ABC News Poaches Black Anchor From CBS
Amid high-profile departures by black news personalities, Byron Pitts gets a shot.
ABC News officially named CBS correspondent Byron Pitts as an anchor and its chief national correspondent Monday, moving Pitts to a network where "diversity is as important as it is to me" and leaving one, he told Journal-isms, that has lost half the number of black correspondents it had when he arrived 16 years ago.
"I don't think any news organization is where it should be, but the people at ABC are at least talking the talk and making efforts to walk the walk," Pitts said by telephone.
As chief national correspondent, Pitts said, he will be covering the nation's major stories. It is a title held by no other person of color at the other networks. Two weeks ago, Jeff Zucker, new president of CNN, said he was excited that Jake Tapper, who is white, will be "the face" of CNN. At that network, John King is chief national correspondent. (Jim Avila, also at ABC, is senior national correspondent and told Journal-isms he is the the first full time Hispanic White House correspondent at a major network.)
Pitts, 52, will also be anchoring hourlong prime-time news specials, another breakthrough for him. He is to fill in as a news reader on "Good Morning America" and on the weekend news. However, Pitts will not be a backup on "World News With Diane Sawyer," he said, explaining that "the line to that chair is pretty long."
In his announcement, ABC News President Ben Sherwood said of Pitts, "An accomplished reporter and brilliant storyteller, Byron has a unique talent for stories about people and communities facing the longest odds.
"In his new role, he will file for all platforms, bringing his signature thoughtfulness, seriousness of purpose, and flair."
Pitts told Journal-isms that Sherwood "came after me aggressively," along with Barbara Fedida, senior vice president for talent and business.
"He said, 'We know what you do, and we want you to do that here.' He talked about diversity." The subject "was something that he initiated. He said that was a priority for them. He said they want to own the future."
Pitts mentioned that one of ABC News' first pieces during the election of Pope Francis last month was by a Hispanic reporter who talked about the significance of the choice to Latin America. Cecilia Vega was in Rome for ABC then.
Pitts was also a contributor to "60 Minutes" and chief national correspondent for the "CBS Evening News." His departure from "60 Minutes" leaves it with an all-white correspondents lineup.
He named nine African American reporters at CBS when he arrived: Ed Bradley, Harold Dow, Bill Whitaker, Randall Pinkston, Russ Mitchell, Vicki Mabrey, Troy Roberts, Jacqueline Adams and Mark McEwen. Today, he said he could name five: Michelle Miller, Terrell Brown, Pinkston, Roberts and Gayle King.
"Numbers don't lie," he said. "One of the challenges with diversity with the networks is, (1) Hire us. (2) Put us in positions to be successful." He said ABC is doing both.
At CBS, Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corp., which includes CBS News and other CBS operations, has "spoken passionately about diversity," Pitts said. Sean McManus served concurrently as president of CBS News and CBS Sports for more than five years before being named chairman of CBS Sports in 2011. He had "an open door" on diversity matters, Pitts said.
The meetings that McManus held "stopped after he left," Pitts said. David Rhodes became president of CBS News in February 2011.
[According to CBS News spokesperson Sonya McNair, CBS has 'more than double' Pitts' estimate of seven correspondents of color," Gail Shister reported Tuesday for TVNewser. " 'We wish Byron well,' she adds. ABC News has a total of 29, says division rep David Ford." Pitts apparently amended his estimate to seven.]
Sherwood succeeded David Westin as ABC News president in 2010. Under Westin, ABC lagged behind CNN on cable and NBC in broadcast on diversity concerns.
"He had some opportunities to really move some African Americans into key positions as correspondents," Kathy Times, then president of the National Association of Black Journalists, told Journal-isms when Westin announced his retirement. She said she would have liked to have seen more support from ABC for NABJ during the year and at its convention, and looked forward to that from his successor.
Unity, NAHJ Take Their Outrage Beyond Journalism
Nearly everyone agrees that Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, was offensive when he used the term "wetback" last week in a radio interview.
Young remarked that when he was a boy in California, his father "used to hire 50 to 60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes" on his farm.
Is that a subject for organizations of journalists to become outraged about? Yes, says the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, followed Monday by Unity: Journalists for Diversity.
Both groups issued statements of outrage calling for Young to apologize. The congressman has now done so at least twice. Yet the goals articulated in each organization's bylaws indicate that journalism and newsrooms are the associations' stated focus. They don't say that the associations go beyond those parameters, and if they do say so implicitly, they don't spell out which offensive comments are deserving of rebuke.
Unity also released a letter Friday calling on Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., to hold hearings on the proposed "Non-Disparagement of Native American Persons [or] Peoples in Trademark Registration Act of 2013."
"H.R. 1278 is important legislation because it would strike a public blow against racist stereotypes, which are an anathema to human dignity and diversity," the Unity letter said. "There is no worse racial epithet used to refer to Native American people than the name of the Washington professional football team. It has heinous origins in the bloody history of commoditization of Native skin and other body parts as bounties and trophies, and these despicable practices trace directly to today's 'Native mascots' that glorifies a savage past.
The letter was signed by Unity President Tom Arviso Jr., a member of the Native American Journalists Association, which has long spoken out against terms offensive to Native Americans. It notes that Unity is "an alliance of four journalism organizations representing more than 4,000 journalists."
Journal-isms asked Arviso and Hugo Balta, president of NAHJ, whether the news releases on the "wetback" term represent changes in position by commenting on offensive terms apparently uttered outside a journalistic context. And if so, what the guidelines are.
Balta replied by email, "The National Association of Hispanic Journalists champions the fair and accurate representation and coverage of Latinos. Our members are part of the Latino community and as such stand to speak out against issues that affect all of us (not just journalists). Representative Don Young's insensitive and inaccurate description of migrant workers merits our (NAHJ) response and demand for action. As journalists it is our constitutional right to give voice to the voiceless, hold the powerful accountable and empower the community."
The NAHJ bylaws, however, don't quite go that far. They say:
"The goals of the association are:
"To organize and provide mutual support for Hispanics involved in the gathering or dissemination of news.
"To encourage and support the study and practice of journalism and communications by Hispanics.
"To foster and promote a fair treatment of Hispanics by the media.
"To further the employment and career development of Hispanics in the media.
"To foster a greater understanding of Hispanic media professionals' special cultural identity, interests, and concerns."
Unity's mission statement says:
"UNITY: Journalists for Diversity, Inc. is a strategic alliance advocating fair and accurate news coverage about diversity -- especially race, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation -- and aggressively challenging the industry to staff its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation's diversity. . . . "
And the NAJA statement of purpose says that organization "seeks to develop and to improve communications among Native American people and the Non-Native American public."
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times produced a story Monday by Marisa Gerber headlined, " For Latinos, a Spanish word loaded with meaning."
"An Alaska's congressman's reference to 'wetbacks' during a radio interview last week stirred an uproar and he was forced to apologize. In Latino communities, the episode highlighted how cultural reactions to the word have changed through generations," Gerber wrote.
"Everyone seems to agree that the English version of the term is highly offensive to Latinos when others use it. But when Latinos use mojado -- which literally means 'wet' but is also used to describe illegal immigrants in the United States -- it's different. . . ."
Hugo Balta blog: Fostering Diverse Newsrooms: Challenges And Best Practices
Coates Says His Blog Is Not Meant to Be Perfect
Ta-Nehisi Coates, the senior editor for the Atlantic who on Monday was named a finalist for a National Magazine Award, says to cut him some slack on his blog posts.
"What I'm doing on my blog is different from what I'm doing for the magazine," Coates told Journal-isms by telephone on Sunday. "The blog for one is an opportunity to see the work as it's in progress. It's somewhere between the world of me talking and the world of me writing." For example, facts are not always correct, he said, and are sometimes changed as he receives feedback.
Coates was responding to a Journal-isms item Friday that wondered whether his blog was edited, pointing out grammatical and spelling mistakes. Coates was in Europe, as his blog readers know, and Natalie Raabe, the Atlantic's communications director, replied that the magazine would correct the errors in the recent postings -- and did -- and explained, "At the speed at which folks work on the web, things sometimes slip through."
Coates said he does indeed have editors, but "I am posting at 3 in the morning" sometimes. "There are times when I post without editors. That was part of the freedom of it. I do not always adhere to the system, that's the honest answer."
Coates has made no secret of his public school education in the 'hood of West Baltimore and that he dropped out of Howard University, "failing both British and American literature. Before that, he failed 11th-grade English," as Jordan Michael Smith wrote in a profile of Coates last month in the New York Observer.
Smith also called Coates "the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States," a description Coates began the Sunday conversation saying was not one he agrees with. "That's not who I am," he said. Coates also said he would not change the grammatical and spelling errors in a 2008 piece on Sarah Palin cited in the Journal-isms item because the piece would then be inauthentic.
The conversation echoes debates in other venues about the diminishing value accorded copy editors and copy editing; the difference between a blog and polished writing; the importance, or lack of it, of grammar and spelling; and schools' role in teaching those disciplines well.
Coincidentally, the New York Times Sunday Review ran a piece that assumed that some readers do place a high value on grammar. Henry Hitchings, author of three books exploring language and history, held forth on "Those Irritating Verbs-as-Nouns."
Coates' National Magazine Award nomination was in the "essays and criticism" category for "Fear of a Black President." It was an Atlantic magazine piece, not a blog entry.
Columnist Keeps Focus on Gap in NCAA Graduation Rates
"This is my 17th year of charting graduation rates for basketball tournament and football bowl teams, and a record 25 men's programs in the 68-team field for the NCAA basketball tournament had black player graduation rates of at least 80 percent," Derrick Z. Jackson wrote Saturday in the Boston Globe.
"These lofty ranks included former whipping posts of mine such as Nevada Las Vegas and Louisville, whose black players had graduation rates of 14 percent and 25 percent in 2006. Other schools that rose to at least 80 percent from 33 percent or below were Kansas, UCLA, Kansas [State], Creighton, and St. Mary's.
"But the very success of those schools has created an even greater chasm between them and the schools that do not even try."
Jackson noted earlier in his column, "For the third straight year in the 68-team field, 21 teams had black graduation rates below 50 percent. They include Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Syracuse, Arizona, and the ostensible 'public Ivy' California, along with small-school darlings Butler and LaSalle. Florida was at the bottom of the barrel at zero.
"The NCAA is thus far unmoved by the fact that nearly a third of the field is plagued by such poor performance, which is all the more noteworthy because most of those same 21 schools had a 100 percent graduation rate for their white players. . . ."
Jackson concluded, "The NCAA must crack down on the schools that try to get away with chronic disparities. Anything less means that, for all of the progress that has been made, the NCAA still is willing to live with exploitation and tokenism."
Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine: No cooling down for March Madness: Tourney drawing strongest viewership in 19 years
Romona Robinson, Fox Win in Cleveland Musical Chairs
In Cleveland, "Nobody realized it at the time, but when Robin Swoboda jumped from WJW Channel 8 to WKYC Channel 3 in early 2011, it sparked a year of unprecedented volatility in the Cleveland television market," Mark Dawidziak wrote Monday for the Plain Dealer.
"Since that move, changes have kept coming at a dizzying pace. Indeed, there were more major anchor changes during that one-year span than during the previous 15 years. Perhaps the biggest was when Romona Robinson ended her 15-year association with Channel 3 in late 2011, moving over to Channel 19 as the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. co-anchor."
Dawidziak quoted Dan Salamone, Channel 19's news director: "The biggest change, obviously, was the addition of Romona Robinson, and that gave us an immediate bump. And not only has that growth been sustained over the last year, it has spread to other time periods. We're obviously very pleased with those noon numbers. There's positive momentum across the board."
