Digiday’s updated breakdown of publishers’ diversity statistics

Finally, for context on how the companies’ racial and ethnic makeups compare to the United States, the population in the U.S. in 2020 was 57% white, 20% Latino or Hispanic, 12% Black, 6% Asian, 3% two or more races, and 1% American Indian and Alaska Native, according to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The below breakdown was last updated on Sept. 1, 2023.

Bleacher Report

B/R’s most recent diversity report was provided to its full employee base on June 8, 2020.

70% of B/R employees were white as of last summer, with 30% people of color in its staff overall. There were no B/R employees at the vp level or above who were Black, according to a diversity report obtained by Digiday in June — 80% were white, with 10% Hispanic and 10% Asian.

Employees overall:

• 70% white
• 13% Asian
• 10% Black
• 6% Hispanic

Manager/director:

• 71% white
• 16% Asian
• 8% Black
• 4% Hispanic

BuzzFeed, Inc.

BuzzFeed’s most recent diversity report was released on Jan. 27, 2022. Its previous diversity report had been released on Oct. 8, 2020

BuzzFeed’s latest diversity report is the first one to include employees at Complex Networks and HuffPost, after it acquired the companies in December 2021 and February 2021, respectively.

The company overall is now 51% white, down from 58% in 2020. While it may seem like BuzzFeed’s staff has nearly reached parity of white people and people of color, BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti noted in the report that the company saw a 115% increase in U.S. employees who did not share their racial background for the report (from 5% of employees in 2020 to 11% in 2021). In other words, the data in the report represents 89% of BuzzFeed’s workforce. (The “Undeclared” group includes both employees who did not self-report and employees who selected “Decline to Self-Identify.”)

Overall, 39% of BuzzFeed’s U.S. employees identified as having a race or ethnicity other than white – up from 38% in 2021. The share of Latinx/Hispanic employees went down at BuzzFeed by one percentage from 2020 to 2021. The representation of Black employees increased by three percentage points. It stayed the same for Asian employees.

59% of global employees identify as female (including 54% of managers, 69% of new hires and 63% of promotions). Nearly 2% identify as a gender identity besides the male/female binary. 

Most of the promotions in the last year in the U.S. went to white people at BuzzFeed. Year over year, 46% of new hires at the company self-identified as people of color.

BuzzFeed employees overall, U.S. (11% undeclared):

• 51% white
• 13% Asian
• 13% Black
• 8% Latino/a/x or Hispanic
• 5% multiracial

BuzzFeed News employees (7% undeclared):

• 62% white
• 11% Asian
• 9% Black
• 4% Latino/a/x or Hispanic
• 8% multiracial

HuffPost (10% undeclared):

• 61% white
• 12% Asian
• 11% Black
• 4% Latino/a/x or Hispanic
• 1% multiracial

Complex Networks (21% undeclared):

• 34% white
• 10% Asian
• 23% Black
• 7% Latino/a/x or Hispanic
• 3% multiracial

Promotions year-over-year, U.S. (2% undeclared):

• 59% white
• 11% Asian
• 10% Latino/a/x or Hispanic
• 9% Black
• 9% multiracial

Condé Nast

Condé Nast’s most recent diversity report was released in March 2023. Its previous diversity report had been released in May 2022.

Non-white employees made up 32% of Condé Nast’s U.S. employees in 2022, the same as in the previous year. Editorial employees were 29% BIPOC, up one percentage point. Senior leadership was still more than three-quarters white. 

39% of new hires were people of color, down from 41% the previous year. 49% of new hires identified as white. Condé Nast set a goal in 2020 to have 50% of its candidates on hiring slates from a “wide range of backgrounds and schools,” according to the company’s report. 

“Throughout 2022, the U.S. talent market at large continued to experience a high volume of employees voluntarily quitting their jobs, coined ‘The Great Resignation.’ Despite this trend, we were pleased with our ability to retain our BIPOC talent. But we need to do much more,” global chief diversity & inclusion officer Yashica Olden wrote in a letter in the report.

54% of the U.S. editors-in-chief at Condé Nast were people of color in 2022 (up four percentage points), with nearly a third of EICs being of Asian descent.

U.S. staff at Condé Nast are 67% female and 33% male. New hires were 75% female. Editorial employees are 64% female, and senior leadership is 62% female — down from 70% from the previous year.

