and of course when you ask one good question it usually leads to more good questions.

and since their question was about diversity, let’s keep asking questions.

first off, of all the writers on the front page of the LA Times this morning, how many are not white? how many are not white in that lead story?

of all the people who edited those stories, as in their bosses, how many are not white?

is the news editor white? is the person in charge of entertainment white? is the photo editor white? what percentage of the masthead is white?

and since the examples used in their story really centers about the lack of african-americans, something near and dear to my heart, let’s keep asking questions down that path: how many african-american editors are there at my favorite local paper?

how many african-american editors-in-chiefs have there been there? how many african-american entertainment editors have there been (digital and/or print?) how many african-american publishers have there been?

how many african-american blog editors have there been? how did they do?

are these unfair questions about a paper that serves an incredibly diverse city? do they matter at all in context of this dramatic front page story? about film? (speaking of: how many black film critics has the times employed?)

the great thing about good questions is there’s never a lack of them. how many black opinion editors has the times hired? how many black sports editors have they had in their 100+ year history? how many black ad sales vps have there been? we could even ask: of the people who run the parking garage – how many at the very top are black? would our guesses be correct with all of these questions?

trust me, i am thrilled that questions about diversity are asked in 2016, especially when it concerns african americans,

but at what point am i allowed to say to my bffs in the press: pot, kettle?

at what point can someone say, doctor heal thyself?

is it bad form to quote matthew 7:5 which teaches “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye”?

im sure the LA Times, just like Hollywood, knows that progress can often take a long time to achieve

but some industries,

and companies,

and entities,

are easier to turn around than others.

the question is, why haven’t those easy ones changed quickly either

especially after they’ve taken the log out of their own eye?

those are the questions i can’t wait for them to ask

and answer.