Jesse Jackson Takes on Hollywood

Today in Counterpunch:

A remarkable investigation by Los Angeles Times reporters pierced the screen of secrecy to reveal that the voting members [of the Academy] are a stunning 94 percent Caucasian and 77 percent male. Only 2 percent are African American, and less than 2 percent are Latino. Their median age is 62, and only 14 percent are younger than 50.

…But the sad reality is that the membership reflects hiring patterns that are equally skewed. The Times story quotes writer/editor Phil Auden Robinson, who concludes: “If the industry as a whole is not doing a great job in opening up its ranks, it’s very hard for us to diversify our membership.”