Employees overall, U.S. (7% undeclared):

• 62% white
• 11% Asian
• 9% Black/African American
• 6% Hispanic/Latinx
• 5% multiracial

Editorial, U.S. (8% undeclared):

• 63% white
• 10% Asian
• 8% Black/African American
• 6% Hispanic/Latinx
• 5% multiracial

Senior leadership (4% undeclared):

• 78% white
• 9% Asian
• 5% Black/African American
• 2% Hispanic/Latinx
• 2% multiracial
• 1% American Indian/Indigenous 

New hires, U.S. (12% undeclared):

• 49% white
• 12% Asian
• 12% Black/African American
• 8% Hispanic/Latinx
• 7% multiracial

Gannett

Gannett’s most recent diversity report was released on July 1, 2023. Its previous diversity report had been released on Jan. 1, 2023.

Gannett improved the diversity of its workforce overall by one percentage point since last summer, with 71% of its employees self-identifying as white. That’s down from 74% white in 2020. But the share of white people in leadership positions grew by one percentage point since 2022.

In July 2023, 46% of Gannett’s employees self-identified as female, up one percentage point from earlier this year.

Of those in leadership roles (director-level and above), 43% were female in July 2023, up from 36% in January, a notable seven percentage point increase. 

Employees overall (5% did not disclose):

• 71% white
• 10% Black or African American
• 8% Hispanic or Latino
• 4% Asian
• 2% two or more races

Leadership (1% did not disclose): 

• 83% white
• 5% Black or African American
• 5% Asian
• 5% Hispanic or Latino
• 1% two or more races
• 1% Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
• 1% American Indian/Alaska Native

G/O Media

G/O Media’s most recent diversity report was released on Feb. 8, 2022. Its previous diversity report had been released on Sept. 8, 2020.

G/O Media considers an employee to be “diverse” if they are a woman or a person of color. Overall diversity, in that case, has gone up since 2021, according to the latest numbers shared by G/O Media. When the previous numbers were provided to Digiday back in Sept. 2020, 63% of staff were considered diverse — that’s gone up to 65% in 2022. 

But the diversity of G/O Media’s managers has gone down, from 51% in 2021 to 49% in 2022. However, 73% of new hires last year were considered diverse, up from 69% the year prior. That’s likely due to an increase in more women now at G/O Media, because the share of Black employees and Asian employees decreased year over year, by two and three percentage points, respectively. The share of Hispanic or Latino employees went up by one percentage point in that time period.

Diverse employees:

• 65% of staff were diverse.
• 49% of managers were diverse.
• 73% of new hires (hired January 1, 2021 through January 31, 2022) were diverse.

Employees overall:

• 53% white
• 12% Black or African American 
• 7% Asian 
• 11% Hispanic or Latino
• 2% two or more races

Insider

Insider’s most recent diversity report was released on Sept. 30, 2022.

Insider’s U.S. workforce report compares March 2022 and March 2021 data. Year-over-year, there has been a slight increase in overall racial diversity of the company’s workforce, in both editorial and non-editorial departments. However, there is little change in the diversity of Insider’s leadership. Insider doesn’t break out its data by race or ethnicity, but instead by employees who are white or “BIPOC.”

The company is 62% white and 36% BIPOC, down from 66% and up from 33% in 2021, respectively. 

The percentage of BIPOC employees in both non-editorial and editorial departments has increased since 2021, by four percentage points in editorial and by two percentage points in non-editorial. 

In editorial, BIPOC new hires increased by five percentage points. However, in non-editorial roles, BIPOC new hires fell by eight percentage points. 

Insider’s workforce is 61% female and 39% male. Editorial is 34% male and 55% female/non-binary. Female representation at Insider’s leadership (defined as director/deputy editor level and above) increased 2%, but BIPOC representation remained roughly the same from 2021.

Employees overall, U.S. (3% declined to answer):

• 62% white
• 36% BIPOC

Editorial, U.S. (3% undeclared):

• 64% white
• 33% BIPOC

Leadership (2% declined to answer):

• 71% white
• 27% BIPOC

New hires, U.S. (4% undisclosed):

• 51% white
• 45% BIPOC

Hearst

Hearst’s most recent diversity report was released on March 23, 2023. Its previous diversity report had been released on Feb. 2, 2022.

