FUSION CEO Isaac Lee sent the following note to staff on February 9, 2016 to discuss diversity at the company – see below:

Hola FUSION,

The demographic shifts happening in this country are a key reason FUSION exists. We know millennials are the most diverse generation in U.S. history – approximately 44% are multicultural. And future generations will only be more diverse and more inclusive. If FUSION is to authentically serve our audience, we need to do so by being inclusive of diverse voices and perspectives. 

With conversations like #OscarsSoWhite happening in the broader entertainment industry, it is critical that the media covering our culture and politics also take a look in the mirror. So today I want to share some information with you about how diverse FUSION is. While there is plenty of room for improvement, I am proud to say: we are a majority-minority company.   

52% of the company self-identifies as non-white, 40% as white, and 8% of employees chose not to disclose their ethnic background. 40% of our staff identifies as Hispanic or Latino, which is representative of the emerging demographics of our country. With respect to our editorial staff the statistics are similar. Looking at the numbers, we are among the most diverse newsrooms in the country. Even so, we should continue looking to further enhance the diversity within our staff. See the chart below. 

As we continue to build out our own diverse newsroom, our audience will also benefit from FUSION being a central piece of Univision’s multicultural portfolio – allowing for increased collaboration with The Root, the number one news and cultural site for African Americans. We are already working on future joint projects and co-productions.  

When we look at gender, the demographics of the overall organization differ from that of the editorial and production teams. FUSION’s total staff is 55% male and 45% female. I am thrilled that 53% of our editorial team is female and that the majority of our editorial verticals and key projects are overseen by women – including our elections coverage. That said, we are mindful of the number of the number of women in senior leadership positions. This is something that we have discussed in the past, are paying attention to, and have made some progress on. Over the past year we have seen an increase in the number of women in Director-level or above roles.    

While we have data that points to traditional measures of diversity – ethnicity and gender – those categories just begin to scratch the surface of who we are. I am proud that we also have a staff that represents a variety of life experiences, countries of origin, sexual orientations, beliefs and interests. This is a large reason our content resonates with a diverse audience across platforms. It is important that we continue to celebrate the fact that while our similarities often bind us together, it is our differences that allow us to stand out. 

Diversity is a core value for FUSION, so please reach out to your supervisor, the HR team, the employee communications line, or me directly if there are areas you think we should be focusing on throughout the year. While we will never be perfect, it is important for us to advance this conversation and ensure we are always making progress. 

– Isaac