When you’re talking about inclusion and diversity in business, it’s hard to ignore Diversity,Equity, and Inclusion’s impact on the media industries. More and morecontent is being judged on whether they are inclusive enough or whether thepractices behind the scenes are fair and just to everybody.

With these conversations becoming more of anissue than ever before, we are seeing more and more businesses in the mediaadapt to these changes. Let's see why DEI is an important issue in the mediaindustry and how you can achieve it.

Why is DEI in the Media Industry So Important?

DEI is an important issue in all cases. It ismore than just a policy or a theory, it's a practice of creating a fairer andmore just environment for all kinds of people involved in any kind of space.Whether it be in a classroom, in a corporate office, or the media industry. Andsince most of us consume media in one way or the other, it's a huge industrythat cannot be ignored.

Everything from the news article you read inyour morning paper to the show you binge on the internet falls under the mediaindustry. It is a multi-billion-dollar industry with hundreds of businesses allworking to provide content. You would think that such a huge industry will havea lot of diversity.

Unfortunately, if you look behind a lot ofthese workspaces, more often than not there's a kind of homogeneous workforce;whether it be behind the scenes of a television drama or in the head office ofan advertising firm.

For instance, about half of sports fans are women, but only about 4% of the media attention is towards women insports. In journalism, there is only a 3 percent increase in the number of POCpublishers since 2015.

As for any other space, DEI is importantsimply because we need to create a safer space for everyone to thrive in. Noone should be unfairly judged or left out or even face threats in theirworkplace because of their ethnicity or race or gender or even sexuality. Notonly is it the right thing to do, but increasing DEI can also increase profitsin the media industry.

How to Achieve DEI in the Media and EntertainmentIndustry?

DEI doesn't just happen organically. In thecurrent state of things, there need to be active practices that promote andimplement DEI in any kind of business in the media industry. From having a DEIteam that ensures everyone on set or in the office is being fair and inclusiveto portraying diverse casts and members in all kinds of work, there's a lot tobe done.

Here are a few ways to improve DEI in themedia.

●      Acknowledgment

A large portion of people in the industrydon't even think there's a problem, mostly because they get benefitted from thesystem. For there to be change, businesses need to analyze and acknowledgewhere there is a bias.

Using tools like "Spell Check for Bias"can help you measure the representation both behind and in front of the cameraon a set. Companies like Twitter are being more transparent about theirdemographic data. These are practices that can allow anyone to point out if andwhere a bias exists.

●      Diversity Focused Content

No matter what kind of content you work with,you should always keep in mind how diverse the people working on it are. Bray Mediais a great example of this, as it allows you access to diversity-focuseddigital content that showcases a lot of different kinds of professional growthskills.

They are using learning and educationaltechnology to not only create space for minority business professionals butalso use this space to educate others on these issues as well. Focusing ondiverse content in whatever media form you work with can greatly improve DEI inyour workspace.

Conclusion

It’s hard to ignore Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion's impact on the media industries.Though the industry practices are starting to improve, there’s still a wholelot to be done. With proper education and practices, DEI in any business orworkspace in the media industry can be improved.