White people make up 70% of Hearst’s employees, down from 71% last year and 73% in 2020, due to a one-percentage point increase in the share of employees who are Hispanic or Latino, Asian and two or more races. 

Since Hearst’s first diversity report was published in 2021, the population of people of color at Hearst has increased from 27% to 30%, according to Hearst’s latest report. Diverse representation among managers increased from 22% to 23% and among new hires from 36% to 41%.

77% of employees who are at the manager level and above are white, the same as last year.

Women make up 48% of Hearst’s employees, the same as last year. At the manager level and above, 44% are female, up one percentage point. 48% of new hires at Hearst were women in 2022, down from 51% the previous year.

New hires were 59% white in 2022, down from 64% in 2020.

“Progress is rarely as fast as we would like, but we are making progress,” Hearst’s president and CEO Steven R. Swartz wrote in a memo to employees.

Employees overall:

• 70% white
• 10% Asian
• 9% Black or African American
• 8% Hispanic
• 5% two or more races

Managers and above:

• 77% white
• 9% Asian
• 6% Black or African American
• 5% Hispanic 
• 2% two or more races

New hires:

• 59% white
• 13% Asian
• 12% Black or African American
• 7% Hispanic or Latino
• 8% two or more races

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times’ most recent diversity report was released on Feb. 24, 2022. Its previous diversity report had been released on Feb. 4, 2021.

The Los Angeles Times remains one of the few publishers where overall staff is a majority BIPOC, with white people making up 43% of employees in 2021, according to the latest data from June 2021. However, BIPOC were underrepresented in manager roles at the company and in the newsroom. 

In the L.A. Times newsroom, 57% of non-managers are white (up from 55% in 2020) and 41% are people of color (down from 43%); 2% did not disclose their racial and ethnic backgrounds. However, the diversity of managers at the company overall is improving – 55% are white (down from 59%) and 44% are people of color (up from 41%). The share of Hispanic or Latino employees in this category increased from 15% in 2020 to 18% in 2021. 

New hires in 2021 at the California Times, parent company of the L.A. Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune, were 57% female and 39% male (the other 4% either declined to disclose or did not declare). Just under a third (31%) of new hires were white, 30% were Hispanic or Latino, 15% were Asian, 10% were Black or African American and 7% were two or more races.

Non-managers at the L.A. Times overall are 54% people of color (down from 58% in 2020) and 44% are white (up from 41%); 2% did not declare. Hispanic or Latino employees in that category dropped from 34% in 2020 to 31% in 2021.

At the manager level, 62% of the L.A. Times newsroom is white (the same as last year) and 37% are people of color (down slightly from 38%). The share of American Indian employees who made up 1% of L.A. Times overall and newsroom managers, respectively, is now nearly 0%.

At the non-manager level, 58% of Los Angeles Times employees are male, and 42% are female. At the manager level, 59% are male and 41% are female.

Over the next four years, the company’s goal is to have Latinos make up at least one-quarter of the L.A. Times’ newsroom staff, according to the report. In 2021, 32% of employees at the L.A. Times overall were Hispanic or Latino – while this is up from 29% in 2020, it is still significantly disproportionate to the 49% Hispanic and Latino population in L.A. County, according to 2019 U.S. Census data cited in the report.

Employees overall (2% did not disclose):

• 43% white
• 32% Hispanic or Latino
• 14% Asian 
• 7% Black or African American 

Non-managers overall (2% did not declare):

• 44% white
• 31% Hispanic or Latino 
• 14% Asian 
• 7% Black or African American 
• 3% multi-racial 

Managers overall (1% did not declare):

• 55% white 
• 16% Asian 
• 18% Hispanic or Latino 
• 6% Black or African American 
• 3% multi-racial 

Non-managers, newsroom (2% did not declare):

• 57% white 
• 14% Asian 
• 16% Hispanic or Latino 
• 7% Black or African American 
• 4% multi-racial 

Managers, newsroom:

• 62% white 
• 14% Asian 
• 13% Hispanic/Latino 
• 7% Black 
• 3% multi-racial

Meredith

Meredith’s most recent diversity report was published Sept. 13, 2021.

