About Journal-isms
Richard Prince's popular column on the news media, published by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (www.mije.org).
Richard Prince's popular column on the news media, published by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (www.mije.org).
FEBRUARY 7 | CNN Suspends Roland Martin Over Tweets
FEBRUARY 5 | AP Lays Off Diversity Advocate
FEBRUARY 2 | News of Don Cornelius' Death Goes Viral
FEBRUARY 10 | Diverse Support for Contraception Law
FEBRUARY 9 | Obama: Foreclosure Settlement Is 'a Start'
FEBRUARY 8 | Santorum Wins; Doubts About Romney
2012CNN Suspends Roland Martin Over Tweets
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Pundit Won't Be Appearing on Air "For the Time Being"
CNN Wednesday suspended commentator Roland Martin over the tweets that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has denounced as anti-gay.
A CNN spokeswoman confirmed that the network issued this statement:
"Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being."
Spokesmen for TVOne and the syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," where Martin also appears, did not respond to requests for comment.
GLAAD spokesman Rich Ferraro said, "CNN today took a strong stand against anti-LGBT violence and language that demeans any community. Yesterday, Martin also spoke out against anti-LGBT violence. We look forward to hearing from CNN and Roland Martin to discuss how we can work together as allies and achieve our common goal of reducing such violence as well as the language that contributes to it."
Since Martin issued his "final statement" on the matter on Monday night, he has not responded to a call from GLAAD for talks, and continued to tweet frequently about other matters.
As Chris Ariens reported Wednesday for TVNewser, "It was business as usual last night for CNN political analyst Roland Martin. He was first chair on the panel discussing the voting in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota."
On social media, Martin had his defenders and detractors.
D E Malik Patterson, a self-employed media consultant, wrote on Facebook:
"Roland can be an equal opportunity offender to some, I grant you that, but it's never with malice in his heart. And trust, he can take a ribbing just as much as he can give them. And maybe he should watch what he says more when dealing in public forums. I know, however, that he means no ill-will toward anyone with his words. I've personally known the man to be very patient, kind and generous with his knowledge, time and money with all kinds of people - including myself. People of different agendas and lifestyles, some of you have to stop being so damn sensitive....ijs [I'm just sayin'.]"
But also on Facebook, Joyce Ladner, former interim president of Howard University and a sociologist, said:
"I sure saw this coming because he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut. The 'twitterization' (my word) of American culture bit him in the rear because he thought he could write any flippant thing that popped into his head. I hope they don't fire him. Perhaps this is a time when he will learn that all of the letters forming words in his head can't be used like a patient on a psychiatrist's couch doing free association. It is also an example of how the society's use of language has deteriorated into 'tweets', oftentimes inane phrases that pass for communication."
In 2009, the Washington Post prompted controversy when it issued social media guidelines that said, in part, "Post journalists must refrain from writing, tweeting or posting anything – including photographs or video – that could be perceived as reflecting political racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism that could be used to tarnish our journalistic credibility."
GLADD's Ferraro said his organization had received a statement from Sharon Lettman-Hicks, executive director of the the National Black Justice Coalition, the nation’s largest black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, calling for increased media visibility for issues affecting black LGBT people:
“While we are encouraged by CNN’s stance against language that incites anti-gay violence, we hope they also will make a commitment to shine more visibility on the hardships LGBT people of color face when trying to participate fully in their communities," Lettman-Hicks said.
"With the recent attack on Brandon White in Atlanta and the murder of Deoni Jones in Washington, D.C., awareness of the challenges of our community and the urgency for more fair and accurate representations of LGBT people of color are greater now than ever."
Ferraro added that GLAAD was urging media to report on the attack on White "as an example of what 'smacking the ish' out of someone for being gay can look like — and to shed light on the high rates of violence that our community faces. . .
"This comes at a time when the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that violence against LGBT people was up 23%. 70 percent were people of color, and 44% were transgender women."
Martin, CNN Could Have Done Better on "Crisis Response"
Gerard Corbett, chairman and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America, told Journal-isms Wednesday that both Roland Martin and CNN "could have done a better job at crisis response."
Corbett said in a telephone conversation:
"It's like any executive or any celebrity who is constantly in the public eye. The fact is you need to be careful and circumspect about what you say in public, period.
"It took CNN some time to deliberate about what to do about this. It took Roland time to realize what he had done. Both Roland and CNN could have done a better job at crisis response.
"Roland should not have tweeted that in the first place, even if he was being irreverent or comedic or whatever. Perhaps his intentions were in the right. He's a public person. If he wants to maintain credibility with his audience, and with the CNN audience, you need to be careful about what you say in public.
"CNN eventually did the right thing by suspending him. They should have investigated right way, said it was investigating it and that Roland will not be on the air until they were satisfied that he meant no ill will and no harm.
"In today's world, information travels at the speed of light. Any and all organizations need to be prepared for any incident."
Corbett was asked about complaints that Martin was suspended but not Dana Loesch, who cheered reports of members of the U.S. Marine Corps urinating on the bodies of dead Afghans and suggested that had she been present, she would have joined in.
"Clearly, CNN doesn't have a uniform policy on how to deal with these things," Corbett said. "If they had a uniform policy they could deal with everything swiftly and in a matter that is equitable. . . ."
*dream hampton, ebony.com: Roland Martin's Big Twitter #FAIL Can Become a Win
*Hollywood Reporter: 11 Worst Twitter Gaffes of 2011: THR Year in Review
*Huffington Post: Glenn Beck: Roland Martin A 'Dope,' 'Bad Guy,' 'Clown,' 'Idiot' (VIDEO)
*Alyssa Rosenberg, Center for American Progress: Why CNN Suspended Liberal Roland Martin For Offensive Comments But Not Conservative Dana Loesch
*Rene Syler blog: Should Roland Martin Be Fired For David Beckham Underwear Tweet?
More to come
Earlier:
Gay Group Wants Talk With Roland Martin
GLAAD Urges CNN to Speak Out Against Anti-Gay Violence
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the gay-rights organization that called for the firing of CNN commentator Roland Martin, said Tuesday it wants Martin "to meet with GLAAD as well as other LGBT organizations and advocates. GLAAD also called on CNN to speak out against the violence that Martin promoted via Twitter during Super Bowl XLVI."
GLAAD was responding to a statement Martin posted Monday night that he labeled his "final thoughts" on the controversy over Twitter remarks during the Super Bowl that many interpreted as anti-gay. Martin denied his tweets were homophobic.
Asked whether GLAAD still wants Martin fired, spokesman Rich Ferraro pointed to this statement: "GLAAD continues to believe that CNN can find responsible, diverse voices who do not have a history of advocating or making excuses for violence toward anyone. The network now has to decide."
The group also said, "Ultimately, it's up to CNN, its audience, and those affected by Martin's remarks to judge the veracity of, and Martin's commitment to, his statement. CNN has thus far remained silent. The network should not continue to do so." Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here is GLAAD's statement:
"CNN political analyst Roland Martin posted an apology on his website following calls from GLAAD, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), bloggers, advocates and thousands of Americans. Wrote Martin:
" 'To those who construed my comment as being anti-gay or homophobic or advancing violence, I'm truly sorry. I can certainly understand how someone could come to a different conclusion than the one I meant. I'm disheartened that my words would embolden prejudice. While public debate over social issues is healthy, no matter which side someone takes, there is no room for debate as to whether we need to be respectful of others.'
"Violence against gay people or against any other minority isn't a political opinion. At a time when anti-gay violence afflicts countless LGBT and LGBT-perceived people in this country every day, prominent figures like Martin should condemn, not promote, such violence.
"Yesterday afternoon, a video of a young man being brutally assaulted after exiting a grocery store was posted on LGBT news sites. As the perpetrators beat and kicked their victim, the attackers screamed 'Fa**ot' as well as other anti-gay slurs.
"This is what 'smacking the ish' out of someone for being gay can look like.
"Last year, Martin defended Tracy Morgan when Morgan said that if his son were gay, he would 'pull out a knife and stab him.' After Morgan apologized by saying he does not 'believe that anyone should be bullied or just made to feel bad about who they are,' Martin said he would not have chosen to do so. In 2006, when Reverend Al Sharpton urged for unity between the African American and LGBT communities, Martin used it as an opportunity to drive a wedge and advocate for the discredited and abusive practice of so-called 'ex-gay' conversion 'therapy.' In his most recent apology, Martin claimed to have always used his voice to 'speak progressively.' Clearly that has not been the case; we hope in the future that it will be.
"Speaking out on his website against anti-LGBT violence and sharing his personal story about bullying is a start, but Martin must use other platforms to fight against the very torments he says he himself experienced. Media and industry professionals are very powerful forces in this country. GLAAD takes that influence very seriously and we hope that in the future Roland Martin will do the same, whether it's on CNN, TV One or in any other outlet.
"Ultimately, it's up to CNN, its audience, and those affected by Martin's remarks to judge the veracity of, and Martin's commitment to, his statement. CNN has thus far remained silent. The network should not continue to do so.
"GLAAD continues to believe that CNN can find responsible, diverse voices who do not have a history of advocating or making excuses for violence toward anyone. The network now has to decide.
"The time has come for Roland Martin to put actions behind his words. GLAAD calls on him to meet with us and our partners to discuss how we can work together to address the staggering rates of anti-LGBT violence that continues to face our community today."
* Herndon Davis video: CNN's Roland Martin, GLAAD and Sensitive Gays
* Tracie Powell, Poynter Institute: NLGJA weighs in on Roland Martin’s comments about David Beckham Super Bowl ad
CNN Weighs Call to Fire Roland Martin
Pundit Makes 2nd Statement After Gays Link Tweets to Hate
CNN was weighing its response Monday to gay activists who demanded that CNN contributor Roland Martin be fired over Twitter remarks during the Super Bowl that they interpreted as anti-gay. Martin denied the tweets were homophobic but acknowledged that they were intended to be "over the top."
Late Monday, Martin issued a more sober statement that he labeled his "final thoughts" on the subject, noting that "In fact, I was bullied in school, and watched another middle schooler [pull] a knife on my father when he boarded our school bus and came to the defense of me and my brother. My position has been unequivocal on this issue, and will remain so."
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said early Tuesday that it would respond to Martin's latest statement later in the day.
On Sunday night, after the game, that group said in a statement, "Twice on Sunday, Martin joked about violence against men who could be perceived as gay - once for wearing pink clothing, once for being interested in an ad showing a scantily-clad man. And we know how he feels about the LGBT community."
"This isn't a mistake made on twitter," GLAAD Director of Communications Rich Ferraro said in the statement. "It's part of a pattern of anti-LGBT rhetoric that culminated in two tweets yesterday promoting violence towards gay people. The time has come when CNN and Time Warner have to decide whether they want to continue to use their platforms to elevate those who use such language."
". . . Following retailer H&M's Super Bowl commercial featuring soccer player David Beckham, CNN's Roland Martin tweeted to almost 95,000 followers: 'If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl' "
GLAAD responded to the tweet with: "@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT"
Martin, an inveterate tweeter whom one writer described as cheeky, replied, "@glaad @CNN well you're clearly out of touch and clueless with what I tweeted. Way to assume, but you're way off base."
GLAAD also said, ". . . Earlier today, Martin posted to his Facebook fan page: 'Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass."
On Monday, Martin responded to his critics on his website: ". . . I made several cracks about soccer as I do all the time. I was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham ad, and I'm sorry folks took it otherwise.
"It was meant to be a deliberately over the top and sarcastic crack about soccer; I do not advocate violence of any kind against anyone gay, or not. As anyone who follows me on Twitter knows, anytime soccer comes up during football season it's another chance for me to take a playful shot at soccer, nothing more."
However, GLAAD cited support for its position from an organization of African American gays. " 'Even if he meant it in a jovial manner, Roland Martin's words carry a real impact on the everyday lives of Black LGBT people, especially our youth,' said Sharon Lettman, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, the nation's largest black LGBT civil rights organization. 'Given the number of rash murders, attacks and violent acts involving LGBT people of color, we cannot let statements such as this go unchecked. Silence is a form of acceptance and only perpetuates the problem.' "
GLAAD went on to cite Martin's defense last year of remarks by comedian Tracy Morgan of "Saturday Night Live," who said during a stand-up routine that if his son were gay he would 'stab him.' Morgan later apologized and worked with GLAAD to send positive messages to parents and LGBT youth, the organization noted.
But Martin said in a response, ". . . I just believe that many of you would be shocked and amazed that you laughed hysterically at some of the most sexist, homophobic, racist stuff imaginable by comedians of all shapes, sizes, ethnic backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations."
Martin won support in the skirmish Monday from some who tweeted that they thought it a stretch to think Martin was advocating hate crimes. But one, signed "Political Nupe," wrote, "hope @rolandmartin survives this but he's gotta be smarter. Talking trash with your boys is cool but tweeting it to the masses? Dumb."
Others said Martin did not seem to realize the seriousness of the situation.
The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association issued a brief statement that said, in part: "As journalists, we understand that our words carry weight. Whether we speak in a broadcast studio or in bursts of 140 characters on Twitter, we often command national attention -- so it's our obligation to choose our words carefully.
"Roland Martin says he did not intend to target the LGBT community with his tweets; it's clear, however, that he might have thought more carefully about how his words might be received. LGBT people are often targeted for violence because of their sexual orientation - and many of our straight friends are targeted because they are perceived to be LGBT. Comments like those tweeted by Martin are an unfortunate reminder of that reality."
CNN seems to have grown increasingly sensitive to pressure from groups complaining about the utterances of its employees or those under contract. Although it took months, the network cut ties with host Lou Dobbs in 2009 after a campaign by Latinos and others who complained about consistent inaccuracies Dobbs asserted on the air about immigration.
Then, in 2010, Octavia Nasr, a Mideast correspondent for CNN for 20 years, was fired after, on hearing of the death of a Hezbollah leader, she tweeted, "Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. One of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot."
The same year, CNN fired anchor Rick Sanchez, one of the few Latino anchors on an English-language network, over remarks to a radio interviewer that critics insisted were anti-Semitic, but which Sanchez contended were just clumsily phrased.
Martin is also a syndicated columnist, author, public speaker and commentator for TV One and the syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show." He arrived at CNN with hopes of having his own show at a time when journalists of color were expressing continuing dissatisfaction that all prime-time hosts on the cable news networks were white.
* Dylan Byers, Politico: CNN's political contributor problem, pt. 2
* Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: Gay group calls for CNN to fire Roland Martin
* Samantha Master, the Colored Other: An Open Letter to Roland Martin
* Jesus Ortiz, San Francisco Chronicle: Beckham's underwear ad exposes Roland Martin
* Dr. Boyce Watkins, syndicated: Roland Martin, GLAAD and How We've Learned to Become Oppressors
* Elizabeth Wellington, Philadelphia Inquirer: David Beckham's Super Bowl Underwear Ad
* Erik Wemple, Washington Post: At CNN, is homophobia a 'viewpoint'?
* Erik Wemple, Washington Post: Roland Martin's new statement, old hogwash [Feb. 7]
* Scott Wooledge, Milk Men And Women, Daily Kos: Please, CNN's Roland Martin, explain to me what's so darn funny about hate crimes?
Super Bowl XLVI Most-Watched Program in TV History
"It was by the slimmest of margins, but last night's Super Bowl XLVI set a record for most-watched program in TV history," Toni Fitzgerald wrote Monday for medialifemagazine.com.
"The NBC broadcast averaged 111.3 million total viewers, according to Nielsen, bettering last year's record on Fox by 300,000.
"It marked the third straight year that the Super Bowl has set a new record for most-watched program, having surpassed the 106 million who watched the final edition of 'M*A*S*H' in 2010.
"Viewership peaked from 9:30 to 9:58 p.m., when 117.4 million watched the New York Giants score their final touchdown and the New England Patriots get the ball back with less than a minute to play. The Giants won 21-17."
Chris Ariens added for TVNewser:
"Most-watched programs in TV history:
"1. 111.3 Million - Super Bowl XLVI, NBC (2012)
"2. 111.0 Million - Super Bowl XLV, Fox (2011)
"3. 106.5 Million - Super Bowl XLIV, CBS (2010)
"4. 106.0 Million - [M*A*S*H] Finale, CBS (1983)
"5. 98.7 Million - Super Bowl XLIII, NBC (2009)"
". . . But Of Course, She Didn't Look Like Any of the Others"
"When social media explodes around the question of, 'Who was that ridiculous Latina chick in the red dress at the Super Bowl media day,' I pay attention," Mariela Dabbah wrote Friday for Fox News Latino. "The chick in question was Marisol González, the reporter for Televisa Deportes.
"Wearing a super tight, red mini-dress with her luscious, wavy brown hair flowing down to her waist, the striking reporter was at the media event interviewing players alongside other reporters. But of course, she didn't look like any of the others.
"Her outfit was just as sexy as those favored by her competitor, Inez Sainz, from TV Azteca, who last year was at the center of an investigation following a 'locker room incident' where some players made jokes and comments about her appearance. I wonder why?
"The fact that these two reporters are not only allowed but very likely encouraged to flaunt their great attributes by their employers speaks volumes of the deeply engrained sexism in the Hispanic culture. . . .
"The problem with übersexy reporters who pose in bikinis and wear skimpy clothing to do their jobs is that you can't take them seriously and they devalue the profession. When Inez Sainz describes herself on her website as the 'World Hottest Sports Reporter' who 'is best known because of her sexy looks' and 'is hot, talented and has a great smile,' it makes me wonder, why not chose a career as a model, spokesperson for a sun block brand, or even have her own variety show?"
* Jerry Brewer, Seattle Times: Adventures of the misguided prognosticator: Taking the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI [Feb. 5]
* Mary C. Curtis, Washington Post: A Super Bowl party with wistful former players
* Eric Deggans blog, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: Madonna's seeming lip synching leaves this critic cold at Super Bowl halftime
* Eric Deggans, National Sports Journalism Center: Inflated Super Bowl coverage endorses NFL initiatives rather than investigates
* Rip Empson, Techcrunch.com: First Legal Streaming Super Bowl A Success, But Audience Still Denied The Real Show
* Mike Freeman, CBSSports.com: Second Super Bowl loss to the Giants hurts Belichick's, Brady's legacies
* Chloé A. Hilliard, Loop21.com: Madonna Is Part of My Black History
* HuffPost LatinoVoices: Latino NFL Greats And Super Bowl Stars
* Sean Jensen, Chicago Sun-Times: Giants' ground game finally comes to life in postseason
* Jason Johnson, Politic365.com: Love and Hate Between the Super Bowl and Black Folks
* Gregory H. Lee Jr., Boston Globe: What now for Brady and Belichick's legacy? (video)
* Julie Moos, Poynter Institute: In matchup between NY, New England, no clear winner for Super Bowl front pages
* David Steele, AOL FanHouse: Elite discussion now starts with Eli
* Brian Stelter, New York Times: No Ads, No Madonna But NBC Calls Live Stream A Success
* Jason Whitlock, FoxSports.com: Eli an impact player - on NFL history
* George Willis, New York Post: Giants stop Brady when it counts
* Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPNNewYork.com: Deja Blue: 'We've seen this before'
African Americans, Latinos on Air for CNN During Caucus
A healthy number of African Americans and Latinos were on-air at CNN Saturday night for the Nevada Republican party caucuses, won handily by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
Romney finished with 50 percent; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was second with 21 percent; Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, tallied 19 percent; and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, 10 percent.
Among the working journalists live in the CNN Election Center were Soledad O'Brien, Don Lemon and Roland Martin, along with Maria Cardona, a contributor who is Latina. O'Brien is the daughter of a white Australian father and a black Cuban mother. Lemon and Martin are African American. Off-air was Bryan Monroe, who is African American and editor of CNNPolitics.com.
Jeremy M. Gaines, spokesman for MSNBC, was asked what the diversity looked like on that network.
"Among others," he replied, "MSNBC analysts Michael Steele and Karen Finney participated in the coverage. NBC's Ron Mott reported from Gingrich HQ in Las Vegas."
A Fox News spokeswoman did not reply to an emailed request for comment.
According to Chris Ariens of TVNewser, these were the Nielsen viewership averages between 10 p.m. Eastern Time, when the polls closed, and midnight Eastern:
Fox News Channel, 1,334,000 total viewers and 244,000 in the key demographic of 25 to 54; MSNBC, 418,000 viewers, 187,000 ages 25 to 54; CNN, 631,000 viewers, 231,000 ages 25 to 54.
* Kim Barker, Al Shaw and Ariel Wittenberg, ProPublica: With Spotlight on Super PAC Dollars, Nonprofits Escape Scrutiny
* Wayne Bennett, the Field Negro: Halftime Show.
* Charles M. Blow, New York Times: Romney, the Rich and the Rest
* Mary C. Curtis, Nieman Watchdog: Will Trump Take Credit for Romney's Nevada Win?
* John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable: PEJ: Negative Newt Gingrich Coverage on the Rise
* Earl Ofari Hutchinson, syndicated: Where are Romney's Blacks?
Duluth, Minn., Begins Community Dialogue About Racism
"It's hard to see racism when you're white," begins the copy on the home page of the Un-Fair Campaign, introduced to readers Sunday in the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune.
"Racism is an issue that we don't like talking about. The Un-Fair Campaign was developed to look at racism and to encourage a community dialogue about the causes and solutions.
"Racism is a complex social issue and depending upon what you see as the causes of racism you have ideas about the solutions.
"We invite you to spend time on this website and to ask yourself how you may be part of the problem as well as part of the solution.
"See it. Know it. Stop it."
Partners include the Central Labor Body, a coalition of churches, area colleges and universities and social action groups. The News Tribune is a supporter but not a partner. The campaign began Jan. 24.
According to a story that day by the News Tribune's Steve Kuchera, "The campaign will use posters, billboards, a website, events and television and radio public service announcements to make the public aware of white privilege.
". . . Organizers describe white privilege as white people receiving advantages in life simply because of the color of their skin.
" 'Generally, white people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it,' scholar Peggy McIntosh has written.
"Duluth's demographics -- 90 percent of Duluth's population is white -- promote the feeling that white is 'normal,' organizers say. They hope their campaign will help white people become aware of the unfairness of judging people by their race, and of their responsibility to help bring racism to an end."
* Ellen O'Neill, Un-Fair Campaign: Campaign's view: If we recognize racism, we can stop it
* Peter Passi, Duluth News Tribune: Backlash slams 'Un-Fair' anti-racism campaign in Twin Ports
* Robin Washington, Duluth News Tribune: Racism easy to see with a little help
Disney, Univision Weigh English-Language Cable News
"Walt Disney Co., owner of the ABC broadcast network, is in talks with Univision Communications Inc. to create an English-language 24-hour cable-news channel, according to two people with knowledge of the situation," Andy Fixmer reported Monday for Bloomberg News.
"Disney, based in Burbank, California, would oversee advertising sales and distribution for the venture, said the people, who sought anonymity because an agreement hasn't been reached. The channel would draw newsgathering resources from ABC News and Univision, the largest U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster, they said.
"The discussions have been under way for at least six months and are ongoing, said the people. The channel would be based in Miami and start service before the November presidential election, they said.
"A venture would provide Disney with a cable-news presence and advance Univision Chief Executive Officer Randy Falco's goal of building new channels. Falco is interested in starting English-language service in sports and news, he told the Wall Street Journal in October. The Journal reported the discussions with Disney earlier today.
"Closely held Univision, based in New York, is starting a Spanish-language telenovela network this month on Dish Network Corp.'s satellite-TV system. Spanish-language sports and news channels will follow by midyear, according to Monica Talan, a spokeswoman."
