Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday her previous policy of only granting interviews to journalists of color “started a long-overdue conversation” about a lack of diversity in America’s newsrooms.
Ms. Lightfoot, a Democrat, was asked during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day” to address a lawsuit that claimed her policy discriminated against White people. In the suit filed by Judicial Watch, White journalist Thomas Catenacci and his employer, the Daily Caller News Foundation, said the mayor did not respond to an interview request on the basis of his race.
“Well, the lawsuit is completely frivolous,” Ms. Lightfoot said Friday. “I’d use a more colorful term if we weren’t on TV.
“But here’s the thing,” she said. “I’m the mayor of the third-largest city in the country. I’m an African American woman, to state the obvious. Every day when I look out across my podium, I don’t see people who look like me. But more to the point, I don’t see people who reflect the richness and diversity of this city.
“So, yes, I started a long-overdue conversation about diversity in newsrooms, in coverage,” she continued. “You all are the mirrors on society. You reflect with a critical and important lens the news of the day. You hold public officials like me accountable. You must be diverse. It can’t be that in a city like Chicago, with all the talent that we have, that we can’t find diverse journalists of color. Of course we can.
“What they need is opportunity,” she added. “And I hope my conversation has pricked the consciousness of the people who do the hiring decisions in media rooms all across this city and hopefully across the country. We’ve got to do better.”
Ms. Lightfoot sparked controversy last month after she confirmed rumors that she was “prioritizing media requests” from Black and brown reporters in an effort to “break up the status quo.”
“Diversity and inclusion is imperative across all institutions including media,” the Democrat said at the time. “In order to progress, we must change. This is exactly why I’m being intentional about prioritizing media requests from POC reporters on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of my inauguration as mayor of this great city.”
A lawyer for Ms. Lightfoot said during a Monday court hearing that the rule was no longer in place.
