Donald Trump’s attack on Heidi Cruz is a case study in the need for media diversity

[Commentary] If news outlets needed to be reminded of just how valuable and necessary diversity in their ranks really is, Donald Trump’s nasty campaign of innuendo and objectification against Heidi Cruz ought to do the trick. Most anyone could see why Trump’s retweet of a photo demeaned Heidi Cruz, wife of Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) and a managing director at Goldman Sachs. But female journalists have contributed strong, thoughtful perspectives to coverage that their male counterparts might have overlooked. It was CNN anchor Kate Bolduan who explained that "as I look at this retweet, as a woman, it's demeaning to not only Ted Cruz's wife; it's demeaning to Melania Trump because she's got a lot more going for her than just her looks, and you don't see that in this retweet."

Indeed, Trump had promoted a kind of trophy contest that objectified both women — a point I hadn't seen in the press before Bolduan weighed in. Newsrooms need more than just gender diversity, of course, but the events of this week illustrate how critical women, specifically, are to producing comprehensive coverage. It's not about constant injections of advocacy into the news — and I don't think anyone would accuse Bolduan, Cupp or Kelly of administering such injections — it's about having staffs comprised of people with wide-ranging life experiences who notice things others might miss and who can help audiences understand complex issues in ways they might not have considered. Trump's pattern of behavior suggests more episodes like this one are on the way. As media tell the story of those incidents, they would do well to remember this week and make sure their storytellers are diverse.