Cornel West Settling Scores With Melissa Harris-Perry
Cornel West, one of President Obama's fiercest critics among black academicians, turns his fire on MSNBC's newest host, Melissa Harris-Perry, in an apparent attempt to settle scores as he is interviewed for the Feb. 2 issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
"West says that the attacks by his former colleague, Melissa Harris-Perry, in the Nation and on cable news were strictly personal," Jamal Eric Watson writes.
". . . West was responsible for bringing her to Princeton from the University of Chicago after the two met at a conference. . . . She held a joint appointment between the Center for African American Studies and later turned on him and [Dr. Eddie] Gluade, the chairman of the department, calling them 'hypocritical leftists.' 'I have a love for the sister, but she is a liar, and I hate lying,' says West. . . . She's become the momentary darling of the liberals, but I pray for her because she's in over her head. She's a fake and a fraud. I was so surprised how treacherous the sister was.'
"Harris-Perry declined to be interviewed for this story."
"Melissa Harris-Perry" is to debut on MSNBC on Saturday, Feb. 18, airing Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon, Eastern time.
Harris-Perry told Journal-isms she would have no comment.
Iranian Journalists Under Siege Establish Website
". . . Reporters Without Borders is supporting Khabarnegaran Iran (The Iranian Journalist), an Iranian news website aimed at journalists," the press freedom group said on Wednesday. "Launched in July 2009, it has become part of the resistance to the government's repression and propaganda.
"What are the differences between working as a journalist in Tehran and working as a journalist in the rest of the country? How can you inform the public when all dissident voices are being censored? What role do women journalists play in Iran? Who are the journalists that are in jail and why are they there? How do the families of detained journalists live? These are the kind of stories the website covers.
"The articles are written in Farsi but about a quarter of them are translated into English in order to reach a wider audience. The team of translators also translate[s] some international articles into Farsi.
"Using a network of contributors in Iran, the website offers a unique insight into what life is like for Iranian journalists and provides an alternative outlet to those who have been forced to stop working as journalists for political reasons."
* Committee to Protect Journalists: Iran detains, harasses relatives of BBC Persian service staff
* Marcela Toledo, a freelancer who is at Eastern Michigan University securing a second bachelor's degree, is resigning from the board of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, where she is a regional representative, she told Journal-isms. "I will be moving from Ann Arbor to Covina, California, at the beginning of May. I applied for a [master's] at three schools," Toledo said by email. "I hope I get in at the best school for me. I want to make documentaries and write for the big screen. In the meantime I'll continue as a freelance." Ada Alvarez Conde, Spanish-language at-large officer, announced last week she, too, was stepping down from the NAHJ board.
* "The labels used to describe Americans of African descent mark the movement of a people from the slave house to the White House," Jesse Washington wrote Friday for the Associated Press. "Today, many are resisting this progression by holding on to a name from the past: 'black,' " resisting the term "African American." This column discussed the origin of "African American" in 2004 on the 20th anniversary of advocacy of the term by the National Alliance of Black School Educators.
* Alfred Liggins, CEO of Radio One since 1997 and president since 1989, told RadioInk, "The last three or four years have been very challenging for traditional media businesses. Radio is certainly as traditional as traditional media gets. They have been very tough years. However, we think that the industry has hit bottom."
* "Miguel Marquez, late of ABC News, will rejoin CNN as a Los Angeles-based correspondent, TVNewser has learned," Chris Ariens wrote on Monday. "Until November, Marquez was a London-based correspondent for ABC News."
* Harris Faulkner, a former Minneapolis anchor now on Fox News Channel, was asked by Star Tribune columnist C.J., "Are you guys really beating CNN and MSNBC, because people can do whatever they want with numbers?" Faulkner replied, "I think there are people who don't admit to their friends they watch Fox .... You know, I travel quite a bit because I've got family in the Southwest. ... People can tell me what I had on, so I know they're watching. ... If you ask me how they do the meters and diaries, I can't tell you all that. But people are watching Fox News Channel in droves."
* Nischelle Turner, a correspondent on CNN's "Showbiz Tonight," is profiled by Margaux Henquinet in the Columbia Missourian, a publication of the Missouri School of Journalism at Turner's alma mater, the University of Missouri.
* Mikki Taylor, who retired as beauty and cover director after 30 years at Essence magazine, discusses her time there in a video interview with Donya Blaze of MediaBistro.
* In Kansas City, "Veteran WDAF-FOX4 sports anchor/reporter Al Wallace is recovering from prostate cancer surgery he had Thursday at the University of Kansas Hospital, sources have told Bottom Line," John Landsberg wrote Friday for that website. "He reportedly went home Friday evening. His cancer was reportedly diagnosed early and he reportedly is doing well and will be recovering at home for an undetermined period of time."
* "Academy Award front-runner Viola Davis covers the February 2012 issue of [the Los Angeles Times] Magazine with a photoshoot that shows a drastically different side of the actress," reports the site Young, Black and Fabulous. "See the pics inside and get highlights of the interview she did with Andre Leon Talley for 'ET.' "
* "The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) has reportedly enlisted the service of the police in a bid to stop foreign newspapers without local offices from circulating," Media Institute of Southern Africa, based in Windhoek, Namibia, reported on Friday. "Publications that might be affected include[:] the Sunday Times, Mail and Guardian, Business Day and the Zimbabwean."
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AP Lays Off Diversity Advocate
Robert Naylor Jr., a diversity advocate within the Associated Press who was director of career development/news, was laid off on Friday, a day after the news cooperative announced it would restore a key diversity initiative, its internship programs.
Naylor's departure follows other layoffs, including those of other long-serving journalists of color: Dolores Barclay, East Coast entertainment editor, and Andrew Fraser, assistant Pennsylvania bureau chief, based in Philadelphia.
It also comes after Tom Curley, president and CEO of the Associated Press since 2003, announced last month he will step down this year.
Although the restoration of the intern programs was to take place after a year's suspension, AP spokesmen had said in December it was conditional on "a budgetary review." Naylor supervised many of the AP's diversity programs as director of career development/news. He told fellow recruiter Bill Elsen, formerly of the Washington Post, that he planned to continue to be involved with students. "I love working with students," he said.
The AP has not said who will take over Naylor's responsibilities. Paul Colford, AP director of media relations, said by email on Saturday: "The AP remains committed to diversity. Nothing has altered that commitment. We are confident that a number of well-wired leaders in our newsroom and on the business side will continue to direct our efforts."
Naylor, 55, grew up in Mississippi and arrived at the AP in 1987 after three years as metro editor at his hometown newspaper, the Meridian Star.
He sent this note Friday to his AP colleagues:
"After more than 24 years of being able to call myself a colleague of some the most amazing journalists on the planet, today is my last day at The Associated Press. My position has been eliminated.
"In many ways, it’s a sad day since AP has given me a professional home and family for so long. But I leave with a great sense of accomplishment and an eye toward the future. I will never lose my passion for finding and developing talent, or my fierce advocacy for newsroom diversity, which is both the right thing to do and good business.
"Many of you have heard me say that we need to ask ourselves what we’d do if we didn’t do this. I have taken my own advice and asked myself that question. The answers are not easy and I’m still trying to answer them for myself. But I do have some ideas.
"We become journalists out of a sense of mission and because we are, in many ways, idealists. In nearly 34 years as a journalist, I’ve never lost that idealism. I became a journalist because I saw – during the civil rights era and other events that changed American history and culture – the power the power of the media to tell the stories of people who otherwise had no voice. I’ve had a chance to see history unfold and to tell many of the stories alongside some of the best in the business.
"I began my first reporting job in May 1978 at my hometown newspaper when newsrooms were becoming computerized. Who among us could have foreseen the changes and challenges that have occurred in the years since? I came to the AP at a time when I was questioning whether I wanted to continue a profession in journalism. The AP and the amazing people who staff this amazing news organization helped to rekindle my fire for journalism and it continues to this day. I’ve had the chance to dream, try, and experience new things. I’ve been mentored and coached by some especially inspiring people. In turn, I’ve had the chance to recruit, mentor, and coach some people who are helping AP and other news organizations rise to the immense challenges that face the news industry.
"No doubt I’ve left someone off of this email I should have included. My apologies for that. I’ve already heard from many of you and your thoughts and well wishes mean much more than you can imagine. All of you can expect to hear from me in the future as I explore new ventures and opportunities. It’s been a great honor and pleasure being among the best and working with all of you. "
Naylor's brief bio on his Facebook page reads, "Director of Career Development/News · Sep 1987 to present · New York City Leadership and management training and coaching for editorial managers; recruitment; newsroom diversity.
"I was AP’s Director of Editorial Planning (based in New York) from June 2001 until September 2003. I was AP's Chief of Bureau for Upstate New York (based in Albany) from December 1998 until June 2001 and Chief of Bureau for Mississippi (based in Jackson) from February 1994 until December 1998. I was a Washington-based reporter from April 1990 until February 1994, covering consumer affairs, labor and the 1992 presidential campaign. Prior to that, I was a state government reporter in AP's Jackson, Mississippi bureau from September 1987 until April 1990."
NABJ Decries "Relentless Attack on Newsroom Diversity"
The National Association of Black Journalists released this statement Friday:
"Today, the Associated Press laid off longtime NABJ member and diversity advocate Robert Naylor after 24 years of service. Naylor becomes the third African American manager at the company to be terminated in the last two weeks. This news comes one day after the AP reinstated its internship program, a historically critical pipeline for reporters and editors of color in the company, following a one-year hiatus.
" 'As I stated in my letter to the industry on January 6, the relentless attack on newsroom diversity continues to arise under the guise of a failing economy,' NABJ President Gregory Lee said. "I will be reaching out to Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley and executive editor Kathleen Carroll in hopes of finding some common ground on diversity issues in the company's news division.' NABJ extends its best wishes to Mr. Naylor and salutes him for championing the cause of diversity during his career."
AP Transfers Assistant Bureau Chief to Coupon Project
Michelle Morgante, assistant Florida bureau chief and Caribbean business manager at the Associated Press, was not among those laid off at the news cooperative, as reported in this space last month, Paul Colford, spokesman for the AP, told Journal-isms by email on Friday.
Instead, "She's joined AP's iCircular team," he said, described by Mobile Marketing Watch as "a new service aimed at serving up coupons within mobile apps developed by participating newspapers around the country."
Colford did not elaborate on her duties, or say whether this is a temporary or permanent job.
Morgante wrote in her LinkedIn profile that she has been in the bureau since 2005. "I represent The Associated Press for Florida and the Caribbean, helping our members make the most of their AP relationship, and working with clients in the Caribbean to put AP content to work for them in print or digital publications, broadcast reports, publishing projects and as a resource for companies and academic institutions," she wrote.
Morgante had been an AP correspondent in Mexico for five years, and before that, an editor on the AP's International Desk.
Associated Press: AP and 40 leading newspapers launch mobile advertising circulars with 20 major retailers [Sept. 19]
CNN's Don Lemon Anchors in Nevada Caucus Coverage
"Cable news networks have lined up coverage as the GOP race heads west to the Nevada caucuses on Saturday," Andrea Morabito wrote Friday for Broadcasting & Cable.
"Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper and John King will anchor coverage from CNN's Election Center beginning at 7 p.m. ET following The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer. Don Lemon will anchor a live edition of CNN Newsroom at 11 p.m.
"On MSNBC, Hardball host Chris Matthews will lead live coverage of the results from 8-10:30 p.m. ET with Chuck Todd, NBC News chief White House correspondent and political director. MSNBC contributor Michael Smerconish will lead coverage before that from 6-8 p.m.
"Bret Baier will be at the desk for Fox News with a one-hour live special at 10 p.m. ET and cut-ins during the net's regular Saturday primetime programming before that."
Michael H. Cottman, BlackAmericaWeb.com: In Arizona, the Kids Apparently Aren't All Right
Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: Time for the world's political media to go cold turkey on its Donald Trump addiction Jonathan P. Hicks, New York Amsterdam News: The Republicans' not-so-quiet storm in the Sunshine State Allen Johnson blog, News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.: Romney on the poor
Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Poor Romney's so clueless about the needy
Drew Olanoff, thenextweb.com: Twitter prepares for election coverage by setting up an account aimed at journalists
Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune: Gingrich's secret love affair with Saul Alinsky's tactics
Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald: Looking for morning in America
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Romney fails the empathy test
Marisa Treviño, Latina Lista blog: GOP presidential nominees just keep hatin’ on the DREAM ActU.N. Panel: Verdict on Journalist Violates Human Rights
"In a landmark ruling that could have global implications, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has found that the conviction of a Philippines journalist on charges of criminal defamation violated the journalist's right to free expression," Scott Griffen wrote Thursday for the Vienna-based International Press Institute.
"The Committee said that the nearly five-year prison sentence imposed on Alexander Adonis of Bombo Radyo in Davao City was 'incompatible' with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to the official text of the UNHRC decision.
"The case stemmed from a 2001 broadcast in which Adonis reported on an alleged affair between a Philippine congressman, then-Speaker of the House Prospero Nograles, and a married woman.
". . . IPI will announce in the coming months a major campaign to abolish criminal defamation laws in the Caribbean. The campaign will seek to highlight the ways in which such laws can be abused by prominent figures to squelch critical coverage in order to protect their economic interest and maintain power."
Libby Clark Dies at 94, "Grande Dame" in L.A. Black Press
Libby Clark"Whenever pioneering, barrier-breaking newspaper women come to mind, white people recall the almost mythical Nellie Bly, but Black people think of Libby Clark," Betty Pleasant wrote Wednesday for the Wave newspapers in Los Angeles. "While Bly was noted for flamboyantly blazing a trail for women in a man’s profession, Clark is noted for having pushed, punched and plowed a path for Black women in a field that wasn’t all that accessible to Black men.
"Funeral services for Libby Clark, the Grande Dame of the Black press, were held Monday in the Chapel of Roses at the Simpson Funeral Home in Inglewood. Clark, believed to have been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, died in her sleep on Jan. 23. She was 94 years old.
". . . In 1949, Clark set her sights on returning to 'mainstream journalism' and applied for a reporting job with the Los Angeles Times. 'I went there five times trying to get a job, and they laughed at me; they treated me like a joke,' Clark said. 'Finally, The Times’ food editor told me to stop trying to work for the Times because they were never going to hire me regardless of my qualifications or experience. I was devastated.'
". . . Almost 60 years ago, Clark founded 'Femme,' a magazine devoted to Black women and their families, and 30 years later she began publishing the valuable 'Plum Book,' which was a listing of key individuals, organizations and institutions in the Black community — a guide so Black people could find each other, as it were. She was the author/editor of the 'Black Family Reunion Cookbook,' which remained on the nation’s bestseller list for several months in 1991. It was commissioned by the National Council of Negro Women, through which more than 250,000 copies were sold. And, in 1969 Clark became the first African-American public information officer hired by the county of Los Angeles to serve as such for the new Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in 1969.
"Clark did all of these things while still churning out newspaper copy as a food editor, feature writer and syndicated columnist with works appearing in 150 newspapers around country, including the Los Angeles Sentinel, from which she retired less than 10 years ago."
Los Angeles Sentinel: Libby Clark, tireless Sentinel Reporter
The Los Angeles Times defended running a photo of mourners passing by the open casket of blues and soul singer Etta James, who died Jan. 23 at 73 after battling leukemia. "We do not run open-casket photos just because we can," Calvin Hom, deputy director of photography, said. "In this case, the deceased was a famous woman, and the family was open to the idea of us covering the event," Deirdre Edgar, readers' representative, wrote Wednesday for the Times.
The New York Police Department recommended increasing surveillance of thousands of Shiite Muslims and their mosques, based solely on their religion, as a way to sweep the Northeast for signs of Iranian terrorists, according to interviews and a newly obtained secret police document," Adam Goldman, Chris Hawley, Eileen Sullivan and Matt Apuzzo reported Thursday for the Associated Press. ". . . The Associated Press has reported for months that the NYPD infiltrated mosques, eavesdropped in cafes and monitored Muslim neighborhoods with plainclothes officers. Its spying operations were begun after the 2001 terror attacks with help from the CIA in a highly unusual partnership."
"Last fall, student Malcolm Burnley made a startling discovery in the Brown University library archives: a long lost speech from 1961 that Malcolm X made at the school in response to an essay written by Katharine Pierce, a student at the time," NPR announced on Friday. "The essay was subsequently published in the Brown Daily Herald, whose editor at the time was none other than the late diplomat Richard Holbrooke. All Things Considered host Guy Raz speaks with Malcolm Burnley, Katharine Pierce, and Kati Marton, the widow of Richard Holbrooke. The story includes audio of the speech." The story is to air Saturday on "All Things Considered." More from Brown University.
"Jim Romenesko is having a good time." Dan Reimold wrote Thursday for PBS MediaShift. "Lately, the 'journalism evangelist,' 'KING of the blogosphere,' and 'go-to source for news about the news' has been waking up earlier, posting more often, and featuring content he had not felt free to publish for more than a decade. In the wake of his abrupt departure from The Poynter Institute late last year, he established an eponymous independent site that has quickly been embraced by media professionals, educators, students, and even a few Facebook spammers worldwide."
"A website has been created called http://economist-staff.com/ that is critical of the British-based business magazine because 94 of its 96 staffers listed in its online directory are white, contrary to its stated mission of promoting diversity," TalkingBizNews reported on Friday. "The site was created by Adriel Luis, a [ColorLines.com] contributor and artist based in Brooklyn."
"We are delighted to announce the SAJA Editors Challenge, an unprecedented show of support by some of our most senior members," the South Asian Journalists Association announces on its website. "Eleven top editors and producers in the country . . . have come together to create a challenge grant for SAJA members and friends. Their special pool of money will match, dollar-for-dollar, all donations made, up to a total of $10,000. We have till Feb. 8th, 2012, to complete this challenge!" Sree Sreenivasan, a SAJA founder, told Journal-isms by email, "we are planning a series of this, based on different cohorts — TV anchors, j-school profs, bloggers, etc. we might even run two challenges at the same time to have 'em compete with each other. more than the money, there's a bigger reason to do this: showcase our members. so many people are shocked at that collection of names and titles and had no idea this was going on."
"When a financial crisis threatened the existence of Africa’s oldest community station, Bush Radio, an outpouring of sympathy and appeals went viral on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook," Davison Mudzingwa reported from Cape Town, South Africa, Friday for Inter-Press Service. "In the end, it was this outspoken support that showed financial backers that the station was worth saving."
Referring to Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, Reporters Without Borders said Friday it "roundly condemns radio journalist Farah Abadid Hildid’s abduction by the police yesterday and the threats and torture to which he was subjected during the 24 hours he was held. Hildid works for La Voix de Djibouti, a radio station that broadcasts on the shortwave from Europe and is now also available on the Internet. He described his ordeal to Reporters Without Borders by telephone two hours after his release."
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News of Don Cornelius' Death Goes Viral
"Law Enforcement Sources" Tip Off Celebrity Website TMZ
The tipster who notified TMZ.com about the death of "Soul Train" creator Don Cornelius Wednesday morning might never be identified, but no identity was needed for the story to quickly consume social media and expand into the mainstream.
TMZ.com, which has gained notoriety for breaking such celebrity news, reported at 6 a.m. Pacific Time: "Don Cornelius -- who famously created 'Soul Train' was found dead in his Sherman Oaks, CA home this morning ... and law enforcement sources tell us it appears he committed suicide.
"We're told cops discovered the body at around 4 AM PT. Law enforcement sources tell us ... Cornelius died from a gunshot wound to the head and officials believe the wound was self-inflicted."
The Los Angeles Times followed 32 minutes later: "Law enforcement sources said police arrived at Cornelius' home around 4 a.m. He apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing."
From there, the story went viral, as it was confirmed, tributes flowed and surprising biographical information surfaced, such as Cornelius' brief life as a journalist.
"Don Cornelius was born in Chicago on September 27, 1936. He grew up on Chicago's predominantly black South Side and attended DuSable High School, where he studied art and drew cartoons for the school newspaper," according to Jordan Wankoff in "Contemporary Black Biography."
Greg Kot wrote in the Chicago Tribune that Cornelius "worked numerous jobs": he sold insurance, worked as a TV newsman and deejayed at WVON, which serenaded the South and West Sides with soul music. While employed at WCIU-TV in the '60s, he started hosting soul dance parties around the city and eventually approached station management about a show based on the same idea. They accepted."
The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Cornelius started his career as a fill-in disc jockey and also worked in the news department at WVON-AM in 1966, having gone to broadcasting school after working in the insurance business.
"He also appeared on WCIU-Channel 26's 'A Black's View of the News' before he created 'Soul Train,' which would become the longest-running syndicated program in television history."
Molly Kelly, a spokeswoman for WCIU Radio, confirmed that Cornelius "did the news in the late '60s" but said the station's archives "have a gap in them" for the time Cornelius worked there.
In any event, "Soul Train" made such an impression that websites and newscasts were adjusted Wednesday to include news and discussions of Cornelius' death. Some sites featured a photo gallery that included a black-and-white photo of Cornelius holding a tape recorder as he interviewed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., apparently when Cornelius was working at WCIU.
"The death of Don Cornelius was the talk of the USA TODAY newsroom on Wednesday, as it was in much of America," USA Today reported in introducing a first-person essay by Melanie Eversley, " 'Soul Train' and Saturday mornings live on in memories."
"BET has a big Don Cornelius and 'Soul Train' tribute in the works - much of which will start in a few hours," Verne Gay wrote Wednesday afternoon for Newsday. " '106th and Park' will start it off at 6 p.m., followed by a repeat airing of that very good documentary, 'Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America,' which VH1 and VH1 Classic will also air.
"Also, Centric will air a 24-hour marathon of what it's calling 'classic' 'Soul Train' episodes."
On Twitter, William Jelani Cobb, associate professor of Africana studies and a member of the history department faculty at Rutgers, wrote, "The upside of teaching a course on hip hop culture is that I can devote the entire next class to Don Cornelius ... "
Dan Charnas, author of "The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop," wrote for NPR, "Don Cornelius proved a truism about America and race that so few people, even today, understand: Black culture, expressed in undiluted form and unapologetically, will by virtue become accepted by the American mainstream. It's something that future rap moguls like Russell Simmons and Jay-Z understood instinctively."
Kot's assessment in the Chicago Tribune: "Cornelius' show mirrored African-American culture and influenced it, not just with music but with its sense of style and language. Cornelius' invitation to visit and 'style a while,' and depart with 'peace, love and soul' fit with his unflappable demeanor. Behind the double-breasted suits, professorial glasses and smooth turns of phrase was a keen sense of business and community. In an industry dominated by whites, he was a pioneering African-American empire builder.
" ... 'I don't know of any more of a significant show than 'Soul Train,' said Kevin Swain, director of the 2010 documentary 'Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America.' 'Dick Clark obviously had an impact, but in modern pop culture, 'Soul Train' was the most important vehicle because it brought African-American culture to television in a way that hadn't been seen before, and it brought it in a fun and hip way that wasn't heavy handed or overly political. And it was the single most important show for promoting black music. There probably wouldn't be a (cable channel such as) BET without 'Soul Train.' "
[On Thursday, after a piece by correspondent Bill Whitaker, co-hosts Gayle King and Charlie Rose interviewed son Tony Cornelius on "CBS This Morning." The younger Cornelius said of his dad, "Our family could never know how uncomfortable he really was," and that "He wanted to expose the masses to a new way of looking at black-oriented television" [Video].
