Almost twenty years after the Kerner Commission reported that fewer than 5% of employees in the news business were black and that fewer than 1 percent of those were editors or employed in management jobs, the percentage of blacks and other minorities in those professions is only slightly higher. A l987 survey by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) shows that minorities make up only 6.56% of the professional workforce in newsrooms across the country. At 16%, employment of minorities in the broadcast industry is significantly higher; however, statistics for the employment of blacks remain essentially unchanged after five years. There are encouraging signs that a sizeable portion of the communications industry, primarily in the newspaper sector, is engaged in a genuine effort to address the concerns expressed in the Kerner Report. In addition to conducting annual surveys to track the progress of employment, ASNE sponsors several programs to expand opportunities for minority journalists and in l968 provided $275,000 for minorities programs. In 1987 the American Newspaper Publishers Association (ANPA) reaffirmed its commitment to continue and expand programs designed to increase opportunities for minorities. Nonetheless, the evidence is not persuasive that nearly 10 years of recruiting and referrals have produced a significant change in the minority workforce. (Six tables of data and 20 references are attached.) (NH)