Former journalists Kim McLarin (Taming It Down, 1998) and Lisa Haddock (Edited Out, 1994; Final Cut, 1995) mine their experiences in the world of journalism to create two characters – one African American and one lesbian – who struggle between journalism’s world of power and privilege and the responsibilities toward their own minority communities. The characters exemplify what it means to be an “outsider within” the newsroom and their own community in an effort to climb the career ladder while staying true to their roots. This paper examines how race and gender define each woman’s experience in journalism, and how these fictional representations portray minority reporters to the world.