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Opinion Hollywood Gets Low Diversity Rating “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor J ERRY F OSTER Advertising Manager L ISA L OVING News Editor H ELEN S ILVIS Multimedia Editor D AVID K IDD Graphic Designer M ONICA J. F OSTER Seattle Office Coordinator J ULIE K EEFE S USAN F RIED Photographers The Skanner Newspaper, established in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. T he first detailed study of the relationship between diver- sity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry has found that although diversity pays – literally –people of color and women are still woe- fully underrepresented throughout film and television. The study titled, “2014 Holly- wood Diversity Report: Making Sense of the Disconnect,” was conducted by the Ralph J. Bunch Center for African-American Studies at UCLA. It looked at 172 theatrical films released in 2011 and 1,061 television shows that aired during the 2011-12 season. It looked at race and gender and key production roles, including cast diversity, the show’s creator, the writer, the director, awards and domestic and international box office. Frequent moviegoers represent just 10 percent of the population, but purchase half of all movie tickets, the report stated. “It is important to note here that minorities are overrepresented among the ranks of frequent moviegoers, those who contribute most to overall box office.” it said. “In 2011, minorities accounted for 44.1 percent of frequent moviego- ers, a figure that exceeded their 36.3 percent share of the overall U.S. population.” But you wouldn’t know it by the roles people of color play in the industry. “Historically, there has been a death of gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in film and television – both in front of and behind the camera,” the report stated. “This reality has meant limited access to cast as leads in only 25.6 percent of the movies. T HE C URRY Over half of the films (51.2 per- R EPORT cent) featured casts in which minorities were 10 percent or less. People of color directed 12.2 George E. percent of the films studies, most Curry directed at a targeted audience. Women directed 4.1 percent of the films. Minorities wrote 7.6 percent of employment for women and the films, mostly ethnic-niche minorities and to a truncating of films; women wrote 14.1 percent. In television: the domain of media images avail- People of color were in only 5.1 able for circulation in contemporary society…Media percent of the lead roles Women accounted for 51.5 per- images contribute greatly to how we think about ourselves in rela- cent of the lead roles in comedies and dramas, matching their share tion to others. of the population. ‘Historically, there has been a death of gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in film and television’ “When marginalized groups in society are absent from stories a nation tells about itself, or when media images are rooted primarily in stereotype, inequity is normal- ized and is more likely to be reinforced over time through our prejudices and practices.” The report found that although people of color represent 36.3 per- cent of the population, in film: Of the 172 films examined for 2011, only 10.5 percent of the lead roles were played by people of color and most of them were in such Black-targeted movies as “Jumping the Broom” and Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Big Happy Fam- ily.” Women, who make up 51.2 percent of the population, were People of color accounted for 15.4 percent of the broadcast real- ity shows. Of show creators, only one was a person of color – who created “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Prac- tice” and “Scandal,” all on ABC. The report proves that diversity pays. “…The 25 films that were from 21 percent to 30 percent minority posted a median global box office of $160.1 million –a figure consid- erably higher than the medians for all other diversity levels,” the report found. “By contrast, the 88 films that fell into the 10 percent minority or less interval did not fare as well in terms of global box office, posting a median figure of $68.5 million.” The report added, “If we consid- er return on investment, which factors a film’s budget into the analysis, we see a similar pattern.” In fact, the return on more diverse films was “significantly greater,” the report found. Yet, Hollywood continues to travel down the same old tired road. “The 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report has documented an appar- ent disconnect between the industry’s professed focus on the bottom line and actual staffing practices in film, broadcast televi- sion, and cable,” the report stated. “That is, while films and televi- sion shows with casts that reflect the nation’s racial and ethnic diversity were more likely to post high box office figures or ratings during the study period, minorities and women were nonetheless woefully underrepresented among the corps of directors, show cre- ators, writers, and lead actors that animates industry produc- tions.” The report concluded, “This dis- connect does not bode well for the future of the Hollywood industry. Women already constitute slightly more than half of the U.S. popula- tion, and more than a third of the population is currently minority and the population continues to diversity at a dizzying rate. “The bottom line for the Holly- wood industry – theatrical film, broadcast television, and cable – would be advanced by implementing forward-looking project development and staffing practices that are in sync with these changes.” Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ- ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2014 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds President Acts for Student Loan Borrowers W ith outstanding student loans totaling more than $1 trillion and still counting, the White House and Congress have proposed measures to ease the financial burden now borne by 25 million borrowers. At the White House on June 9, President Obama endorsed Senate and House bills that would allow student loan borrowers to refi- nance their loans into lower interest rates. He also directed the Department of Education to begin a public rulemaking procedure to expand the most generous income- based repayment options to an estimated 5 million more borrow- ers. The new “Pay as You Earn Pro- gram” limits monthly loan payments to no more than 10 per- cent of income and forgives any remaining money owed after 20 years of payments. It is also expected to save the average stu- dent loan borrower $2,000 over the life of the loans. President Obama said, “I’m only here because this country gave me a chance at higher education with help in the form of loans, grants and scholarships. This is why I feel so strongly about this.” The president also directed the secretaries of Education and Treasury to find new and innova- tive ways to best serve students and taxpayers, while ensuring that distressed borrowers learn about Page 2 The Portland and Seattle Skanner June 18, 2014 R ESPONSIBLE L ENDING Charlene Crowell repayment options available to them. Treasury and Education will also work together to educate stu- dents, families, financial aid administrators and tax preparers to ensure that all consumers better understand and receive the educa- has more than tripled, while a typ- ical family’s income has barely budged. More students than ever are relying on loans to pay for col- lege. “Income-driven repayment plans, like the President’s new ‘Pay as You Earn Program’ can be effective tools to help individuals manage their debt and avoid the consequences of defaulting on a Federal student loan, especially for borrowers whose college investment has yet to deliver its full benefit,” the report noted. Meanwhile in the Senator Eliz- abeth Warren (D-Mass.) drew ‘I’m only here because this country gave me a chance at higher education with help in the form of loans, grants and scholarships’ tion tax benefits for which they are eligible. The two departments will also create a pilot program to investigate improved loan coun- seling. A new report, co-authored by the White House Domestic Policy Council and the Council of Eco- nomic Advisers, underscored why loan refinance is urgently needed. The report states, “Over the past three decades, the average tuition at a public and four-year college support for her bill enabling stu- dent loan debt to be refinanced at lowered market interest rates. Entitled the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act (S. 2432), it was introduced in early May and gained 39 co-spon- sors. The measure was also supported by 30 national and state organiza- tions, iincluding the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). Spanning organized labor to edu- cators, mortgage bankers and youth advocates and others, the broad coalition sought to influence the Senate floor vote scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, just days fol- lowing the President’s actions. Despite this broad and diverse advocacy, the Senate invoked its procedural cloture vote instead of allowing the bill a full vote on its merits. The cloture vote failed to reach the necessary 60-vote threshold that would cut off debate. In response to the filibuster actions, Senator Warren acknowl- edged the bipartisan support the measure has and vowed to contin- ue fighting for passage. Additionally, Sen Tom Harkin (R- Iowa), chair of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pen- sions Committee termed the June 11 vote as “only a first step.” “We’re not giving up. We still have 40 million Americans out there who are trying to deal with $1.2 trillion in student debt,” said Warren. “We’re going to prove that Washington can work for American families. . . .What the people care about is getting a fair shot and we are going to give it to them.” Maura Dundon, CRL senior pol- icy counsel posed a key question, “The ability to refinance is some- thing we take for granted in other consumer credit. Why treat stu- dents differently?”
