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#OscarsSoWhite Was A Wake-Up Call. 5 Years Later, Is Hollywood More Woke?

In this Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015 file photo, Chris Pine, left, and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announce the Academy Awards nominees for best actor in a leading role at the 87th Academy Awards nomination ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP, File
In this Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015 file photo, Chris Pine, left, and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announce the Academy Awards nominees for best actor in a leading role at the 87th Academy Awards nomination ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The Oscars ceremony has faced heavy criticism in recent years for its lack of diverse nominees.

Bradley University journalism professor and media critic Dr. Cory Barker said it's tough to gauge how much progress Hollywood is making since it was called out with the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag on social media in 2015.

"I think that was kind of a flashpoint for the industry, and so there was a significant increase in diversity in new members brought into the Academy, but that hasn't necessarily solved the issue," Barker said. 

He noted nearly half of all TV episodes were directed by women last year, compared to 20% four years ago. But he said it's also important to consider whose stories get to be told at major awards shows when the biggest audiences are paying attention.

The Oscars air this Sunday at 7 p.m. on ABC.Listen to the full interview with Dr. Cory Barker.

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Tim Shelley is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.