Newsroom Trouble with a Capital ‘T’

DCRTV pointed us this afternoon to word that the Washington Post newsroom is suffering one of its periodic flare-ups of frustration about staff diversity. About 40 Post staff gathered earlier this month to discuss their frustration over the racial imbalance at the top of the masthead, and the unequal merit pay raises the paper has been doling out.

This latest meeting follows a December meeting with Post execs and a November memo from staff with recommendations for improving diversity–and so far has prompted little reaction from Exec Editor Len Downie or others at the top, according to the meeting report.

A March 1 deadline for some sort of action by the Post management is quickly approaching, and panel leader Joe Madison–a local radio host–asked what the newsroom’s reaction would be if it passed without action: “Would they strike? Would they walk out? [Sports copy editor Stephen King] said the possibility of a strike had been discussed, as had a ‘byline strike’ in which reporters refuse to have their names printed above their articles.”

Stay tuned.

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