* John Blake and Todd Leopold, CNN: How Don Cornelius became the 'pope of soul'
* Ericka Blount Danois, ebony.com: [EXCERPT] 'Soul Train's Mighty Ride
* Fred Bronson, Billboard: 'Soul Train' Founder Don Cornelius: The Billboard Interviews
* Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: RIP Don Cornelius: The Soul Train host who gave black America a proud voice on television
* Essence.com: Must-See: The First Episode of 'Soul Train' Featuring Gladys Knight & The Pips
* Henry Louis Gates Jr., theRoot.com: How Don Cornelius Got His Start
* Verne Gay, Newsday: Tom Joyner on Cornelius, 'Soul Train'
* Ben Greenman, the New Yorker: The Last Don: Remembering the Conductor of "Soul Train"
* Edward Gilbreath, DeVona Alleyne, Jacqueline J. Holness, Dr. Vincent Bacote, Wanda Thomas Littles, Jelani Greenidge, Christine A. Scheller, Julian DeShazier, Wil LaVeist, Urban Faith: We Remember 'Soul Train' [Feb. 2]
* Earl Ofari Hutchinson, syndicated: Don Cornelius dead: Why Soul Train will never leave America's station
* Dwayne McClary, theGrio.com: Don Cornelius remembered: Love, 'rest in peace' and soul
* James C. McKinley Jr., New York Times: Don Cornelius, 'Soul Train' Creator, Is Dead
* Nekesa Mumbi Moody and David Bauder, Associated Press: Don Cornelius Took 'Soul Train' On Pioneering Trip
* MSNBC: Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder [and other celebrities] pay tribute to Don Cornelius
* TMZ.com: Don Cornelius Ex-Wife Scores Huge Life Insurance Payout
* Sami Yenigun, NPR: 'Soul Train' Creator Don Cornelius Dies At 75
* Shamontiel L. Vaughn, Chicago Defender: Archives: Soul Train reunion to honor show host, Ghent
Dolores Barclay, Entertainment Editor at AP, Laid Off
Dolores Barclay, a longtime black journalist at the Associated Press who most recently was East Coast entertainment editor, was laid off on Monday, according to sources at the news cooperative.
Also laid off was Lifestyles Editor Lisa Tolin, who was on maternity leave, the sources said. The moves follow last month's layoff of two assistant bureau chiefs of color, Miami-based Michelle Morgante, assistant Florida bureau chief and Caribbean business manager, and Andrew Fraser, assistant Pennsylvania bureau chief, based in Philadelphia.
Paul Colford, spokesman for the AP, told Journal-isms then, "We've made some changes based on evolving business needs."
Barclay could not be reached for comment. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was East Coast entertainment editor for 14 years, worked previously as a national writer, taught storytelling and investigative reporting at Rutgers University and authored several books.
One tribute on that site is from Bruce deSilva, news/features editor at the AP: "I have worked with Dolores Barclay for more than 15 years now," he wrote. "For much of that time, I was her immediate supervisor. For part of that time, we were in different departments but often still worked closely together. At times I have edited her work, and at times she has edited mine.
"She spends most of her time directing AP arts coverage, and she is excellent at it, She is a fine line editor, has lots of good ideas, and is outstanding at dealing with staff. She is also a very good writer and (although she is not often called upon to use this skill) an outstanding reporter. In fact, she was one of the lead reporters on an award-winning AP investigation involving black land ownership -- one of the finest AP projects of the last 20 years. She is also a wonderful colleague and a great team player."
* Jim Romenesko blog: AP lets 10 staffers go in restructuring
* Joe Strupp, Jim Romenesko blog: Q&A with departing AP CEO Tom Curley
Clash Between Sharpton, Gingrich Backer Makes Riveting TV
"During the Florida primary coverage last night on MSNBC, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rick Tyler, a strategist for the Gingrich-backing super-PAC, Winning Our Future, entered into a heated exchange that covered topics from food stamps to black role models to the president singing," Daniel Woolsey reported Wednesday for theGrio.com.
It was likely the most riveting exchange in Tuesday night's coverage of Florida's Republican presidential primary. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney re-established his front-runner status with 46 percent of the vote. A defiant former House speaker Newt Gingrich won 32 percent, former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania garnered 13 percent and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, 7 percent.
Discussing Gingrich, Sharpton told Tyler, ". . . he said, and I'm quoting here, that he would go to the NAACP and tell black people to stop being satisfied with food stamps, he didn't say 'people on food stamps,' he said black people.
"Don't be satisfied with food stamps, they should demand jobs. Black people in communities, youngsters don't have role models. This is not what he said when he went on the tour that President Obama asked him to go on," referring to the fall 2009 trip Sharpton and Gingrich took to promote education.
"He's brought race in the campaign by name. You cannot then turn around and act like [MSNBC host] Rachel [Maddow] or I'm bringing up racism. Wait a minute, I'm going to let you finish, but I want to finish this part. He brought up race, now you have to answer. If he didn't want to deal with race, why did he bring up race? It is a patent untruth that President Obama has more people on food stamps - more people went on food stamps under George W. Bush than President Obama. Would you call him a food stamp president?"
* Chris Ariens, TVNewser: Is it Okay to use the Term 'Cracker' when describing Florida voters?
* Vanessa Cárdenas, Latina Lista blog: Romney Takes Wrong Track on Economy for Latinos: Candidate Plans to Cut into Programs Important to Hispanics
* Brian E. Crowley, Columbia Journalism Review: Romney's Hispanic Support: About That Florida Poll
* James Crugnale, MEDIAite: Maddow Brands Gingrich's Attack On Obama's Singing 'Racial Allusions,' 'Minstrelsy'
* George E. Curry, National Newspaper Publishers Association: Lies Pollute Republican Presidential Debates
* Chloé A. Hilliard, Loop21.com: Can Mitt Romney Lead America if Mormons Denounced Blacks?
* Huffington Post: Rachel Maddow: Romney Has 'Issues Of Patriotism' Due To Offshore Accounts
* Ruben Navarrette Jr., CNN: Latinos won't forget Romney's 'anti-immigrant' talk
* Juan Williams, the Hill: Racial code words obscure real issue
Vanity Fair Dismisses Criticism of Latest Hollywood Cover
"The 2012 Hollywood Issue cover of Vanity Fair -- shot by Mario Testino -- features 11 'starlets' shot in satin and feathers for a '20s and '30s boudoir feel,' Dodai Stewart wrote Tuesday on jezebel.com.
"The ladies on the power panel -- the left third, aka the actual newsstand cover -- are Rooney Mara, Mia Wasikowska, Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain. Pariah's Adepero Oduye and Mission Impossible's Paula Patton are the only two ladies of color, and they are not on the power panel, but on the right two-thirds of the cover, which is folded up and tucked away when on newsstands."
"This cover ... is an improvement from the 2010 Young Hollywood cover, which only featured white actresses. But it upholds the unfortunate tradition of shoving the people of color to the right and [off] the main panel. Something Vanity Fair has been doing for years. (Usually Annie Leibovitz has been the photographer.)"
Beth Kseniak, Vanity Fair's executive director of public relations, told Journal-isms on Wednesday, "We're very pleased with our cover and the talented women who adorn all three panels."
Lisa Garcia Quiroz Named Time Warner Diversity Officer
Lisa Garcia Quiroz, senior vice president for corporate responsibility at Time Warner Inc., has been given the additional responsibility of chief diversity officer, the company's first, Jeffrey L. Bewkes, chairman of the board and CEO, told employees on Tuesday.
"Before joining corporate," Bewkes said, "she worked at Time Inc., where she launched two businesses that identified and successfully served new markets: Time for Kids and People en Español. And as those of you who have worked with her know, she has been immersed in the understanding and pursuit of the multicultural opportunities that exist for us company-wide."
He added, "Lisa will have a dotted line to me on the diversity areas of her work."
Bewkes took the occasion to praise the company's progress on diversity and mentioned that he had attended the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans for the first time. Essence became a Time Inc. property in 2005.
"Today, Time Warner hires as many women as men into our professional ranks, and more than 40% of our VPs and above are female," Bewkes said. "Over the past decade, we also increased the number of diverse managers, VPs and above, by more than 50%. These executives currently lead many of our most important brands and functions across the company, and they are driving key cross-platform initiatives with an eye on changes in programming and content that reflect the world we do business in today.
"Our workforce has evolved alongside the recognition of the growing importance and influence of our changing consumer base. Diverse audiences are driving growth not just for brands that specifically target multicultural consumers, but for general market brands as well. And Time Warner is better at reaching all audiences with our exceptional content than any of our competitors. We have the leading brands in these markets because we have persistently worked to identify and serve the interests and needs of emerging audiences.
"This has been another keen focus of mine over the past several years, and I am encouraged by the progress we have made. In 2007, I began to host an annual multicultural business summit, and we have conducted ground-breaking research and expanded our marketing efforts intelligently to reach new audiences and spark cross-divisional collaboration.
"To give just one example, this past year I attended the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans for the first time. I was deeply impressed by the breadth and depth of that business initiative and the brands, including many of our own, that have joined to make the festival a rousing success."
Black Newspaper Publishers Seek to Fill New CEO Position
The National Newspaper Publishers Association, which says it represents more than 200 black community newspapers, is looking to hire its first president and CEO, one who would "serve as the 'national face and spokesperson' of the association," according to Marian H. Carrington, whose Chicago-based executive search firm has been retained by NNPA.
"They finally have the funding and the resources to try ... to take this organization to new heights," Carrington told Journal-isms on Wednesday. The NNPA chairman, a working publisher, currently serves as the "face" of the organization.
Carrington's announcement says, "The President & CEO will create and implement strategic plans and programs that serve the needs of the newspaper publishing community and ensure the financial health of the organization and serves as the advocate and lobbyist for funding and policies that fulfill the strategic intent.
"The successful candidate must be able to lead with diplomacy, tact, agility, a high level of sophistication, cultural competencies and discernment.
"National Newspaper Publishers Association is seeking a dynamic thought leader with a successful track record with a national organization. The individual should bring 10+ years of experience in a leadership position and proven business, P&L, strategic, and development experience is essential. Knowledge in media, publishing, advertisement, marketing, sales and/or associations is desired."
Those interested may contact Carrington at 312-606-0015, ext. 107, or mcarrington (at) carringtonandcarrington.com
The position comes with "a market competitive salary plus bonus."
Why Aren't There More Arab-American Journalists?
"There are anywhere between 3.5 and 5.1 million Americans of Arab descent, according to figures from the Arab American Institute, yet relatively few work in journalism full time," Justin D. Martin wrote Tuesday for the Columbia Journalism Review.
" ... Arabs in America are predominantly Egyptian, Palestinian, Lebanese, and Iraqi, and many immigrated or fled to the United States to escape violence or other forms of repression. They left countries in which political change via a free press and meaningful elections was not likely. Historically, journalism in Arab countries has not provided a middle class existence with any more than a semblance of prestige, but is rather a field of meager pay that operates at the pleasure of autocrats.
" ... Following the Arab spring and with the partial opening of press systems in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere, it is possible that more Arab Americans will be encouraged to serve the public in journalism or politics, and I hope they do. America's approach to world affairs would be better for it. For now, though, many Arabs don't view journalism as one of the keys to a better life, and I can't blame them."
Freedman's 19th-Century Letter Creates Buzz in the 21st
A letter from a former slave published in a newspaper supporting the abolitionist cause gained renewed attention this week when a website called "Letters of Note" republished it on Monday.
"In August of 1865, a Colonel P.H. Anderson of Big Spring, Tennessee, wrote to his former slave, Jourdon Anderson, and requested that he come back to work on his farm. Jourdan - who, since being emancipated, had moved to Ohio, found paid work, and was now supporting his family - responded spectacularly by way of the letter seen below (a letter which, according to newspapers at the time, he dictated)," the site, edited by Shaun Usher, reads.
"Rather than quote the numerous highlights in this letter, I'll simply leave you to enjoy it. Do make sure you read to the end."
The letter appeared in the Aug. 22, 1865, edition of Horace Greeley's New York Daily Tribune, a strongly abolitionist newspaper.
Washington Post Editor Plans Cuts, Won't Say How Many
The Washington Post plans to reduce the size of its newsroom staff, Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli told Journal-isms on Wednesday, but Brauchli said there was no plan to cut 100 newsroom jobs, a figure cited last month by former managing editor Raju Narisetti.
At a Jan. 11 meeting of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Narisetti said the Post will likely eliminate about 100 positions in the next two years.
Brauchli was asked whether the Newspaper Guild accurately represented his position when it quoted Peter Perl, assistant managing editor for professional development & standards, speaking for Brauchli in saying, "There is no plan to cut 100 newsroom jobs" and "We will continue to reduce expenses (and that inevitably means some jobs) to keep costs and revenues in line."
"Correct," Brauchli responded by email. "That said, we also have said that we plan to reduce the size of our staff, as we sharpen our focus and build readership around our core mission, and that will continue." He did not respond to a question about how much of the staff would be cut.
* Ada M. Alvarez Conde, Spanish language at-large officer of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, resigned from the board on Wednesday. "The bylaws of the organization establish that I have to earn more than 50% of my salary in a news gathering position," she wrote. "In November I moved back to Puerto Rico to start my PhD. Also, I started working as Press Director of Senator Eduardo Bhatia from Puerto Rico." Alvarez had previously been student representative to the board, as well as multimedia editor for Washington Hispanic newspaper.
* "Iran's president on Tuesday lauded his country's newly launched Spanish-language satellite TV channel, saying it would deal a blow to 'dominance seekers' - remarks that were an apparent jab at the U.S. and the West," Nasser Karimi reported Tuesday for the Associated Press. "The launch is Tehran's latest effort to reach out to friendly governments in Latin America and follows Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's four-nation tour of the region earlier in January. . . .
* "The New York Times fired off another letter to the Police Department today on behalf of 13 New York-based news organizations about police treatment of the press over the last several months," Joe Pompeo reported Wednesday for capitalnewyork.com. The news organizations include the New York Post, Daily News, Associated Press, Reuters, Dow Jones, Bloomberg News, the National Press Photographers Association, several local TV affiliates and others. They say problems have persisted since the news outlets complained in November during the height of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, Pompeo wrote.
* "ABC News president Ben Sherwood is changing up a couple of correspondent assignments, while bringing on a new reporter: Reena Ninan, late of Fox News," Chris Ariens wrote Wednesday for TVNewser. "Ninan is joining the Washington, DC bureau after covering the Middle East for FNC. . . . Jim Avila, who has been based in New York, is relocating to Washington, D.C. where he will be Senior National Correspondent overseeing a new investigative unit focused on food, drug, airline and environmental safety issues."
* "The independent Manhattan movie house Film Forum has decided to pull its advertising from the Village Voice, citing concerns about Backpage.com, the classifieds site owned by Voice parent company Village Voice Media," Kat Stoeffel reported Tuesday in the New York Observer. Longtime Film Forum director Karen Cooper told Off the Record that Nicholas Kristof's Friday op-ed in The New York Times prompted her decision. 'It really held Backpage.com accountable for underage prostitution,' she said."
* " 'TheGrio's 100' list was unveiled on 'Today' this morning," Merrill Knox reported Tuesday for TVNewser. "The list, organized by NBC's TheGrio.com, honors Black History Month . . . by spotlighting 100 individuals from various fields that are 'the next generation of African-American history makers and industry leaders.' There are two MSNBCers featured: Melissa Harris-Perry, who will host a weekend show on MSNBC beginning next month, Yvette Miley, the vice president and executive editor of the network. T.J. Holmes, who left CNN for BET in December, also made the list."
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5 More Latino Journalists Flown to Israel
Jewish Group Sees Chance to Influence Hispanics
Five Latino journalists returned last week from an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel in another bid by an American Jewish group to influence the United States' growing Latino population.
"We welcome to Israel a group of prestigious journalists, publishers and reporters from the U.S. Hispanic Community," proclaimed the New York-based America's Voices in Israel, which chronicled the trip on its Facebook page. "Participants include Jorge Ferraez, Mary Rabago, Lupita Colmenero, Ruben Navarrette [Jr.] & Ruben Keoseyan."
Ferraez and his brother, Raul, are founders of Latino Leaders Magazine; Rabago is anchor for Univision 33 in Phoenix; Colmenero is publisher for El Hispano News and founder of Parents Step Ahead, an educational outreach initiative; Navarrette is a columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group; and Keoseyan is executive editor of Los Angeles-based La Opinión, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States.
The trip follows a similar tour by 17 Latino journalists from the United States and Latin America in November, sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL was concerned about what it considered an unacceptable level of anti-Semitism among Latinos, particularly new arrivals.
According to Navarrette, America's Voices in Israel was more interested in America's changing demographics. "They see the future of the U.S. is wrapped up in the Latino community," he said.
The Israelis might not have recognized that future, but the columnist said that after 20 briefings in eight days, the Latino journalists decided they would share some information of their own: "In 20 years, 25 percent - one in four Americans - would be Latino; there are five battleground states, in three of five of Latinos will be significant. We're really not on their radar," Navarrette said. "It got back to Bibi," Navarrette said of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, "that we were preaching this message." He was fine with that, the columnist said. Netanyahu was one of many the group met with.
If the Israelis' intent was to impress the journalists, they succeeded.
Keoseyan told Journal-isms by email, "The trip was incredible and much knowledge was gained. I will be using the knowledge obtained as context and information rather than specific coverage."
Rabago said by email, "It was amazing! I don't even know where to start. [Professionally and personally] a once in a life time experience :)"
Navarrette wrote two columns on the trip and engaged his Facebook followers.
One, which ran Monday in the Sacramento Bee, was about racism. "I have to ask: Am I in the Middle East, or the American Southwest?" he wrote.
"You know who I'd like to bring to the United States, where Latino immigrants are often treated like convenient foils, villains and scapegoats? Israeli President Shimon Peres.
"Recently, Peres - who is also a former prime minister - ruffled feathers when he unflinchingly condemned what he called a growing problem with racism in Israel.
"There have been reports of Israelis hurling racist slurs at Ethiopian immigrants and homeowners refusing to rent apartments to them. This sparked large protests in Jerusalem, including a demonstration outside parliament that drew more than 1,000 immigrants and their supporters.
"In response to the complaints and protests, Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver made matters worse by clumsily saying that Ethiopian immigrants should be 'thankful' for all that Israel has done for them. This includes efforts by the Israeli government to airlift Ethiopian Jews out of Africa over the last three decades."
Navarrette previewed the other in this Facebook posting: "Not to insult my wonderful hosts, but I now know I can be a provocative pain in the ass on two continents. My colleagues and I had a briefing this evening with one of Israel's top journalists: Aluf Benn, Editor of the daily newspaper, Ha' Aretz. I brought up this interesting story I read in the Jerusalem Post on the flight over, about how desperate some Israelis are to deny citizenship to a group of people who should be entitled to it under law -- spouses of Israeli citizens. Sounds familiar?"
The Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Post, among other journalism organizations, maintain that journalists who accept free trips place themselves in a conflict of interest.
Alan Shearer, editorial director/general manager of the Washington Post Writers Group, had this response when asked about acceptance of the trip: "Ruben is self-employed. He asked us about it; we said as long as he discloses it."
Navarrette said that by focusing more and more on local issues, the news industry is less likely today to support such travel. "The end result is you end up not going," he said, as happened to him at the paper that laid him off in 2010, the San Diego Union-Tribune. "If I don't get a trip, I don't get an education. I don't grow, and the column doesn't prosper." Besides, he said, "if you can't sort out the ethical problems in this, you're in the wrong business."
The columnist added that Americans and Israelis are already allies, so little was said during the trip that could change his overall view of Israel. The Israelis were concerned about the details: They provided a 40-minute briefing on the threat of nuclear weapons in Iran.
Navarrette told his Facebook friends on Wednesday, "Remember when some of our less-informed FB friends insisted that I had 'sold out' to Israel by even going on a fact-finding trip sponsored by a US-based group that is pro-Israel?
"Seriously? If that were true, after today's syndicated column on Palestinians and citizenship, and the one on Ethiopian immigrants that preceded it, the poor Israelis would right about now be looking to return the merchandise. (smile)."
* Agence France-Presse: Israeli Ethiopians protest racism
* Greer Fay Cashman, Jerusalem Post: Peres: There is no room for Hitlerism or racism in Israel
Cartoonist Draws a Super Bowl to Make a Democrat Smile
"Barry Blitt, the artist responsible for this week's cover, 'The Big Game,' won't be watching the Super Bowl," according to the New Yorker magazine.
" 'I don't follow football at all,' says Blitt. 'I follow hockey -- I'm Canadian, so I have to. And the only thing football and hockey have in common is concussions.
"I wish I could use hockey as a satirical metaphor for politics, but no one would let me, and I wouldn't blame them.' "
The edition featuring Blitt's cover went on sale Monday, a day before the Florida primary, in which former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former House speaker Newt Gingrich, the leading Republican candidates, have abandoned Ronald Reagan's so-called 11th commandment, "Thou shall not speak ill of another Republican."
Blitt created an uproar during the 2008 presidential campaign with a New Yorker cover that collected, in a caricature, the right-wing stereotypes about then-Sen. Barack Obama amd Michelle Obama. Some did not see the humor.
In October 2008, David Rapp, former editor of Congressional Quarterly, bid $1,800 for a signed copy of that cartoon. It was part of an annual "Cartoons and Cocktails" benefit at the National Press Club for the Young D.C. teen newspaper.
Gingrich Wants No Reporters as Moderators in the Fall
"Newt Gingrich lashed out at the media today during a rally in Pensacola, Fla.," Dylan Byers wrote Monday for Politico, "suggesting that all reporters are in the tank for President Barack Obama:
" 'As your nominee, I will not accept debates in the fall in which the reporters are the moderators,' he said, 'because you don't need to have a second Obama person in the debate.'
"But Janet Brown, a spokesperson with the Commission on Presidential Debates, suggested that reporters are actually best suited to moderate the debates.
" 'The commission's practice since we came into being in 1987 has been to choose moderators based on three criteria,' Brown explained. 'Since these are live, hard news television events, you want moderators who have experience with live, hard news television events and are familiar with the demands of that environment. Number two, who are quite familiar with the positions of the candidates and the campaigns. And number three, who have the skills to facilitate a conversation between leading candidates for the presidency of the United States, which is a high-pressure task.'
" 'It is, generally speaking, hard to find people that do all those things who are not journalists, and particularly TV journalists,' she added."
Polling Data on State of the Union Was a Year Old
"Near the end of her Friday night show, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow issued an on-air correction for a mistake made the night before," Craig Silverman wrote Monday on the Poynter Institute website. "It seems that she mentioned a CBS poll about the State of the Union speech that indicated viewers had a very positive reaction to it. The problem: it was a poll of last year's SOTU." Journal-isms was among the many websites that ran the old data and regrets the error. Silverman reports how other sites handled the mistake.
* Arthur S. Brisbane, New York Times: Fact-Gathering Without the Facts
* Esther Cepeda, Chicago Sun-Times: New book shows Obamas holding on to true selves
* Emil Guillermo blog: Obama's Fair or Foul?
* Brooks Jackson, FactCheck.org: Fact check: Gingrich's faulty food-stamp claim
* Douglas C. Lyons, South Florida SunSentinel: Why run against Obama when you can rip the media?
* Jerry Markon and Alice Crites, Washington Post: Paul pursued strategy of publishing controversial newsletters, associates say
* Myriam Marquez, Miami Herald: Newt, Mitt and our next ambassador to the moon
* Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Newt's style will only take him so far
* Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Candidates strike out as Reagan posers
* Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald: Practicing the politics of racial resentment
* Project for Excellence in Journalism: Romney Surges in Florida Polls, but Faces Tougher Coverage
* Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Greed is good? The GOP seems to be okay with that.
* Albor Ruiz, New York Daily News: Romney and Gingrich DREAM Act support smells of demagoguery and not-so-subtle GOP racism
* Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Obama takes the high road and reminds the nation what really matters
* Ray Suarez, "PBS NewsHour": Why the 2012 Hispanic Vote Doesn't Matter ... Yet
Bob Reid Retires From Africa Channel; Moving to Ghana
"Bob Reid, Executive Vice President and General Manager of The Africa Channel has announced his retirement effective March 1, after seven years at the network. He will move to Accra, Ghana to set up an independent production company that will supply content to The Africa Channel," the channel announced on Monday.
