From the Desk of Dave Green
Shortly after The Tennessean hired editor E.J. Mitchell, immediately making him one of the most prominent African American journalists in the country, managing editor Dave Green wrote an e-mail to his staff about the importance of minority head shots. Here are his words:
We need to get back on the path we were following earlier this year on mainstreaming. One successful thing we did was to increase the number of headshots in the newspaper. We need to return to that. We have lots of point-and-shoot cameras available with which reporters can take headshots. (We obviously also can make photo assignments and use file.) Headshots help readers connect to stories by letting them see the people described in words.
We need to place particular emphasis on getting photos of minorities and younger people. We also need to make sure that we are using minority sources in stories and including minorities in larger photos and illustrations.
Thanks
