Despite the United States now being nearly 40 percent non-white, the country's newsrooms still are roughly 90 percent white, according to a new survey from the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), reported the San Francisco Chronicle. Further, just 37 percent of newsroom staffers are female, according to the ASNE data.

And while the study showed a slight increase in newsroom employees overall (from 41,500 in 2009 to 41,600 in 2010), the number of employees of color was actually down half-a-percent, making 2010 the third consecutive year that the percentage of minority journalists declined, explained MediaBistro. The total number of journalists of color declined from 5,500 in 2009 to 5,300 in 2010.

“At a time when the U.S. Census shows that minorities are 36 percent of the U.S. population, newsrooms are going in the opposite direction. This is an accuracy and credibility issue for our newsrooms,” said Milton Coleman, ASNE president, in a statement.

What's more, 441 newspapers that were part of the ASNE survey reported no full-time minorities whatsoever -- a number that has been increasing since 2006.

Meanwhile, ASNE just conducted one Leadership in Diversity training workshop at the beginning of April, and has plans for another June 14-15 in Orlando.