SAN ANTONIO – As protests against police brutality and racism have played out across the country and here in San Antonio, it has become clear how crucial it is to have a diverse newsroom.
“You can only empathize so much. Sometimes you need people who understand,” said Alexsis Page, a KSAT producer.
Protests following the death of George Floyd began in downtown San Antonio on May 30, days after Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while attempting to detain him for allegedly using a $20 counterfeit bill.
Japhanie Gray covered those demonstrations during the first weekend.
“Having a diverse newsroom forms a conversation inside the newsroom, more education inside the newsroom,” Gray said.
Reporter Deven Clarke says both inside and outside of the newsroom, conversation is a great place to start to lead to more understanding.
“If someone’s never been discriminated against, I don’t expect them to understand discrimination,” Clarke said. “But if you sit down with them and actually bring out the history books, and talk to them about how we got here to this point, then I think that can go a long way.”
On demand, in-depth perspective. It’s the goal of a new digital KSAT show we’re launching this week. KSAT Explains will debut with an episode focused on the unrest we’ve seen across the country, a look at how protests have played out in our city and an examination of what it means to be Black in San Antonio.