News-Record.com

I've gotten more than the usual response to my column on hiring more minorities. Some applauded. Others took the liberty of sending me their resumes. Still others suggested that we really should be hiring political conservatives.

But the greatest response came from people who warned me against violating federal discrimination law, similar to the letter from my friend Jerry Bledsoe.

While I appreciate the legal advice, we didn't go into this blindly. We have a good Human Resources Department and solid legal counsel. We know the law and won't/don't violate it. In the column, I was trying to articulate a philosophical and practical commitment to diversity, not to put forth a legal brief. Journalistically and ethically, having more minorities on staff is the right thing to do. We respect the legal guidelines.

Immediate update: Fred Gregory, a frequent contributor here, just e-mailed me a study of newspaper staff diversity. The News & Record ranks 146 out of the 200 largest papers in the country. As Fred said, "What's so bad about 146th? It's better than 200th." But we can do better, much better, and we will.