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Columnist for The Washington Post advocates for diversity in journalism industry

 

      TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Several decades of a commitment to inclusiveness by a columnist at The Washington Post has promoted journalism excellence in a news industry that is continuously changing.

        Joe Davidson is one of the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), which was established in 1975. NABJ was created to focus on the lack of diversity in journalism and encourage equal opportunities and inclusion of black journalists in the media industry. According to Davidson, when the NABJ was first established black journalists were not represented well in the media.

      “We founded the organization to increase those numbers from entry positions to the highest levels,” said Davidson. He also pushed for honest and objective coverage of the black community when writing articles covering different aspects of their lives.

      “That’s why the NABJ fights so hard for diversity because just by having more black people at a newspaper, you’re going to change the coverage,” Davidson said when discussing the importance of change in newsrooms. Davidson promoted inclusion in all roles in the news industry because he believed if more black people were in decision-making positions the stories that were told would change and therefore many more individuals would be represented.

      “So I’m very proud to say I’m a founding member of NABJ,” said Davidson. “I think that that’s the kind of thing that we as black professionals, particularly, black people in general, need to do which is to create organizations and structures that will help those who are coming behind us to find their way and to hopefully succeed.”

       Davidson was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1949. He recalls having a good childhood and always being very active in school and being surrounded by a good group of friends. His interest in the news industry began at a very early age.

      “I can remember just as a little kid in elementary school watching newscasters on television and thinking that I can do that, or I will be able to do that,” Davidson said. “So I don’t know how that started, but just something in me kind of drew me to the news, both on television and in the newspapers just as a little kid.”

      Davidson received his B.A. degree in education and political science from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He received his Masters of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1974. His career then began in his hometown at The Detroit News in 1971.  

      Davidson’s career extends over several decades. He worked for The Wall Street Journal as a foreign correspondent for thirteen years. He was then hired as an editor with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Currently, Davidson is a valued writer with The Washington Post where he writes a column, the Federal Insider, on the federal government. 

       Davidson has been recognized with several awards throughout his career. He has been Pulitzer Prize juror twice and he won a Peabody Award as part of a Washington Post team. He was not only a founding member of the NABJ but was also inducted into the Hall of Fame for the organization.

        Davidson should be respected not only for the news he has reported but for the enormous change he has inspired by his commitment to fairness and diversity in the world of journalism. His dedication has forged a path for future journalists and created a more positive and inclusive newsroom.