"Additionally, he will oversee production operations for the Channel's existing Kampala, Uganda bureau and will open the Accra bureau by late March. The network plans to open at least three more bureaus in other regions of Africa in 2012.
"Reid was part of the original team that launched The Africa Channel in 2005 and was responsible for all aspects of the network's programming, production, marketing and affiliate sales, as well as strategic planning.
". . . Prior to joining The Africa Channel, Mr. Reid was Executive Vice President and General Manager of Discovery Health Channel, where he oversaw programming and production. During his leadership, that network doubled its distribution from 26 million to 50 million households.
"In a distinguished career that has spanned more than four decades, Reid has won numerous awards for productions in news, documentary and cable television. He won three national and one local Emmy award, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Non-Fiction Special. He won an RTNDA International Award and an Alfred I. DuPont Award for investigative producing. He is a past president of the National Association of Black Journalists (1979-1981) and a former co-chair of the DGA's (Directors Guild of America) African-American Steering Committee."
* Shea Bennett, AllTwitter: How Does Africa Tweet? [Infographic]
6 Journalists Arrested in Occupy Oakland Actions
"On Saturday, Occupy Oakland re-entered the national spotlight during a day-long effort to take over an empty building and transform it into a social center," Gavin Aronsen wrote Sunday for Mother Jones.
"Oakland police thwarted the efforts, arresting more than 400 people in the process, primarily during a mass nighttime arrest outside a downtown YMCA. That number included at least six journalists, myself included, in direct violation of OPD media relations policy that states 'media shall never be targeted for dispersal or enforcement action because of their status.'
At least five other reporters were arrested, Aronsen wrote: Vivian Ho of the San Francisco Chronicle, Kristin Hanes of KGO Radio, John C. Osborn of the East Bay Express, Yael Chanoff of the San Francisco Bay Guardian and cartoonist Susie Cagle.
* Free Press: Free Press Condemns Ongoing Arrests of Journalists at Occupy Protests
* Matthias Gafni, Chris De Benedetti and Rick Hurd, Oakland Tribune: Day of clashes at Occupy Oakland ends with at least 400 arrests
* Ana Veciana-Suarez, Miami Herald: Fairness, not envy, fuels the income inequality debate
Awards for Playing the Maid: Something to Celebrate?
"In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first black actress to win an Academy Award, for best supporting actress in the 1939 film 'Gone with the Wind' playing Mammy, Miss Scarlett's maid, Mary C. Curtis wrote Monday for the "She the People" section of the Washington Post website.
"Her achievement was considered a breakthrough, and perhaps it was, though it was tainted by McDaniel's treatment at the time. The African American actress was not permitted to attend the film's Georgia premiere and at the Oscar ceremony, she took the long walk to the stage from a segregated table in the back, far from where the rest of the film's cast sat.
"Things have certainly gotten better since then, something to note as black history month begins in February. But it's bittersweet that in 2012, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, brilliant actresses both, are being celebrated - most recently at this past weekend's Screen Actors Guild ceremony - for playing, yes, maids in 'The Help.' "
On CNN.com Monday, Jimi Izrael took a different approach.
"Viola Davis got a nod for best actress from the Academy this year for her role as Aibileen Clark in 'The Help,' and she must win, despite the controversy about the movie and the role she plays in it," Izrael wrote. "If you believe what you read on blogs, black women long to be represented on screens large and small as rounded, complex characters, rather than wise, downtrodden burden-bearers and hot-blooded angry sex machines. Some say they want more black people telling black stories, which would be reasonable, if it were true.
"I have been black a long time, and I can tell you that black folks are a persnickety lot. To get consensus, things have to be done The Right Way - but there's no consensus on what that looks like. However, we seem to know what it is not."
* Elizabeth Wellington, philly.com: Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer . . . Sartorially Rock the SAGS
Columnist Challenges U.S., Aid Groups on Jailed Journalists
"In a filthy Ethiopian prison that is overridden with lice, fleas and huge rats, two Swedes are serving an 11-year prison sentence for committing journalism," Nicholas D. Kristof wrote Sunday in the New York Times.
"Martin Schibbye, 31, and Johan Persson, 29, share a narrow bed, one man's head beside the other's feet. Schibbye once woke up to find a rat mussing his hair.
"The prison is a violent, disease-ridden place, with inmates fighting and coughing blood, according to Schibbye's wife, Linnea Schibbye Steiner, who last met with her husband in December. It is hot in the daytime and freezing cold at night, and the two Swedes are allowed no mail or phone calls, she said. Fortunately, she added, the 250 or so Ethiopian prisoners jammed in the cell protect the two journalists, pray for them and jokingly call their bed 'the Swedish embassy.'
"What was the two men's crime? Their offense was courage. They sneaked into the Ogaden region to investigate reports of human rights abuses.
"Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's increasingly tyrannical ruler, seemed to be sending a signal to the world's journalists: Don't you dare mess with me!
"So the only proper response is a careful look at Meles's worsening repression. Sadly, this repression is abetted by acquiescence from Washington and by grants from aid organizations.
". . . Appallingly, the Meles regime uses foreign food aid to punish his critics. Ethiopia is one of the world's largest recipients of development aid, receiving about $3 billion annually, with the United States one of its largest donors. This money does save lives. But it also 'underwrites repression in Ethiopia,' in the words of Human Rights Watch."
* Change.org: Clinton and Ashton: Demand Release of Swedish Journalists in Ethiopia
* Nicholas Kristof blog: When Journalists Are Imprisoned
Wallace Terry's "Close, Professional" Relationship With LBJ
On Thursday, when the late journalist Wallace Terry was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Black Journalists, his wife, Janice Terry, disclosed that Terry left behind chapters of an autobiography that she plans to publish.
Janice Terry said she plans to include an interview from the oral history collection of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She elaborated over the weekend in an email:
"In October of 1999, Wally was interviewed by a representative of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Oral History Collection to be included in the Library's archive of journalists who covered President Johnson. Unless one was a part of an inner circle of friends, family, personal confidantes and political colleagues, Wally had as close a professional relationship a journalist could have had with this president.
"This came about in 1963 when Wally, as president of the Capital Press Club, presented then-Vice President Johnson with their Distinguished Service Award at the organization's annual banquet. As a reporter for Time, Wally interviewed President Johnson frequently and in early 1967 when his cover story came out on ['The Negro in Vietnam.'] Johnson called him to the White House to tell him he'd done a good job. And in late 1967 when Wally was leaving for permanent assignment to Saigon, Johnson summoned him to the White House to tell him he'd send a message to the ambassador to tell him to look out for him.
"When you go to [Google] and type in Wallace Terry, they have now put a direct link to the Library transcript: http://www.wallaceterry.com/inside-vietnam/lbj.pdf"
* In Seattle, "South Lake Union resident and KOMO News reporter Elizabeth Dinh is asking the community for help. Not for a news story, but for her health," Rose Egge reported Friday for KOMO-TV. ". . . The reporter has been looking for a kidney among friends and family since Thanksgiving 2010, but no potential donors have worked out."
* J. Byron Morris, past president of the East Coast chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, said on Washington's WPFW-FM on Monday that the Airmen taken as prisoners of war were surprised that the Germans knew so much about them. It turned out that the German "fifth column" in the United States read the black press and forwarded the personal information published about the airmen, such as names of their family members. Separately, the Washington Post's Courtland Milloy called the "Red Tails" movie, which tells the story of the Airmen, "little more than a black comedy about guys who clown and connive their way through World War II, supposedly as combat pilots," but the Detroit Free Press' Rochelle Riley wrote, "If you haven't gone, see it for yourself. The trek to the theaters is a million-patriot march to pay homage to those who deserve it." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Rosalind Bentley interviewed Frank "Burt" Vardeman, a white crewman on one of the Liberators in World War II out of Italy that was escorted by the Red Tails.
* Sonari Glinton, who became the last African American male voice on air at NPR with the departure of Alex Kellogg, has been reassigned from Detroit to Washington "for a few months while Andrea Seabrook is on a temporary assignment," NPR spokeswoman Anna Christoper confirmed Monday. Glinton will be covering Congress
* "Luis Cruz just can't get enough of Yuma!" Veronica Villafañe wrote Monday on her Media Moves site. "He's returning to KYMA to become news director for a third time at the station. He starts the new job on Wednesday, February 1st."
* "Contrary to critiques about the television landscape, TV One's ['Unsung'] and 'Find Our Missing' are two shows that are serving the public interest," Nsenga K. Burton wrote Sunday for theRoot.com. "Both shows are well-produced and offer insight into the cultural landscape of black America in the areas of entertainment and crime."
* "Last weekend, in one of our posts celebrating The East Village Other," the 1960s counterculture newspaper in New York's Greenwich Village, "Ed Sanders wrote that poet Ted Berrigan may have named the alternative newspaper after the Rimbaud line 'I is an Other,' " the Local East Village, the collaboration between New York University and the New York Times, reported. "Mr. Sanders acknowledged, 'Another account has Ishmael Reed," the Oakland-based novelist and poet, "coining the name.' . . . Here, now, is Mr. Reed himself, on his role in shaping The East Village Other. . . ."
* Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former Pennsylvania death row prisoner now released into the general prison population, was expected to be able to hug his wife Monday for the first time in 30 years, Pacifica radio's "Democracy Now!" reported on Monday. Abu-Jamal was convicted of killing Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner.
* The Times-Picayune in New Orleans is celebrating its 175th anniversary with a series of articles whose subjects include Ruby Bridges, who with three other 6-year-old girls integrated New Orleans public schools in 1960, written by Katy Reckdahl; ties with Cuba, by Ramon Antonio Vargas; WDSU, by Mark Lorando; Louis Armstrong, by Keith Spera; red beans, by Laura McKnight; and public housing, also by Katy Reckdahl.
* "Just before President Obama spoke to Congress and the nation in his State of the Union address, I sat down with Daymond John, founder of FUBU and one of the stars of the ABC reality show, 'Shark Tank,' to talk about entrepreneurship, angel investing, job growth, education and... transforming Silicon Valley," Mike Green, entrepreneurial-minded black journalist, wrote Monday for the Huffington Post.
* At South High School in Salina, Kan., students are selling orange T-shirts that say "I wear orange for Jorge" on the back and "Project Diversity" on the front, Erin Mathews reported for the Salina Journal. They are raising money to help sophomore Jorge Cabrera, 16, who has been diagnosed with leukemia. Orange represents leukemia awareness. Project Diversity, which aims to celebrate differences and create tolerance, is a student organization co-sponsored by Lisa Quirke, a teacher of English as a Second Language, and bilingual assistant Rubi Torres.
* In India, "The case of a cartoonist charged with treason and offending India's national sentiments reflects a growing debate over what constitutes freedom of expression in India," Mannika Chopra reported Monday for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "His accusers argue that while it is permissible to make fun of politicians, you cannot make fun of the state. Not everyone agrees. Aseem Trivedi, a 25-year-old political cartoonist, was charged with treason and insulting the Indian national emblems, according to local news reports and CPJ interviews."
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A 'Red Tail' Salutes the Black Press
Tuskegee Airman Recalls Role of the Black Press
Black journalists received a salute from a spokesman for the Tuskegee Airmen Thursday night when Dr. Roscoe Brown told the National Association of Black Journalists, "It was black journalists that brought us to the attention of the black community throughout the country during the time we were flying and fighting."
Speaking at the NABJ's Hall of Fame induction at the Newseum in Washington, Brown added, "Black journalists made it possible for us to pursue our Double Victory campaign" -- victory in World War II and victory over racism at home.
Fifteen members of the Tuskegee Airmen -- nearly all dressed in their trademark red jackets -- were among 300 to 400 people assembled for the annual NABJ fundraiser. The Airmen are enjoying unprecedented attention with the release of the George Lucas movie "Red Tails," but the role of the black press in assisting their cause is not often mentioned.
In fact, as Patrick S. Washburn noted in his "A Question of Sedition: The Federal Government's Investigation of the Black Press During World War II" (1986), some in the executive branch urged prosecuting black publishers for sedition over the "Double V" campaign.
Brown, 89, was one of 15 pilots who shot down an advanced German Me-262 jet fighter. He later became a professor at New York University and president of Bronx Community College. Wearing a blue jacket but a red tie, at the Newseum he held up a replica of the March 31, 1945, edition of the Norfolk (Va.) Journal and Guide bearing the headline, "Fliers Smash Berlin: The Jet Planes Destroy in Raid on German Capital."
Not only does he still have that newspaper, Brown told Journal-isms later, he has the aerial map he used to target Berlin.
"In all the wars we may have covered, we never did what they did in World War II," Maureen Bunyan, an anchor at Washington's WJLA-TV and a co-founder of NABJ, told the group. "No one of us had to rely on our brothers and sisters the way these men had to rely on each other."
Michele Norris, a co-host of NPR's "All Things Considered," told the Airmen, "Thank you for loving a country that did not love you back." She also acknowledged the women in their lives. "Thank you for loving these men," Norris said.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame were Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of PBS' "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for the "PBS NewsHour"; Pat Harvey, co-anchor at KCBS/KCAL-TV in Los Angeles; Johnathan Rodgers, who retired in June as TV One president and CEO; Ruth Allen Ollison, who spent much of her career in Texas radio and television in news reporting, anchoring and management, then started a ministry; and the late Wallace Terry, former deputy bureau chief for Time magazine and author of "Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans."
Michael Fields, news director at WABE-FM in Atlanta, received the Ida B. Wells Award, "given to a media executive or manager who has made outstanding efforts to make newsrooms and news coverage more accurately reflect the diversity of the communities they serve."
Janice Terry, who accepted the Hall of Fame Award on behalf of her husband, disclosed that Terry left behind chapters of an autobiography that she discovered only last year. She plans to publish it.
"For 40 years, we had a close relationship," Terry told the audience. "We traveled together in the war zone. I didn't know about 'From Selma to Saigon.' . . . I discovered a Wallace Terry I didn't know. Some things he didn't discuss with his family." Terry told Journal-isms that the book discusses "very personal things that he completely overlooked in his drive to be successful . . . emotions were raw and painful for him."
Terry said the material amounts to 10,000 words that she plans to publish first as an e-book, packaging it with chapters from his posthumously published "Missing Pages: Black Journalists of Modern America: An Oral History," and an interview from the oral history collection of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
"We Don't Choose Between Being Black, Being Journalists"
"I wanted to be a journalist when I was 9. There was no one out there who looked like me or sounded like me. No one in my family had been a journalist.
"But I was a curious girl. I wanted to ask questions. I wanted to demand answers. I was taught by my mother that there was nothing I could not do; and by my father that I should be proud to be everything I am.
"That came in handy when I walked into my first newsroom. For a long time, I was the lonely only. I got my first paying newspaper job only after someone left me, the summer intern, a note that read: 'Nigger go home.' I was 21.
"My first response when I found it was to wonder: Who is this for?
"My second was to take the job they offered me out of guilt. And prove to them that I was good enough to stay.
"And then, in 1983 I discovered NABJ. It was like walking into warm bath water. NABJ filled professional gaps in me that I did not even know existed. Here I made my closest friends (and discovered that some of my paranoia was true, some imagined).
"Over the years, we have all banded together to buck each other up ... to mentor new generations of journalists ... and to redefine and remind ourselves of what it means to be journalists.
"We are of color. We were born that way. It means that we bring a world view to our work that is too often missing.
"But we don't choose between being black and being journalists. We just want to tell all the stories, and tell them well, to the broadest possible audiences.
"Along the way, I have been so so blessed to work for, alongside, or mentor, scores of talented black journalists. We win Pulitzers and Emmys; we challenge presidents and kings; we investigate and we tell the stories of our people and of the world.
"Truthfully, this award makes me feel old.
"But it also makes me feel deeply honored. You are the colleagues, the cause, I love best. And I want nothing more than for NABJ to continue to be the gift to the next generation Hall of Fame that it has been for me.
"Thank you for this honor."
Beenish Ahmed, NPR: Real Tuskegee Airmen Helped 'Red Tails' Take Flight
Henry Louis Gates Jr., theRoot.com: 3 Women 'Red Tails' Left Out
Jeannine Hunter, Washington Post: Gwen Ifill, among several named into NABJ Hall of Fame
Joi-Marie McKenzie, Loop21.com: Dr. Roscoe Brown, A Real Life Tuskegee Airmen Reflects
Access to Broadband Internet Argued as Social Justice Issue
The digital divide between people of color and whites still exists. More and more of the business Americans conduct will be performed on the Internet.
African Americans and Hispanics make greater use of mobile phones than others. Those groups are underrepresented in owning companies that do business on the Web.
The amount of spectrum available for new entities is dwindling. Following the laws of supply and demand, when that space dwindles, the price for it will increase, squeezing out those of low income and of color.
Reconciling these facts was the business of a two-day conference in Washington by the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council, the MMTC Broadband and Social Justice Policy Summit, which concluded on Friday. "Broadband" refers to high-speed Internet.
David Honig, president and founder of the council, laid out the problem.
"Consider first broadband. More than one-third of our population has not yet adopted this life-changing technology. Those least likely to have adopted broadband include low income and less educated Americans, those with disabilities, rural households and minorities. In 1999, NTIA [National Telecommunications and Information Administration] Director Larry Irving gave these disparities a name: the 'digital divide,' " Honig said.
"Let’s clearly understand what the digital divide is. It is the greatest threat to first class citizenship since segregation. It represents the very real possibility that the opportunities of broadband won’t be available to everybody. We could very quickly wake up and discover that this enormously powerful tool -- high speed, affordable, accessible broadband -- that we thought was going to be the great equalizer, is instead going to be overlaid on a society already riddled with systematic and structural inequalities.
"That’s a formula for disaster in terms of our competitiveness, our economic growth, and, more than that, our moral fiber as a nation. What do we stand for if even in the Digital Age, even after the passage of the great civil rights laws of the 1960s and the enforcement of those laws, even after the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States, we find these disparities still persisting? Why are we losing this ground?
"One area where we are seeing promise is in the mobile realm. People of color are taking advantage of wireless broadband to close the digital divide. In wireless service and smartphone use, African Americans and Hispanic Americans lead the nation in adoption. But even this accomplishment is threatened by an impending spectrum crunch where demand for wireless spectrum will soon eclipse the supply. To achieve social justice, we have to reverse this trend."
A new report from the council, "On the Path to the Digital Beloved Community: A Civil Rights Agenda for the Technological Age," continued the thought:
"We can achieve complete digital citizenship with clear action from both public and private sectors. The government must propose legislation and policies to promote minority entrepreneurship and diversify the nation's technological workforce. Reinstating incentives like the Federal Communications Commission's former tax certificate program [PDF] would not simply increase minority ownership, but could also create a workforce that advances a diverse range of content.
". . . In conjunction with the private sector and non-profit organizations, the FCC must also assure that universal broadband adoption is deployed and innovative consumer education programs that develop digital literacy and encourage broadband adoption are created. . . . "
Representatives of the Obama administration were present to outline steps they have taken to expand access to the Internet and demonstrate how they are using the Internet to, for example, create websites where returning veterans can easily access job opportunities in their field.
Also present were such innovators of color as Madison T. Shockley III, actor and business manager of the Internet-only show "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl," and Dennis E. Leoni, president and CEO of Patagonia House, Inc. Leoni was producer of "Resurrection Blvd.," described as "the first and longest running Latino dramatic series in the history of American television," and directs "Los Americans," about the adventures of a Latino family.
"The landscape of broadcast television doesn't really allow for that," Leoni said of the kind of shows he does. "Our problem is raising the funds to do the next episodes." Shockley echoed Leoni's frustration. To compensate, he went the public-television pledge-drive route, raising $60,000 in 30 days, doubling his goal.
Speakers also pointed to the need for more consumer -- and voter -- education. After the Comcast Corp.'s Rebecca Arbogast, vice president for global public policy, described programs such as "Internet Essentials" that enable low-income people to have a computer for about $150, she added, "Our next generation of challenge is getting teenagers to use it for other than video games."
Blair Levin, who runs the Aspen Institute’s Gig.U project, a consortium of 37 university communities, pointed to a column by Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times that quoted him on the need for "cities and towns that combine a university, an educated populace, a dynamic business community and the fastest broadband connections on earth."
Friedman concluded, "I just don’t remember any candidate being asked in those really entertaining G.O.P. debates: 'How do you think smart cities can become the job engines of the future, and what is your plan to ensure that America has a strategic bandwidth advantage?' "
John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable: Spectrum Policy Gets Diverse Treatment at Broadband Conference
Nathan Olivarez-Giles, Los Angeles Times: Aneesh Chopra, the first White House chief of technology, resigns
Abu-Jamal Out of "Hole," in General Prison Population
"As of 1/27/12, Mumia Abu-Jamal has officially been transferred to General Prison Population after being held in Administrative Custody ('The Hole' or Solitary Confinement) at SCI Mahanoy, Frackville, PA for seven weeks. This is the first time Mumia has been in General Population since his arrest in 1981," supporters of Abu-Jamal announced on Friday.
"This comes within hours of the of delivery of over 5,500 signed petitions to Department of Corrections headquarters in Camp Hill, PA and a compliant filed with United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez."
Abu-Jamal is a onetime president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists who became an international symbol of opposition to the death penalty,
He was convicted in the 1981 killing of police officer Daniel Faulkner and liberated from death row in December when the district attorney in Philadelphia said he would not seek a new death penalty hearing for Abu-Jamal.
Arizona Governor's Finger-Pointing at Obama: "Boorish"
"Gov. Jan Brewer likes to cast herself in the tough-leader role -- and sticking her finger in President Obama's face and jawing at him makes for a handy visual message to her political base. What the rest of the state, along with the nation, sees is boorish behavior from Arizona's top official," the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson editorialized on Friday.
"The image, captured by a photographer as Brewer and Obama had what observers described as a tense discussion, gives the impression that the governor is lecturing the president -- turnabout, perhaps, as she claims in her new book that Obama lectured her about immigration reform when they met in June 2010 in the Oval Office.
". . . Brewer's digital gesticulation got attention, and that's what any politico trying to raise her profile wants -- and sales of her memoir have jumped.
"But Brewer's jab comes at the expense of Arizona's national reputation and image."
Wayne Bennett, the Field Negro: The Negro threat.
Helene Cooper, New York Times: In Airport Run-In, Democrats See Help for Obama Among Hispanics
Crunk Feminist Collective: White Women’s Rage: 5 Thoughts on Why Jan Brewer Should Keep Her Fingers to Herself
Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services: Brewer's dust-up with Obama sends sales of her book soaring
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers blog: A Teachable Racial Moment: On Fingers Pointed in Black Faces
Jamilah Lemieux, ebony.com: Pointing Fingers: AZ Governor Gets Gutter
Laurie Roberts, Arizona Republic: Who's wagging a finger now?
Laurie Roberts, Arizona Republic: Hello, goodbye. The two faces of Arizona
Ginger Rough, Arizona Republic: Brewer-Obama exchange a hot topic in social media
Darren Sands, Loop21.com: For Obama, Action Is Best Answer to Slights By Fellow Pols
Puerto Ricans Charge Disrespect in CNN's GOP Debate
"Puerto Ricans, the second largest voter group among Hispanics in the US, are 'outraged' and 'insulted' at CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and the Republican candidates for their 'disrespectful' handling of a question centered around the longstanding issue of Puerto Rico’s statehood and independence," Bryan Llenas wrote Friday for Fox News Latino.
