William Raspberry has another interesting column on affirmative today. As usual when he writes about this subject, it is not one of his better ones.
Raspberry observes that “a lot of journalists are suggesting that [Jayson] Blair got away with it because he is black.” (Italics in original) And he’s right; they (and others) are saying that. Raspberry continues:
They are saying, unless I miss their point, that a newsroom commitment to diversity and affirmative action leads editors to hire poorly qualified cub reporters, to promote them further than their talents can justify and, finally, to disregard all signals that something is wrong. And if this is what they believe, it could have an adverse effect on young black journalists — not from the top, where diversity policies are promulgated, but at the level of middle management, where hiring decisions are made. I can picture mid-level editors so determined to protect themselves against another Jayson Blair that they will give the green light only to the near-perfect black applicant. And there aren’t that many near-perfect applicants of any color.
Again, Raspberry is right. There is a widespread recognition (or suspicion, if you don’t believe it’s true) that in many organizations, not just newspapers, minority candidates are given preferences in hiring and admission and, at least comparatively, coddled afterward.
Now I may be missing something, but this sounds like Raspberry is acknowledging — indeed, strenuously affirming — that preferences stigmatize, and not only their direct beneficiaries but all minorities. But he apparently thinks they are a good thing nevertheless.
Where I think Raspberry makes a wrong turn is his fear that, in response, employers will begin rejecting blacks who aren’t “near perfect.” I suppose that is a theoretical risk, but a much more likely possibility is that employers (admissions officers, etc.) will instead simply cease giving preferences based on color and will begin to judge all applicants according to the same standard.
What would be wrong with that, Raspberry?
