Now that elections are mainly decided by Oprah and YouTube and now that the evening news is being slowly replaced with the Daily Show and its imitators, blacks are being allowed on the cable news channels along with Hispanics and women to explain exotic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to the old white dullards still watching people yell at each other on these networks. What an honor! The Times reports this morning how exciting the whole thing is, but also quotes a lot of people wondering when TV news will finally be "diverse" enough. Such a good question, because if the country has learned anything over the past seven years it's that racial diversity at the top of the power structure is a bulwark against mindless conformity and oppression! Anyway, let's sample the uniform opinions collected by the Times about diversity (hint: it's a good thing, and is all about race and gender):

Mark Anthony Neal, who is black and teaches black popular culture at Duke University, said: "There is suddenly a demand for smart Negroes. You're seeing a lot less of the Jesse Jacksons and the Al Sharptons and more academics and thought-leaders. This is expressly in response to Barack Obama, less so Hillary. Because of the combination of Hillary and Barack, you're seeing more black women."

What sorts of "smart negroes" are in demand? Young ones! That way, they sort of march Obama, or something. The "breakout stars" of this election, one journalism professor said, are all under 40: radio host Roland S. Martin, former Republican speechwriter Amy Holmes, and Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons.

"They bring such a fresh perspective that we are unaccustomed to hearing in the mainstream media," said [the professor, Pamela Newkirk at New York University]. "Hopefully, the value of having different perspectives will be appreciated beyond this historic campaign."

The Times story is very thin on examples of the sort of fresh perspectives brought by minority and female cable news pundits, but it does offer this admittedly convincing example of a case where having a black commentator would be crucial:

"In the past week we have seen a distinct difference in commentary on Rev. Wright from people who have spent time in black churches and those who have not," said Gwen Ifill, a senior correspondent for "The Newshour With Jim Lehrer" on PBS and moderator of "Washington Week."

Times: Like the Candidates, TV's Political Pundits Show Signs of Diversity