a few people of colour is not enough; their representation must be equal, and their voice heard. While it’s great to see progress towards inclusivity, it should be the norm, the expectation from all rather than being something so rare it still needs to be celebrated.

I was fortunate enough to attend a two-day event organised by Pass The Mic Scotland, founded by campaigner Talat Yaqoob after she received a request to appear on the media around immigration and her experience as a migrant – despite the fact she is not a migrant.

Pass the Mic’s mission is to provide opportunities for women of colour to participate in the media industry as experts, commentators and writers. Alongside this, they work to achieve equal representation in a typically white-male dominated industry and policy-influencing space in Scotland. What began as an Excel spreadsheet of a few contacts is now a full database of women of colour and their various expertise for media outlets to access freely when looking for speakers.

These opportunities are crucial for people, like me, who do not have a starting point and often feel unheard by those in the media industry. The media plays a significant role in shaping society’s views and opinions, and it is vital that everyone’s voices are heard.

As someone who is passionate about campaigning and activism, I found the event both inspiring and exhausting. It is frustrating to see how much harder women, especially women of colour, must work to achieve the same opportunities as our male, white counterparts. Being in a room full of like-minded individuals who share similar experiences was refreshing, but it is equally frustrating that we all share these experiences of being underrepresented and sometimes, misrepresented.

One of the discussions during the two-day event focused on what media can learn and do differently. A wide range of people from media were invited and it was widely promoted on social media for people to freely register. Yet there were a distinct lack of men working in and around media who attended. This was discouraging for many of us, and was pointed out many times. If anything, this outcome reinforces the need for diversity and inclusion in media decision-making positions.

“Ultimately, our goal should be…a media sector which tells the stories that represent all people in Scotland”

During the event women of colour expressed concerns about their experiences with racism and sexism being dismissed, the problems with perpetuating a deficit model - a model that blames marginalised communities, or sees them as lacking in skills - and a lack of trust between marginalised communities and some areas of media.

It is crucial to prioritise trust-building with marginalised communities and move towards equality in the media industry and wider policy and political influencing. It’s important to keep in mind that progress towards inclusivity should never be a reason to become complacent. There is always more work to be done to ensure that women of colour are given a platform to share their ideas and have their voices heard.

According to STV reporter Kaye Nicholson, who spoke on a panel discussion on what the media are doing to achieve equal representation, approaching more women of colour in their area of expertise is a win-win situation. Not only do journalists expand their contacts and find new content,- but there is also a representation of society to their audience.

Pass the Mic is a fantastic example of a platform that gives women of colour an opportunity to express themselves, to build skill, but importantly, to push for progress within media and beyond.

It is an unfortunate reality that many women of colour find themselves as the sole representative of their race in meetings and other professional settings, only to have their voices and opinions marginalised.

Racism is a pervasive issue that goes far beyond overtly derogatory comments and name-calling, as it is deeply ingrained in the very structures of society. It is essential that women of colour are seen as more than just a diversity checkbox, but instead as individuals with expertise across a range of topics from the economy to education, to the environment.

While there has been significant attention given to diversity in the media industry, it is crucial that we move beyond the rhetoric and take tangible steps towards creating a more equitable environment.

Ultimately, our goal should be to establish a society that is truly inclusive, and a media sector which tells the stories that represent all people in Scotland, regardless of their race or gender, engaging a wide range of expertise.