"During the live broadcast of the Jacksonville debate, audience members attending the Hispanic Leadership Network Conference, a center right advocacy organization, in Miami were given a chance to ask questions to the candidates. That’s when Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder, the Republican president and CEO of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Florida, asked the GOP candidates where they stood on the issue of the island’s statehood.
"The answer, or lack thereof, she received on national television sent her and a group of about five Puerto Ricans packing early as they stormed out of the CNN sponsored Watch Party mid-debate.
"Rick Santorum was the only candidate who was given a shot to answer the question they said, after Blitzer, who moderated the debate, opted to move to the next question before the other candidates were given their shots to respond."
Bill Adair and Angie Drobnic Holan, PolitiFact.com: Fact-checking the CNN debate in Florida
Chris Ariens, TVNewser: John King: 'The Gingrich Campaign Concedes Gingrich was Wrong'
Wayne Dawkins, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.: Political mudfight is just beginning
Jonathan P. Hicks, New York Amsterdam News: Santorum tolerates bigotry for votes
Jason Linkins and Sam Stein, Huffington Post: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich Spar Over Immigration During CNN 2012 GOP Debate In Florida
Bryan Llenas, Fox News Latino: Republican Debate Sparks Bilingual Cheers and Jeers
Andrea Morabito, Broadcasting & Cable: CNN's Florida Debate Delivers 5.4 Million Viewers
News release: Mamiverse.com / impreMedia / Latino Decisions Releases Latina Moms Florida Poll Results
Justin Peters, Columbia Journalism Review: In Florida, the GOP Woos Hispanic Voters
Geraldo Rivera, Fox News Latino: No Country for Old (Undocumented) Immigrants
Marisa Treviño, Latina Lista blog: Univision’s one-on-one interviews with Romney and Gingrich underscore the flaws of both in connecting with Latinos
Thomas Tillman Named Deputy Chief of CBS D.C. Bureau
"Thomas Tillman, a 22-year CBS News veteran, has been named Deputy Washington Bureau Chief," Chris Ariens reported Friday for TVNewser.
"Tillman has been filling in for Jim McGlinchy . . . now Senior Broadcast Producer for the 'CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley.'
"Tillman began with CBS in 1989 working as an AP for Newspath. He moved to Politics in 1992 and to the Washington Bureau.
"In 1998 he would join the special events unit, becoming coordinating producer in 2009."
Screenplay on Activist Black Editor Needs a Backer
Nicholas Patler wrote about William Monroe Trotter, the activist editor of the Boston Guardian in the early 20th century, in his 2004 book, "Jim Crow and the Wilson Administration: Protesting Segregation in the Early Twentieth Century." He went on to write a William Monroe Trotter screenplay about Trotter, envisioning a big-budget epic that would no doubt be the first on that scale about an African American journalist.
Trotter made the front page of the New York Times in 1914 when he challenged Woodrow Wilson in the White House over Wilson's resegregation of the federal work force. "If this organization is ever to have another hearing before me it must have another spokesman," Wilson responded to Trotter. "Your tone, sir, offends me."
"I strongly feel that Trotter's story needs to be told in a sort of epic-fashion," Patler told Journal-isms by email on Friday. "He was such a larger-that-life personality, a looming visionary, someone who had everything and risked everything, a person who dreamed big and tried to chase his dreams down. His story, his life, his struggle, his successes and failures, really challenges the common perception of that time which is usually associated with the mildness of Booker T. Washington and accommodation."
Trotter is the namesake of the Trotter Group, an association of African American columnists. In describing Trotter on the group's website, Boston Globe columnist Derrick Z. Jackson wrote, "Trotter was perhaps the most 'rude' African-American journalist this nation has produced. The first African-American Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard, Trotter was uncompromising. He attacked both racists and the African-American accommodationists."
Patler said his screenplay was accepted a few years ago by independent director Charles Burnett, "who was very excited about it. But he has sat on it now for more than five years, in part because we realize that this film will require a fairly big budget, since the epic life of Trotter will really only work on the big screen as an epic-type quality film. So I have been trying to think of someone else to send the screenplay to. Also, Trotter's grandniece, Peggy, who was a student leader in the Civil Rights Movement, has also collaborated with me some on this screenplay, both as an advisor and with some of the dialogue."
Anyone with ideas for Patler may reach him at nickpatler (at) hotmail.com or 403 Glen Ave., Staunton, VA 24401.
James McBride, 40 Acres and a Mule: Being a Maid
"A tribal newspaper that has been out of publication for years soon will resume operation," the Associated Press reported Friday from Kykotsmovi, Ariz. "The Hopi Tribe announced Thursday that it has hired a managing editor for the Tutuveni (too TOO' veh knee). Mihio Manus is expected to start his new job sometime next month. . . .The Hopi Tribal Council pulled funding for the newspaper partly because of disagreements over its content but later re-established funding. The tribe has spent the past year looking for an editor."
Eric Deggans, media critic for the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, answered the question posed this week by Shani Hilton in the Washington City Paper: Why are so many media critics white and male?, Deggans wrote on Friday. "The biggest reason why there isn't more diversity in media critic circles is because the industry hasn't made it happen."
LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis has won the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's Sam Lacy Award as baseball writer of the year, Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reported on Wednesday. According to Neal's bio, he "has covered baseball for the Star Tribune since 1998 (the post-Knoblauch era). Born and raised in Chicago, he grew up following the White Sox and hating the Cubs. He attended both the University of Illinois and Illinois-Chicago and began his baseball writing career at the Kansas City Star. He can be heard occasionally on KFAN radio, lending his great baseball mind to Paul Allen and other hosts. Mark Rosen borrows him occasionally for WCCO-TV."
"The Moguldom Media Group's AtlantaPost.com last month began directing all its traffic to MadameNoire.com's Business section, a receptionist told ReddingNewsReview.com," Rob Redding reported Thursday. " 'The Atlanta Post became MadameNoire Women or MN Women,' Jamarlin Martin told ReddingNewsReview.com. 'We decided to consolidate and focus on a female business niche on our existing women's lifestyle site, MadameNoire.' "
African American CEOs remain a rarity, 1 percent of the chiefs of the 500 largest companies, notes the Academy of Management. "A new study provides fresh perspective on this anomaly in a way that suggests how difficult change will be. Steering people's perceptions of African-Americans, it finds, are stereotypes about Blacks' leadership failings, biases whose persistence depends less on rigidity than on a mental flexibility that may not even be conscious. The research, in the current issue of The Academy of Management Journal, uncovers evidence of this phenomenon in a source seemingly remote from the corporate world -- newspaper stories about college football quarterbacks."
"Discovery en Español in February will profile the secret world of cults within Latin America as part of its new original series Mundos extremos," R. Thomas Umstead reported Friday for Multichannel News. "The eight-part, docu-reality series, which debuts Feb. 1, takes viewers into the secret world of political groups, religious fanatics and cultists who are shunned in Latin America because of their extreme beliefs and practices, according to network officials."
"Attempts by regimes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to suppress the flow of information during the region's pro-democracy uprisings has led a higher number of journalists killed, attacked or arrested," Simba Shani Kamaria Russeau reported Friday for Inter-Press Service. ". . . Although journalists played a crucial role reporting on the demonstrations and their repression, they also faced increasing risks as authorities attempted to crack down on the spread of information."
"For centuries, journalists have been willing to go to prison to protect their sources," Frank Smyth wrote Friday for the Committee to Protect Journalists. ". . . In a digital age, however, journalists need more than steadfast conviction to keep themselves and their sources safe. Government intelligence agencies, terrorist groups, and criminal syndicates are using electronic surveillance to learn what journalists are doing and who their sources are. It seems many journalists are not keeping pace."
"Former Univision 45 KXLN anchor Antonio Hernandez is returning to Houston TV after a few years out of the industry. This time Hernandez is moving up the television dial to Telemundo Houston KTMD," Mike McGuff reported Thursday on his blog.
"If a fashion writer for French Elle is to be believed -- and she is not -- African-Americans weren't stylish until the Obama family came into office," Piper Weiss wrote Thursday for Yahoo Shine. " 'For the first time, the chic has become a plausible option for a community so far pegged [only] to its street wear codes,' writes Nathalie Dolivo in a post translated from the magazine's website titled 'Black Fashion Power'. . . The disturbing blog post has since been removed from Elle's website, but the firestorm is just getting warmed up."
"A Cuban journalist working for the official Communist party newspaper could soon be sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for alleged corruption. Officials have remained silent as to the exact nature of the charges but the journalist had written a pair of articles containing criticism of a major government infrastructure project," Scott Griffen reported Friday for the International Press Institute. Media workers in Santiago de Cuba reportedly speculated to Café Fuerte, an exile newspaper based in Miami, that José Antonio Torres had angered Cuban Council of State Vice President Ramiro Valdés with his criticism.
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Journal-isms is published on the site of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (www.mije.org). Reprinted on The Root by permission.
Washington Post Focus on Black Women
In Poll, Career Success Trumps Having Children, Romance
"Black women are far more likely than white women to place importance on career success and are less inclined to focus on having children or being in a romantic relationship, according to a new, nationwide survey by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation," the Post announced on Sunday. "This is the first story in a series looking at black women's experiences and perspectives and can be read [here].
"The next story in the series will be published Tuesday, January 24 and captures . . . First Lady Michelle Obama's impact on black women and looks at how she has changed overall impressions of black women in America. In the coming weeks and months, The Post will also explore how black women assess their self-image and the impact of the economic recession on their finances.
"In addition, The Post will host a panel discussion in partnership with Howard University's Women as Change Agents titled 'Through the Looking Glass: Black Women in America.' The event will take place on Wednesday, February 29 at Howard University's Blackburn Center beginning at 6:30pm. The discussion will be led by Michelle Singletary, nationally syndicated Personal Finance Columnist for The Washington Post. To RSVP or to submit a question for the panel, please e-mail behindtheheadlines@washpost.com."
In 2006, the Post debuted a year-long Washington Post series on "Being a Black Man," which included the results of a survey of 2,864 people, including a sample of 1,328 black men. It was coordinated by Kevin Merida, now the Post's national editor, and repackaged as a book.
"We've been hoping to focus on black women ever since, and we had the opportunity this year to do the poll," polling director Jon Cohen said on the Post website. "Obviously, having Michelle Obama in the White House provides a related angle."
It remains to be seen whether the series on women, coordinated by Monica Norton, deputy local editor, with Merida line-editing the first two pieces, will be as ambitious. Still, Krissah Thompson, who wrote the first installment, told readers on Monday, "Our journalism is undergirded by a national poll by The Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation that asks black women where they stand on a range of [issues.] It's one of the largest such surveys in decades -- perhaps since the 1980s."
The first article touched on media images of black women as well as issues of career vs. romance.
"Religion is essential to most black women's lives; being in a romantic relationship is not, the poll shows. Nearly three-quarters of African American women say now is a good time to be a black woman in America, and yet a similar proportion worry about having enough money to pay their bills. Half of black women surveyed call racism a 'big problem' in the country; nearly half worry about being discriminated against. Eighty-five percent say they are satisfied with their own lives, but one-fifth say they are often treated with less respect than other people," the story said.
In the alternative Washington City Paper, Shani Hilton, who is black, offered a critique that included this comment:
"While black women and white women tend to align when it comes to domestic or 'women's' issues, black women and men are more similar on race and self-perception questions. Ignoring that is a glaring omission in an article that purports to tell the whole story. It would have been far more interesting to explore where and why black women line up with other surveyed groups, and then hone in on questions where they are truly unique."
Monday's installment received more than 800 comments, the Post's Bethonie Butler wrote, "some of which ask why The Post chose to focus on black women for this particular series."
"Actually, studies of the media show that women and minorities do not receive much in-depth coverage," Thompson said in one response.
* Charlene Muhammad, Final Call: Who Defines Black Women?
* Day Two: Krissah Thompson and Vanessa Williams, Washington Post: African American women see their own challenges mirrored in Michelle Obama's [Jan. 24]
Diversity Took a Step Backward Under AP's Tom Curley
Tom Curley, president and CEO of the Associated Press since 2003, will step down this year, the AP announced on Monday. The news cooperative touted his accomplishments, but according to some at the company, Curley presided over a retrenchment on diversity crowned by, but not limited to, the abandonment of the AP's 26-year-old internship program.
When AP announced in December 2010 that it was suspending the internship program, ostensibly to return in 2012, it added that AP would not be present at any of the journalist-of-color conventions in 2011. The AP has yet to announce a return of the program this year.
In 2006, after Curley was accused of accused of disinterest in diversity efforts, he asserted to Journal-isms, "I've given very specific directions to the management group" at the news cooperative to improve those efforts.
As best as could be determined then, the AP's entire management committee was white, and its senior headquarters news management team was said to include only one person of color, Robert Naylor, director of career development.
Some inside the AP said then that the organization's Diversity Council was on its last legs, but Curley maintained he had asked the group to be more effective.
Today, according to AP insiders, the 10 Management Committee members include two people of color -- Daisy Veerasingham, senior vice president for international sales, based in London, and Fernando Ferre, vice president of AP images, based in New York.
The executive editor, the four managing editors and the heads of domestic and international broadcast are white, and the Diversity Council has been disbanded. Programs such as Diverse Voices/Diverse Visions, a mentoring program and diversity workshops have ended.
Diverse Voices was described as "an annual five-day multicultural journalism workshop pairing aspiring student journalists with mentors who are AP writers and editors."
Diverse Visions did the same for aspiring student photojournalists.
Paul Colford, director of AP media relations, did not respond Monday to a request for Curley to discuss these issues. The news release touted Curley's efforts in other areas.
"Curley, who turns 64 this year, charted AP's move into the digital space, from overseeing creation of a digital database of all AP content to assuring its availability on every platform in every format," it said. "All the while, he insisted on maintaining the values of accuracy and trust that have been a hallmark of AP since its founding in 1846. It is these news values, he said, that distinguish AP from other agencies and assure its future.
"Curley was equally tireless in advocating for open government, deepening AP's longstanding legal and legislative efforts to make the news cooperative one of the nation's most aggressive advocates for freedom of information. A speech he delivered in 2004 is credited with re-igniting the media mission to fight the government secrecy that many experts say increased after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. 'The powerful have to be watched, and we are the watchers,' Curley said, in calling on the news industry to do more to protect freedom of information."
The release also noted that "With the opening of the Pyongyang office, AP is the first news organization to operate a text and photo bureau with full-time staff in North Korea."
It said the AP Board of Directors had launched a search for a successor.
News Corp., Colombian Broadcaster Plan Spanish Channel
"News Corp.'s Fox International Channels and RCN Television Group, a Colombian broadcaster, are teaming up to launch a Latino broadcast network in the United States," Joe Flint reported Monday for the Los Angeles Times.
"The new channel, dubbed MundoFox, will launch in the fall of this year. The Spanish-language channel will look to compete against Univision and the Telemundo network, both of which have big head starts. News Corp. and RCN made the announcement Monday at the National Assn. of Television Program Executives conference in Miami.
"For News Corp., the push represents the growing importance of the Latino demographic in the United States. The media giant already owns Fox Deportes, a cable sports channel that caters to Spanish-speaking viewers."
"Red Tails" Debuts in No. 2 Spot at Box Office
" 'Red Tails,' the George Lucas film that tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, enjoyed a robust debut weekend, claiming the #2 spot by bringing in more than $19 million at the box office, according to the Hollywood Reporter and other industry reports," Jennifer Brett reported Monday for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"The strong showing follows a push in numerous markets, including Atlanta, where Tuskegee Airmen attended an advance screening to reminisce and urge support for the film. President and Mrs. Obama hosted a group of Tuskegee Airmen at a private screening in the White House theater.
"In metro Atlanta, a crowd of supporters including many proud veterans attended an advance screening at the AMC Southlake 24 in Morrow.
" 'This is an awesome film. Please tell at least four people,' chapter president Zellie Orr urged the packed theater just before the movie began. During the pre-screening reception, Orr, a researcher and historian, said she became active with the chapter in 2004. She contacted the Lucas film folks more than two years ago to secure Thursday night's premiere in Atlanta.' "
Orr is vice president of historical research and development at the Southern Roots & Silver Wings Coalition, Inc.
* Jarvis DeBerry, Times-Picayune, New Orleans: Tuskegee Airmen show heroism came in all colors
* Jozen Cummings, theRoot.com: 'Red Tails': Guilt-Trip Cinema
* Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: Hollywood on black culture: Should it be looking forward not back?
* Barry Saunders, News and Observer, Raleigh: 'Tails' needs our help
Of 200+ Reporters at Debate, He Counted 3 Who Were Black
"Inside the North Charleston Coliseum, an [enthusiastic] crowd of white Republicans cheer and jeer a dwindling lineup of white guys at CNN's Thursday night debate, while inside the press room, a crowd of white journalists stare at a huge projection screen on which the debate is being broadcast," Chris Haire wrote Friday for the Charleston City Paper in South Carolina.
"No one is bothered by the fact that the debate is taking place elsewhere in the building, perhaps only yards away. Out of the 200-plus journos, I count three black reporters, and they are all curiously sitting toward the back of the room. If this is what the Fourth Estate looks like in this country -- nearly 50 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- then the republic is doomed."
Haire told Journal-isms by email Monday, "that number may not be entirely accurate for the duration of the event, but on the occasions I counted -- twice before the start of the debate -- it was two and then three. That said, I did a quick scan of the room throughout the debate and did not see an increase."
Obama: Press Corps Is Miffed That I Don't Go to Parties
In a conversation with Fareed Zakaria of Time magazine published last week, President Obama said the press corps describes him as cold and aloof because he does not party with them.
In a discussion about House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Obama said, "You know, the truth is, actually, when it comes to Congress, the issue is not personal relationships. My suspicion is that this whole critique has to do with the fact that I don't go to a lot of Washington parties. And as a consequence, the Washington press corps maybe just doesn't feel like I'm in the mix enough with them, and they figure, well, if I'm not spending time with them, I must be cold and aloof.
"The fact is, I've got a 13-year-old and 10-year-old daughter, and so, no, Michelle and I don't do the social scene, because as busy as we are, we have a limited amount of time, and we want to be good parents at a time that's vitally important for our kids."
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd challenged Obama's reasoning in her column Sunday. "Reagan didn't socialize with the press. He spent his evenings with Nancy, watching TV with dinner trays. But he knew that to transcend, you can't condescend," she wrote.
* John Blake, CNN: Return of the 'Welfare Queen'
* Charles M. Blow, New York Times: Newt's Southern Strategy
* Ta-Nehisi Coates, the Atlantic: Compensation
* Peter Hart, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting: Joe Klein Notices Newt Stole His Kid Janitor Idea
* JTA: Atlanta Jewish Times publisher resigns over Obama assassination column
* Bryan Llenas, Fox News Latino: After Gingrich Win, Florida and Latino Voters Take Center Stage
* Griselda Nevárez, Hispanic Link: Mitt Romney Has Fences to Mend to Gain Hispanic Votes
* Patrick B. Pexton, Washington Post: Scrutinize President Obama's record
* Bernestine Singley, beforeBarack.com: Dear Maureen DowdŠ[or Throwing Down on "Showtime at the Apollo"]
* Gregory Stanford blog: Newt gives new life to Southern strategy
Applications Open for Opinion Writing Seminar
"Experienced minority journalists have until March 1 to apply for the 17th annual Minority Writers Seminar April 12-15 at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee," the Association of Opinion Journalists, formerly the National Conference of Editorial Writers, announced on Monday.
"Participants receive intense training for writing opinion in a 'boot camp' environment with veteran opinion writers comprising the faculty, said Tommy Denton, director of the seminar sponsored by the National Conference of Editorial Writers Foundation in partnership with the Diversity Institute.
"Enrollment is limited to 12, and minority journalists who have been writing opinion less than two years may also apply. NCEW Foundation pays for lodging and food at the Seminar and reimburses up to $200 each for transportation to and from Nashville."
Those interested may apply at www.minoritywritersseminar.org/.
* "Sean Combs, the entertainment impresario known as Diddy, is planning to launch a music-themed cable network, according to three sources with knowledge of his plans," Michael Malone reported Monday for Broadcasting & Cable. "The channel is called Revolt and is aiming to launch at the end of the year -- 12/12/12, to be specific. . . . Comcast will provide distribution as part of its commitment to the FCC to help launch minority owned networks."
* Raju Narisetti, the Washington Post managing editor who is leaving to rejoin the Wall Street Journal, told the Poynter Institute's Mallary Jean Tenore that, "Like many traditional media companies, the Post is also finally recognizing that its future will play out at the intersection of Post journalism and technology, in creating great 'experiences' for readers so they are engaged and loyal. And the Post's journey of not treating technology as a mere service function but as a strategic partner to content, something I have flagged and pushed for quite a while, has just begun and in retrospect I wish I had pushed even harder on the front." In a Jan. 11 meeting with the D.C. chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Narisetti said the Post will likely eliminate about 100 positions in the next two years. He said a tweet quoting him saying that 46 percent of the Post's readership is nonwhite is incorrect, he was referring to data about the Washington area population.
* "Among them, the five men seated around the table have spent 67 years behind bars at San Quentin State Prison," Scott Johnson of the Oakland Tribune wrote on Friday. "Their crimes range from bank robbery to home invasion to making threats, and many things in between. Their ages, ethnic backgrounds, educations and perspectives all differ. But as journalists at the San Quentin News, a newspaper designed and written by prisoners and read by inmates and staff alike, they share a passion for news, learning and writing."
* "Steven Tyler's National Anthem prior to the Ravens-Patriots AFC Championship game has been universally panned," Jason McIntyre wrote Monday for the Big Lead blog. "(We put the screeching video in the roundup this morning, but we'll place it below again for those who missed it.) Perhaps one of Tyler's most vocal critics was Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock, who tweeted, 'Steven Tyler far more obscene than Janet Jackson's titty.' Overnight, word must have gotten back to Tyler -- or he saw it on TMZ -- because his publicist is on a rampage trying to get Whitlock to apologize. Whitlock told me no apology is coming."
* "Geraldo Rivera's impending arrival on the Los Angeles airwaves has been rumored for quite some time, but never officially confirmed," Matthew Fleischer wrote Friday for FishbowlLA. "Well, now it's official. Starting January 30th, Geraldo will host an original, non-syndicated LA show on KABC [790's] 10-noon slot." Rivera will remain in New York.
* "René Marsh has joined CNN Newsource as a national correspondent, CNN vice president of news operations, administration and affiliate services Paul Crum announced this morning," TVNewser reported. "Marsh joins the affiliate service from WSVN, the Sunbeam-owned Fox affiliate in Miami, where she was a general assignment reporter."
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Gossip Sites Lose, News Numbers Rise
Visitors to African American-oriented websites upended the pecking order in December, according to the comScore Inc. research company, ending the long run of the lurid gossip site MediaTakeOut.com as champion eyeball magnet.
That distinction, for now, goes to the website of Black Entertainment Television.
Moreover, the newsier sites HuffPost BlackVoices, theGrio.com, theRoot.com, Essence.com and NewsOne, along with MadameNoir.com, all saw increases from the October statistics, while the more gossipy Bossip.com declined, as did HelloBeautiful.com and BlackPlanet.com.
Luis Defrank, a spokesman for BET, attributed BET.com's boost to tie-ins with the cable network. Unique visitors rose from 2,531,000 in October to 3,649,000 in December, according to comScore.
"The rise of these numbers is timed to when we launched some of our original scripted programming that includes 'Reed Between The Lines' and began sneak peeks of 'The Game' and 'Let's Stay Together,' " Defrank said by email. "On the social media front we received a lot of transaction with our tent-pole events such as the 'Hip Hop Awards.' Our tent-pole events are productions such as the BET Awards, BET Honors and Rip The Runway. These shows offer original content and celebrity-filled moments that engage our audience on our various digital platforms which helps increase traffic to the website."
