Although she is not as commonly recognized as some of her journalism colleagues, Betty Wong, managing editor of Reuters America, is one of the most influential women in American business journalism.

That is the opinion of Dean Rotbart, host and executive producer of NewsTalk 870 KRLA's Newsroom Confidential, the weekly Southern California radio show that provides listeners an insider's guide to journalism and public relations. The one-hour live program is also available throughout the week as a digital rebroadcast at http://www.newsroomconfidential.com/.

On this week's edition of Newsroom Confidential, Rotbart salutes Wong, who was recently honored with the Reuters America Diversity Award for her efforts to encourage diversity among the 650 reporters and editors she supervises in both North and South America.

Wong, 42, has been with Reuters for more than 16 years, the past two as managing editor. Among her many responsibilities is oversight of the $100 million annual news budget.

In an effort to bring diversity to the Reuters newsroom, Wong has helped oversee a summer internship program and she and her staff regularly attend professional meetings and job fairs around the country in an effort to identify and recruit minority journalists.

"I don't believe in tokenism," Wong tells Newsroom Confidential. That said, she explains that she aims to create a newsroom environment where everyone feels welcome and thereby is attractive to "the best people no matter what their background."

This week's Newsroom Confidential also features an interview with Paul Pflug, a founding partner of Principal Communications Group in Los Angeles and formerly senior vice president of media relations for Universal Pictures. Pflug is a veteran Hollywood PR strategist whose newly launched agency offers premium level corporate communications counsel targeting the entertainment, business and philanthropy sectors.

Newsroom Confidential is hosted by Dean Rotbart, a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalism veteran and founding editor of NewsBios.com, which provides in-depth dossiers on more than 6,000 influential journalists.

Newsroom Confidential airs live weekly in Southern California and is simulcast around the globe on the Internet. The show is made possible through the support of well-respected sponsors, including PR Newswire, the global leader in news and information distribution services for professional communicators.

For more information or to become a program sponsor contact Dean Rotbart, Newsroom Confidential executive producer, at 1-866-NEWS-070 or email him at dean@newsroomconfidential.com.

SOURCE: Newsroom Confidential