How to craft a scary headline out of (almost) nothing

Here's the shocking headline from CBC: Black employees slam Ontario Public Service for rampant, systemic racism.

Ouch! That's gotta be hell, working for White Supremacists when you're not white. Let's dig into what's behind the headline.

The number of Black employees referenced in the story is five. The Ontario Public Service has over 60,000 employees. How does talking to five employees out of 60,000 justify that headline? It doesn't, but if the headline read "Five Black employees slam Ontario Public Service for rampant systemic racism," everybody would know you're talking shit.

Of those 60,000,  22.8% , or approximately 15,000 are "racialized," meaning non-white. That's a pretty good reflection of the overall demographics in the country. 

This is the second scary headline writer Samantha Beattie has concocted around a report from Employment Matters Consulting. The first read, "Damning report finds 'persistent and unyielding' anti-Black racism in Ontario's public service." That story provided a glimpse into the methodology behind it. We are told "the consultants held interviews, focus groups and accepted written feedback from 215 Black employees." Once again, the numbers don't come anywhere near justifying the sensational headline.

Employment Matters Consulting is the brainwave of Keith Jeffers, a civil servant who worked his way to the deputy minister level in British Columbia. Mr. Jeffers, who is Black, spotted a business opportunity in the host of EDI (that's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) laws and regulations that were multiplying all around him during his career in the public service; to provide compliance services to governments and corporations.

It was the right idea at the right time, and Mr. Jeffers hit it out of the park! Now, with two shocking CBC headlines exposing systemic racism in the Ontario Public Service, the billable hours for compliance consulting just hit the jackpot! 

Congratulations Mr. Jeffers!