In January 2012, Russ Mitchell left New York and CBS-TV, where he was anchor of the "CBS Evening News" weekend editions and "The Early Show" on Saturday, and national correspondent for "CBS News Sunday Morning," the "CBS Evening News" and "The Early Show." He joined WKYC-TV, where he is managing editor of the "Evening News" and lead anchor of the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
Brooke Spectorsky, WKYC's president and general manager, told Dawidziak, "Our anchors are real reporters, and I think we shine on the big stories. And even though Russ and Kris [Pickel, former Sacramento newscaster] have done a great job introducing themselves to viewers, they're still very new to the market. In a market that doesn't like change, we knew it wasn't going to be easy, and we've had a tough time getting out of the gate."
Dawidziak concluded, "So with this year's February sweeps in the rearview mirror, who benefited from this ongoing game of musical anchor chairs? Data provided by the Nielsen Co. suggest traditional Cleveland news champ Channel 8," a Fox affiliate, "remains strong in most of the time periods in which it schedules news, and hard-charging WOIO Channel 19 is winning the noon and 11 p.m. news races with the demographic most prized by advertisers, viewers 25 to 54. . . . "
Ebony, Slate Among Outlets Examining Gun Violence
"For a city that has long cultivated Black icons and Black excellence -- including John H. Johnson and Johnson Publishing Company -- Black death and Black pain are far too familiar in Chicago," Jamilah Lemieux, news and lifestyle editor, digital, wrote Thursday for Ebony magazine.
"The recent murder of 6-month-old Jonylah Watkins is but one tragic example. Despite the national headlines and increased interest due to the city's connection to our current POTUS, Chicagoans know that the recent violence is not a new phenomenon.
"EBONY.com recognizes the need for people across the country to understand the challenges facing Chicago. Our response? ENOUGH: Chicago and the Tragedy of Urban Violence, a year-long series dedicated to examining the causes, effects, and possible solutions to the crisis in our community.
"The series, which launched Wednesday March 13, examines the factors contributing to the situation in Chicago -- educational disparities, unemployment, the ever-shifting gang culture, mental health issues, and more. The 17 published stories to date include conversations with current and former illegal gun owners, an interview with St. Sabina's Father Michael Pfleger and a look at how the 'gang violence' that once gripped the city has changed. . . ."
Meanwhile, Barb Palser, new-media columnist for the American Journalism Review, wrote Friday that, "In the wake of the mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut last year, and the escalation of America's debate over gun control, reporters and interactive designers across the country are challenging themselves to shed light and perspective on a highly complex subject."
The most innovative, Paiser said, was "Gun Deaths in America Since Newtown," "an interactive presentation on Slate.com that tracks daily reported gun deaths since the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012, that left 28 dead. The information comes from news reports gathered by @GunDeaths and followers around the country. . . . "
Stanley Crouch, Daily News, New York: The politics of spilled blood
Stanley Crouch, Daily News, New York: The blood keeps flowing in Chicago
Jarvis DeBerry, NOLA.com | the Times-Picayune: Is it wrong or is it wise to punish people for what they might do?
Lewis Diuguid, Kansas City Star: Those behind bars need uplifting visitor advice
Bruce A. Dixon, Black Agenda Report: Black Mass Incarceration -- Is It New? Is It Jim Crow? Is the Prison-Industrial Complex Real? And What Difference Does It Make
Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald: Bitter tears, inaction after gun violence
Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Nation is forgetting Newtown's children
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: In pursuit of maximum mayhem
Michael Paul Williams, Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch: Waging a war against mass incarceration
Asian Americans' Numbers, Languages Make Polling Difficult
"Periodically our readers ask us why we don't provide individual data for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders as part of the standard demographic comparisons in our reports," Aaron Smith, senior researcher at the Pew Internet & American Life Project, wrote Friday.
Smith specializes in politics, government, race and ethnicity. He continued, "Several years ago we asked our lead pollster, Evans Witt (principal and CEO of Princeton Survey Research Associates International) to provide a survey methodologist's take on this question. His response hopefully sheds some light on the challenges associated with polling the Asian population in the U.S.:
" 'The short answer is that Asian Americans make up a very small slice of the population, 3.7 percent in the 2000 Census (Editor's note: In the more recent 2010 Census, Asian Americans make up around 5.6 percent of the national population). In addition, for a good portion of that population, there are complex language barriers…and language barriers reduce the number of completes with the non-English speaking minorities (Editor's note: A recent Pew Research survey found that 64% of all Asian Americans -- and 53% of those not originally born in the United States -- speak English 'very well'). The diversity of the Asian American population and the languages they speak makes offering interviews in those native languages very difficult and very, very expensive.' . . . "
Long-Sought News Archives a Treasure Trove on Till Killing
"New details about one of Mississippi's most infamous murders are coming to light -- more than a half-century later," Russell Lewis reported Saturday for NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday." "The death of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy who allegedly whistled at a white woman, helped spark the civil rights movement."
Lewis continued, "Researchers have long studied the court proceedings. Among them, Davis Houck, a professor at Florida State University and co-author of a book about the media's coverage of the trial.
"It wasn't until a few years ago, however, that Houck learned another black paper -- the St. Louis Argus -- also had journalists there. But the paper's archive from that time had gone missing.
"So he began working with his students to track down the Argus. It was one frustrating dead end after another, as microfilms from that time didn't contain the trial coverage. Then, just a few days ago, they caught a break. Houck and his students figured out the missing issues were in a state historical archive in Missouri.
He went on, "The discovery is already a treasure trove, however, with never-before-seen pictures of the NAACP's Medgar Evers as well as articles written during the trial and long forgotten. Houck says he's savoring the find and taking his time to read through the new discovery. His search, though, is not done yet. . . . "
"CNN Latino, the Spanish-language programming block custom-made for the U.S. Hispanic market, is expanding to New York, Orlando, Tampa and Phoenix, it was announced today by Cynthia Hudson, senior vice president and general manager of CNN en Español and Hispanic Strategy for CNN/U.S.," CNN said Monday. "With the addition of these four new markets to its existing presence in Los Angeles, CNN Latino programming will now be available in markets that represent about a quarter of U.S. Hispanic Households."
"A longtime former employee accuses magazine owner Hermene Hartman of diverting assets from N'Digo magazine and foundation into her personal account," Shia Kapos reported Monday for Crain's Chicago Business. "In a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Deborah Williams says she also is owed $203,000 in back wages for her work as chief financial officer during the last seven years of her 17-year career at the organization. She says the money owed is from 2004 to 2012."
Theodore "Ted" Holtzclaw, who was operations manager at WABC-TV in New York, will receive the National Association of Black Journalists' Legacy Award posthumously, NABJ announced on Monday. Hotlzclaw died at age 53 in August. In a statement, NABJ veteran Terry Owens said Holtzclaw's legacy "will live on in the organization through the generations of journalists he touched in the Short Course at North Carolina A&T State University."
In Houston, "Amanda Perez is coming back home to work as a KPRC 2 reporter," Mike McGuff reported Saturday on his television news website. "She has been working at ABC owned Fresno station KFSN 30 (sister station to KTRK abc13)."
"As we reported last month, Melody Span-Cooper's WVON in Chicago is celebrating 50 years and today is the official birthday of the radio station," RadioInk reported on Monday. "It'll be an on-air retro day today as the station brings back its sound from the 1960s. This Saturday, a huge celebration will be held at the Chicago Theatre to celebrate five decades of WVON."
"Change is more or less continually in the air at the newspapers of the Los Angeles News Group," Kevin Roderick reported Monday for LAObserved. "On Monday, the Daily News and I think some of the chain's other papers will carry a farewell column from longtime Los Angeles author and columnist Al Martinez. His regular Monday column spot has been dropped, he writes. He got the column in 2009, shortly after he was dropped by the Los Angeles Times (where he worked for 38 years.) It was just a year ago that the Huntington Library mounted an exhibition honoring Martinez."
"The Michigan State Court of Appeals announced Friday it has upheld a lower court's decision dismissing a libel suit filed against The Detroit News by a Detroit police officer," Jim Lynch reported Friday for the News. "In May 2011, Officer Paytra Williams filed a lawsuit against the newspaper and then-staff reporter Charlie LeDuff on accusations of publishing false information with malice. The allegations stemmed from the paper's coverage of a rumored party at the Manoogian Mansion in 2002 during Kwame Kilpatrick's time as mayor of Detroit. . . ."
Journalists in Mexico "need for the Special Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), an office established in 2006 for the express purpose of addressing the violence against Mexican journalists, to work and have its powers and resources broadened," Marisa Treviño reported Friday on her Latina Lista blog. "To send this message to Mexico's new president, Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexican journalists have created a petition on Change.org. . . ."
In New York, the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism honored members of the independent ethnic and community media for excellence Thursday. The judges reviewed 183 entries from a record 56 publications and a handful of freelance journalists. Winners received cash prizes totaling $8,250, according to Garry Pierre-Pierre, executive director of CUNY's new Center for Community and Ethnic Media.
After seeing the new Broadway production "Motown: The Musical," Rochelle Riley, columnist for the Detroit Free Press, was prompted to ask, "Why isn't Detroit taking bigger, better advantage of that history, that romantic past?" She added, "Every time I hear in Detroit about what we cannot do, I wonder so often about why we didn't do, why we don't do and how we miss so many doggone opportunities. . . ."
The College Board, which conducts the SAT, may soon begin more outreach to low-income students who are not applying to top colleges because they mistakenly think they can't afford them, David Leonhardt wrote for Sunday's New York Times. Leonhardt reported on an experiment in which information about these top colleges was mailed to such students. "Among a control group of low-income students with SAT scores good enough to attend top colleges -- but who did not receive the information packets -- only 30 percent gained admission to a college matching their academic qualifications. Among a similar group of students who did receive a packet, 54 percent gained admission, according to the researchers, Caroline M. Hoxby of Stanford and Sarah E. Turner of the University of Virginia. . . . "
"Many a college graduate stuffs that senior project in a drawer and never gives it another thought," Bonnie Lawrence wrote Friday for the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C. "Not so Marissa Jennings. The 2003 graduate of Bennett College took her project and eventually morphed it into a website and app aimed at an audience dear to her heart: African American girls ages 13 to 17." Lawrence continued, "Last year, after doing some research on the teen market, she had a light bulb moment: Since today's girls use cell phones to socialize, why not provide a place for them to socialize in cyberspace? The result: Socialgrlz.com."
"Last week the Internet lit up with rumors of another failed drug test by Washington, D.C. junior welterweight contender Lamont Peterson," Gautham Nagesh reported early Tuesday on his StiffJab website. "The smoke turned into fire when Ring Magazine reported Peterson had tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a banned substance used to accelerate weight loss, after his recent win over Kendall Holt. Nagesh continued, "Eventually the truth came out: it was Holt that returned an atypical test result, not Peterson. The Ring retracted its original report and issued an apology, blogs changed their headlines, and it became Holt's turn to issue denials via social media. But the damage was already done. . . . "
Referring to the Central African Republic, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday it is "appalled by the irresponsible and unacceptable behaviour of members of the Seleka rebel coalition who have robbed or ransacked several news media since entering the capital, Bangui, three days ago. . . ."
"Anyone who has been to India or is familiar with the country knows how chaotic it can be: from the congestion on the streets of Delhi to the messy way in which democracy functions," Sumit Galhotra wrote Friday for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "And for journalists, covering the chaos of India can be risky business. This week alone, Indian law enforcement officials assaulted two journalists covering demonstrations in different corners of the country. . . . "
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Journal-isms is published on the site of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (mije.org). Reprinted on The Root by permission.
Hayes Goes Prime Time as O'Brien, Martin Exit
Changes are afoot at MSNBC and CNN, where two black news faces are departing.
In an era in which "quotas" is regarded as a dirty word, Chris Hayes, whose new MSNBC show, "All In with Chris Hayes," debuts Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern, has no problem with the concept.
