context they live in, and even less do they know their cultures and languages, since official history silences minorities. It therefore comes as no surprise that minorities are represented through a distorted lens, from a strange angle, with all the prejudice it implies. But, in my opinion, this is not always due to bad intentions. Hiring journalists with a minority background is a good thing per se. It is normal, fair and well-advised to have a public administration, companies, and media that reflect the make up of society. Hiring minorities in the media may contribute to a better understanding of each other and possibly allows for correcting mistakes and prejudice. But hiring women and men with a minority background in the media is not enough as such, for editorial offices are not necessarily flexible and democratic. They work according to a different, complex kind of logic.. Recruiting more people belonging to minorities in the media might not lead to substantial progress because the media function like an autonomous republic, with a self-assurance which is often unjustified. Within editorial offices minority journalists may be seen as suspicious, especially if they intend to report on issues related to their own community. Even the most professional journalists would be suspected of being inevitably biased. I recall the case of a journalist coming from the Harratin community of Mauritania, when I was working in a Paris-based magazine a few years ago. When he would write about this community forced into slavery in Mauritania, his articles would be examined from every aspect, literally dissected by chief editors. Once someone even said that he should stop writing about Mauritanian affairs.