Human Resources Diversity Policy
of The Seattle Times

Section: Employee Relations Index
Subject: Diversity at The Seattle Times 7-16
Revised: April 1,1993
Scope: The Diversity Statement of Purpose applies to all Seattle Times employees.

The Diversity Policy Statement was originally distributed to all Seattle Times employees on September 28, 1992. It contained several action plans which are not included in the following statement as it is anticipated that action plans will change from time to time.

DIVERSITY AT THE SEATTLE TIMES

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Seattle Times Company is committed to having a work force that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves and to realizing the potential of every individual who works here.

Further, The Times is committed to being a workplace where no employee will be advantaged or disadvantaged because of race, ethnic background, gender, age, physical abilities, or any other real or perceived differences. All hiring, training, promotion and compensation are based on an individual's job-related qualifications and ability.

Underlying this policy is the company's strong commitment to maintaining a bias-free work environment, prohibiting sexual harassment and any other form of discriminatory harassment and respecting the dignity of every employee. The Times recognizes that its work force and the communities and customers it serves are changing. Because of these changes, achieving and managing workplace diversity is fundamental to maintaining our three core values:
1. staying independent and privately owned;
2. maximizing journalistic quality;
3. and maximizing employee workplace satisfaction.

OBJECTIVES
To make diversity the way of life at The Seattle Times requires more than a series of programs. It requires a long-range strategic approach that operates at all levels and in all aspects of our work. It also requires effectively moving beyond affirmative action, which may be necessary to achieve a diverse work force, to valuing and managing the diversity among our people.

Valuing and managing diversity means continuing to change from a organizational outlook that has been monocultural to one that is pluralistic and multicultural. It means creating a shared awareness that diversity adds value to our organization and products. It means ensuring that women, people of color and other under-represented segments of employees are fully included and share power. And, it means realizing the potential of every employee.

Therefore, our purpose is to develop a strategic approach to establishing and implementing a multicultural, pluralistic environment throughout The Times. Our approach must allow for differences between and within specific departments, while maintaining alignment with the company's overall commitment.

Our specific objectives are:
•Objective 1) To communicate the company's commitment to workplace diversity
                    to all employees, with emphasis on why it is important to The Times and
                    what it means to them.
•Objective 2) To establish departmental employment/development goals, timetables and
                    action plans to ensure our work force, at all levels, reflects the diversity of
                    the communities we serve.
•Objective 3) To develop company-wide assessment and evaluation systems to monitor
                    progress throughout the organization toward attainment/retention of a diverse
                    work force and a work environment which supports pluralism.
•Objective 4) To implement a cycle and procedure for reviewing with department managers
                    and interested employees results from the prior year.
• Objective 5) To develop ongoing communications systems to create and reinforce a high
                     level of employee awareness of the importance of diversity to The Times.

DEFINITIONS

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO)
Equal Employment Opportunity and its related laws ensure the right of all persons to work and advance on the basis of merit, ability and potential without discrimination in hiring, development, promotion, termination, pay, fringe benefits and other aspects of employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, handicap or any other basis prohibited by law.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION (AA)
Affirmative Action is taking positive steps to recruit, employ, train and promote qualified women and people of color or other under-represented employee groups to ensure equitable representation in any job classification or group in relation to their presence in the available, experienced labor force.

PLURALISM / MULTICULTURALISM / DIVERSITY
Multiculturalism, pluralism and diversity are terms used to describe a perspective that values the differences among people. It promotes mutual respect, acceptance, teamwork, and productivity among people who are diverse in work background, experience, education, age, gender, race, ethnic origin, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and other real or perceived differences.

Culture refers to ideas, customs, manners, skills, interests, tastes, arts, etc., of a given people at a given time. Multiculturalism expresses the idea of a group of people made up of smaller groups with many differing, but coexisting cultures.

Pluralism embraces and expands on multiculturalism. Definitions of pluralism include the existence within a society of groups distinctive in ethnic origin, cultural patterns, religion or the like. Pluralism also is defined to convey a policy favoring the preservation of such groups within a society or organization. And, pluralism embraces the theory that reality is composed of many ultimate principles, or that ultimate reality has more than one true explanation.

Diversity is a broader term expressing the quality of being diverse or different, of having variety. When we at The Times refer to valuing diversity we mean the attitude that differences among us help us to relate to the communities we serve and to improve the quality of the results we produce. Those differences can relate to origin, culture, work function, experience, etc. Valuing diversity embraces each individual at The Times.

When we refer to managing diversity we mean maximizing each individual's ability to achieve his or her potential while contributing to the organization, as well as helping each individual work effectively with others.