In 2021, 41% of Meredith’s new hires were BIPOC, resulting in a one percentage point increase in the overall diversity of the company’s employees from June 2020 to June 2021. Meredith publishes its diversity reports quarterly. A whopping 88% of senior leadership at Meredith’s magazine group is white.

Employees overall:

• 76% white
• 7% Black
• 6% Asian
• 6% Hispanic
• 5% Other

National Media Group (magazine division):

• 76% white
• 4% Black
• 8% Asian
• 6% Hispanic
• 6% Other

Senior leaders at National Media Group (vp level and above):

• 88% white
• 2% Black
• 3% Asian
• 5% Hispanic
• 2% Other

New York Times

The New York Times’ most recent diversity report was released in April 2023. Its previous diversity report had been released in October 2022.

The diversity of The New York Times’ workforce has remained flat since last fall, with white people making up 60% of its overall employees. Overall, The New York Times’ staff is 55% women and 45% men. 

41% of the Times’ workforce are “people of color,” according to its latest report. At the leadership level, 28% are people of color and 69% are white, down one percentage point from last year. However, 44% of the Times’ new hires were people of color, down 10 percentage points. 

New hires are 56% women, 43% men and 1% nonbinary. Leadership is 54% women and 46% men.

“We took meaningful steps forward with regard to leadership, and we’ve already met our goal to increase representation of Black colleagues in leadership by 50 percent by 2025. We intend to build on this progress, and we are on track to meet this leadership goal with regard to Latino colleagues,” reads the Times’ report.

Employees overall (3% did not disclose): 

• 60% white
• 15% Asian
• 10% Black
• 8% Hispanic or Latino
• 4% multiracial

Leadership (3% did not disclose):

• 69% white
• 14% Asian
• 8% Black
• 5% Hispanic or Latino
• 2% multiracial

News and Opinion (3% did not disclose):

• 66% white
• 12% Asian
• 9% Black
• 7% Hispanic or Latino
• 3% multiracial

NPR

NPR’s most recent diversity report was released in October 2022. Its previous diversity report had been released in October 2021.

Most of NPR’s employees, supervisors and journalists are white, according to its latest diversity report — but the proportion to non-white employees has improved from 2021 to 2022. NPR’s employees are 59% white, down three percentage points. The share of white supervisors at the company also went down three percentage points. 

The diversity of NPR’s editorial reporters, hosts and correspondents has notably improved since 2022, with the share of white “audience-facing journalists” down five percentage points to 63%.

Black/African American employees now represent 16% of NPR’s workforce, up one percentage point. Hispanic or Latino employees are 9% of employees overall, up two percentage points. Other racial and ethnic representation remained the same year over year.

NPR is 54% women, 44% men and 2% trans/nonbinary/gender nonconforming.

NPR added disability data to its report this year: 90% are not disabled, 7% declined to answer and 3% are disabled.

Employees overall:

• 59% white
• 16% Black/African American
• 12% Asian
• 9% Hispanic or Latino
• 3% two or more races
• 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

Supervisors (1% did not specify):

• 62% white
• 15% Black/African American
• 11% Asian
• 7% Hispanic or Latino
• 4% two or more races

Editorial reporters, hosts and correspondents:

• 63% white
• 14% Asian
• 11% Hispanic or Latino
• 9% Black/African American
• 2% two or more races

USA Today

USA Today’s most recent diversity report was released on July 27, 2022. Its previous diversity report had been released on Sept. 1, 2021.

USA Today, a Gannett publication, made notable improvements to the diversity of its leadership from 2020. Newsroom employees are now 62% white in 2022, down four percentage points year over year. Newsroom leadership also improved substantially, from 68% white in 2021 to 61% white in 2022; Black representation went up six percentage points. USA Today describes leadership as “anyone who supervises one or more employees.”

The newsroom is 55% women overall (up three percentage points), and leadership is 57% women (down two percentage points).

Newsroom employees:

• 62% white
• 15% Black
• 10% Hispanic/Latino
• 8% Asian
• 3% two or more races

Newsroom leadership:

• 61% white
• 19% Black
• 11% Hispanic/Latino
• 4% Asian
• 4% two or more races
• 1% Pacific Islander

Vice Media Group

Vice Media Group’s most recent diversity report was released on March 15, 2023. Its previous diversity report had been released on March 7, 2022.

