From [HERE] In January 2021, I published an article documenting family relations in Canadian journalism. 

At the time, I wrote, “Late last year, various groups announced that they are launching media diversity surveys to help the public get a better sense of the makeup of Canadian newsrooms. These surveys will examine demographic factors, such as race and gender. What remains missing is an effort to track how many journalists working today either had or have family members in the industry.”

The article, which has since been updated multiple times, proved to be popular, and sparked a heated discussion among journalists and the public alike. It also led many people in other countries to remark that they wished such an article existed for the industry there. 

Although Passage is a Canadian publication, we often publish articles (including media criticism) that appeal to a broader audience. As such, and because no one in the United States appears to be doing it, I’ve chosen to put together a guide to family relations in the U.S. journalism industry.

In order to be included, the family must have at least one currently-working journalist. The article deals only with journalists. So, for example, a journalist who is the son of a politician wouldn’t be included in it unless they’re also related to a journalist. I haven’t included spouses unless they both share a relation with another journalist (for example, being the parents or child and child-in-law of a journalist). 

I’ve put together a list of all the connections of which I’m aware. I have no doubt that this list fails to be comprehensive, judging by my first attempt at the Canadian version of this article (it started off with 14 families, but then jumped to 57 after receiving tips), and the fact that the U.S. industry is much larger and I’m less familiar with it.

As such, if you know of any more relations that fit the criteria, please send an email listing them to submissions@readpassage.com so they can be included in future updates. They will need to be fact checked, so including a source in your email is helpful, although not necessary. Your identity will be kept anonymous. If you believe you’ve spotted an error in the article, please reach out to that email address as well, and your message will be reviewed promptly.

This list isn’t intended to be a reflection on the competence of any of the journalists mentioned. I’m not implying that they’re in the industry because of family connections, or that they would have never succeeded otherwise. I’m also not implying any of them have tried to hide their family connections, as most have mentioned them either in their writing or on social media. 

Here they are… [MORE]