HuffPost BlackVoices increased from 1,790,000 in October to 2,604,000 in December. TheGrio.com, owned by NBC, rose from 1,288,000 in October to 1,603,000 in December.
Mario Ruiz, spokesman for Huffington Post, did not respond to a request for comment.
But David Wilson, executive editor of theGrio.com, told Journal-isms by email, "TheGrio's continued traffic growth is a direct result of our decision to produce more enterprise reports. Our series on the 'Black 1 Percent,' our special report on the impact of South Carolina's voter ID laws, and our 'Living Forward' series, which highlights black celebs and their philanthropic work, are just a few examples of this effort.
"We've also strengthened our editorial team by hiring our political editor Perry Bacon Jr. and adding regional reporters. NBC News, MSNBC and msnbc.com are increasingly looking to the theGrio for our unique content, which results in more exposure on-air and online. Finally, social media has been a huge part of our growth. Our Facebook page, which has nearly 400,000 highly engaged fans, provides another way for us to drive traffic back to our website. Upcoming partnerships and initiatives promise to make 2012 yet another year of growth for theGrio.com."
Traffic for Bossip.com declined from 1,602,000 unique visitors in October to 1,433,000 in December. At theRoot.com, owned by the Washington Post Co., the comScore figures showed an increase from 1,342,000 in October to 1,408,000 in December. However, Donna Byrd, publisher of theRoot.com, said by email, "There is a discrepancy between internal numbers and Comscore numbers for most sites, including ours."
Managing Editor Sheryl Salomon said of the increase, "The Root’s growth in December was a result of organic viral traffic stemming from our timely news coverage and original features. Our exclusive survey on current views about Kwanzaa, and a companion slide show, helped to drive December’s numbers."
When the Wire, a website from businessinsider.com, last year compiled "the 50 most influential people in media this year," the only two African Americans on its list were Oprah Winfrey and Fred Mwangaguhunga, the former corporate lawyer who founded MediaTakeOut.com.
Mwangaguhunga did not respond to a request for comment. However, in August, answering a question about his success, he said, "We've grown our audience organically, by continuing to put out the biggest news stories in urban entertainment."
Figures provided to Journal-isms for other sites included: MadameNoire.com, 1,383,000 unique visitors in December, up from 1,132,000 in October; Essence.com, 988,000 in December, up from 845,000 in October; HelloBeautiful.com, 625,000 in December, down from 779,000 in October; NewsOne, 604,000 in December, up from 556,000 in October; BlackPlanet.com, 480,000, down from 776,000 in October; EURWeb.com, 352,000, up from 194,000 in October; ConcreteLoop.com, 314,000, up from 304,000 in October. The Ebonyjet.com website, redesigned this week, drew 41,000 unique visitors in December.
Narisetti Leaving Washington Post for Wall Street Journal
Raju Narisetti, one of the Washington Post's two managing editors and an advocate of diversity, is leaving the Post after three years to return to the Wall Street Journal, where he will be managing editor of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, the two news organizations announced Friday.
The digital network "includes WSJ.com, SmartMoney.com, MarketWatch and the Chinese, Japanese and German-language editions of WSJ.com. Mr. Narisetti will also become a Deputy Managing Editor of the Journal, and he will report to Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor and Executive Editor, Online," the Journal announcement said.
"Mr. Narisetti currently serves as Managing Editor for The Washington Post, where he oversees the company’s digital content products, staff and strategy. Today’s appointment marks a return to the Journal for Mr. Narisetti, who first joined the paper in 1994 as a reporter in Pittsburgh and most recently served as Editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe in 2006."
At the Post, Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli, who worked with Narisetti at the Journal, said, "Raju has accomplished much in the three years since he came to the Post from Mint, a business newspaper and website he founded in India. He was closely involved in the redesign of our print edition in 2009; oversaw the selection and installation of Methode, the content-management system we use to edit and produce our news products; and has taken a leading role in the integration of our print and digital staffs and operations.
"But that understates dramatically his role. Raju has helped to build an extravagantly talented digital team and provided much of the vision and strategy that enabled The Post to become one of the most innovative and successful digital-news operations anywhere.
"The evidence is in the numbers: The Post’s online traffic has risen sharply in the last two years, with our page views in December up 45% from a year earlier, the number of visitors to our site up 14%, and the time each visitor spends on our site more than double what it was a year ago (according to comScore) — making 2011 our best year ever. We are a leader in the use of social media for delivering news and drawing readers to our site. Our video traffic has tripled in the last two years and our mobile visits doubled in the last year."
Narisetti has his detractors. In 2010, Harry Jaffe wrote in Washingtonian magazine, "Narisetti is nearly silent in the newsroom and has made little effort to relate to reporters. He declined many requests for an interview.
"What’s known is that Post executive editor Marcus Brauchli hired Narisetti for a purpose. Both had worked at the Wall Street Journal, where they met and forged a bond. With Brauchli’s backing, Narisetti is seen as the outsider he hopes will retool the Post newsroom for journalism’s digital age." Some Post newsroom workers revile the Methode content management system. Media blogger Jim Romenesko anonymously quoted another detractor, but others rose to his defense.
Nevertheless, Narisetti, of South Asian Indian background, has long been an advocate of diversity. In 2005, when he was named editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe and European editor of the "global" Journal, he told Journal-isms, "I remain very interested in increasing diversity in both editing and reporting ranks, and again I tend to measure it on a more complicated scale, including ethnic, sexual, linguistic and geographical diversity."
At the Post, he was also proud of the diversity at the top ranks of the Post newsroom. Narisetti met his African American wife, Kim Narisetti, while at the Dayton Daily News in Ohio. She is a freelancer who has been an editor at Advertising Age, The Source, TheStreet.com and the Journal.
Brauchli said in his staff memo that for the time being, "those people who have been reporting to Raju will for now report to me." Narisetti leaves Feb. 1.
Steven Mufson, Washington Post: Post managing editor to join Wall Street Journal
Gingrich: Work Seems "Distant Concept" to Juan Williams
"Newt Gingrich launched a now-infamous tirade against moderator Juan Williams during Monday night’s GOP debate after Williams dared to ask him if he could understand why some African-Americans were offended by Gingrich’s obsession with food stamps and child labor," Alex Seitz-Wald wrote Friday for thinkprogress.org. " 'No, I don’t see that,' Gingrich sneered back.
"Williams later insisted he wasn’t offended by Gingrich’s pointed defense, but did say his food stamps rhetoric is 'very racial and…unless I missed it, black people haven’t been out there demanding food stamps, or marching for food stamps.'
"Today, during a campaign stop in South Carolina, Gingrich recalled his exchange with Williams and used the same kind of suggestive language that Williams had objected to — this time directed at Williams himself:
"GINGRICH: I had a very interesting dialogue Monday night in Myrtle Beach with Juan Williams about the idea of work, which seemed to Juan Williams to be a strange, distant concept. . . ."
Meanwhile, Mary C. Curtis wrote for the "She the People" section of the Washington Post website: "Among the loudest of Juan Williams’ champions when he was booted from NPR were conservatives who criticized the news executives Williams described as 'elitist.' The mainstream media masters, it was said, could not abide a black man with an opinion that deviated from the liberal script. After being fired from NPR, Williams landed new fans, a book contract and a $2 million job at Fox News.
"But in one moment, at Monday night’s South Carolina Republican debate — on a day celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King — the cheers turned to boos for that same man when he deviated from a different script. When he asked candidate Newt Gingrich about the racial impact of his criticism of poor Americans’ work ethic and his 'food stamp' attacks on President Obama, Williams found out what it was like to go from hero to black bogeyman."
Separately, "On an episode of her 'Both Sides Now With Huffington [&] Matalin' radio program, multimillionaire Arianna Huffington decided to take the First Lady to task for not being Black enough," Kirsten West Savali wrote Wednesday for NewsOne.com. "Of course, she didn’t say, 'Black enough,' she just said that Michelle Obama should be more like former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and visit 'South Central.' ”
Chris Ariens, TVNewser: ABC News Refutes Newt Gingrich Side of the Story
Michael Calderone, Huffington Post: 2012 GOP Primary: How The Media Shaped Mitt Romney's 'Inevitable'
Esther Cepeda, Chicago Sun-Times: 2012: Another year of politics wiping us out
Michael H. Cottman, BlackAmericaWeb.com: Analysis: Obama Targeting Black Glitterati
Wayne Dawkins, politicsincolor.com: Yeah, pretty rough, but Newt, ‘you know it’s true’
Juan Gonzalez, Daily News, New York: Occupy Wall Street looms over wins vs. SOPA bill, oil pipeline and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
Frank James, NPR: Gingrich, Santorum Shine, Romney Doesn't At Last Debate Before S.C. Primary
Annette John-Hall, Philadelphia Inquirer: Food-stamp crackdown is no way to celebrate Dr. King
Allen Johnson blog, News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.: Newt's short memory
JTA: Atlanta Jewish Times owner apologizes for Obama assassination scenario
Merrill Knox, TVNewser: Cable News Plans for South Carolina Primary
Michael Kranish and Scott Helman with Terry Gross on "Fresh Air," NPR: A New Book Examines 'The Real Romney'
Jerry Large, Seattle Times: Snow comes and goes, but this poor issue lingers
Melissa Mack, WXIA-TV Atlanta: FACT CHECK: Gingrich's food-stamp claim
Roland S. Martin, Creators Syndicate: So Long to the Party of Family Values
Jack Mirkinson, Huffington Post: John King On Newt Gingrich's Attack: Question Choice Was 'My Decision, And Mine Alone' (Video)
Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Blessed be the bellicose? Jesus would weep
Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune: Would today's GOP elect Reagan?
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Republicans with a one-track mind
Albor Ruiz, Daily News, New York: Romney’s embrace of anti-immigrant activist killing hopes of winning Latino vote
Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star: Court ruling equating money with speech still rankles
Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star: Ron Paul: The Great Contrarian
Marisa Treviño, Latina Lista blog: From one defender of undocumented immigrants to another, Perry’s endorsement of Gingrich makes sense
Jesse Washington, Associated Press: Food Stamp Recipients Wish Critics Would Walk in Their Shoes
WSB Radio, Atlanta: Herman Cain returns to News/Talk WSB
Univision Names Analysts for Election-Cycle Coverage
"Univision Communications, the leading media company serving Hispanic America, is bolstering its news presence and enhancing its political coverage for the 2012 election cycle," the network announced on Friday.
"In addition to extensive interactive and on-air coverage, Univision’s award-winning news division will count with political commentary from analysts Helen Aguirre Ferré (R), Dr. Emilio Gonzalez (R) and Fabian Nuñez (D).
"Furthermore, Univision will unveil new state of the art sets for all editions of its evening newscast 'Noticiero Univision'; for its Sunday morning public affairs show, 'Al Punto' (To the Point); and for its newsmagazine program, 'Aquí y Ahora' (Here and Now), as well as expand its offerings on digital platforms."
What Billie Holiday Told Etta James About Hands
"In 1997, then Vibe Editor in Chief Danyel Smith sent me to the Sofitel in midtown Manhattan to interview Etta James," dream hampton wrote Friday for Ebony.com.
"Etta was preparing to release her 19th studio album 'Love's Been Rough On Me.' She'd also completed the interviews with David Ritz that would become her 1998 collaborative autobiography, 'Rage To Survive.' She was self-conscious of her appearance, she was still holding onto weight she'd eventually lose, but she acknowledged she was insecure about it aloud and proceeded to disarm me with a story from her early days as a teenage rising star.
"She told me the one time she met [Billie] Holiday was at a radio station, that she was on her way in and Billie was on her way out. Etta was so intimidated by Billie, so unprepared for this moment in the small anteroom of a broadcasting station, that she fixed her eyes on Billie's hands. She remembered Billie's hands were swollen 'like fat little sausages' and that Billie noticed Ella staring at them as she unsuccessfully tried stuffing her fingers in her gloves. Billie palmed Etta's famously round face and tilted her gaze to meet her own and slurred a warning Etta told me she'd never forget. 'Don't you let them do this to you, you hear. My fingers are pumped full of junk and drink, just like my toes. Don't you let this be you girl.' . . . "
James, "the earthy blues and R&B singer whose anguished vocals convinced generations of listeners that she would rather go blind than see her love leave, then communicated her joy upon finding that love at last, died Friday morning, said her son, Donto James," Randy Lewis wrote Friday for the Los Angeles Times. "She was 73.
"She died of complications from leukemia at a hospital in Riverside, said Dr. Elaine James, her personal physician."
Paul Devlin, theRoot.com: Remembering Etta James
Craig Silverman, Poynter Institute: Daily Mail wins the award for worst Etta James obit headline
Gwendolyn Thompkins, "Weekend Edition Saturday," NPR: Good Times Or Bad, Etta James Kept Love Going [Jan. 21]Oakland Tribune, Maynard Institute Get Grant for "Voices"
"The Oakland Tribune plans to reshape and expand the way it reports about the community with the help of a $340,000 grant from The California Endowment," Angela Woodall wrote Wednesday for the Tribune.
"The grant awarded in December 2011 by the foundation will be shared by the Tribune and the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, which have collaborated in a variety of projects, including the community reporting program 'Oakland Voices.'
"The California Endowment also underwrote the launch of that program.
" 'So often we filter community voices through journalism,' said Dori Maynard, president of the Maynard Institute. 'Oakland Voices has allowed people to come in and tell their stories about the issues that impact their lives and communities.'
". . . The increased funding will also help the Tribune delve deeper into the impact of violence and trauma on Oakland residents and others areas of Alameda and Contra Costa counties by renewing a fellowship for reporter Scott Johnson. The grant will allow Johnson to further explore issues that affect Bay Area residents, such as inequities based on geography and income."
Dow Jones News Fund: Dow Jones News Fund Awards $432,000 in 2012 Grants
Was Pulled Strip Making Valid Point About Eyewitnesses?
" 'Okay, I know how bad it sounds, but they all really do look alike to me...' said the cartoon rabbit to police after viewing a 'line-up' of several animals depicted on the other side of a glass partition," David Protess, president of the Chicago Innocence Project, wrote Thursday in the Huffington Post.
"Was the bunny racially insensitive? Did his comment invoke the cliché that all blacks look alike, or worse, that all black criminal suspects are indistinguishable?
"Apparently, the Cleveland [Plain Dealer] thought so. On January 13, the editors pulled the popular comic strip, 'Non Sequitur,' from the newspaper. In its place was a note that said the strip 'was deemed objectionable.'
"Hundreds of angry readers found this decision objectionable, voicing their complaints in online posts that excoriated the paper for 'outright censorship.' . . . .
"I'm with the readers on this — but for reasons that go beyond the ones they articulated. If anything, I think Wiley Miller's satirical strip didn't go nearly far enough to make the point: Eyewitnesses (the bunny, in this case) are abysmally inaccurate in identifying perpetrators who look different from themselves. For this reason, I would have supported running the strip even if the bunny was white and the suspects behind the glass were black. . . . ' "
Julie Moos, Poynter Institute: Cleveland Plain Dealer readers confused by decision to pull Non Sequitur comic
Ethiopian Editor, Publishing in U.S., Convicted in Absentia
'"Two journalists and a U.S.-based blogger who was tried in absentia were convicted on charges of terrorism in Ethiopia today and could be sentenced to the death penalty, according to news reports," the Committee to Protect Journalists reported on Thursday.
"Reeyot Alemu, a columnist with the independent weekly Feteh, Deputy Editor Woubshet Taye of the now-defunct weekly Awramba Times, and Elias Kifle, exiled editor of the Washington-based opposition website Ethiopian Review, were convicted today in Federal High Court in the capital, Addis Ababa, according to news reports.
". . . Kifle was sentenced in absentia to life in prison in 2007 on charges of treason over critical online coverage of the government's brutal repression of the 2005 post-election protests, according to CPJ research."
Claire Beston, Amnesty International’s Ethiopia researcher, said, "There is no evidence that these three men and two women are guilty of any criminal wrongdoing. We believe that the five are prisoners of conscience, prosecuted because of their legitimate work and peaceful activities and they should be released immediately."
Kifle's Ethiopian Review lists a mailing address in Springfield, Va., in the Washington suburbs.
Ethiopian Review: Elias Kifle is convicted
**"Oprah Winfrey's first visit to India brought delighted coverage by the Indian media. Her meetings and tweetings with Bollywood stars, her bright orange sari, and her trips to slums and to the Taj Mahal were lovingly detailed by newspapers and TV outlets in that country," Kristin Jones wrote Thursday for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "Their love was not reciprocated, at least not by Winfrey's security detail. Police today detained three local bodyguards protecting Winfrey after they allegedly damaged journalists' video equipment in a scuffle, according to international and local news reports." Winfrey told the Hindustan Times it would be her last visit to India.
**"Daniella Guzman is joining NBC-owned WMAQ Chicago as co-anchor of its weekday morning newscasts starting in March, the station announced today," TVNewsCheck reported on Thursday. "Guzman joins the station from KPRC Houston where she has been a weekend anchor and general assignment reporter since 2006."
**"Virginian-Pilot newspaper Publisher Maurice Jones in September delivered the sort of somber news heard lately in newsrooms across the country: more layoffs, a move he called 'difficult and painful,' " Jim McElhatton reported Wednesday in the Washington Times. "Weeks later, Mr. Jones — by then President Obama’s nominee for deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) — filed a government ethics form showing he had received more than a quarter-million dollars in bonus compensation from January 2010 until October 2011." The Virginian Pilot ran its own, less critical story on Friday.
**"About 100 Hawaiian-language newspapers published from 1834 to 1948 are being translated by roughly 3,000 volunteers," Heidi Kulicke wrote Dec. 29 for Editor & Publisher. "The newspapers are currently housed in Hawaiian archival collections as originals and microfilmed images, but when the project is finished, more than 60,000 pages of daily life in the Hawaiian Kingdom will be available for viewing on the Internet." The Hawaiian nonprofit organization Awaiaulu Inc. is conducting the project.
**"Jennifer Jordan, a veteran of the New York TV market, is on the move," Richard Huff reported Thursday for the Daily News in New York. "Jordan, a native of upstate Peekskill, has landed a job as noon anchor" at WJW, "the Fox affiliate in Cleveland. She starts there Jan. 30."
**"Twelve journalists from diverse backgrounds have been named Chips Quinn Scholars for spring 2012 by the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute and participating news organizations," the institute announced Friday. "This year marks the 21st anniversary of the Chips Quinn Scholars program, which began with six scholars in 1991."
**CBS Radio is scheduled to debut an all-news format on Monday on 99.1 FM in Washington, D.C., competing with WTOP for the ears of Washington area residents. Asked whether the new WNEW employed journalists of color, News Director Michelle Komes-Dolge said of course, then asked to end the call when asked to identify them.
**"A lawyer who served as a newspaper source was killed in Honduras on Jan. 17, three days after speaking out against police abuse and torture, reported the freedom of expression organization C-Libre," the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas reported Thursday. "Lawyer José Ricardo Rosales told the newspaper El Tiempo on Jan. 14 that police were torturing detainees and fondling female prisoners in the coastal city of Tela, in northern Honduras, reported the Associated Press."
**"A television reporter covering the aftermath of coordinated terrorist attacks in northern Nigeria was gunned down this afternoon, according to local journalists and news reports," the Committee to Protect Journalists reported on Friday. "Enenche Akogwu, 31, a reporter and video camera operator with independent broadcaster Channels TV, was shot by unidentified gunmen as he attempted to interview witnesses of a deadly terrorist attack in Kano, capital of Kano state, Channels TV regional news editor Bashir Adigun told CPJ."
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George Curry Group Buys Heart & Soul
Sandra Guzman, Formerly of Latina, Named Editor-in-Chief
A group that includes veteran journalist George E. Curry has purchased Heart & Soul, a health-and-wellness magazine targeting African Americans, and named former Latina magazine editor-in-chief Sandra Guzman its top editor as part of an effort to broaden its focus.
"Racial and ethnic minorities constituted 91.7 percent of the U.S. population growth between 2000 and 2010 and are projected to make up a majority of the country's population by 2042," a Wednesday announcement said. "By broadening its audience, Heart & Soul becomes the only national publication that targets multicultural women ages 21 to 55 in the health, fitness and wellness category."
In her biography, Guzman lists herself as "an award winning, multi-media journalist with many years of experience in broadcast, newspapers and magazine journalism. I've labored in them all," she said. ". . . I was also a former Associate Editor at the New York Post, editing 10 special feature sections for the paper including, Tempo, a section I created that covered the city's Latino community."
Guzman is one of three former Post employees with lawsuits pending against the newspaper, accusing it of racism and sexism.
She will be "the primary person responsible for guiding 'Heart & Soul' into a new era," Curry writes in the first issue under new management. "She begins her association with us by writing this issue's cover story on three, 30-day challenges that will change your life. . . . Guzman, who was born in Puerto Rico and reared in New York City, prides herself on both her Black and Latino heritage."
The news release began, "Heart & Soul magazine, an 18-year-old national wellness publication, has been purchased by Brown Curry Detry Taylor & Associates, LLC (BCDT), a media content company based in Silver Spring, Md.
"Clarence I. Brown, BCDT president and CEO, announced today that the company acquired all assets of Heart & Soul Enterprises, LLC, the parent company of the magazine, from its owner, Edwin V. Avent, a Baltimore-based businessman."
No purchase price was disclosed.
" 'We are excited about our acquisition of this important brand and readers will quickly notice a revamped, first-rate edition and a more engaging digital version of Heart & Soul,' said Brown. 'We will focus on repositioning the brand back to fitness, health and wellness and broadening the content, the audience, and the advertisers.'
". . . BCDT, which stands for Brown, Curry, Detry and Taylor, was formed by four highly-respected media and marketing veterans: Clarence I. Brown, George E. Curry, Patrick H. Detry and Pamela E. Taylor.. All the principals have past ties to Heart & Soul. Brown was responsible for daily management of the magazine when it was owned by BET, Curry was editor of Emerge when Heart & Soul was part of the BET magazine group and Detry and Taylor provided consulting services to Edwin Avent, the former owner."
Avent announced on Oct. 11 that he had resigned as president and publisher. The Hollywood Reporter announced later that month, "An ambitious new TV broadcast service targeting African Americans in the southern United States called the Soul of the South Network plans to spend at least $10 million by early next year to launch in at least 50 markets offering entertainment, sports, news and cultural programming."
Avent is chairman of the new network's parent company, SSN Media Group.
Kendra Lee is remaining as executive editor and Debra Moore, associate art director at Emerge when Curry was editor-in-chief in the 1990s, is creative director. Yanick Rice Lamb, the previous editor-in-chief, is now editor-at-large. Curry is executive vice president/content and editorial director.
Avent has told Journal-isms that the magazine, published six times a year, has a circulation of 300,000.
The new owners have promised to compensate a group of angry writers who say they are owed more than $200,000 in back pay.
Clinkscales Quietly Withdraws Defamation Lawsuit
One of the most unusual and headline-grabbing defamation lawsuits in recent memory has ended quietly, with Keith Clinkscales, the former ESPN senior vice president, withdrawing a suit against a former colleague. Fello w executive Joan Lynch reportedly alleged that Clinkscales masturbated under an iPad while sitting in an airplane next to ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews.
"The parties have resolved their differences and the legal matter has been withdrawn," Rob Tobias, an ESPN spokesman, told Journal-isms on Wednesday.
The accusation carried racial and gender dynamics, and its timing was considered a pre-emptive move by Clinkscales.
"Clinkscales, who is black, claims Joan Lynch, who is white, lied about him to fellow colleagues because he was promoted over her to senior vice president of content development," Scott Shifrel and Bill Hutchinson reported in November for the Daily News in New York. Lynch was vice president and executive producer of ESPN's Content Development group, which Clinkscales headed.
