Three publishers’ workforce diversity reports show DEI efforts remain sluggish

Lauren Winans, CEO of an HR consulting practice Next Level Benefits, said this means DEI efforts are moving in the right direction, “just not very quickly.” This slow but steady progress has been the case for years now.

“There are some encouraging signs, especially when it comes to hiring more diverse staff, but real change — especially in leadership — seems to be happening at a pretty slow pace. It’s not that progress has stalled, but it’s clear there’s still a lot of work to do to make these workplaces truly representative at every level,” she continued.

For the past few years, Digiday has kept a running round-up of publishers’ self-reported workforce diversity data, which came about after the media reckoning in 2020 led to publishers’ concerted efforts to diversify staff demographics and invest resources into DEI.

Corporate DEI programs have been under heavy fire recently. The Trump administration’s executive orders targeted these directives at the federal level, and criticism from conservative lawmakers and activities sparked a rollback of DEI programs at several companies.

2024 reports show diversity efforts are slow but steady

The New York Times published its report last month, based on 2024 data. Hearst released its report in April. Condé Nast shared its latest diversity report internally on May 19, according to an employee, who requested anonymity to speak freely. 

Publishers’ 2024 diversity workforce data shows slow progress, with a few to no percentage-point differences year over year:

• 60% of Condé Nast’s staff were white, down 1 percentage point.
• 67% of Hearst’s staff were white, down 3 percentage points year over year.
• 60% of The New York Times’ overall staff were white, the same as the year prior.

The percentage of staff who are female improved at The New York Times, but decreased at Hearst and Condé Nast:

• 65% of Condé Nast’s staff were female, down 1 percentage point.
• 46% of Hearst’s overall staff were female, down 2 percentage points from 2023.
• 54% of The New York Times’ overall staff were female, up 1 percentage point from 2023.

Meanwhile, the diversity of new hires improved by a whopping 10 percentage points at Condé Nast, but was the same at Hearst:

• New hires at Condé Nast were 40% white, down 10 percentage points (people of color were 37%, up two percentage points).
• New hires at Hearst were 59% white, the same as the previous year.
• 45% of new hires at the Times were people of color, up three percentage points year over year.

According to a copy of a memo sent to staff by chief diversity and inclusion officer Cheryl Kaba that Digiday reviewed, the overall representation of women and people of color in the U.S. “remained relatively steady” at Condé Nast, the company saw a “positive increase” in the percentage of hires from diverse backgrounds.

It was also a mixed bag for diversity in leadership roles at these three publishers:

• Leadership at Condé Nast was 76% white, up one percentage point. They were 61% female, down 4 percentage points.
• Leadership at Hearst was 74% white, down three percentage points. They were 44% female, the same as in 2023.
• Leadership at The Times was 68% white, the same as in 2023. They were 56% female, up 1 percentage point.

As for editorial teams, the division at Condé Nast was 60% white in 2024, down 2 percentage points from 2023. But at The New York Times, news and opinion departments remained 66% white, the same as the past four years.

There are still more workforce diversity reports to come this year.

A Vox Media spokesperson said its report will be published this week. NPR will publish its next report in October, according to a company spokesperson. Business Insider will also publish its report this year, though a company spokesperson could not confirm a date. 

BuzzFeed is planning on sharing its diversity report shortly, according to a person with knowledge of the report. The last report was published in November 2023 — the company skipped sharing the data last year because it was in the middle of two asset sales, according to the source.

The Washington Post did not respond to requests for comment on when its next report would come out. The Post’s last workforce diversity report was published in August 2024.

Media companies pull back on DEI visibility

Not all publishers are dedicated to sharing their workforce diversity data publicly. Gannett is no longer publishing its annual report, Nieman Lab first reported in April. 

“While we no longer publish workforce demographic metrics or an inclusion report, Gannett remains committed to a values-based culture of belonging. Internally, we are focused on championing a workplace where everyone can thrive, built around teamwork and shared purpose,” a Gannett spokesperson told Digiday. They declined to answer any further questions.

The Los Angeles Times hasn’t published a diversity report since 2022. Other media companies have pared back their DEI efforts this year. PBS shuttered its DEI office in February. The Walt Disney Co., Meta and Paramount have also pulled back on DEI programs. 

“When companies pull back on public diversity reporting, it often comes down to the current political and legal climate. With new state laws and federal scrutiny around DEI programs, there’s a real sense of caution,” Winans said. This concern around potential legal ramifications or public backlash — as well as internal budget cuts — can all result in DEI efforts either being kept internal or slimmed down, she added.

DEI leadership roles shuffle

DEI leadership roles have also seen their fair share of changes this year.

Fritzie Andrade became Business Insider’s first head of diversity, equity and inclusion in October 2020. According to her LinkedIn, she is no longer serving in that role as of June 2025. A Business Insider spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Keith Woods announced in February that he would retire from his position as NPR’s chief diversity officer by May. Whitney Maddox, NPR vp for diversity, equity and inclusion, now reports to the network’s chief operating officer.

Condé Nast hired Kaba to serve as chief diversity and inclusion officer in March, after Yashica Olden — who took on the role in 2020 — left the organization last June.

LaToya Johnson, who was promoted to Gannett’s vp of global inclusion strategy and employer brand in July 2024, had her title changed to vp of culture and employer brand in March, according to LinkedIn.

At The Washington Post, Krissah Thompson was named managing editor for diversity and inclusion in 2020 to encourage diversity and inclusiveness in the Post’s coverage and to  improve recruitment, retention and career advancement for journalists of color. In December 2024, she was named the editor of WP Ventures, or what the Post is calling its “third newsroom” focused on video, audio, newsletters and social engagement.

Representatives from newsroom unions at The New York Times and Condé Nast told Digiday their groups faced pushback from management around DEI issues during contract negotiations last year, on issues such as the retention and recruitment of people of color. For example, Condé Nast’s union and management went back on forth on issues like the size of a diversity committee (which is planned to come together in the next few weeks) and the number of delegates to send to recruit more people from diverse background, the rep said.  

Winans said DEI leadership changes can signal a deprioritization of this work, or a sign that these efforts are being moved into more core business areas. Streamlining DEI roles is likely a result of financial pressures, too — all of the companies in this story (other than The New York Times and NPR) have gone through layoffs in the past year.

“The structure and visibility of DEI leadership says a lot about how seriously a company takes these issues, especially in a tough environment,” Winans said.