"Earlier this month, after MSNBC announced it was giving Chris Hayes his own daily primetime news show, Media Matters published a chart that showed how his weekend show, Up with Chris Hayes, differed from its cable-news competitors: It wasn't all white dudes," Ann Friedman wrote Thursday for Columbia Journalism Review.
"Specifically, 57 percent of the show's guests were not white men. (Full disclosure: I have, in the past, been one of the non-dudes featured on said program.) To hear lots of journalists tell it, this is an impossible feat. So I called up Hayes to ask how he and his team created a shining oasis of diversity in a cable-news desert of sameness.
" 'We just would look at the board and say, "We already have too many white men. We can't have more." Really, that was it,' Hayes says. 'Always, constantly just counting. Monitoring the diversity of the guests along gender lines, and along race and ethnicity lines.' Out of four panelists on every show, he and his booking producers ensured that at least two were women. 'A general rule is if there are four people sitting at table, only two of them can be white men,' he says. 'Often it would be less than that.' "
Hayes told Gail Shister of TVNewser, "I can't control my gender, race or sexual orientation. I can control who we have on and what voices we introduce to viewers.”
Meanwhile, "Outgoing CNN pundit Roland Martin said on Thursday that executives who were uncomfortable with hiring black people as hosts had held back his rise at the network," Jack Mirkinson reported for the Huffington Post.
He continued, "Speaking on HuffPostLive, Martin — who was recently let go by CNN — said that he had come to the network with every intention of getting his own show. He added that it was never made clear to him why that wasn't happening, but that he suspected race had something to do with it.
" 'You have largely white male executives who are not necessarily enamored with the idea of having strong, confident minorities who say, "I can do this," ' he said. 'We deliver, but we never get the big piece, the larger salary, to be able to get from here to there.'
"Martin said that he hosted highly-rated specials for CNN, so he didn't understand why he wasn't rewarded.
" 'If it's a ratings game, and we won, how is it I never got a show?' he said."
Martin also appeared Friday on CNN's "Starting Point With Soledad O'Brien" as the host performed her last daily show on the network.
"Paired with friendly jibes, Will Cain and Roland Martin spoke of their good relationship with O'Brien, both personally and professionally, while Ryan Lizza gave 'a shout-out to a year's worth of some of the best interviews with politicians,' " Meenal Vamburkar reported for Mediaite.
"Last but not least, John Berman lamented that 'John Sununu could not be here this morning' — and thanked O'Brien for an 'interesting, fantastic year.'
"O'Brien herself spoke of the chance CNN has given her 'to cover some of the biggest stories' of our time. Specifically, she told an anecdote about Hurricane Katrina coverage, recalling the standing ovation the team received 'because we had covered the story so well.' "
O'Brien told viewers, "Up next for me, I'm going to continue to focus on the 25 girls that we serve — we send girls to college with my foundation. Continue focus too on good journalism, examining the critical issues that our country faces from jobs to poverty and focusing on the people who have stories to tell in this country and often those stories don't get told. . . ."
The departures from CNN of Martin, a black journalist and pundit, and O'Brien, who is black and Latina, are among the reasons the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists have questioned new CNN President Jeff Zucker's commitment to diversity.
CNN announced Thursday that Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan, both white, will co-host the network's new morning show. However, Michaela Pereira, selected as news anchor, is African Canadian. Her biological mother was a white Canadian and her biological father a black Jamaican.
For all the attention the cable news channels receive from journalists and news junkies, ratings for last week are reminders that they are not most viewers' top choices in the cable universe.
"A slew of entertainment and a relative dearth of news resulted in lower-than normal ratings for the cable news channels last week, while entertainment networks flourished," Alex Weprin reported Wednesday for TVNewser.
"Fox News led the way among the cable news channels, placing 6th in primetime and 3rd in total day among ad-supported cable channels (7th and 4th among all cable channels). MSNBC placed 26th and 32nd among ad-supported channels (27th and 33rd among all channels), while HLN once again rode the Jodi Arias trial to 28th in primetime and 24th in total day. CNN placed 34th in both primetime and total day."
The USA Network was No. 1.
Joe Concha, Mediaite: The Chris Hayes Quota System Ridiculously Rewards Color Over Content
Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: As CNN announces new morning anchor team, I note onscreen diversity often comes down to simply counting heads
Bob Teague, Pioneer TV Newsman, Dies at 84
"Bob Teague, who joined WNBC-TV in New York in 1963 as one of the city's first black television journalists and went on to work as a reporter, anchorman and producer for more than three decades, died on Thursday in New Brunswick, N.J.," Douglas Martin reported for the New York Times. "He was 84.
"The cause was T-cell lymphoma, his wife, Jan, said.
"Mr. Teague established a reputation for finding smart, topical stories and delivering them with sophistication. Though he later criticized TV news as superficial and too focused on the appearance of reporters and anchors, his own good looks and modulated voice were believed to have helped his longevity in the business."
The obituary also said of Teague, "In 1968, he published 'Letters to a Black Boy,' written in the form of letters to his 1-year-old son, Adam, many about race. The letters were meant to be read when Adam was 13.
"At the time he wrote the book, Mr. Teague's views were growing more conservative. 'Government handouts constitute the most damaging assault on black pride and dignity since the founding of the Ku Klux Klan,' he wrote. He generally supported conservative candidates, including Herman Cain for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. He retired from NBC in 1991."
David Hinckley added in the Daily News in New York, "His narrative in the book, much of it personal, portrayed television journalism slowly and not always successfully being wrenched from the hands of a small group of white men less concerned with the truth than with an environment in which to efficiently sell orange juice.
"Women at times were openly told they needed to sleep their way to promotions, while the obsession with appearance extended to Roseanne Scamardella's teeth. When she was in line for a promotion, Teague reported, NBC wanted to pay to have her teeth capped."
In 1992, Teague became caught up in a wrongful accusation of sexual harassment when his niece, television reporter Barbara Wood, made that charge against former CBS correspondent Randy Daniels and forced Daniels to resign as media and political adviser to New York Mayor David Dinkins before Daniels could begin the job.
Acting as his niece's spokesman, Teague called Daniels a "monster who preys on young women." Daniels sued Wood, and she recanted most of the allegations, prompting discussion about the ability of such charges to ruin reputations. Daniels went on to become New York secretary of state and is now vice chairman of a real estate investing firm.
Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News: Bob Teague, former TV reporter, dies at 84
WNBC-TV New York: Longtime WNBC Reporter Bob Teague Dies
NPR Replacing "Talk of the Nation" With News Program
"NPR announced Friday morning that it will no longer produce the Monday-to-Thursday call-in show Talk of the Nation," David Folkenflik and Mark Memmott reported for NPR.
"It will be replaced by Here and Now, a show produced in partnership with member station WBUR in Boston. Reported stories will be part of the show's format.
"Neal Conan, Talk of the Nation's host, will depart after more than three decades with the network. His past positions include stints as bureau chief in New York and London and as NPR's foreign editor, managing editor and news director.
"NPR executives said public radio has a glut of vibrant call-in shows involving national issues — and that they sought a newsmagazine with a mix of interviews and prepared stories to bridge the hours between Morning Edition and All Things Considered."
They added, "Here and Now is on far fewer stations than Talk of the Nation — 182 versus 407 — but it has been growing. NPR executives hope stations that previously carried Talk of the Nation will pick up its replacement."
Asked about the participation of journalists of color, NPR spokeswoman Cara E. Philbin told Journal-isms by email, "As it is now, Talk of the Nation employs 3 journalists of color, out of a staff of 11. Here and Now currently employs 2 out of a staff of 11, with Meghna Chakrabarti making 3 as the program's primary back-up host.
"With its upcoming expansion, Here and Now has 6 new positions to fill and is eager to look for candidates from every background." Philbin said she could not name the three journalists of color and that the new positions have not yet been defined. However, Folkenflik and Memmott reported that executives said they "intend to offer jobs to every staffer working for Talk of the Nation."
"Talk of the Nation" first aired in November 1991, when right-wing talk radio was flourishing and other broadcasters were seeking talk-show alternatives. "As it happened, science correspondent Ira Flatow wanted to start a science roundup — say, two hours, at the end of the week," according to "This Is NPR: The First Forty Years." "Then news director Bill Buzenberg remembers making a deal with Flatow: 'If you can raise the money for 'Science Friday,' I'll find funding for the other four days.' " He did.
Past regular hosts have included John Hockenberry, Ray Suarez and Juan Williams.
Gillian Frew, Huffington Post: What I Learned From Legendary Journalist Ray Suarez: His Toughest Interviews Ever (Dec. 11)
Joshua Gillin, Poynter Institute: NPR's Kinsey Wilson explains switch from 'Talk of the Nation' to 'Here and Now'
Curt Nickisch, WBUR-FM, Boston: 'Talk Of The Nation' To End; 'Here & Now' To Expand
Brian Stelter, New York Times: After 21 Years, NPR is Ending 'Talk of the Nation'
Jet Covered Lesbian Wedding in 1970
"Here's a gem from the Jet Magazine archives:" Saeed Jones wrote Wednesday for BuzzFeed. " 'Two women, Edna Knowles and Peaches Stevens, were wed in Liz's Mark III [Lounge], a gay bar on Chicago's South Side, before a host of friends and well-wishers.' The article, titled 'Two [Females] 'Married' In Chicago — To Each Other' appeared in a 1970 issue of Jet, a popular black magazine based in Chicago.
"The article went on to say, 'The Illinois attorney general's office explained to Jet that there is no state statute that either bans or sanctions such marriages. Although the duo has a type of 'marriage license' in their possession, the state's official marriage license bureau reported it has no record of their license."
"The fact that Jet covered a lesbian wedding at all is a bit awe-inspiring, but it's important to note the use of quote marks throughout the article around words like 'bride' and 'groom' and 'married.'"
Charles M. Blow, New York Times: History in Real Time
Emil Guillermo blog, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund: The national coming out party for same-sex marriage?
Janine Jackson, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting: USA Today Covers 'Lonely Battle' of Equality Opponents
Sandra Lilley, NBCLatino: As Supreme Court hears arguments, Latinos increasingly in favor of gay marriage
Ruben Navarette Jr., Washington Post Writers Group: Testing the will of the people
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Gay marriage and the Supreme Court
Danielle Moodie-Mills, HuffPost BlackVoices: Does TIME Need a Timeout?
Mashaun D. Simon, the Grio: As Supreme Court considers DOMA and Prop 8, some black church leaders ponder change
David von Drehle, Time: How Gay Marriage Won
NFL Writer Clifton Brown Among Layoffs at Sporting News
Clifton Brown, "whose most recent column and mugshot are on the front page of the Sporting News right now," is among several staffers laid off at the Sporting News, Jason McIntyre reported Wednesday for the Big Lead.
Brown, who covered the NFL, joined Sporting News in 2007 from the New York Times. He covered golf, the NFL and the NBA for the Times after arriving there in 1988 from the Detroit Free Press, where he had worked since 1983. Before that, he was at the Boca Raton (Fla.) News.
Brown told Journal-isms Friday that he was not sure what he wanted to do next. "I'm open to all possibilities," he said by telephone.
McIntyre also listed these other layoffs: "Brian Straus, the site's soccer writer, who last week scored a big scoop on the US Men's National Team"; "David Whitley, of Colin Kaepernick tattoo fame"; "Steve Greenberg, who has been writing about the NCAA tournament for the Sporting News"; "Lisa Olson, one of the last remaining members of the AOL [FanHouse] 'merger' from 2011; "Stan McNeal, their baseball columnist whose prediction column went up today"; and "Matt Crossman, who wrote one of the stronger Honey Badger columns of 2012."
