NBC News, MSNBC Executive Commits To Improving Workplace Diversity, Internal Memo Reveals

In the midst of the ongoing national conversation about diversity in the workplace, NBCUniversal has illustrated that they are listening and are committed to changing the way that NBC News, MSNBC, and CNBC operate moving forward.

As a result, Cesar Conde, who was named chairman of NBCU’s News Group in May, has discussed his desire to change the makeup of the staff to be 50% female and 50% people of color. As stated in a memo that Conde sent to staffers on Tuesday, NBC News Group currently has a workforce that is 26.5% diverse, but, he said, he doesn't think that is "good enough."

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"The demographics of America have been changing for decades… and that change is accelerating. Women today make up nearly half of the American work force and already earn well over half of all bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. This year, for the first time, a majority of Americans aged 18 or younger, will be people of color. In twenty years, more than half of all Americans, will be people of color," the network head stated, according to Variety.

Continuing, he added, "The NBCUniversal News Group is not going to wait for change to happen and just react to it. We’re going to lead."

However, as stated by the publication, Conde could run into "an array of challenges" regarding the new steps. While it is anticipated that the executive will want to promote "NBC Nightly News," he will also have to determine if he wants to "move forward anew with an international newsgathering project NBCU put on hold during the pandemic." This will coincide with other pieces of his focus as well, including maintaining or increasing viewership for other programs, such as "Today" and "The Rachel Maddow Show."

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The decision to intentionally change the diversity of the employees at NBC follows a variety of criticism that the network has faced in recent months. Not only have executives been accused of failing to properly investigate a specific claim, but a "massive corporate restructuring" also resulted in a new discussion following Andy Lack's decision to step down as the network's chairman.

As for what the future holds, Conde has revealed that he plans to consider more candidates of color for NBC News Group's associates program and invest in various investigative efforts that will tackle related issues. Furthermore, starting in 2021, senior executives will also be assessed on how much progress they have made when it comes to diversifying the employee base.