Diversity at VMG’s U.S. workforce improved year over year, with the share of white people down one percentage point. BIPOC employees now represent 42% of employees, up one percentage point from 2022. The diversity of executives improved year over year as well, by one percentage point. People of color now make up 37% of Vice’s leadership.

The majority of new hires were women last year, at 65%. Overall, Vice is 56% women, 43% men and 1% non-binary. At the executive level, 39% are women, up two percentage points from the previous year.

However, VMG hired a larger share of white people in 2022 compared to 2021. New hires in the U.S. were 54% in 2022, up from 47% in 2021. In the news department, the share of white people went up by one percentage point. 

Employees overall, U.S.: 

• 58% white
• 14% Latinx
• 12% Black or African American
• 10% Asian
• 6% two or more races
• 1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
• 1% American Indian or Alaska Native

News department, U.S.:

• 63% white
• 12% Latinx
• 10% Asian
• 8% Black or African American
• 5% two or more races
• 1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
• 1% American Indian or Alaska Native

Executives:

• 67% white
• 17% Asian
• 11% Latinx
• 6% Black or African American

New hires, U.S.:

• 54% white
• 15% Black or African American
• 14% Latinx
• 10% Asian
• 6% two or more races
• 1% American Indian or Alaska Native

Vox Media

Vox Media’s most recent diversity report was released on February 2, 2023. Its previous diversity report had been released on Feb. 18, 2022.

Employees at Vox Media are 59% white, down one percentage point from Vox’s last report. 44% of new hires at Vox Media in the past year identified as people of color, down from 50% in February 2022 and 54% in June 2021. 

At the end of 2022, 63% of managers at Vox Media identified as female, up from 58% in February. Overall, Vox is 60% female, 37% male and 2% non-binary or other genders.

The share of white people in Vox Media’s leadership stayed the same, at 61% white. However, Asian representation improved, from 17% in February to 21% by the end of the year. Black or African American leadership also improved by two percentage points, while Hispanic/Latinx and two or more races representation fell by one percentage point each, and Arab, Middle Eastern or North African dropped from 4% to zero. 

The share of editorial employees who are white dropped significantly from 66% to 60% last year, despite increases in Black or African American representation (two percentage points) and Hispanic/Latinx (three percentage points) and those who are two or more races (one percentage point).

Employees overall (3% did not disclose) 

• 59% white
• 12% Asian or Asian American
• 10% Black or African American 
• 8% Hispanic/Latinx (a/e/o)
• 7% two or more races 
• 1% Arab, Middle Eastern or North African 
• 1% other race or ethnicity 

Leadership (3% did not disclose) 

• 61% white 
• 21% Asian 
• 12% Black or African American
• 3% two or more races
• 1% Hispanic/Latinx (a/e/o)

Editorial (2% did not disclose)

• 60% white
• 11% Asian
• 9% Black or African American
• 8% Hispanic/Latinx (a/e/o)
• 8% two or more races
• 1% Arab, Middle Eastern or North African
• 1% other race or ethnicity

The Washington Post

The Washington Post’s most recent diversity report was released on July 27, 2023. Its previous diversity report had been released on July 28, 2022.

Overall, The Washington Post’s employees are 54% white, down a percentage point compared to last year. Leadership was 63% white, also down one percentage point. 

News & editorial diversity also increased in 2023. The Washington Post’s newsroom was 63% white, down three percentage points year over year. Editorial leadership is now 69% white, down from 73% in 2022.

The Washington Post’s employees are 47% female, up two percentage points from last year. In news and editorial, employees were 55% female, up from 53% in 2022. The Post’s leadership is 49% female, the same as last year.

Employees overall (6% did not disclose):

• 54% white
• 17% Black or African American
• 12% Asian
• 7% Hispanic or Latino
• 3% multiracial

Leadership (5% did not disclose):

• 63% white
• 14% Black or African American
• 9% Asian
• 6% Hispanic or Latino
• 2% multiracial

News & editorial overall (9% did not disclose)

• 63% white
• 9% Black or African American 
• 9% Asian
• 6% Hispanic or Latino
• 4% multiracial

News & editorial leadership (6% did not disclose):

• 69% white 
• 8% Black or African American
• 10% Asian
• 6% Hispanic or Latino
• 1% multiracial