Let Go at CBSSports.com but Optimistic and Grateful
In September 2011, Adena Andrews, then a contributor to women-focused espnW, was one of the first four journalists of color selected to inaugurate the Associated Press Sports Editors' nine-month program to train mid-career women and journalists of color for sports department leadership positions.
Today she is looking for work, told this week that her job as a blogger for CBSSports.com is ending.
"On the evening of Tuesday, March 26th I was notified via phone by Mark Swanson, Managing Editor of CBSSports.com that I was going to be let go from my position as a CBSSports.com writer due to 'communication issues,' " Andrews, 27, told Journal-isms by email.
"This came as a total shock to me considering I received no warning or notion that there were any issues. In fact, up until I got the call, I was preparing to cover a marquee CBS event, the Final Four, as a credentialed member of the media. I'm disappointed, of course, but must say that working with CBS Sports talent behind the scenes was a life-changing experience for me all the same. Seeing the inner workings of a company like that gave me all types of knowledge and connections I couldn't get anywhere else."
She continued, "I am extremely grateful for the opportunities given to me at CBSSports.com especially being able to cover my first Super Bowl. As an inaugural APSE diversity fellow, a board member of the NABJ Sports [Task Force] and a proud graduate of the University of Southern California I know there are nothing but blue skies ahead for me."
Rosabel Tao, who heads communications for CBSSports.com, has a different interpretation of events. "Adena Andrews was a temp contracted through an agency and worked with CBSSports.com since December 2012. She was informed that her contract will not be continued," Tao said by email. She added that the position was eliminated.
Michael Anastasi, Associated Press Sports Editors: President's column: Diversity Fellows develop leadership opportunities, skills (November 2011)
Who Is Ta-Nehisi Coates' Editor? Atlantic Won't Say
Ta-Nehisi Coates is picking up fans with each blog posting for the Atlantic. "At 37, Mr. Coates is the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States," Jordan Michael Smith wrote this month for the New York Observer.
But Coates doesn't get the editing appropriate to such a distinction.
Back in 2008, a piece about Sarah Palin included "quizz," "most crassest" and "I wish she had have mined it."
Last week, this sentence appeared: "But people were as people usually are — kind. I expected less black folks. . . " rather than "fewer" of them.
And this week: "I watched a group of high school kids and thought of my son, who would have saw them here trading coffee, cigs and laughter . . . " rather than "seen them."
Asked whether Coates' blog is copy edited, Natalie Raabe, the Atlantic's communications director, replied that the magazine would correct the errors in the recent postings — and did — and explained, "At the speed at which folks work on the web, things sometimes slip through."
Any copy editing is "handled by his editor," Raabe added. She did not respond when asked who that is.
Derek Donovan, Kansas City Star: Copy editing is elemental to accuracy (March 17)
Blacks, Latinos More Likely to Back Path to Citizenship
More blacks and Hispanics than whites believe that immigrants in the country illegally should be provided a way to secure legal status, according to a national survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.
"Support for granting legal status to illegal immigrants is wide ranging," the center said. "Eight-in-ten non-Hispanic blacks (82%) and Hispanics (80%) say those in the United States illegally should be allowed to stay if they meet certain requirements; about half of blacks (52%) and Hispanics (49%) say illegal immigrants should be able to apply for citizenship.
"Two-thirds of non-Hispanic whites (67%) say illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country legally, while 31% say they should not. Four-in-ten whites say people in the United States illegally should have the chance to apply for citizenship if they meet certain requirements.
"Among whites with no college degree, 61% favor allowing those in the U.S. illegally to stay legally, while 37% disagree. There is more support among white college graduates for permitting illegal immigrants to stay in the country legally (81% say they should, while just 17% say they should not). . . . "
Hugo Balta, Fox News Latino: Rep. Young, "Wetback" Has Always Been Used in the Same Way
Esther J. Cepeda, Washington Post Writers Group: Staying together to get ahead
Ruben Rosario, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.: He wants grandma's citizenship restored
Seth Freed Wessler, Colorlines: Immigration Reform May Throw Siblings Under the Bus
40 Percent of Blacks in Poll Say No "Leader" Speaks for Them
"Is there a leadership crisis in black America? A new poll suggests African-Americans think so," David A. Love wrote Wednesday for the Grio.
"The poll was commissioned by BET founder Robert L. Johnson, also the chairman of The RLJ Companies, and was released by Zogby Analytics. And the results are shocking.
"According to the online survey of 1,002 African-Americans, when asked the question 'Which of the following speaks for you most often?' 40 percent said that no one speaks for them, while 24 percent said the Reverend Al Sharpton of the National Action Network and MSNBC speaks for black people, and 11 percent said the Reverend Jesse Jackson of Rainbow PUSH.
"Meanwhile, 9 percent of black respondents named Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), 8 percent said NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous speaks for them, and 5 percent mentioned Assistant Democratic Leader, Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC). Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele each received 2 percent. . . ."
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, syndicated: Black America doesn't lack leaders: Poll shows 24 percent say Sharpton speaks for them
Emmitt Vascocu, a viewer whose posted comment about TV meteorologist Rhonda Lee's short hair precipitated events that led to her firing from KTBS in Shreveport, La., in December, says he's sorry. He messaged Journal-isms this week, "Dear sir I sour like to say that I did not mean anything about her ethnic hair at all.an. I will never comment on anything of this matter ever again.I'm sorry for her losing her job.I did co tact the station an they told me it was for othier matters that see was fired. Wishing you well emmitt." Jack Hambrick, a former television reporter, wrote in December that Vascocu has mental issues.
"A military tribunal in Somalia has convicted an alleged Al-Shabab militant of killing journalist Hassan Yusuf Absuge, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the International Federation of Journalists reported on Friday. "Absuge, who worked for Radio Maanta as head of programmes, was gunned down in Mogadishu on 21 September last year. Adan Sheikh Andi Sheikh Hussein was today found guilty of the murder and sentenced to death, NUSOJ says. . . . "
Referring to the Palestinian Authority, Reporters Without Borders said Friday it "is relieved that President Mahmoud Abbas pardoned the journalist Mamdouh Hamamreh shortly after an appeal court in the West Bank city of Bethlehem yesterday sentenced him to a year in prison on a charge of insulting Abbas and publishing 'hate-filled' content online. . . .
A cultural observation Monday from Dawn Turner Trice in the Chicago Tribune: "When Timothy Simmons decided to let his hair grow into locks in 2005, he did so out of pride for his African-American culture. . . . in recent years, as rappers such as Lil Wayne, Chicago's Chief Keef and Lil Jon have popularized locks, gangbangers have also adopted the style. I would guess, considering the violent lifestyles and lyrics of some these newbies, their locks are rooted more in fad than philosophy. They give a new and unfortunate twist to the 'dread' in dreadlocks. . . ." Trice said Simmons chopped off his dreadlocks in November.
"Filling the gap left by the Michael Baisden show, Cumulus Media Networks announces the 'Skip Murphy in the Afternoon Show' debuts on the network beginning Monday, April 1," radioinfo.com reported Wednesday. "The partnership with Reach Media brings Murphy and co-host Jasmine Sanders to the 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm time slot and is promoted as 'featuring celebrity guests participating on a continuous basis.'. . . "
"HLN has been dedicating its coverage for weeks to the Jodi Arias trial," Alex Weprin reported Thursday for TVNewser. "Thursday afternoon however, the channel became part of the trial itself. HLN and In Session correspondent Jean Casarez was called to the stand in the murder case, where she was questioned about her reporting. . . ."
"The always-inquisitive Jada Pinkett-Smith recently posed a question that has many people scratching their heads and some folks outright upset," Shanelle Matthews wrote Tuesday for theFrisky.com. "In short, she's wondering if black women ask to be represented in mainstream media, on the covers of magazines like Vanity Fair, shouldn't white women be represented on the covers of traditionally black magazines like Essence, Ebony and JET? The answer? Yes and no. . . ."
Patrice Peck of Ebony profiled "8 Dynamic Black Women Editors in New Media": Jamilah King, news editor at Colorlines; Deborah Creighton Skinner, director of news at BET.com; Joy-Ann Reid, managing editor of theGrio.com; Denene Millner, editor-in-chief of MyBrownBaby.com; Dodai Stewart, deputy editor of Jezebel.com; Danielle Cadet, editor of [BlackVoices] at the Huffington Post; Sheryl Huggins Salomon, managing editor of the Root; and Andrea Plain, associate editor of Racialicious.
Speaking on a panel with four African American men, "CBS analyst Doug Gottlieb got coverage of the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 off to an awkward start, saying he was there to bring the 'white man's perspective' to the network's pregame show," the Associated Press reported Thursday. Gottlieb was joking, but said later, "It was not a smart thing to say and I apologize."
Gordon Jackson, editor-in-chief of the Dallas Weekly, where he has worked for 20 years, is returning to Mississippi to be with family, according to Cheryl Smith, contributing editor and president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Journalists. A "celebration of service" reception is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday at the Pan African Connections Bookstore & Resource Center, 828 Fourth Ave., Dallas.
"An appellate court judge in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, on Monday upheld the criminal conviction of an editor who is serving a one-year prison sentence in connection with an opinion column, according to local journalists," the Committee to Protect Journalists reported on Tuesday. Stanley Gatera, editor of Kinyarwanda-language independent weekly Umusingi, had suggested that men might regret marrying an ethnic Tutsi woman solely for her beauty, according to local journalists.
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Journal-isms is published on the site of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (mije.org). Reprinted on The Root by permission.
Roland Martin: Black Journo of the Year
The honor from the National Association of Black Journalists comes after CNN failed to renew his contract.
The National Association of Black Journalists has named Roland Martin its Journalist of the Year for 2013, the organization announced Wednesday, lining up behind the journalist and commentator after CNN refused to renew Martin's contract.
In another development, Soledad O'Brien, another journalist of color whose role at CNN is being diminished, included Martin on her "Starting Point" show Wednesday morning despite a reported order to some CNN producers not to book him.
"Starting Point" ends soon, to be replaced by a show with a different host, presumably white. Under an arrangement with CNN, O'Brien, who is black and Latina, is forming a production company and plans to continue to supply documentaries to CNN on a nonexclusive basis. Those documentaries include her "Black in America" and "Latino in America" franchises, which she now owns.
The NABJ board voted Martin "Journalist of the Year" in a March 20 conference call, NABJ President Gregory H. Lee Jr. told Journal-isms, the day after Martin disclosed his contract was not being renewed. The disclosure fanned further concern about CNN's commitment to journalists of color under new President Jeff Zucker.
"Roland Martin has had an enviable career as a multimedia journalist, becoming a respected and trusted voice in print, on air and online," Lee said in the NABJ statement. "He is unapologetic about his quest to provide well-rounded coverage of the African-American community, and to provide unique insights to diverse audiences across the many platforms on which he is asked to contribute on a regular basis."
The release continued, "Those who nominated Martin noted his important coverage of voter suppression, perhaps the biggest story of the 2012 presidential election.
" 'No other African-American journalist and member of NABJ brought more news and analysis to black communities about the most important story of 2012 than Roland Martin,' said Vanessa Williams, former NABJ President and an editor at The Washington Post. 'As managing editor and host of Washington Watch on TV One, Roland consistently offered journalism that reflected the hopes and fears of many African American voters as they anxiously watched to see whether Barack Obama would win a second term as president of the United States.' "
Martin took a poke at CNN in his own statement, included in the release.
"I am enormously thankful and humbled that NABJ has bestowed this amazing honor on me for my work as a fearless voice in advocating the critical issues facing voters in the 2012 election, but especially as they relate to African Americans," he said. "I hope this honor serves as a lesson to any young or veteran journalist that Black media platforms are just as essential and important to us today as they have always been.
"Before CNN, TV One offered me a TV platform for my commentaries, as well my own show. After CNN, TV One and Tom Joyner are still there. It pleases me greatly to be at a place where our voices and images are the norm, and not the exception. I'm enormously thankful for the opportunity."
