A reader points us to this article, which claims that
[s]everal ad agencies under scrutiny for their lackluster diversity-hiring practices have pledged to ramp up their minority recruiting, signing agreements designed to forestall potentially embarrassing public hearings planned for later this month.
According to the authors,
[c]omplaints about the ad industry’s historical lack of diversity has long besmirched the industry, despite the fact that most agencies have put in place programs designed to help them foster more diverse workplaces.
Hmm. I’m aware that the reputation of the advertising industry has been “besmirched” by many things (equivalents of trying to sell ice to Eskimos, for example), but I hadn’t realized that poor “diversity” hiring was prominent among them.
Of course here, as elsewhere, “diversity” doesn’t mean diversity; it means not hiring enough blacks, and possibly Hispanics, a fact conveniently confirmed by the useful Sen. Kerry.
The issue is likely to be addressed at a forum on minority advertising at the Congressional Black Caucus’ annual meeting in Washington tomorrow. The discussion features Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.; U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich.; and some top New York City officials involved in the dispute.
Mr. Kerry, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Small Business Committee, has been especially concerned that the government isn’t adequately supporting minority agencies and minority media in the government’s own media buying.
Obviously Sen. Kerry, who of course doesn’t believe in “quotas” (except, clearly, for delegates to Democratic conventions), would, if he could, make sure the government contracted and hired on the basis of race.
UPDATE [23 Sept.]
Also see here.
