Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has decided to do one-on-one interviews to journalists of color on her second anniversary in office.

Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday that the City Hall press corps is "overwhelmingly white" in a city that's more diverse. The Chicago mayor noted that she ran on being intentional about diversity, adding that newsrooms need to do better on diversity as well, CBS News reported.

Lori Lightfoot said she had fought her entire adult life to advocate for diversity and inclusion in every institution. She noted that her position puts her in the spotlight to address one of the most important issues.

The Chicago mayor also said during her speech that she was struck since her first day on the campaign in 2018 the number of whiteness and maleness of Chicago media outlets, editorial boards, and political press corps.

Lori Lightfoot particularly commented on the number of women of color assigned to the City Hall beat, saying she finds it unacceptable. The mayor's office said the interview restrictions are for one day only.

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Lori Lightfoot's Decision

Lori Lightfoot said the City Hall press corps is composed of more white in a city that holds many Black, Latino, AAPI, or Native American, NBC Chicago reported.

According to Census Bureau statistics, Chicago is 33 percent white, 30 percent Black, 29 percent Hispanic or Latino, and seven percent Asian. 

Lightfoot said that the racial composition of the City Hall beat is an imbalance that needs to be changed. Some social media users responded to Lightfoot's decision positively, saying that it is a step forward in representation.

Tiffany Walden, editor-in-chief of the digital media outlet The Triibe, said it was a small step forward to leveling the playing field. The Triibe covers Chicago's Black communities.

Many also opposed the idea. One of those who are in opposition is Chicago Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt.

Pratt said that he was one of the journalists granted for an interview. However, they canceled when the mayor refused to lift its condition.

Pratt added that politicians could not pick who covers them. But Lightfoot defended her decision. She said that her choice was a continuation of her campaign's promise to break "the status quo."

WBEZ refuted the mayor's claims, saying that two of its three City Hall reporters are women, one Hispanic and other South Asian, Chicago Tribune reported.

Charles Whitaker, dean of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, said that journalists of color trying to break the political press corps had encountered hurdles along the way.

Whitaker lauded Lightfoot's decision. However, he noted that the restrictions felt more like a political stunt rather than addressing the root of a problem.

Whitaker said that he was not sure if it is the best way as they would never allow that kind of a decision from a white politician. He added that it is dangerous to say that they will allow a Black politician to make a point about the inequities in media.

The National Association of Black Journalists board said it agreed that newsrooms need to do more to diversify the City Hall press corps. However, it stated that it could not support the Chicago mayor's condition on achieving that.

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WATCH: Chicago Mayor Only Granting Interviews to Black, Brown Reporters Ahead of 2nd Anniversary - From ABC7 Chicago