Martin, an NABJ stalwart and former board member, is honorary chairman of the upcoming NABJ convention.
In comments in cyberspace, many African Americans have reacted negatively to CNN's failure to renew Martin's contract, but not all have. Some have said "good riddance," citing what they considered his outsized personality. They joined others who have called Martin a homophobe over tweets last year that the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation denounced as anti-gay. CNN suspended Martin for a month, though Martin denied homophobic intent.
Indications were that those divisions would remain.
Robert Naylor Jr., a longtime diversity advocate within the Associated Press who was laid off in February last year as AP's director of career development/news, wrote the NABJ board, Martin's "insistence that the tweet was not intentionally anti-gay simply does not stand up. I cannot imagine the NABJ board not protesting another journalism organization bestowing such a high honor on someone who made a similarly racist comment. Your decision to overlook this gives the impression that NABJ does not genuinely care about the broader issue of diversity or, more specifically, [its] own LGBT members."
Others questioned Martin's accomplishments as a journalist, rather than as a pundit.
O'Brien announced on Twitter Wednesday morning that Martin would join her on her show, prompting a follower to ask whether the report about the order to producers not to book Martin was wrong. Martin replied, "not necessarily. @Soledad_OBrien wanted me here."
On the show, Martin was introduced as host of "Washington Watch With Roland Martin," his TV One Sunday show, and he discussed a variety of subjects, including North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple's signing Tuesday of a measure that would make abortion illegal in the state after six weeks. "Dalrymple is asking the legislature to set aside money for legal battles he is expecting," O'Brien noted.
Charles D. Ellison, Uptown: Like Hip Hop, Black Talking Heads Are Not Dead
CNN Names Cuomo, Bolduan, Pereira to New Morning Show
CNN announced Thursday that Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan will co-host the network’s new morning show, which will premiere this spring, replacing Soledad O'Brien's "Starting Point."
O'Brien told Journal-isms that her last day is Friday. A CNN spokeswoman said the show would continue as "Starting Point" with fill-in anchors until the new show launches.
"Michaela Pereira will join CNN from KTLA Morning News in Los Angeles, as the program's news anchor. News executive Jim Murphy will oversee the program as senior executive producer, and Matt Frucci will serve as executive producer. The show will be broadcast from CNN's New York City studios," an announcement said.
It has long been reported that Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide, was eager to secure Cuomo, the former news anchor at ABC's "Good Morning America," for a morning show slot. He joined CNN in January.
The Canadian-born Pereira is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Black Journalists Association of Southern California, and Alliance for Women in Media, according to her KTLA bio. She is also active with the NAACP. Cuomo and Bolduan are white; O'Brien is black and Latino.
The release continued, " 'I've been looking forward to this announcement since I first joined CNN,' said President of CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker. 'Chris, Kate and Michaela are a dynamic team that will give our viewers in America a new way to start their day. We were floored with excitement when we saw Chris and Kate together on screen, and by adding Michaela to the mix we feel we have something very special. We believe there is an opening to do news in the morning with a fresh, new voice.' . . . "
Wendy M. Reynolds, beautycomeforth.com: Michaela Pereira: A Story of Her Own!
Story on Tax Abuse by the Undocumented Earns Peabody
A six-month investigation by WTHR-TV in Indianapolis that documented IRS mismanagement resulting in billions of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds, many going to immigrants in the country illegally, was among the recipients Wednesday of a Peabody award, the oldest in broadcasting.
"The national response to WTHR's 'Tax Loophole' investigation has been huge," the station said. "Millions of people have watched the videos that show how undocumented workers are tapping into an IRS loophole -- a loophole that allows illegal immigrants to claim billions of dollars in tax credits."
The station also said, "The investigation was viewed online more than 14 million times and triggered IRS reforms designed to save U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars.
"In announcing 39 Peabody recipients Wednesday morning at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Peabody judges wrote 'WTHR's stunning investigation exposed not only how illegal immigrants were bilking billions in tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service but also how the IRS had known of the scamming and failed to stop it,' " the station reported.
Other winners included CBS-TV's "60 Minutes" for "Joy in the Congo," which celebrated the emergence of a homegrown symphony orchestra in that war-ravaged African republic; "D.L. Hughley: The Endangered List," "a mock documentary on Comedy Central in which the comedian campaigned to get black men the 'same EPA protections' as the Kaman cave cricket and the Texas kangaroo rat; the Smithsonian Channel's "MLK: The Assassination Tapes," "in which rare archival footage was fused into a gripping reconstruction of the events surrounding the Civil Rights leader's 1968 murder."
Also, "The Loving Story," "a poignant film shown on HBO about a couple infamously arrested in 1958 for daring to marry across racial lines"; "Summer Pasture," "an 'Independent Lens' film that chronicled a nomadic Tibetan family's natural and political hardships"; and "Why Poverty?," "a collection of eight distinctively different films from Steps International" on PBS "that explored aspects of that human condition historically and here and now"; "What Happened at Dos Erres," a "This American Life" spellbinder "about a Guatemalan immigrant who learns that the man he believed to be his father actually led the massacre of his village"; "Rapido y Furioso (Fast & Furious)," "Univision’s Mexican perspective on the infamous ATF gun-tracking debacle"; and "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," on HBO, "a sterling magazine series that springboards from athletics," among others.
Apple, Google, Facebook Still Stonewalling on Diversity
"A CNN Money report finds that Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL) and other tech titans continue to stonewall questions on the diversity of their workforce, five years after the Mercury News kicked off a quest to find out the racial makeup of the workforce at the country's most important technology companies," Jeremy C. Owens reported last week for the San Jose Mercury News.
"CNN Money, which began its own investigation in 2011, reported Monday that its attempts to obtain the data -- which companies with more than 100 employees must provide to the federal government annually -- from 20 prominent tech firms in the U.S. have hit the same roadblocks. Of the 20, only Intel (INTC), Dell and Ingram Micro voluntarily released the data.
"Ten companies were able to block the release of the data from the U.S. Department of Labor because they are not federal contractors: Facebook, LinkedIn, Netflix (NFLX), Twitter, Yelp, Zynga, Amazon, Groupon, Hulu and LivingSocial.
"Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), IBM and Microsoft successfully appealed to the Labor Department to keep their information private, claiming that public release of the data would cause 'competitive harm.' Cisco (CSCO) and eBay (EBAY) data was released through the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, filing, providing the news organization with information from five of the 20 companies it originally contacted.
"The Mercury News attempted to obtain the same data from the 15 largest tech companies in Silicon Valley in 2008, and nine companies -- including Cisco, Intel and eBay -- turned it over. After six companies refused the request, an 18-month legal battle ensued that forced the release of the data from HP, but not the other five companies: Apple, Google, Yahoo (YHOO), Oracle (ORCL) and Applied Materials. . . .
Gay Journalists Urge "Same-Sex" Term, Not "Gay Marriage"
Just before two days of Supreme Court arguments on same-sex marriage issues began on Tuesday, the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association issued suggestions on covering the topic.
The arguments concluded Wednesday with the court appearing ready to strike down a central part of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, as Adam Liptak and Peter Baker reported for the New York Times. A majority of the justices expressed reservations about the Defense of Marriage Act, the Times wrote.
NLGJA said, "Journalists should consider diversity of opinion when bringing these stories to readers, viewers and listeners. Look beyond preconceived 'pro' and 'con' sides. Not all LGBT community members are in favor of marriage for same-sex couples; not all members of communities of faith are opposed.
"Reporters should note the differences between marriage law and the legal designation of civil unions. Civil unions are presumed to extend many marriage benefits and protections; however, they do not include the federal protections and benefits available to married couples.
"As NLGJA has previously noted, the oft-used term 'gay marriage' is both inaccurate and misleading. 'Gay marriage' implies the creation of a new set of legal standards and guidelines as opposed to what is being sought by most advocates -- the extension of currently existing benefits and responsibilities to include same-sex couples. More appropriate terminology in discussing such legislation would be 'marriage rights for same-sex couples.' Or, in those instances where a briefer description is necessary, 'same-sex marriage' as 'same-sex' is a more accurate and inclusive description than 'gay.' "
Perry Bacon Jr., the Grio: How Obama changed the gay marriage debate
Jeff Bercovici, Forbes: Huffington Post Goes All In On Marriage Equality
Nisha Chittal, Poynter Institute: Journalists share arguments for, against using same-sex marriage symbols on social media profiles
Mary C. Curtis, Washington Post: A 'military spouse of the year' closely watches the Supreme Court
Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: As Supreme Court considers ending gay marriage ban, I name TV's top portrayals of gay people which helped get us here
Keli Goff, the Root: Gay-Marriage Coverage: A Media Shutout?: Coverage of the issue may be overshadowing another important civil rights cause.
Susan Green, NPR: Fighting For The Right To Marry, A Family Tradition
Noah Rothman, Mediaite: CNN Anchor Gets In Explosive Personal Battle With Conservative Over 'Legality' Of Gay Marriage
Al Tompkins, Poynter Institute: Why the Supreme Court should allow TV cameras in the courtroom
Alex Weprin, TVNewser: After Proposition 8 Oral Arguments, Cautious Analysis From Correspondents
In Hollywood, TV Writers See Disconnect on Diversity
"The 2013 TV Staffing Brief analyzes employment patterns for 1,722 writers working on 190 broadcast and cable TV shows during the 2011-2012 season, highlighting three specific groups who have traditionally been underemployed in the TV industry: women, minority, and older writers.
" 'It all begins with the writing,' said Dr. Darnell Hunt, author of the report and director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA and professor of sociology. 'From concept to characters, from plot to narrative, writers play a fundamental role in the fashioning of stories a society circulates about itself. But in the Hollywood entertainment industry, unfortunately, there has all too often existed a disconnect between the writers hired to tell the stories and an America that's increasingly diverse with each passing day.'
The guild added:
"Minority writers nearly doubled their share of staffing positions since the millennium, but remain severely underrepresented. Between [the] 1999-00 and 2011-12 seasons, minority writers' share of TV employment increased from 7.5% to 15.6%. Despite this increase, minorities as a combined group remain underrepresented by a factor of more than 2 to 1 in television staff employment in the 2011-12 season.
"Women and minorities continue to be underrepresented among the ranks of Executive Producers in television. In the 2011-12 season, women were underrepresented by a factor of more than 2 to 1 among the writers who run television shows; minorities were underrepresented by a factor of nearly 5 to 1.
"10% of shows of TV shows in the 2011-12 season had no female writers on staff; nearly a third had no minority writers on staff.
"In the 2010-2011 television season, only 9% of pilots had at least one minority writer attached, while just 24% of pilots had at least one woman writer attached. . . . "
Expect to See More of Al Roker on NBC
"Another bit from the New York cover story on how NBC intends to bring 'Today' back to its former morning glory," Chris Ariens wrote Monday for TVNewser. "Joe Hagan writes:
"Last fall, Today producers used a research firm called Sterling to help analyze how viewers felt about the show. The producers flew to Florida to hang out in viewers’ living rooms, identifying themselves as researchers. A woman named Adrianna, for instance, thought the interviews went on too long, but she liked the weatherman. 'People told us, "I love that Al Roker," ' says ['Today' executive Alex] Wallace. 'So they're getting more Al Roker. It's not an anti-Matt [Lauer] thing at all.'
