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Allyson Edge

Dr. Cuddy

English 102-28

March 24, 2019

The Lack of Diversity in Publishing and Film Writing

The film writing and publishing industries both face the same issue, which hinders their

ability to progress and expand; a lack of diversity. In particular, women and racial minority

groups make up a small percentage of publishers and screenwriters. Each of these fields are

white male dominated, which impacts the accuracy and inclusivity of the product that reaches the

consumer. In turn, this can inhibit the book or videographic media from accomplishing its

purpose of relating and establishing a connection to the reader or viewer in order to relay a

message. While diversity and inclusion initiatives developed by large corporations are a place to

start addressing this issue, they will not fully solve the problem. To improve the problem of the

lack of diversity at its root, the unfair hiring practices, internship programs and other programs

that help to bring up new publishers, editors, screenwriters, literary agents, etc. need to be

critically examined and reassessed.

Due to unfair hiring practices, the issue of the lack of diversity is systemic and

perpetuates a cycle of film writing and publishing as predominantly white fields. Unfortunately,

because it is that much more difficult for minorities to gain experience in these positions, they

are rarely given a chance to become successful. In observing the staggering disparity in the

amount of white publishers to minority publishers, it portrays the vast inequalities within this

line of work. “A survey taken in 2015 of the people who work in publishing found that nearly
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80% self-identified as white. At the executive level, the percentage jumps to 86% and 82% in the

editorial departments” (Benavidez). These percentages are about the same as the overwhelmingly

white dominated television writing industry. In 2016-2017, “just 12.7 percent of television

writers were people of color” (Buckley). Since most of the successful publishers and

screenwriters who have already established themselves are white males, they consistently get

chosen for jobs. This does not leave any room for less experienced, minority publishers and

writers to obtain and work on large projects. Additionally, minority women are often left

untrained for senior writing positions and face discrimination in pay and promotions (Buckley).

Even though companies attempt to attract more diversity with inclusion programs, not much

progress has been made.

While internship programs are one productive way to recruit more diverse people,

minority and female writers who are already established and successful in these areas should feel

an obligation in advising those who are less experienced. Companies such as HarperCollins

Publishers, Universal, CBS, Fox, NBC, HBO and Sundance all offer diversity and inclusion

internships geared towards students of color. Although these programs may seem like the most

effective way to diversify publishing and screenwriting, if they are hired, minorities generally

start at the most entry level jobs because they may not have the same network as their white

peers. It is also harder for them because it is common for directors and publishers to hire people

they know or fellow alumni from their alma maters. Even if someone of a minority group is hired

as an entry level employee, there is an unfair promoting system which favors white males and

females. “Subjectivity, immunity from review, stereotypes and cliques are part of the context in

which Hollywood executives make decisions about hiring writers for film and television, so
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frequent charges of discrimination are not surprising” (Bielby). As far as the gender inequalities

also present, it is not uncommon to see preferences in employees based on their physical

appearances or other gender attributes, especially in the filmmaking business (Jones). Since

screenwriters are dependent upon executives such as directors in order to obtain jobs, “most

public and academic focus has remained firmly on directors and actors as the primary interest

and focus of change” (Wreyford) in regards to inequalities in the hiring process. As a result, it is

imperative for people who identify as female and/or a racial minority, and who have become

successful in either of these fields to help advise those who are just starting out in their career.

By increasing awareness and taking steps to actively promote a more diverse group of

screenwriters and publishers, the representation of minority characters in films and books will

also see a long awaited increase. Often, there are not a significant amount of people of color and

women seen in main character roles and they may also be portrayed in an inaccurate way.

According to ​The Book Publishing Industry, “​ many readers (and perhaps a clear majority) would

maintain that the book is a cultural object, the means by which knowledge is passed from author

to reader, from one generation to the next” (Greco). Greco clearly states that the purpose of a

book is to connect with the reader and share information about culture that they can then pass on

to others. This same motive to spread knowledge and ideas also remains true for other forms of

media such as television shows and movies. However, the lack of diversity amongst publishers

and screenwriters leaves more room for less accurate storylines of minority characters. Minority

writers can have a significant impact on what is portrayed on screen because “​stereotypes can be

challenged and questions asked” (Buckley). Creating a more accurate representation of different
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cultures will help broaden the consumer base and audience because more people will be able to

relate to the product.

In the comparison of films and books that have more diverse creators to those that do not,

it is common that increased diversity yields greater success. This indicates the significance of

diversity in our world today. Through incorporating a diverse set of ideas and perspectives, a

more accurate and interesting outcome will arise. This concept should not only be applied to

publishing and filmmaking, but also to other aspects of our society such as politics or education.

A government representative of the many cultures that make up American citizens as a whole

would better meet the needs of the people. Similarly, by learning about an array of different

cultures, students will be able better relate and communicate with people who have different

backgrounds than them. Overall, more inclusivity and greater representation in different areas of

our country will improve our country in every sense.


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Works Cited

Benavidez, Max. “How To Create Diversity in Publishing.” ​The Huffington Post,​


TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 July 2017,
www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-create-diversity-in-publishing_us_59791659e4b0c69ef
7052553.

Bielby, Denise D., and William T. Bielby. “Hollywood Dreams, Harsh Realities: Writing for
Film and Television.” Contexts, vol. 1, no. 4, Nov. 2002, pp. 21–27,
doi:10.1525/ctx.2002.1.4.21.

Buckley, Cara. “As TV Seeks Diverse Writing Ranks, Rising Demand Meets Short Supply.” ​The
New York Times​, The New York Times, 2 Sept. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/09/02/arts/television/tv-writers-diversity.html.

Greco, A. (2014). The Book Publishing Industry. New York: Routledge,


https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203834565

Jones, Deborah, and Judith K. Pringle. "Unmanageable inequalities: sexism in the film industry."
The Sociological Review​ 63.1_suppl (2015): 37-49.

Wreyford, Natalie. ​Gender Inequality In Screenwriting Work.​ Palgrave MacMillan, 2019.

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