I’ll keep calling it out.

Last week I saw an event later this year with a genuinely balanced speaker lineup. But they’re promoting their podcast alongside it, so I had a look.

Eight episodes of one-to-one interviews with eight guests. Here’s the diversity breakdown:

• Half had beards.
• Half had grey hair.
• Three wore glasses.
• Five were dressed formally.

Or to put it plainly: all men. All white. All but one is middle-aged.

The host, of course, is a middle-aged white man.

This isn’t about intent. It’s about what you end up with when you don’t build diversity in from the start and make dozens of small decisions that lead you to appearing to be male, pale, and stale. The event seems to be getting it right; the podcast isn’t.

Same organisation – different standards.

If you’re using a podcast to represent your community, it represents your community. Act accordingly.