While New York Times advertising coverage has fallen more than a few pegs from the glory days when Stuart Elliott surveyed his fiefdom from his usual table at the Four Seasons, the Gray Lady does manage to pay attention every now and again.

The headline in last weekend’s Metropolitan section, delivered on a sweltering post Shabbos day of kvetch in the out-of-town edition: “New York’s Ad Sector Still Lacks Diversity.”

Not exactly an Inspector Louis Renault Casablanca moment, unless you’re shocked that “lack” is another word for shifting the bastard into reverse and hitting the gas.

In that context, turns out the crack-like addiction to all things diverse—music, culture, athletes, TikTok audiences —doesn’t exactly extend to our own enterprises. In 2021, the 4As reported “White executive owned or ran roughly three out of every four agencies.” By the next year, “the figure had jumped to nine in 10.”  Meanwhile, the report showed that “64 percent of Black employees (had been employed) two years or less, the shortest tenure of any racial or ethnic group.”

“Industry experts said the explanation was simple: a lack of career growth opportunities for people of color.”

And, no, this isn’t about calling out yet another flagrant example of rampant hypocrisy. Nor do I want to focus on the piece remaining entirely silent on the other great industry-crippling “ism” out there, the one related to age.

It’s just that beyond the breathtakingly obvious point that we’ve done anything but stay true to our words, the story left me with sour thoughts lingering like the bad air outside.

Let’s say that somewhere along the line adland, like an ethical Tin Man, finds its missing integrity.  The question becomes, what kind of industry are the newly included going to find?

As the article points out, rapid recent change has been driven by technology, the rise of digital media, and especially Google search.

The creative side of the business?  Not so much. Especially not with AI prompting holding company executives to lick their fingers and start flipping through pads of pink slips.

So, again, what kind of work will people discover beyond that suddenly wide-open door?

Will they even want to walk through?