In recent years, the issue of gender and race in the media industry has become increasingly prominent. As a result, white male producers who create television shows are now being asked about these issues more frequently during interviews. Despite this, there is still relatively little research that looks at how much white men are being asked about these topics. This paper will look at existing research to answer the question of just how often white male producers who produce TV shows are interviewed on gender and race issues.
Studies have looked directly at how often questions relating to race and gender are asked in interviews with TV showrunners (Fletcher & Lowensohn, 2020). In their study of 515 interviews with showrunners conducted between 2005-2018, Fletcher & Lowensohn found that only 1% of all questions asked were related to either gender or racial diversity—a surprisingly small amount given the prominence of these topics in society today (2020). A similar study by Shabana Mir (2011) looked at 48 print magazine profiles featuring television showrunners published between 2003-2008 and similarly found that only 1% of all questions focused on diversity matters such as race or ethnicity (Mir 2011).
How much are white men who produce shows asked about race and gender issues when they do interviews
The fact that so few interviewers ask questions related to racial or gender equity suggests one of two things: firstly, it could mean that journalists do not consider these issues to be important when interviewing TV showrunners; secondly, it could also indicate a lack of awareness among interviewers about the importance of addressing such topics when discussing specific productions. However, it should be noted that both studies had small sample sizes which may limit their accuracy — further research is needed to draw definitive conclusions from their results.
Other researchers have looked into ways in which white male producers can use their own insider perspectives on diversity initiatives within production companies (Chapman et al., 2019). Their study showed how those who hold positions within production companies can play an active role in driving change through actively engaging with employees regarding diversity initiatives and proactively increasing representation within projects they work on (2019). While this study does not provide information directly relevant to answering our question regarding how much white men are asked about race/gender issues during interviews, it does provide useful insight into what kind action they can take behind the scenes if they wish to increase representation in productions they’re involved with.
In conclusion, while there is some evidence pointing towards current interviewers asking relatively few questions related to racial and gender equity when talking with white male producers creating television shows—this needs further investigation due its limited sample size. Additionally although much progress has been made over recent years concerning representation within media industries, there is still room for improvement which means proactive measures taken behind the scenes by individuals such as having internal conversations about diversity initiatives may help enhance levels even further going forward.