"The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan Criminal Court hours before Deadspin.com quoted an anonymous source detailing Clinkscales' alleged midair incident with Andrews."
The court filing by Clinkscales' lawyer, Judd Burstein, ensured that the allegations would become public. The filing gained international attention, with newspapers such as Britain's Daily Mail detailing the accusations.
But according to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, a "notice of voluntary dismissal" was filed on Nov. 23, just three weeks after Clinkscales filed the suit, demanding a jury trial.
Tobias, Clinkscales and Burstein all told Journal-isms Wednesday they could not comment further on the case. "I can't say anything," Burstein said by telephone. Clinkscales did say, however, that he is continuing to produce work for ESPN as well as tend to his new production company under an arrangement announced when he left the network.
Clinkscales had been with ESPN for six years, most recently supervising ESPN's publications and a media incubator that produced such prize-winning movies and specials as "30 for 30."
ESPN dispersed the functions of the Content Development department that Clinkscales had headed since 2007.
Lynch left ESPN this month and could not be reached for comment.
As Michael O'Keefe reported in the Daily News in November, Clinkscales' lawyer alleged that "Lynch conducted a smear campaign against his client, falsely claiming that he had fondled himself while sitting next to Andrews on a March 2011 flight. Lynch also lied when she told ESPN colleagues that Clinkscales assaulted her in a production truck in 2007, according to the lawsuit, which seeks in excess of $75,000 in damages."
Ebony Restyles Website to Meet News, Gossip Competition
"Ebony is pulling back the curtain on a new website Wednesday, the latest step in Johnson Publishing Co. CEO (and former White House social secretary) Desiree Rogers' effort to reverse years of ad declines and stay relevant with African-American readers," adweek.com reported on Wednesday.
"Shepherding the revamp is Ebony editor in chief Amy DuBois Barnett, who was hired away from Harper's Bazaar last June. Before Bazaar, she served in editorial leadership roles at Teen People and Honey. She arrived shortly after Ebony got a major redesign, with a new logo and more articles about lifestyle, wellness and business success stories.
"For Ebony.com, Johnson Publishing turned to Code and Theory," a design and software development company "whose work on the relaunch of Vogue.com was followed by massive traffic gains for that site.
"The once-plain looking Ebony.com is now striking visually. The site's content is now organized around Ebony-branded topics like Blacklisted and Discuss, and features news from across the Web alongside homegrown content. There's more entertainment, wellness, and lifestyle content. Archived content also is featured.
"Barnett said her goal was to make the site more competitive as rival news and gossip sites have sprung up."
Ebony added in a news release:
". . . EBONY.com showcases a specially designed homepage carousel that fades images in and out as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the magazine cover and celebrity shoots. The 'Speak' video roundtable series covers conversations by key bloggers and thinkers on topics relevant to the African-American community. . . ."
10,000 Websites Protest Online Piracy Legislation
"The number one rule young journalists are taught when starting radio broadcasting is simple: No dead air. Cough into the microphone if you must, but don't allow silence to creep in," Chris Arsenault reported Wednesday for Inter-Press Service and Al Jazeera.
"For websites, going offline is the same premise ‹ a definite faux pas. Despite this, Wikipedia, Reddit and other leading sites blacked out on Wednesday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the legislation which, critics say, will curtail freedom of speech by censoring internet content."
John Eggerton reported in Broadcasting & Cable that "According to [Rep.] Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), whose district is home to many [Silicon] Valley critics of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) . . . more than 10,000 Web sites have joined the protest of the bill."
However, Thomas Carpenter, general counsel of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, issued a statement supporting the legislation.
". . . The content industries employ millions of people, many of whom have good-paying middle-class union jobs, and it's one of the few industries where the US actually has a trade surplus," Carpenter wrote. "But law enforcement doesn't have the same tools available to stop the trafficking of stolen content abroad, that they have stateside. This legislation would fix that. An important provision of the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act allows only the Department of Justice to go to federal court to obtain an order for a search engine to stop linking to a foreign criminal website. Then ‹ and only if ordered by a judge ‹ will search engines simply be required not to return search results that include links to a specified foreign rogue site."
* American Society of News Editors: Anti-piracy legislation opposed by ASNE stalls
* Emil Guillermo blog: No "yahoo!" for a "Yahoo-less" Yang; He's free, but the internet may not be
* Tracie Powell, Poynter Institute: What journalists need to know about SOPA
* Alexis Garrett Stodghill, theGrio.com: SOPA and PIPA: Why anti-Internet piracy bills matter to the black community
Gingrich, Vanity Fair Return Juan Williams to Spotlight
"Juan Williams has been receiving quite a bit of attention in the aftermath of Monday night's GOP debate. Williams, who moderated the event, had a confrontational exchange with Newt Gingrich that earned him boos from the audience," the Huffington Post reported Wednesday.
"The Fox News contributor had raised criticism that Gingrich's comments about food stamps and poor children's work ethic were 'intended to belittle the poor and racial minorities.' Gingrich had said that if invited to speak to the NAACP, he would urge black people to demand paychecks instead of food stamps. Williams asked, 'Can't you see that this is viewed at a minimum as insulting to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans?' " [According to the New York Times, Gingrich actually said in Plymouth, N.H., "If the NAACP invites me, I'll go to their convention, talk about why the African American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps." Emphasis added.]
"On Tuesday's 'The Five,' he explained why he asked the question. When co-host Eric Bolling insisted that Gingrich's comments were about economics and not race, Williams disagreed. He said, 'It's very racial and... unless [I] missed it, black people [haven't] been out there demanding food stamps, or marching for food stamps.'
" 'I don't think [Gingrich] answered the question at all,' he said. . . . [Video].
"It seems that Williams' moment in the spotlight is not over. A pair of profiles in Vanity Fair were released on Wednesday. One, discussing his career before he came to NPR, was particularly negative. The article portrays Williams' career as an ego-driven march to the top intertwined with sloppy journalism and workplace scandals.
"The second piece, a broader look at Williams' fallout with ‹ and firing from ‹ NPR, is not much kinder to him, casting him as an over-priced star who held the network hostage due to his fame and its lack of black voices. Interestingly, writer David Margolick reveals that the comment that got Williams fired from his radio job ‹ when he told Bill O'Reilly he worried when he saw people in 'Muslim garb' on planes ‹ was no off-the-cuff remark, but was actually a carefully planned line."
* Perry Bacon Jr., theGrio.com: Is Obama vs. Romney also Occupy Wall Street vs. Bain Capital?
* Jon Cohen and Dan Balz, Washington Post: Electorate is sharply split over Obama, poll finds
* Lili Gil, Fox News Latino: South Carolina Debate Touches on Race, Equity on MLK Day
* Peter Hart, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting: NYT and the Racism Bog
* Peter Hart, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting: What Do NPR's Right-Wing Critics Have to Complain About?
* Carlos Harrison, HuffPost LatinoVoices: Hispanic Evangelicals, Longtime Republican Stronghold, At Odds With GOP On Key Issues
* Derrick Z. Jackson, Boston Globe: Speaking in the forked tongue of racial codes
* Jim Romenesko blog: Letter: Where's the Stephen Colbert-Herman Cain coverage?
* Ray Sanchez, HuffPost LatinoVoices: Latino Voters 2012: Exhilaration Over President Obama Turns To Dread And Disappointment
* Edward Schumacher-Matos, NPR: Santorum, Race and the Limits of Journalistic Fairness
* Sarah Seltzer, AlterNet: The Four Most Racist, Fearmongering and Absurd Moments from Last Night's Debate
* Sandhya Somashekhar, Washington Post: Gingri ch's statements on matters of race and poverty get cheers, criticism
* Mark Trahant, indianz.com: Repeal of 'Obamacare' not likely after election
* Joan Walsh, Salon.com: GOP crowd uses Juan Williams as an Obama stand-in
Detroit Free Press Produces Video on "Red Tails"
The Detroit Free Press produced this video at the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum in that city, introducing viewers to a few of the remaining Tuskegee Airmen, the subject of George Lucas' new film "Red Tails," which tells the story of black WWII fighter pilots. Interspersed is dramatic battle footage from the movie.
In another promotion for "Red Tails," which premieres on Friday, radio's syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show" plans to broadcast the show from Atlanta on Friday, with an on-air concert featuring Ashanti, SWV and Estelle.
". . . You see, I am the son of the Tuskegee Airmen program," Joyner wrote on Monday. "My father and mother came to Tuskegee to be a part of history. My daddy was a cadet and my mom a secretary for one of the white commanders. . . ."
* Adrienne Samuels Gibbs, Ebony: Red Tails: the Black Top Gun?
* Bomani Jones blog: "Why It Doesn't Matter If I Go See Red Tails"
* Cassia King, Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia University: Journalism professor receives MLK Award for documentary work
Laid-Off Spanish-Language Reporters Still Dream Big
"At a meeting on Saturday in Highland Park I met the reporters who chronicled L.A. as a Las Vegas of Mexican boxing, the ones who busted their asses getting a four-page extra out in 1985 after the big one hit in Mexico City, the ones sent to New York just after 9/11 and found families of the undocumented World Trade Center workers posting their loved ones' pictures next to those of six-figure brokers," Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reported Tuesday for KCET-TV in Los Angeles.
"This is the Asociacion de Periodistas Latinos de California. A four-year-old group made up mostly of laid-off or fired La Opinion reporters and editors. The meeting was called to kindle a new fire. . . .
"Spanish-language reporters need a place to gather, said the association's current president, Cruz Alberto Mendez, as he opened the meeting at a small law office. The group needs a new president, someone who can breathe new life into the organization. Mendez has worked in newspapers for more than 50 years. . . . .
"He'd like to see the association offer a legal defense fund and life insurance for Spanish language reporters. He'd also like to sow the seeds for Spanish language newspapers in cities with Latino mayors ‹ he says there are about 30 in California. These newspapers would hold officials accountable.Taliban Say They Killed Reporter Working With U.S.
In Pakistan, "Unidentified gunmen killed broadcast journalist Mukarram Khan Aatif in a mosque north of Peshawar today, according to news reports," the Committee to Protect Journalists reported on Tuesday. "Aatif was a correspondent for private TV station Dunya News and also worked for Deewa Radio, a Pashto-language channel of the U.S. government-funded broadcaster Voice of America, news reports said.
"The journalist was praying in a mosque near his home this evening when two gunmen entered the mosque, shot him several times, and fled on motorcycles, police told reporters. . . . An imam at the mosque was also injured in the attack, according to news reports.
"Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan called The Associated Press and said the Pakistani group took responsibility for the killing, the AP reported. Ihsan said Aatif had been warned 'a number of times to stop anti-Taliban reporting, but he didn't do so. He finally met his fate.' "
* Agence France-Presse: Pakistan journalist working for US media shot dead
* Editorial, Dawn, Pakistan: A chilling message
* Editorial, Intelligencer/News-Register, Wheeling, W.Va.: Taliban Prove They Are Our Enemies
* "The Associated Press has opened its newest bureau here, becoming the first international news organization with a full-time presence to cover news from North Korea in words, pictures and video," John Daniszewski reported Tuesday from Pyongyang, North Korea. "In a ceremony Monday that came less than a month after the death of longtime ruler Kim Jong Il and capped nearly a year of discussions, AP President and CEO Tom Curley and a delegation of top AP editors inaugurated the office, situated inside the headquarters of the state-run Korean Central News Agency in downtown Pyongyang."
* Robert Taylor, a former news director, news reporter and general manager at WHUR-FM, Howard University's radio station, died Jan. 9 at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, his sister, LaRue Bonner, told Journal-isms. Taylor, 61, had bone cancer, she said. Taylor worked at WHUR, a donation from the Washington Post that went on the air in 1971, from 1973 to 1985. He wrote for the black press until his illness. According to the Washington Informer, under Taylor, the "Daily Drum" with Kojo Nnamdi became the most listened to news program in the Washington area. Funeral services are scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at Tucker's Funeral Home, 415 Halifax St., Petersburg, Va., according to a death notice in the Progress-Index in Petersburg.
* "Maria Lopez Alvarez has been named senior vice president of alternative programming at Telemundo Media. A 26-year veteran of Univision, Alvarez will report to Alina Falcon, Telemundo's executive vice president of news and alternative programming," Michael Malone reported Tuesday for Broadcasting & Cable.
* Medill News Service reporter Donesha Aldridge found herself in the middle of an ethics debate after she "couldn't make a Lincoln Park Redistricting Meeting but still wanted to write about it, so she turned to the Everyblock Chicago online community for help," Jim Romenesko wrote Tuesday on his media blog. " 'I need a few residents' perspective of how the meeting went for my story,' she wrote. The you-know-what quickly hit the fan! 'Bob from Lincoln Park' and others went after the Medill grad student for her post. 'Please excuse me if I question the professionalism of your journalism,' he wrote. 'Why were you not there?' " Medill professor Marcel Pacatte defended his student.
* Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has appointed Naomi Patton, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, as his press secretary, Suzette Hackney reported for the Free Press on Wednesday. "She covered Detroit City Hall from May 2008 to August 2010." Patton starts Monday.
* In Los Angeles, "In what looks like a direct response to the John and Ken controversy from last September, Clear Channel has hired former NBC4 anchor David Cruz to host a daily afternoon talk show on KTLK (1150-AM) from 3-6 p.m.," Marcus Vanderberg reported Saturday for FishbowlLA. "The David Cruz Show starts Monday and will air at the same time as John and Ken on KFI." The John and Ken radio show became the target of an advertising boycott after hosts John Kybolt and Ken Chiampou gave out the business cellphone number of DREAM act advocate Jorge-Mario Cabrera.
* In the District of Columbia, "For months, Chinese and American workers have been constructing a multi-floor TV studio complex on New York Avenue NW," Paul Farhi wrote Sunday in the Washington Post. "Within a few weeks, China Central Television (CCTV) ‹ the nation's state-run international broadcaster ‹ intends to originate news broadcasts produced by a staff of more than 60 journalists hired in recent weeks from NBC, Bloomberg TV, Fox News and other Western news organizations."
* Danielle Belton, founder of "The Black Snob" website, began a "10 Things We're Talking About" column in the January issue of Essence magazine. In the same issue, Belton was one of three woman describing how "the recession forced them to awaken to their true power and a new reality." "The mid-2000's were rough for me," Belton wrote. "I'd worked as a staff writer, sometimes columnist and blogger for The Bakersfield Californian. During that same time I went through a divorce and was diagnosed with type II bipolar disorder, which led to various hospitalizations and medications."
* "The design whizzes over at C&G Partners have many talents, but among the most mind-blowing is their ability to transform grayish-yellowish mountains of historical documents and artifacts into visually stunning, user-friendly exhibits and displays," Stephanie Murg wrote Tuesday for UnBeige. "Feast your eyes (and your web browser) on their latest archival triumph: a website for The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. . . . At the core of the site, which launched yesterday, is a new digital archive for The King Center Imaging Project, a JPMorgan Chase & Co.-backed initiative to 'bring the works and papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. to a digital generation.' ²
* "Ecuador's National Assembly has approved President Rafael Correa's changes to the Democracy Code, which goes into effect Feb. 4 and prohibits news media from transmitting beneficial or harmful messages about candidates, reported El Diario," Tania Lara wrote for the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. "The new electoral reform in effect restricts media from organizing political debates or interviews that would allow voters to understand the candidates' proposals, according to Ecuavisa."
* "Eight journalists who protested about the closure of [a] TV station in Somaliland were arrested. And then 13 more journalists who went to their aid were also arrested," Roy Greenslade reported for Britain's Guardian newspaper. "They were already alarmed by the arrests of a further four journalists the previous week."
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Journal-isms is published on the site of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (www.mije.org). Reprinted on The Root by permission.
NPR Loses Another Black Male Voice
Alex Kellogg, Wall St. Journal Alum, Leaves After 14 Months
Alex P. Kellogg, one of NPR's two black male on-air journalists, has left the network after 14 months on the job, Kellogg told Journal-isms on Monday.
Kellogg, 34, told Journal-isms, "We're parting ways amicably."
Ironically, Kellogg's beat was "diversity-related issues and how these act as social, political and economic forces shaping our country."
Working from NPR's Washington headquarters, Kellogg started on Nov. 15, 2010, not long after NPR fired Juan Williams as an analyst under contract. Williams said on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" that Muslims dressed in Muslim garb on planes made him nervous. For much of Williams' NPR career, he was the only black male on-air voice, though NPR hired Kellogg and Corey Dade, another black print journalist, just before Williams was fired.
Dade, who also came from the Wall Street Journal, reports largely for the NPR website. Three African American women -- Michele Norris, Audie Cornish and Michel Martin -- host or co-host NPR news shows, though Norris is on leave from hosting "All Things Considered" during the presidential election season. Sonari Glinton, another African American male journalist, reports from Detroit.
After his firing, Williams made the lack of black male on-air voices part of his public brief against NPR. Before that departure, NPR lost Tavis Smiley and Ed Gordon as program hosts, each criticizing the network as they left.
According to Kellogg's bio, he "came to NPR in late 2010 from The Wall Street Journal. Based in Detroit, he covered Michigan and the auto industry for The Journal. He was part of a team of reporters who won a 2010 New York Press Club award for 'Detroit in Decline,' a 2009 series focusing on the collapse of the U.S. auto industry into the government's arms. His 2010 work as a general assignment reporter on the decline of the city of Detroit was praised by the Columbia Journalism Review and in 2011 he earned first place feature writing awards from the New York Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists."
Kellogg reported on such issues as deportations, interracial marriage and the racial gap in homeownership.
NPR has yet to name a successor to Ellen Weiss, NPR's senior vice president for news who resigned a year ago in the wake of the Williams affair. Gary Knell, who started work as NPR's new president in December, told Journal-isms when he was named, "I made diversity a key part of my pitch to the NPR board to get the job" and that "this is a big part of my agenda."
* Joel Dreyfuss, theRoot.com: NPR Has a Diversity Problem [Oct. 12]
Columnist Offers Free Copies of "The New Jim Crow"
"In June of 2010, I wrote in this space about a book, 'The New Jim Crow,' by Michelle Alexander, which I called a 'troubling and profoundly necessary' work," Leonard Pitts Jr. wrote Sunday in his syndicated Miami Herald column. "Alexander promulgated an explosive argument. Namely, that the so-called 'War on Drugs' amounts to a war on African-American men and, more to the point, to a racial caste system nearly as restrictive, oppressive and omnipresent as Jim Crow itself.
". . . As it happens and not exactly by coincidence, Alexander's book is being reissued in paperback this week as we mark the birthday of the man who led America's greatest mass movement for social justice. In his battle against the original Jim Crow, Martin Luther King, in a sense, did what Alexander seeks to do: pour sunlight on an onerous condition that exists just beyond the periphery of most Americans' sight.
"I want to help her do that. So here's the deal. I'll give you a copy of the book -- autographed by the author, no less -- free of charge. You don't even have to pay for shipping. All you have to do is tell me you want it and promise me you'll read it.
"In fact, make that the subject line of the email you send to request your copy: 'I want it. I'll read it.' Send it to lpitts@miamiherald.com. Make sure to include your contact information and mailing address. At month's end, I'll draw 50 names from a bucket and send out 50 books. If you work for the company that syndicates my column, or a newspaper that runs it, you can't participate. The same goes if you're my kin or my friend.
". . . let me make one thing clear. This giveaway is underwritten neither by my employer nor by Alexander's publisher. Me, myself and I will pay for both books and shipping. I chose to do it that way in order to impress upon you how vital I personally feel it is that you read this book."
* Michelle Alexander with Dave Davies, "Fresh Air," NPR: Legal Scholar: Jim Crow Still Exists In America
Metro Editor Gaskins Laid Off at Daily Press in Va.
Fred Gaskins, metro editor at the Tribune Co.-owned Daily Press in Newport News, Va., has been laid off, Gaskins told Journal-isms on Monday. Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune told employees it will offer an undisclosed number of voluntary buyouts in its newsroom.
"While newspaper companies broadly are struggling to transform their business models in the evolving digital age, Tribune Co., which owns the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other media properties, faces additional pressure as it seeks to emerge from a protracted bankruptcy," Robert Channick wrote Monday for the Tribune.
"Last month, a federal judge pushed back hearings on plans to end the three-year proceedings until at least May, meaning the company won't likely emerge from bankruptcy until third quarter, at the earliest."
Gaskins told Journal-isms by email, "I was laid off in a restructuring. . . . I've got valuable skills as a journalist, communicator and manager -- whether it's print or online -- and I hope to continue using those skills here in Hampton Roads. At least that's the early plan. I've been at the Daily Press for seven years, and was at USA TODAY for almost 20 years."
In his Tribune Co. bio, Gaskins says, "I've been Metro Editor at the Daily Press in Newport News, Va. for more than two years. Before that, I was assistant metro editor for almost three years.
"Before coming to Newport News I spent almost 20 years at USA TODAY serving as copy editor, page designer, newsmakers editor, crime and justice editor, transportation editor and - for want of a better description - coordinating national editor in the main newsroom."
According to a Friday report from media blogger Jim Romenesko, Daily Press Publisher Digby Solomon issued this statement:
"Our business model continues to adapt -- including rapid growth in our digital audiences and revenue -- and as a result The Daily Press Media Group is continuously re-evaluating the skill sets we need among our employee base. Last week we eliminated the jobs of 30 employees who have been loyal contributors and who will be missed, but were in positions that we no longer require. We currently have 15 job openings for various areas in the company, including our newsroom and our advertising sales group."
Younger Generation Found Lacking on Details About King
"At the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and Crenshaw in Los Angeles, the Michael Brown family is settling into folding camp chairs early for a good view of the annual MLK parade. This is the man that changed their lives forever 'by setting the path,' as Mr. Brown puts it, rattling off King's accomplishments from boycotts to marches to speeches," Daniel B. Wood wrote Monday for the Christian Science Monitor.
"Does his 14-year-old son, Marcus know as much about King?
" 'No.' says his mother, Akisha, bluntly. 'Parents and schools have dropped the ball in teaching the life and achievement of Dr. King. 'Prodded for a comment while bundling up with his one-year-old sister, Akilah, Marcus blurts out shyly: 'I know he said, "I have a dream." '
"All along the parade route, interviews show the same thing. The older generation is infused and excited about honoring the man they say made it possible for blacks and whites to attend the same schools and restaurants by standing up and demanding civil rights. Teens and younger children know King was important as a religious and political figure, but become tongue-tied when asked for details.
"This disturbs Jasmyne Cannick, an African American community activist, political commentator, and nationally syndicated columnist who lives within walking distance of the parade route.
" 'I'm troubled because I know how much King sacrificed to get the country to tackle the civil rights issue, and my generation is complacent and forgetful of this because they've had it all handed to them,' she says. Asked to grade America on how well it's done in passing on the knowledge and passion of King, she fires off, bluntly: 'D-minus or F.' "
" 'They don't know what organization he founded, they don't know key lines of his speeches, they don't know when he was killed,' she says. 'I'm embarrassed and disappointed by this.' "
Meanwhile, journalists and other columnists complained in social media that King was being sanitized as they shared King's more radical and antiwar views.
Some were giving King credit for the entire civil rights movement, failing to acknowledge that other civil rights leaders and millions of ordinary citizens -- even journalists -- participated. In an opinion piece published by at least two websites, Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, began, "It's been 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr. transformed the United States by bringing the promise of the Constitution and the civil liberties it secures to millions of Americans."
