To understand the communities they cover, Irish newsrooms need to have a place for ethnic minorities, writes Elaine McGee
Valeria Gribakina is not the type of name one might expect to see nestling in the staunchly unionist News Letter. She embodies what is missing in today's newsrooms - diversity.
Ethnic minorities make up approximately 6 per cent of Ireland's population, yet they constitute significantly less than this in terms of their representation on the staff of newsrooms.
"I have met very few ethnic journalists," Valeria said, "and when I first arrived at the News Letter, my name was greeted with some surprise. But I have never encountered any difficulties or negativity."
Born in Russia, where she lived for 11 years, Valeria then lived in Australia for seven years and did her third-level studies in Northern Ireland. A Queen's graduate, she completed her journalism training at the University of Ulster and has been working at the News Letter for the past year.
She finds her cultural background to be a benefit rather than a barrier in her career. "I can look at what's happening from an outside perspective and not have preconceptions," she says.
While Valeria represents the way forward for newsroom diversity, others would say the myriad of cultures that now populate Ireland are not being given the chance to make their mark in the media.
Chinedu Onyejelem has been working as a journalist in Dublin for the past eight years. Originally from Nigeria, he co-founded Ireland's only immigrant paper, Metro Éireann, in 2000.
He trained as a journalist in Nigeria and began his career in Dublin with a placement stint at a national paper where, as he said, he was the only black person.
Chinedu believes there is a rich resource of immigrant reporters out there but the media are just not taking from this pool: "I know many people who are highly trained, but if you don't have the contacts or the confidence, it is very difficult to get started.
"There is little or nothing in place for helping ethnic journalists to get their break. I know some who have simply stopped looking and given up."
One of the most common explanations for the lack of ethnicity, particularly within broadcast media, is that immigrants are deemed to be relatively new to the country, and their accents may pose a problem for viewers and listeners.
"Only when you have given somebody a chance can this be a valid excuse," said Chinedu. "I know writers from all over who are perfectly capable."
A lack of training and education seems to be the glass ceiling for the progression of ethnic minorities and, as a result, is wilting the confidence of aspiring journalists not from the traditional Irish mould.
Peter Murtagh, investigations editor of The Irish Times, maintained that this paper welcomed journalism applications from all ethnic backgrounds, but actually received few or no inquiries or interest. This was a view echoed by many media organisations.
Michael Foley, journalism lecturer at the Dublin Institute of Technology, said: "The problem in recent years is that journalism has practically become a degree-entry profession.
"Ethnic minorities are still relatively new to Ireland, English may be a second language to a person or they might be from a country where there is no tradition of a free press.
"It is going to take time, but I do believe there is a definite opportunity there for the larger media establishments, such as RTÉ, to make efforts towards having a member of an ethnic community trained in a third-level environment, with the goal of having that person as a journalist in their newsroom."
The University of Ulster has just announced that in 2006 it will be offering a journalism diversity fund for those without the financial means to attend National Council for the Training of Journalist courses. Supported by the main UK newspapers, the fund offers six bursaries to those from diverse backgrounds.
It is schemes like this that the Republic's media will need to start putting into place.
Increased access to training, placements and preparation for news environment would mean ethnic minority journalists could gain the confidence and contacts to approach employers. The media would benefit from having fresh talent and gain a grassroots understanding of parts of Irish society that at present remain closed to them.
The Media and Multicultural Awards (Mama), now in their fourth year, are a step in the right direction. The aim of the awards is to highlight the media's need to take practical action and is backed by both RTÉ and The Irish Times.
Niall Crowley, chairman of the Mama adjudicating panel, said: "The awards reflect that the media are communicating more effectively and innovatively with a multi-ethnic Ireland.
The short lists show an institutional endeavour to make sure that key services are accessible to minority ethnic people. Changes are definitely beginning to happen."
It matters that those who lead the newsroom understand every facet of the community they cover. Irish journalism represents a narrowing stratum of society, a profession whose members do not represent the social mix of those they report.
An estimated 230,000 immigrants are living in Ireland; how can it be fair that the stories of a country are being told by only one group of its citizens? The responsibility for addressing newsroom imbalance now rests firmly on the shoulders of the Irish media.
Elaine McGee is a postgraduate journalism student at the University of Ulster, Coleraine. This article was the winning entry in the Anne Maguire Student Journalism Competition, organised by Co-Operation Ireland in partnership with the British Council