Technology crosses the paths of many industries, namely modern media and journalism. As technology advances, more journalists are working hard to accurately depict what’s happening and what the growing workforce looks like, according to Kate Russell, journalist, author and BBC and ITV contributor.

Russell spoke with Stu Miniman (@stu), host of theCUBE*, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, during the Nutanix 2016 .NEXT Europe. She addressed her work as a journalist covering emerging tech, as well as the importance of diversity in the technology field. 

Not only has Russell been a journalist for more than 20 years, but she has also become the “longest-standing member” of her BBC reporting team. In her line of work, Russell has had the opportunity to see the latest and greatest technology in action. One of those opportunities was being able to watch NASA’s “tensile robot” being tested.

Along with sneak peeks at NASA, she’s also had the opportunity to check out new drones and how air traffic control is working on standardization.

Branching out

As a female journalist for the tech industry, Russell has seen how diversity has affected and changed company outlooks. Across the board only “26 percent of tech jobs are held by women,” said Russell. The number shrinks even more when looking at management. As a senior journalist and author, she looks at “what it takes to be a successful and diverse startup.”

Diversity is “in the top 10 list of priorities for CEOs”, said Russell. However, making the list and taking action are two completely different things. The percentage of women who hold IT jobs is dropping by  half percent every year, according to Russell. One of her jobs is working to figure out why.

Making a difference

Most people have a tendency to gravitate toward and hire people who look like them, according to Russell. She wants to break that norm and establish better “support systems.”

Diversity isn’t only about hiring good talent, it’s also about retaining it, Russell explained. To do this, more women need mentors on the job. She also believes the workplace can be a much more accepting place once unconscious bias has been acknowledged and recognized in others.

*Disclosure: Nutanix Inc. and other companies sponsor some Nutanix 2016 .NEXT Europe segments on SiliconANGLE Media’s theCUBE. Neither Nutanix nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of Nutanix 2016 .NEXT Europe.

Photo by SiliconANGLE