A television standout was an essay by musician Wynton Marsalis on the new "CBS This Morning." Marsalis discussed his own feelings about King growing up - he considered King an Uncle Tom, preferring Malcolm X - and how they had changed. (Video)
* Benjamin Ola. Akande, USA Today: On economy, MLK would have demanded better
* Jared A. Ball, voxunion.com: Liberating Dr. King! The L's Coming Mixtape: Real King, Real Politics, Real Beats w Sese
* Wayne Bennett, the Field Negro: The republican candidates and the three letters you will never hear them say. (MLK)
* Commercial Appeal, Memphis: Dr. Martin Luther King and the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike
* Desiree Cooper blog: MLK Day: A tribute to all who made my world possible
* Jesse Jackson, Chicago Sun-Times: The New South is legacy of Martin Luther King
* Eugene Kane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: King remains as relevant today as he was 50 years ago
* John Kelly, Washington Post: On King Day, reminders that problems of racism persist
* Courtland Milloy, Washington Post: Affordable-housing zones' rules are an affront to King's dream
* Ronda Racha Penrice, theGrio.com: Martin Luther King Day: 25 people who paved the way for MLK
* Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Martin Luther King and the dream that came true
* Gil Scott-Heron: How Gil Scott-Heron and Stevie Wonder set up Martin Luther King Day (book excerpt)
* Wendi C. Thomas, Commercial Appeal, Memphis: Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy eclipses statue
* Robin Washington, Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune: Honor King -- and yourself -- with empowerment, not victimhood
Romney Is "the Whitest White Man to Run for President"
"Mitt Romney may not have officially clinched the Republican nomination, but his victory has never really been in doubt. Nor has his viability in November: the most fanatical Tea Partiers are not about to withhold their votes and risk allowing President Obama to be re-elected," Lee Siegel, author of "Harvard Is Burning," wrote in the New York Times Sunday Review.
"Pundits have already begun the endless debate over whether Mr. Romney's wealth and religion are hindrances or assets. But there has yet to be any discussion over the one quality that has subtly fueled his candidacy thus far and could well put him over the top in the fall: his race. The simple, impolitely stated fact is that Mitt Romney is the whitest white man to run for president in recent memory.
"Of course, I'm not talking about a strict count of melanin density. I'm referring to the countless subtle and not-so-subtle ways he telegraphs to a certain type of voter that he is the cultural alternative to America's first black president. It is a whiteness grounded in a retro vision of the country, one of white picket fences and stay-at-home moms and fathers unashamed of working hard for corporate America."
Separately, "Fox News correspondent Juan Williams drew sustained boos during Monday night's Republican presidential debate in South Carolina, following a question to Newt Gingrich about his characterization of the nation's poor," Joy-Ann Reid reported for theGrio.com. "Williams was targeting comments the former House speaker has repeatedly made, saying poor children lack role models for work, and calling President Barack Obama a 'food stamp president.' "
. . . S.C. Paper Endorses Huntsman, Who Then Drops Out
Meanwhile, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman suspended his campaign just a day after The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., endorsed him in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary.
Britain's Guardian newspaper reported that Cindi Scoppe, associate editor of The State, was sanguine about the decision when Guardian reporter Matt Williams reached her by telephone.
Scoppe said "Huntsman's decision has left the newspaper feeling like a spurned lover," the Guardian wrote.
"Scoppe, who penned the endorsement piece on the former Utah governor that was published a day before he dropped out, said: 'It is rather like having gone through a courtship for some period of time and finally making love with a man, for him to suddenly turn around and say, "you know what, I think I'm gay".'
"She said Mitt [Romney] enjoyed South Carolina's largest newspaper's 'implied endorsement' now that Huntsman had dropped out. 'We intended to make clear that Romney was our second choice. But whether we write a formal endorsement or not -- we haven't figured it out yet.'
"The editorial piece in praise of Huntsman remained on The State's website Monday, prompting a slew of comments from readers poking fun of the newspaper."
* Charles M. Blow, New York Times: Bitter Politics of Envy?
* Frederick Cosby, BlackAmericaWeb.com: Gingrich Faces Skeptics at Black S.C. Church
* Meryl Gordon, Columbia Journalism Review: Gender Imbalance on the Campaign Trail
* Emil Guillermo blog: From New Hampshire to South Carolina, his bane is Bain: Romney the Sado-Capitalist is truly out of touch
* Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News Latino: Report of Romney Campaigning with Immigration Hawk Draws Fire
* Pablo Manriquez, HuffPost LatinoVoices: It Would Behoove Barack Obama To Immediately Stop Pissing Off Latinos
* Ruben Navarrette Jr., Washington Post Writers Group: Not your average candidate
* Ruben Navarrette Jr., syndicated: Danger in the GOP's class divide
* Albor Ruiz, Daily News, New York: Mitt Romney flees from his Mexican roots with tough anti-immigrant stance
* Jack White, theRoot.com: Let's Face It: It's Romney vs. Obama
T.J. Holmes Makes Voting Pitch on "BET Honors" Show
T.J. Holmes, the former CNN weekend anchor, gave his fans a glimpse of Black Entertainment Television's plans for him during a taping Saturday night of the "BET Honors" show at Washington's Warner Theatre.
In the midst of an all-star lineup that included first lady Michelle Obama, Holmes pitched the importance of voting, telling viewers that in some college towns a driver's license or college student ID were not accepted as valid enough for access to the ballot box.
He wondered aloud about the "coincidence" of new voter ID laws just as President Obama is seeking re-election. Holmes directed his audience to BET's website on voting rights said that after reading it, "vote like your life depended on it."
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has ruled that South Carolina's voter identification law is discriminatory because it would make voting harder for members of minority groups, who lack sufficient forms of government-approved ID more often than whites do.
BET announced Dec. 7 that it had secured "a multi-platform talent agreement" with Holmes but has not specified his duties. Holmes told theRoot.com he hopes to play "a huge role" in presenting "news coverage about things that matter" to the black community.
Others appearing on the "BET Honors," to be broadcast Monday, Feb. 13, are Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Patti LaBelle, Spike Lee, Maya Angelou, Cicely Tyson, Anthony Henderson, Terence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., members of the Tuskegee Airmen, India.Arie, Common, Jennifer Hudson, John Singleton, L.A. Reid, Kelly Rowland and Nick Cannon.
* Jenée Desmond-Harris, theRoot.com: 'BET Honors' 2012: Who Stole the Show?
* Lilly Kuo, Reuters: Michelle Obama stresses service at BET honors
* Aaron Leitko and Erin Williams, Washington Post: Michelle Obama turns up for BET Honors
* Michael E. Ross, theRoot.com: NAACP Puts Voter ID Laws in Crosshairs
Media Outlets Join in Promoting Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen are receiving another round of honors as the movie "Red Tails" debuts Jan. 20, and some in the news media are doing their part to promote it. The National Association of Black Journalists previewed portions of it at its summer convention.
Tom Joyner, the top syndicated morning radio host, flew to Tuskegee, Ala., Monday to make a speech that saluted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the airmen, and then joined several leaders hosting a screening and panel discussion of "Red Tails." Joyner's father, Hercules, was part of the Tuskegee Airmen program, and his mother worked in the airmen's office.
On Friday, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted some of the airmen at a screening of "Red Tails" in the White House.
On Saturday, retired Army general Colin L. Powell was in the "BET Honors" audience as surviving airmen Charles E. McGee and Roscoe Brown were presented a BET "service award."
". . . little screen time has been devoted to the Tuskegee Airmen, the pioneering World War II African-American aviators who fought a two-front battle against the Germans overseas and against racism at home," Julie Hinds wrote in the Detroit Free Press.
* Jennifer H. Cunningham, Daily News, New York: Tuskegee Airman Col. Charles McGee says World War II film "Red Tails" is spot on
* Jenée Desmond-Harris, theRoot.com: George Lucas: Hollywood Rejected Black Cast
* Eugene Kane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Even George Lucas has trouble making a film with lots of black folks in it
* Roland S. Martin, Creators Syndicate: Seeing 'Red' Over Hollywood's Treatment of Blacks
* Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Tuskegee Airmen deserve a better home
* Two Native American academics are trying to learn why the media haven't paid much attention to the "devastation" of Native Americans by type 2 diabetes, Terri Hansen wrote Sunday for Indian Country Today. Dr. Teresa Trumbly Lamsam, Osage, is a University of Kansas visiting associate professor in journalism and social scientist. Her research partner is Rhonda LeValdo, Acoma Pueblo, Haskell Indian Nations University journalism instructor and president of the Native American Journalists Association. As LeValdo "began working with Lamsam, she found herself personally caught up with her research. She kept her diabetic uncle abreast of their findings during their pilot study; the former cross-country and track runner in turn took to reading a book on diabetes and started logging his exercise routine."
* "Subrata De, a senior producer on 'NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,' has been named EP of MSNBC's 'Andrea Mitchell Reports,' " Chris Ariens reported Sunday for TVNewser. "De . . . has been with NBC News since 1998 and for the last several years as been Williams' lead producer, traveling with him across the country and around the world."
* Kevin Powell, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based activist, writer and public speaker, is joining theGuardian.com, website of Britain's Guardian newspaper, as a blogger. Powell's blog, "Made in America," debuted Monday with "Martin Luther King Jr's universal message."
* BET's Centric network ran a crawler Monday falsely announcing the death of former South African prime minister Nelson Mandela. The hoax had been spreading on social media and denounced by the African National Congress. BET officials could not be reached for comment.
* "Protesters in Nigeria are not only angry at their government's New Year's Day decision to eliminate a fuel subsidy - they are also upset about news media coverage of the citizens' movement, dubbed 'Occupy Nigeria,' and have taken their protests to local media outlets," Mohamed Keita wrote Friday for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "According to news reports, on Thursday, protesters descended on the studios of at least two prominent broadcasters, the state-run national public broadcaster Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the private Africa Independent Television (AIT), to demand more balanced coverage."
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Journal-isms is published on the site of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (www.mije.org). Reprinted on The Root by permission.
Abu-Jamal Off Death Row, in the Hole
Supporters: "His Present Conditions Are Actually Worse"
Mumia Abu-Jamal, the onetime president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists who became an international symbol of opposition to the death penalty, is being subjected to "worse" prison conditions today than when he was on death row, his supporters say.
Abu-Jamal, convicted in the 1981 killing of police officer Daniel Faulkner, was liberated from death row last month when the district attorney in Philadelphia said he would not seek a new death penalty hearing for Abu-Jamal.
When Abu-Jamal is transferred to the general prison population, "he'll . . . be permitted to have contact visits for the first time in three decades," the New York Amsterdam News noted on Friday.
But according to freemumia.com, "Mumia Abu-Jamal is being held in Administrative Custody ('The Hole' or Solitary Confinement) at SCI Mahanoy, Frackville, PA. Mumia’s death sentence has been dropped, and though he is supposed to be in General Population, he has been held in Solitary Confinement — shackled whenever he’s [outside] his cell (even to the shower), glaring lights 24/7, no regular phone calls, restrictive visits, inadequate commissary, no access to his materials and denied his typewriter." "SCI" stands for "state correctional institution."
Prison Radio added this week, "His present conditions are actually worse than they were on death row at SCI Greene. Please join us in our call for Mumia to be immediately transferred into general population."
It continued, "Mumia is being kept in solitary in SCI Mahanoy's dungeon. Its restrictions and conditions belie its modern construction. Mumia just told us on Friday that he wants all of his supporters to broaden this call, to not just focus on his case, but to understand that all torture units must be shut down.
"The Human Rights Coalition is a group of prisoners, family members, and supporters that have been exposing and challenging state torture in Pennsylvania for years. HRC states 'Mumia may be in solitary, but he is not alone. The PA Department of Corrections holds approximately 2,500 people in solitary confinement on any given day, many of them for years at a time." Please visit these websites to learn more: Human Rights Coalition and Solitary Watch
". . . The defeat for the State, having to openly declare that Mumia will live, and the fact that they can no longer legally execute Mumia, has meant a severe backlash. After his transfer off of death row, Mumia was thrown in the hole at SCI Mahanoy."
Relayed this description of Abu-Jamal's circumstances, Sue Bensinger, deputy press secretary at the Frackville prison, told Journal-isms by telephone, "I'm not going to discuss in detail one particular inmate," adding that the prison holds thousands. "We just house them. We just care for whatever the court sends us."
National Lawyers Guild: After death row transfer, NLG VP Mumia Abu-Jamal languishes in solitary
AP Apparently Lays Off Two Assistant Bureau Chiefs of Color
Two assistant bureau chiefs of color were apparently among layoffs implemented this week at the Associated Press.
A supervisor confirmed that Miami-based Michelle Morgante, assistant Florida bureau chief and Caribbean business manager, was among them. Others at the news cooperative said that Andrew Fraser, assistant Pennsylvania bureau chief, based in Philadelphia, apparently was laid off as well.
Paul Colford, spokesman for the AP, told Journal-isms, "We've made some changes based on evolving business needs."
Morgante wrote in her LinkedIn profile that she has been in the bureau since 2005. "I represent The Associated Press for Florida and the Caribbean, helping our members make the most of their AP relationship, and working with clients in the Caribbean to put AP content to work for them in print or digital publications, broadcast reports, publishing projects and as a resource for companies and academic institutions," she wrote.
Morgante had been an AP correspondent in Mexico for five years, and prior to that, an editor on the AP's International Desk.
Fraser, then AP news editor in Florida, was named to the Pennsylvania post in 2006.
"Fraser has directed news coverage in Florida since 2002," an AP announcement said at the time. "He helped supervise a broad range of stories — from the Terri Schiavo saga last year to two devastating, back-to-back hurricane seasons.
"Fraser worked for more than eight years as a reporter, editor and supervisor for the AP in Hartford, Conn., and on the national business desk in New York. After working as a deputy national editor with The Wall Street Journal's online edition, Fraser rejoined the AP three years ago in Miami as news editor."
Fraser could not be reached for comment.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says Martin Luther King Jr.'s "drum major" quote will be fixed. Rachel Manteuffel had raised the issue in a Washington Post essay. (Credit: Nikki Kahn/Washington Post)
Interior Secretary Agrees to Change Quote on King Memorial
"Five months ago, in this space, I wrote that something was wrong with the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial," Rachel Manteuffel wrote Friday for the Washington Post. "The quotation inscribed on the monument’s left flank had been so badly excerpted that a modest statement of King’s was turned into a boast.
". . . Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told The Post today that the quote will be corrected. He has given the National Park Service 30 days — because 'things only happen when you put a deadline on it' — to consult with the King Memorial Foundation, family members and other interested parties and come up with a more accurate alternative.
" 'This is important because Dr. King and his presence on the Mall is a forever presence for the United States of America, and we have to make sure that we get it right,' Salazar said.
"Consider it no small victory for the power of public opinion over the sometimes ponderous inertia of bureaucracy, and also for the power of words — King’s words — to be heard.
" 'I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness,' the monument says. What an odd choice for a quote, I thought, when I visited in August before its scheduled dedication. It sounded almost . . . conceited. And it was past tense, as though King was speaking from the grave. It didn’t sound like King at all.
"I went looking for the context, read the whole speech and found there was a reason it didn’t sound like him. 'If you want to say I was a drum major, say I was . . . ' is how King began his statement. As many have since pointed out, the 'if' and the 'you' entirely change the meaning."
Meanwhile, Stanford University planned Friday to honor photojournalist Bob Fitch with a Call to Consciousness Award from the university's Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, the Palo Alto Weekly reported. A King photograph by Fitch is the model for the memorial on the National Mall.
"Fitch, 72, was a Bay Area-raised, 24-year-old ordained minister who took a job as a staff photographer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, of which Martin Luther King Jr. was president. Over three years Fitch shot hundreds of memorable images of black Americans' struggles," the story said.
". . . Fitch was able to go where black journalists could not. Southern Christian Leadership Conference leaders said they could not send black reporters and photographers into the field because they were beaten or killed. Fitch covered major events each week, and the images and stories were sent to a network of black-run newspapers and magazines, he said."
Allen Johnson, News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.: The MLK Memorial flap [Sept. 2]
Julianne Malveaux, syndicated: King Out of Context – Just Fix It! [Sept. 6] Gene Weingarten and Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post: Maya Angelou says King memorial inscription makes him look ‘arrogant’ [Aug. 30] Soledad O'Brien, Author Jodi Kantor Clash Over "Obamas"
"CNN's Soledad O'Brien had an extremely tense conversation on Friday's 'Starting Point' with the author of a controversial new book about the Obamas," Jack Mirkinson wrote Friday for the Huffington Post.
"Jodi Kantor, who wrote 'The Obamas,' has had to push back against attacks from the White House and skeptical questions from many in the media ever since the book was published. (Her work has also received positive attention and at least one study has found that the reporting in the book mostly stands up.)
"Kantor started by saying that she was very surprised by Michelle Obama's reaction to the book, especially her contention that it portrays her as an 'angry black woman.'
" 'The book never describes her as an angry black woman,' she said. 'It describes her as a strong woman ... so what I assume is that she's reacting to some of the more sensational coverage around the book, which is really distorted in the reporting of what this book is.'
"O'Brien wasn't having that. 'She may not have read the book but I read the book,' she said, adding that she felt Kantor described Obama as 'being stuck on a chain gang or something.' O'Brien read the end of several chapters, each of which she felt ended on a downbeat note.
" 'Your portrait ... is the tone is sort of a sense of a woman who is frustrated, unhappy, and a little bitter about having the privilege of being the first lady,' she said. Kantor fought back. 'I think that words like bitter are coming from you, not from me,' she said. 'I definitely never used that word.' She also said that O'Brien had 'misrepresented' her reporting on a White House Halloween party from 2009."
Perry Bacon Jr., theGrio.com: 'The Obamas': 6 key highlights from Jodi Kantor White House book
Farai Chideya, CNN: For Michelle Obama, what's wrong with strong? Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Where's the respect that our First Lady deserves? Chris Stevenson, btweetz.com: New Book "The Obamas" Chronicles First Lady/Chief of Staff Rift Mayor Wants D.C. Universities to Honor Ofield Dukes
Mayor Vincent Gray of the District of Columbia told hundreds attending a memorial service for public relations activist Ofield Dukes Friday that he intended to have all universities in his city memorialize Dukes in some way.
Gray was just one of the dignitaries who spoke at Shiloh Baptist Church during a three-hour service celebrating Dukes, who died Dec. 7 in his hometown of Detroit at age 79. Relatives said at the service that Dukes had caught pneumonia.
Gray noted that he meets regularly with the presidents of the universities in the capital. In the city, they are American, Catholic, Gallaudet, George Washington, Georgetown, Trinity Washington and Howard, along with the Corcoran College of Art + Design, the University of the District of Columbia, National Defense University and National Intelligence University. The group also includes the presidents of Marymount and George Mason universities in the Virginia suburbs and the University of Maryland at College Park.
At the next, as-yet-unscheduled meeting, Gray said, "The first agenda item is that each university in this city needs to figure out a way to memorialize Ofield Dukes," be it with a scholarship or other tribute. ". . . If the meeting doesn't go well, I'm going to get the names of everybody in here and do what Ofield Dukes would have done — organize a protest, in a supportive way," he said, jokingly, "but I don't think it will come to that."
Dukes was the go-to man in the black political life in the capital, where he lived for 46 years. In 1993, he founded the Black Public Relations Society chapter in Washington; in 1971, organized the Congressional Black Caucus; he taught at Howard University; and in the 1960s he was a communications adviser to Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Dukes founded a short-lived newspaper, the North Star, in 1981. He had worked early in his career at the Michigan Chronicle.
Dukes was remembered in all of those roles. Speakers included Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C. delegate to Congress; Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff for the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs; Jannette L. Dates, dean of the John H. Johnson School of Communications at Howard University; former D.C. mayors Marion Barry and Sharon Pratt; Prince George’s County, Md., Executive Rushern Baker; and Alexis M. Herman, former U.S. secretary of labor, among others. President Obama was among those contributing tributes for the memorial program.
"He made his work in public relations work in civil rights," Norton said. "His public relations efforts ought to be seen in the broadest sense as work in public affairs." She noted his organization of the Congressional Black Caucus and his partnership with Stevie Wonder to push for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Maureen Bunyan, an anchor at Washington's WJLA-TV, a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists and an emcee, noted that Dukes was "in the whole mix" of the activism that was taking place in 1975, when NABJ was founded. "He was just there for us. We didn't have to ask him," she said. "He was ready to share what he knew, what his strategic thinking had taught him."
The words "strategy" and "planning" were Dukes attributes that were repeated throughout the service.
Church members put the attendance at the noon service at as many as 900. NABJ held a reception honoring Dukes' memory at Howard University afterward.
Hamil R. Harris, Washington Post: Ofield Dukes remembered
Dr. Chuka Onwumechili, a professor of communication and culture at Howard University, will become interim dean of the John H. Johnson School of Communications, outgoing dean Jannette L. Dates told Journal-isms on Friday. Dates said in February 2011 that she hoped to step down on June 30 while a national search for a new dean began. At that point, she had been dean or acting dean for 17½ years and associate dean for five. No permanent dean has been chosen.
"The LA Times Media Group announced the launch of the Spanish-language website Hoylosangeles.com today," Matthew Fleischer reported Friday for FishbowlLA. "The site will be the online home of LATMG’s weekend paper Hoy Los Angeles and will also post some translated stories from the LA Times."
"Bounce TV, the new broadcast TV network for African Americans, has generated 'impressive local viewership' since its launch in November on WVUE New Orleans . . ., according to the Fox affiliate, which is airing Bounce TV on its ch. 8.2," TVNewsCheck reported on Friday. " 'After just two months on the air, Bounce TV has higher ratings than numerous well-established national cable networks and is competing strongly with several local broadcast outlets,' WVUE says."
In Chicago, "Saying it was 'just time to make a change,' Muriel Clair has resigned after 34 years as an award-winning general assignment reporter at Tribune Co.-owned WGN-Channel 9," Robert Feder reported Thursday for TimeOutChicago. ". . . Clair is expected to continue her Teacher of the Month feature and handle other special projects on a freelance basis, according to WGN news director Greg Caputo, who called her 'a stalwart on our staff.' "
Felicia Pride, founding executive editor of inReads, a web initiative of WETA television in Washington, joined the FishbowlNY media blog on Jan. 3 as one of three co-editors. Pride is African American. About a year ago, this columnist wrote for the Poynter Institute, "Reading the Fishbowl blogs about the media — there are three of them, for New York, Washington and Los Angeles, all part of mediabistro.com — one sometimes gets the impression that media people of color exist merely as window dressing." Since then, FishbowlLA has hired Marcus Vanderberg, another black journalist, as a co-editor.
"John Mailer, son of writer and Village Voice co-founder Norman Mailer, has joined the campaign on Change.org calling on Village Voice Media to shut down the adult section of its Backpage.com classifieds site where individuals have advertised children and teens for sex," Felicia Pride reported Thursday for FishbowlNY.
"How many immigrants live within each state? How do Latinos and Asians contribute to a state’s economy? How many of any state’s immigrants are eligible to vote?" Marisa Treviño wrote on her Latina Lista site. "All of these questions and others are answered in the Immigration Policy Center‘s re-released set of fact sheets for each of the 50 states. The fact sheets were updated with the most recent government and academic data. To make it even easier, infographics, highlighting the top data points of each state, are also available for those who want quick answers without wading through a lot of text."
From Lagos, Nigeria: "Save for the timely intervention of policemen on patrol, a journalist, Mr Charles Akpan with Inspiration 32.5 FM would have been set ablaze, today, when a group of armed hoodlums intercepted him on his way to work," Olasunkanmi Akoni reported Thursday for the Vanguard newspaper.
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald reporter, and John Yearwood, world editor at the Herald, are among the moderators, speakers and panelists at the International Press Institute's World Congress 2012, to be held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from June 23 to 26. It is the first time the conference is being held in the Caribbean.
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