"Roker is already a fixture on the first three hours, he does another morning show, 'Wake up with Al,' on Weather Channel and he has his own production company that churns out shows for multiple networks. Still, you should expect to see more Al Roker. . . . "
David Bauder, Associated Press: NBC's Wallace: 'We're Not Replacing Lauer'
Kevin Eck, TVSpy: Al Roker: My First Big Break (Feb. 27)
Marisa Guthrie, Hollywood Reporter: NBC: Anderson Cooper Not Approached for Matt Lauer Job
Brian Stelter, New York Times: Call to a CNN Host Hints at a Shifting 'Today'
Environmental Websites Looking for Freelancers
The Washington Post's Darryl Fears wrote Sunday of the nation's large environmental organizations, "the level of diversity, both in leadership and staff, of groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Sierra Club and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is more like that of the Republican Party they so often criticize for its positions on the environment than that of the multiethnic Democratic Party they have thrown their support behind. . . ."
Peter Dykstra, publisher of Environmental Health News and its sister site, the Daily Climate, says the same is true of the environmental press.
"Science and environmental journalism is not a very diverse place," Dykstra told Journal-isms by telephone Wednesday. The former CNN executive producer for science, environment, weather and technology coverage encourages 'capable freelancers' to contact his staff after studying the sites to see what they publish. Staff members work from home.
Also open are entry-level jobs aggregating the 200 stories the sites collect daily, he said. Dykstra notes proudly that Environmental Health News won honorable mention in the Oakes Awards competition, conducted by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for "Pollution, Poverty, People of Color," a 10-part series.
Interested writers should contact Douglas Fischer, editor of the Daily Climate, Marla Cone, editor-in-chief of Environmental Health News, or Pauli Hayes, managing editor, for the entry-level jobs. Contact information is on this page.
"After seven tumultuous years for Gannett, Arthur Harper is leaving the 10-member board of directors, effective with the annual shareholders' meeting in May," Jim Hopkins reported Wednesday for his independent Gannett Blog. "Corporate quietly disclosed his planned retirement last month, without giving a reason or saying whether he will be replaced. Harper, who is African-American, may well be Gannett's lone minority director at a time when corporate boards everywhere are pressed to diversify even more. . . ."
"Former ESPN anchor and current Good Morning America host Robin Roberts will be honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2013 ESPYS in Los Angeles on July 17," Marcus Vanderberg reported Tuesday for FishbowlLA. "The award is presented annually to 'individuals whose contributions transcend sports,' and Roberts definitely fits the bill. In the past six years, Roberts has battled and defeated not only breast cancer but myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare blood disorder. . . . "
"Carlos Sanchez, the managing editor of NOLA Media Group's new Baton Rouge bureau, has resigned after less than six months on the job, multiple sources within the company have told Gambit," Kevin Allman reported Tuesday for the New Orleans alternative newspaper. "A memo co-signed by editor Jim Amoss and the director of state news and sports, James O'Byrne, went out to NOLA Media Group staffers in the last two hours, saying Sanchez was resigning for family reasons and returning to Texas, where he wrote about politics for the Austin American-Statesman and served as editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald for several years before being let go in a Trib-Herald companywide layoff in 2011. . . ."
The South Asian Journalists Association exceeded its $10,000 fundraising goal for its Broadcast Challenge, SAJA President Sovy Azhath and Vice President Sharaf Mowjood wrote Monday on the SAJA Web page. "Because we reached our goal of raising $10K, this will be matched dollar-to-dollar by some of the top South Asian broadcast journalists from around the country. All the funds we receive go directly back to SAJA, as it will help us fund more for scholarships, internships, reporting fellowship grants, workshops for mid-career reporters and a variety of other events for our members across the U.S. and Canada," the two said.
"The UK journalism industry workforce is lacking in ethnic diversity and continues to be heavily influenced by social classes, according to a report published by the National Council for the Training of Journalists," Angela Haggerty reported Tuesday for Britain's the Drum. "The Journalists at Work report, last conducted in 2002, showed there had been little change in these factors, with 94 per cent of journalists in the country of a white ethnic background, a drop of only two per cent in 10 years, despite more than half of all journalists working in London and the south-east, one of the most diverse areas of the country. . . ."
Board members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, who reversed a ban on tweeting from their meetings last summer on a 6-5 vote, will be tweeting themselves this weekend. "We welcome NAHJ members to our board meeting at the Anaheim Marriott on Saturday, March 30th," President Hugo Balta wrote Monday, previewing the California board session. "The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. Follow us on Twitter. We will be tweeting from our board meeting to keep our members informed on what we are discussing. . . ."
"Kathryn C. Lee, a matriarch and businesswoman who opened doors to opportunities for African Americans as a co-founder of the Sacramento Observer newspaper, died Monday of pneumonia, her family said. She was 77," Robert D. Dávila reported Wednesday for the Sacramento Bee. "Mrs. Lee helped start a newspaper to cover stories in the African American community that were ignored by the mainstream press, including The Bee and the Sacramento Union. . . . "
The New York Times' Sunday "T" style magazine, under fire for a lack of diversity in its editorial and advertising images, increased the number of people of color in the "America & Beyond" travel issue published Sunday. But the Times is not forthcoming about the diversity of the magazine's staff. Referring to the American Society of News Editors, spokeswoman Eileen Murphy told Journal-isms on Wednesday, "We report our diversity stats through ASNE at the macro level -- our news gathering staff. We just don't break it down to this level of detail." The Times most recently reported an editorial staff 0.1 percent American Indian, 6.8 percent Asian American, 7.6 percent black and 3.9 percent Hispanic, for a total of 18.4 percent people of color.
Jonathan Capehart, a cable-ready editorial writer at the Washington Post who is African American and gay, told FishbowlDC he gets anti-gay messages "usually a few times a week." He forwarded a fresh one to Journal-isms: "Is the 10th amendment a legal technicality? Typical bullshit from an affirmative action, faggot leftist posing as an intelligent, informed person."
Mónica Talán has been appointed executive vice president of corporate communications and public relations for Univision Communications Inc., effective immediately, Univision announced Wednesday. Talán was senior vice president of corporate communications and public relations.
Herman Howard, professor at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C.; Darcelle Hall, producer at WIAT-TV in Birmingham, Ala., and David Huertas, director of photography at KOSA-TV in Odessa, Texas, are among 13 producers, reporters and multimedia journalists selected to be fellows in Germany in June as part of the Radio Television Digital News Foundation's relationship with the RIAS Berlin Kommission, the foundation announced Monday. The spring 2013 German/American Journalist Exchange Program runs from June 10 to June 24.
In New York, "Cops arrested four teens for the attack in Yonkers that sent a News12 reporter to the hospital Wednesday," Karl de Vries reported March 20 for Long Island's Newsday. "CeFaan Kim, 31, was attacked on Odell Avenue near the Greystone train station shortly before 9 a.m., authorities said. The teens hit him about 30 times before fleeing." De Vries added, "A general assignment reporter for News12 since October, Kim worked for NY1 News for 10 years, covering Queens, according to his LinkedIn page."
In Orlando, "Traffic reporter Jessica Sanchez is documenting her cancer battle through a blog called 'Let's Be Honest' on the WKMG-Channel 6 website," Hal Boedeker wrote Tuesday for the Orlando Sentinel. " 'She's laying it all out there with class and humor,' WKMG General Manager Skip Valet said Tuesday. 'I think she'll be very public in this fight. It's her decision. She says it's therapeutic to write about it.' . . . "
Black America Web, the Tom Joyner-sponsored web site, is now running admittedly unconfirmed rumors in its news space, elsewhere considered a journalistic no-no. "But again, these are just RUMORS currently circulating on the web," read an item Wednesday on the site about ABC's Robin Roberts. The story was credited to EURWeb.com.
"At a time when the ranks of news ombudsmen are thinning in the US (I was dismayed to read about the most recent casualty at The Washington Post), it's exciting to be part of a trend in the opposite direction in many countries in the developing world," Karen Rothmyer, the Kenya Star's public editor, wrote Wednesday for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "At the annual gathering last year of the Organization of News Ombudsmen, in Copenhagen, I talked with ombudsmen from India and Bangladesh who, like me, were working for relatively new newspapers. There were also people from several countries in Latin America, which according to Jeffrey Dvorkin, head of the organization, is the fastest-growing region for ombudsmen. He attributes this largely to a belief in countries once under dictatorial rule that ombudsmen play an important role in strengthening democratic institutions. . . . "
"The government of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi continues to escalate its offensive against journalists," Sherif Mansour wrote Wednesday for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "Details of the most recent case, in which an arrest warrant was issued for blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah for inciting 'aggression' against members of the Muslim Brotherhood, show how low the government is willing to go in order to silence its critics. . . ."
"By reaffirming the autonomy and independence of the regional human rights system and rejecting attempts to neutralize the work of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and its special rapporteur for freedom of expression, the Organization of American States (OAS) chose last week to discard proposals that would have made citizens throughout the hemisphere more vulnerable to abuses," Carlos Lauría reported Tuesday for the Committee to Protect Journalists.
"At least two news outlets were raided in the Central African Republic on Sunday when rebel groups ousted the president from power, according to news reports and local press freedom groups," the Committee to Protect Journalists reported on Tuesday. "Rebel groups known as Seleka ousted President François Bozizé from power in the capital, Bangui, according to local and international news reports. Seleka leader Michel Djotodia proclaimed himself the new head of state. . . ."
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Journal-isms is published on the site of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (mije.org). Reprinted on The Root by permission.
CNN Forbids Roland Martin Bookings
CNN producers have been told not to book the former correspondent.
Producers Told Not to Book Pundit as Contract Winds Down
"The TV world can be so cold. When you're out, you're out. And sometimes sooner than you might expect," Betsy Rothstein wrote Thursday for FishbowlDC.
"There are 17 days left on Roland Martin's CNN contract. But the powers that be appear to be shutting it down early. With his contract ending April 6, some producers have been informed not to book him, FishbowlDC has learned. We knew something was awry when we noticed Martin hadn't tweeted his usual #bringthefunk alert on Twitter that he'd be appearing on [Erin Burnett's] 'Out Front,' which he hasn't done in a month. On Wednesday he tweeted that he did Canadian TV. The Canadians can find time to bring Martin's funk, but not CNN?
"Let's get this straight. That semi-usual appearance he had on Thursdays during Carol Costello's slot? Gone. It's been three weeks since he appeared on her program and months since he appeared on 'The Situation Room.' He was also [nonexistent] during CNN Inauguration coverage in January. A final appearance on his close friend, Soledad O'Brien's program, which ends next week? That appears to be a dead end proposition, too. . . ."
Martin told Journal-isms he had nothing to say about the report, and a CNN spokeswoman did not respond to an inquiry.
Meanwhile, Martin disclosed that he actually learned in December that his contract was not being renewed. He left the impression until this week that no decision had been made.
In an interview with Brooke Obie of Ebony, Martin said, "Well, I was actually told in December by Ken Jautz, the executive vice president [of CNN], that the contract wasn’t going to be renewed. [CNN President] Jeff Zucker has a vision for the network and wants to see different faces and I get that. I enjoyed working there, I have a lot of colleagues that I have grown to like and respect at CNN and so the bottom line is you work in places and then you move on. . . ."
Obie also asked, "But with the loss of Soledad O’Brien and now you, and Jeff Zucker naming Jake Tapper the 'face of the new CNN,' do you think that the vision Zucker has for CNN may be a 'White-out?' "
Martin replied, "Look, I don't know. We haven't seen the full vision [of Zucker yet]. That determination will have to be made later; it's very early in the game. That's pretty much all I can say to that.
"One of the things I always talk about is having multiple opportunities, multiple platforms and revenue streams to be able to lay out your message. At CNN, I just come in when they call, but I have had the advantage of having other platforms where I was able to talk to cabinet secretaries and the First Lady and the Vice President, the President and Senators. And I think that what's most important is, I’ve always kept a foot in Black media. I’m absolutely committed to building up Black media and I think that is absolutely important in 2013 that we have strong Black cable networks, strong Black websites, magazines, and newspapers where we're able to focus on our issues and our stories and highlight our people and not necessarily wait for somebody else to do it. . . .
