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.”
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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?”