"I start every job with the premise, 'You’re going to get fired anyway.' I've lost jobs before, I've had contracts not renewed and it didn't get me down. I didn't get upset, I just keep it moving. . . ."
Viewers noticed an unusual African American presence on CNN Thursday afternoon. Fredricka Whitfield hosted "CNN Newsroom," followed by Don Lemon. Both are substitute hosts seen more often on weekends. Lemon brought on defense lawyer Joey Jackson and Ryan Smith, anchor of HLN's "Evening Express," to discuss the case of two 18-year-olds accused in the sexual assault of two 13-year-old girls in Connecticut.
"Three brothers on a couch, now two. Thank you, guys," Lemon said in concluding the segment. Later, Lemon discussed the closing of schools in African American neighborhoods in Chicago with George Howell, a black journalist newly made a full-time CNN correspondent.
Tommy Christopher, Mediaite: CNN And MSNBC Going In Different Directions On Diversity
Jack Mirkinson, Huffington Post: CNN, MSNBC Criticized Over Lack Of Diversity In Recent Reshuffles
Comcast Analyst Suspended After Newsroom Altercation
Kendall Gill, a Comcast SportsNet Chicago Bulls analyst, has been suspended for the remainder of the Bulls season after a physical altercation with Big Ten Network analyst Tim Doyle in the CSN newsroom Tuesday, Kevin Cross, news director of Comcast SportsNet Chicago, said on Friday.
"We have made a decision to not have Kendall Gill appear on our air for the remainder of the Bulls season," which ends April 17, Cross said in a statement. "We will re-evaluate our current position on this matter during the off-season."
Danny Ecker wrote Wednesday for Crain's Chicago Business, "The incident followed the taping of 'Sports Talk Live,' a panel discussion on Comcast SportsNet Chicago that featured me, Mr. Doyle and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Herb Gould.
"Mr. Gill confronted Mr. Doyle in the newsroom over critical comments he had made on the air about Mr. Gill's analysis of the controversial final moments of Monday's Chicago Bulls-Denver Nuggets game. The referees ruled that what at first appeared to be a last-second basket by the Bulls would not be allowed, thus giving the win to the Nuggets. The altercation happened right in front of me as Mr. Doyle and I were walking through the CSN newsroom on our way out of the building.
"Mr. Gill approached Mr. Doyle and called him out for his comments, which escalated to a shoving match and ultimately Mr. Gill throwing a punch at Mr. Doyle. The two bumped up against a sign on the wall and a small amount of blood was drawn (though it was unclear exactly how) before the two were separated. . . ."
Ecker added, "Mr. Gill, a former University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign star and 15-year NBA veteran who had a short stint in boxing after his playing career, has been doing pregame and postgame live coverage of Bulls games on CSN Chicago. . . ."
Newsrooms Should First Ask, "Could This Offend?"
The American Copy Editors Society hosted a Twitter chat Tuesday on diversity issues and sensitivity in editing when race is the topic, with tips offered by Doris Truong, immediate past national president of the Asian American Journalists Association and vice president of Unity: Journalists for Diversity, and Rhonda LeValdo, president of the Native American Journalists Association.
Some of the suggestions, as compiled on Storify by Gerri Berendzen, copy editor at the Quincy (Ill.) Herald-Whig and ACES board member:
"Rhonda LeValdo@rhondalevaldo
"@DorisTruong Sure we try 2 let media know what is questionable &the first thing newsrooms should ask, 'Could this offend someone?' #aceschat . . .
"Rhonda LeValdo@rhondalevaldo
"In regards to Native people, get multiple sources, don't just ask one person to speak for over 500 nations #aceschat . . .
"thrynkat@thrynkat
"RT: @DorisTruong: A2: Get out and experience the world. Extend your comfort zone. Meet people who might be subjects of reporting. #aceschat . . .
"Doris N. Truong@DorisTruong A2: Be active in recruiting a diverse staff. Cultivate as many viewpoints as you can. #aceschat . . ."
Internet Host Shouted Down at Conservative Conference
"An Internet radio host says she was booed and shouted down when she tried to ask a question during a race-related event at the Conservative [Political] Action Conference last week, and she says video of the event, taken by a documentary filmmaker shows it," Joy-Ann Reid wrote Thursday for the Grio.
"Kim Brown, who hosts a syndicated show on the Voice of Russia Radio Network that airs in Washington, where she lives, as well as in New York, Miami and Chicago, attended the CPAC panel hosted by black conservative activist K. Carl Smith, called 'Trump the Race Card: Are You Sick And Tired Of Being Called A Racist When You Know You’re Not One?'
"In an interview with theGrio on Wednesday, Brown said the session was held in a small room that quickly filled to capacity, and that Smith 'had a book to sell' at the event. . . ."
Perry Bacon Jr., the Grio: Why the Republicans are still obsessed with repealing Obamacare
Esther Cepeda, Washington Post Writers Group: Jeb Bush's contradictions
Stanley Crouch, Daily News, New York: The Republicans' color correction
Nick Jimenez, Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times: Rick Perry's position on Medicaid is hazardous to Texas' health
Blair L.M. Kelley, the Grio: Frederick Douglass a modern-day Republican? Think again
Alexandra Le Tellier, Los Angeles Times: American voters are smarter than to fall for the GOP's new image
Roland S. Martin, Creators Syndicate: The GOP Is Far From a Dead Party
MinistryofTruth, Daily Kos: CPAC Video: Black guy escorted out by police after White guy screams at him that Race Doesn't Matter
Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald: Rob Portman’s U-turn on gay marriage
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Some signs of life in the GOP?
David Swerdlick, the Root: The CPAC Race 'Chaos' Had a Silver Lining
Mark Trahant, Austerity blog: Housekeeping: Fewer posts ahead, but still determined to write about the big picture
Lynne K. Varner, Seattle Times: Some advice for empathy-challenged Washington state Republicans
David Weigel, Slate: CPAC Diary: Meet the White Nationalists Who Ruined Everything
FCC Chairman to Step Down, Praised for Broadband Access
"FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on Friday morning finally officially confirmed the long-expected news that he is bailing out of the agency — but he didn’t say where he’s going or exactly when," Doug Halonen reported for TVNewsCheck.
" 'While I plan to step down as chairman in the coming weeks, today isn't good-bye,' Genachowski said, during a meeting with the agency's staff this morning that was streamed on the agency’s website. 'Until I leave, I intend to continue fully in my role, focusing on the work of the commission and helping ensure a healthy transition for the agency.' ”
Genachowski was praised by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council.
Ralph B. Everett, president and CEO of the Joint Center, said, "Over the course of his term in office, Chairman Genachowski has worked vigorously and effectively to expand broadband access and adoption in all communities and thereby broaden opportunities for Americans to succeed in the digital economy.
"In the wake of Joint Center research showing that only 69 percent of African Americans and 59 percent of Hispanics were using the Internet, the Chairman sought to ensure that the National Broadband Plan would address this problem. And since then he has led the way toward ensuring that communities of color will realize the enormous potential that digital communications technologies can mean for health care, education, civic participation and economic empowerment. . . ."
The MMTC said, "Chairman Genachowski’s data-driven approach to technology has set the foundation for future generations to participate in our society as first class digital citizens. Under his leadership, the FCC implemented numerous initiatives to close the digital divide, protect consumers, promote competition, and secure universal deployment of fast, secure broadband . . ."
Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star: Google spreads, but issue of digital divide remains
Israel Apologizes to Turkey for 2010 Flotilla Incident
"Barack Obama has persuaded Israel to apologise to Turkey for the loss of nine lives on board the Mavi Marmara — the lead ship in an aid flotilla trying to breach the blockade of Gaza — in a deal that paves the way for diplomatic relations to be restored between the two countries," Harriet Sherwood and Ewen MacAskill wrote Friday for Britain's Guardian newspaper.
"News of the US-brokered deal came on Friday as Obama was leaving Israel at the end of his first official visit during which he was praised for an emotional speech tailored to mainstream Jewish opinion but criticised for doing nothing practical to advance stalled peace negotiations and downplaying Palestinian suffering.
"The apology to Turkey for the May 2010 incident had been resisted by Israel until now, despite pressure from the international community. Both are close US allies— Turkey is a member of Nato — so the president was well placed to broker the deal. . . ."
Reporters Without Borders reported in August 2011, "More than 60 journalists aboard the flotilla were arrested, taken back to Israel and then deported. Their equipment was confiscated and many of them are still waiting for it to be returned. . . ."
Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu apologizes to Turkey over Gaza flotilla
Askia Muhammad, Washington informer: Obama’s Israel Apology Tour
Philly Inquirer Approves of Week's Race Conversations
"Attorney General Eric Holder was criticized early in the first Obama administration for calling this country a 'nation of cowards' when it comes to discussing racism," the Philadelphia Inquirer said in an editorial Friday.
"Well, Holder might have been heartened this past week by the myriad conversations in this city concerning a controversial Philadelphia Magazine article titled 'Being White in Philly.' It certainly got people talking. But whether the discussions will produce positive change or — like President Bill Clinton's National Conversation on Race — leave most people, black and white, unsatisfied is a question mark.
"The article by Robert Huber was well intended in wanting to report the belief of some whites that they can't express legitimate criticism of African Americans without being labeled racist. But the lopsided perspective, based solely on interviews with unnamed whites, came across as promoting stereotypes of blacks as criminals and slackers. The anonymous comments justifiably touched a nerve in a city with its own shameful history of racism toward African Americans, a city where too many poor, black neighborhoods remain racially segregated and economically isolated. . . ."
The editorial called on Philadelphia Human Relations Commission to "use the outrage over the magazine article as a catalyst for it to become a more forceful voice for the city's minority communities — and not just wait for crisis situations to erupt that demand its attention. . . ."
Jenice Armstrong, Philadelphia Daily News: A decent guy, but out of touch in Philly
Chinua Achebe, "African Literary Titan," Dies at 82
"The death of Chinua Achebe represents more than the loss of a great writer. Achebe was perhaps the first to give voice with elegance, a poetic prose, and startling insight to the other side of the world which most Western readers encounter in Joseph Conrad," Leon Botstein, a conductor, scholar and president of Bard College in New York, wrote Friday for CNN.
"For the first time, through the success of Achebe's best-known book, 'Things Fall Apart,' a world both distinctive and familiarly human as well as uniquely African won the hearts of an otherwise ignorant and insensitive and largely condescending reading public in Europe and North America, regarding African history and culture. . . ."
The Associated Press reported, "Achebe's death at the age of 82 was announced Friday by his publisher. His works inspired countless writers around the world, though the literary style of 'Things Fall Apart,' first published in 1958, particularly transformed the way novelists wrote about Africa."
AllAfrica.com stories about Achebe
Howard W. French, the Nation: A Vigorous, Quiet Revolt: Things Fall Apart At Fifty (2009)
Nadine Gordimer, the Guardian, Britain: Chinua Achebe death: 'a mind able to penetrate the mystery of being human'
Yinka Ibukun and Krista Larson, Associated Press: Achebe inspired generations of Nigerian writers
Jonathan Kandell, New York Times: Chinua Achebe, African Literary Titan, Dies at 82
Tremell McKenzie, Postscript'd: Achebe's Works Embrace and Enlighten Generations
Unity: Journalists for Diversity, Inc., is seeking an executive director and hopes to begin interviews for the job next week. The position pays approximately $110,000 to $120,000. Unity's members include the Native American Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association. The position description is here [PDF].
"The Organization of American States reaffirmed the financial autonomy of Latin America's premier human rights body late Friday, rejecting attempts by Venezuela and its allies to block US-financed programs," Agence France-Presse reported. "The decision was seen as a bow to the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), which includes Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and several Caribbean nations." They demanded that the the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights be prohibited from financing its activities through donations from outside the region. That would particularly hurt the special rapporteur on freedom of expression, who has angered Ecuador and Venezuela by repeatedly accusing their governments of harassing the media. International Press Institute statement.
"Alina Machado has joined CNN as an Atlanta-based correspondent," Veronica Villafañe reported Tuesday for her Media Moves site. The network announced Alina will report for CNN, CNN en Español and CNN Latino. She was most recently a reporter for the ABC-TV affiliate WSB-TV2 in Atlanta and before that, she was at ABC 11 – WTVD in Raleigh. . . . "
"Mike Lopez is the new news director at WEAU in Eau Claire, [Wis.], the station confirmed to TVSpy," Merrill Knox reported Wednesday for TVSpy. "Lopez joins the NBC affiliate from WVEC in Norfolk, where he was the assistant news director for seven years. . . ."
"Tunisian blogger Olfa Riahi has been charged with criminal defamation for posting an item in which the country's former foreign minister was alleged to have misused public funds, Roy Greenslade reported Wednesday on his blog for Britain's Guardian newspaper, citing Human Rights Watch. "The minister, Rafik Abdessalem, stepped down soon afterwards. . . ."
"The International Press Institute (IPI) today urged Guatemalan authorities to conduct a swift and comprehensive investigation into the killing of journalist Jaime Napoleón Jarquín Duarte on Wednesday, March 22," Jan Beyer wrote for the group on Friday. "According to reports, Jarquín was chatting with three friends in a small store in Ciudad Pedro de Álvaro, in the municipality of Moyuta, along Guatemala’s southern border with El Salvador, when unidentified individuals fired several shots at the group, killing Jarquín. The journalist's friends, who were wounded, survived the attack. . . "
"Kenya has passed peacefully through its election period, but questions still hang over the legitimacy of presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta's victory — as well as over the future of the country's media coverage," Tom Rhodes wrote Thursday for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "During polling, challenges arose for both local and international media, and they have not subsided. For the foreign press, it is now unclear how to get accreditation to report in the country. Local journalists are worried about the rise of self-censorship, and freedom of expression advocates are concerned by plans for vague regulations on hate speech. . . ."
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Journal-isms is published on the site of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (mije.org). Reprinted on The Root by permission.
Why Is CNN's 'Face' Invariably White?
People of color are sidelined when big anchor jobs open up.
The day before Roland Martin disclosed that his contract as a CNN commentator wasn't being renewed, CNN President Jeff Zucker excitedly proclaimed his new hire Jake Tapper "the face of the new CNN."
"I can tell you from the position that I was in, the prospect of Jake Tapper being the face of the new CNN had me more excited than anything, and I can tell you after today, I know it was absolutely the right thing," Zucker said, Patrick Gavin reported Monday for Politico. "I couldn't be prouder. I couldn't hope for more than for Jake and his team to take CNN into our next place, into our next century ... This is the start of an incredible new era."
It wasn't lost on television observers such as Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times that "the face" of not just CNN but of all the networks -- is white.
"Just as Zucker steps forward with a new vision for CNN -- which includes a new show featuring former ABC correspondent Jake Tapper and a new morning program built around former ABC anchor Chris Cuomo -- two of the channel's best known non-white on-air staffers are leaving the network," Deggans wrote Wednesday for the Poynter Institute. The other is Soledad O'Brien, whose "Starting Point" morning show is being eliminated. O'Brien is forming a production company and is to continue to supply documentaries to CNN -- and others -- on a nonexclusive basis.
"And it's not just at CNN," Deggans continued. "MSNBC has had its own set of anchor changes in recent weeks, so far centered only on white male anchors. And Fox News Channel, which hasn't substantively changed its primetime lineup in many years, features no people of color as anchors in those timeslots.
"Which raises the question: When big anchor jobs open up in cable news, why are people of color so often left on the sidelines?"
This wasn't always the case. When Bernard Shaw, an esteemed black journalist, stepped down as CNN anchor in 2000, the New York Times' Jim Rutenberg wrote that Shaw's "face is as synonymous with the cable network as that of Larry King or Christiane Amanpour."
But that was long ago. On Wednesday, Deggans added, "More than anything, the lack of diversity in some anchor shuffles may speak to a lack of development for anchors of color in general. Maintaining diversity in the face of shrinking resources and cost-cutting often requires specific effort; if people aren't being groomed for bigger jobs, they may not be ready when those prime positions open up."
The critic also wrote on the topic Tuesday for the Daily Download.
"At MSNBC, when the channel moved Ed Schultz from his 8 p.m. weekday timeslot, online speculation seemed to center on whether star contributor Ezra Klein or weekend host Chris Hayes would get the spot. Hayes got the gig, in an apparent bid to try cribbing young viewers from conservative media star Bill O'Reilly, whose top-rated show on Fox News clobbered Schultz regularly.
"But it is unfortunate to note that few critics thought about [Melissa] Harris-Perry, who has turned her self-titled weekend show into an amusing, thought-provoking program nicknamed (and hashtagged) 'nerdland.'
"Even on MSNBC, a channel which boasts of how its ratings with black viewers rose 60 percent last year, those prime time hours of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. remain hosted by white anchors.
"And outside of MSNBC, viewers are still waiting for CNN and Fox News to move toward reflecting the diversity of the population and our government in its anchor teams.
"Prime time remains the glass ceiling for all, with no anchor of color hosting a show from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on any of the big three cable news channels.
"And this isn't a problem reserved for cable TV news. The Hollywood Reporter and Politico reported ABC has poached ace correspondent Byron Pitts, who is African American, from CBS News for a job reporting and anchoring, which means venerated newsmagazine 60 Minutes once again has no non-white CBS correspondents contributing to the show (CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta does occasionally offers pieces for the program.)
"And when concerns arose that no non-white moderators had been chosen to lead any presidential debates in 2012, there were few journalists of color with the experience and prominence to take on the job.
"Even as black people and Hispanics are increasingly turning the tide in presidential elections and political issues, the TV news industry is still woefully behind the trends. . . ."
Michael Calderone, Huffington Post: Jake Tapper: Iraq Media Failure 'Incredibly Influential' On Me
Hispanic.com: Dr. Otto Santa Ana: Coverage of Hispanics/Latinos on Network TV News Lacking
Lisa de Moraes, Washington Post: Jake Tapper's CNN show debuts to unimpressive ratings
Two Square Off on Whether It's Time to Leave News Business
An essay by a woman in her late 20s who said she quit the news business in sorrow received plenty of traction on the Internet Wednesday, but by day's end she was challenged by another blog posting from Monica Rhor, a journalist-turned-teacher who has been active in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Their debate has particular resonance for journalists of color, whose loss of jobs in newspapers and online newsrooms has outstripped that of other journalists, according to surveys by the American Society of News Editors. "Following a decline of approximately 800 minority newsroom positions in both 2008 and 2009, the total loss over the last two years was 500 jobs," ASNE said last year.
The first essay, by Allyson Bird, was titled "Why I Left News." It said, "I finally came to accept that the vanity of a byline was keeping me in a job that left me physically and emotionally exhausted, yet supremely unsatisfied. . . . " Bird now writes for the fundraising arm of a public hospital.
Rhor titled her response, "Why I'll Never Leave News."
"If you're looking for money or fame or easy hours, this was never the right job for you," Rhor wrote. "The current throes of the business are not to blame for that.
"For me, newspaper journalism has always been about telling stories, about giving voice to corners of the community that have long been silenced, about crawling into the lives and shoes of other people and pulling back a curtain so our readers can get a glimpse of the world around them."
Each woman attracted her share of supporters.
Rhor announced in November that after "a very long, very rewarding career as a journalist," she was becoming a high school English teacher. Rhor left teaching for a job as an education reporter at the Houston Chronicle and returned to Atascocita High School in the Humble school district, just outside Houston.
She wrote Wednesday, "I left because I wanted to teach high school students about the business I still love. . . ."
Michael Baisden Show on "Hiatus"; He Claims Lockout
Michael Baisden, whose show claims 72 affiliates for its "hot mix of relationship talk, headline-grabbing guests and the very best Old School and current R&B," announced Wednesday that his radio show is going on "hiatus."
Shortly after the announcement, the radio host posted this note on his Facebook page: "The Michael Baisden Show Staff has been 'Locked Out' of Cumulus Studios...really Cumulus?
"In the words of Rodney King, 'Can't we all get along?' Just because we couldn't come to an agreement is no reason to deprive the listeners, our affiliates, and our advertisers of only 9 days to say goodbye and show our appreciation.
"All their action does is make me more determined than ever to come back! And next time there will be no middlemen between me, my affiliates, and my listeners. Lesson learned."
Baisden "has been hosting a radio show since 2003. He organized a rally for the Jena Six in 2007 and was also a big supporter of Pres. Barack Obama's campaign in 2008," Rodney Ho reported for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In January, when his show was dropped by WDAS-FM in Philadelphia, Baisden had 79 affiliates. He wrote then, "While I am excited about adding Columbus, Ohio last week, and I appreciate my other 78 affiliates, there seems to be a disturbing trend in urban radio to opt to give the black community less information about what's going on in our community, even when my program is competitive, and in some cases, winning in its time slot.”
Baisden said in a farewell message, "No, it was not my intention to leave radio, I had plans for The Michael Baisden Live Tour, my 10-year anniversary party in DC in July, and I was looking forward to being on the air this summer to get justice for Trayvon Martin and his family.
"But sometimes fate, the universe, God, or however you want to label that undeniable force, has [its] own plans. Someone once told me that the greatest experiences in life are unplanned ones. I guess I'm about to test that theory. . . ."
KR, Radio Facts: Michael Baisden Locked Out of Radio Broadcast
Black C-SPAN Viewership Matches Population; Latinos Lag
Though some have surmised from its call-in shows that African Americans watch C-SPAN in disproportionate numbers, black viewership closely matches the African American percentage of the population, a new survey shows. However, Latino viewership lags behind the Hispanic proportion of the national population.
"According to the new Hart Research survey data, 11% of C-SPAN viewers identify themselves as Hispanic ... 13% as African-American ... 5% as Asian," Howard Mortman, spokesman for the public-service cable network, told Journal-isms by email. "(These numbers track closely the fuller survey of cable and satellite television households, with Hispanics and Asians equal to their numbers in the population and African Americans slightly higher than in the surveyed population but not outside the statistical margin of sampling error.)"
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, 16.4 percent of the nation is Hispanic or Latino; 12.6 percent is black or African American, 5 percent is Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 0.8 percent is American Indian or Alaska Native.
Overall, C-SPAN said, "Nearly a quarter (24%) of people with cable or satellite subscriptions -- an estimated 47 million adults -- report watching C-SPAN at least once a week [PDF], a four-point increase since Hart Research's last quadrennial survey of the C-SPAN audience. Hart Research lead pollster Allan Rivlin says, 'This growth in C-SPAN viewership, especially among the youngest groups, is surprising in this time of generalized media fragmentation but it is not so mysterious in that C-SPAN offers the emerging group of information free-agents access to the raw uncut coverage of their political heroes, and sometimes perhaps their villains, they can then share on blogs and social networks.' "
Obama Urged to Seek Israeli Return of Broadcast Equipment
"During his trip to the region this week, U.S. President Barack Obama should call on Israeli authorities to return the equipment of an independent broadcaster that was seized more than a year ago," the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.
"Israeli authorities raided the Ramallah-based private broadcaster Wattan TV in February 2012 and confiscated key equipment, including transmitters, computers, files, and archives. Officials said at the time that Wattan TV was broadcasting illegally and had interfered with aircraft transmissions. Muammar Orabi, the station's general director, told CPJ that the broadcaster had a license granted by the Palestinian Authority, which could not have been issued without Israeli acquiescence.
"The station, founded in 1996, has gained credibility through its probing, independent coverage of both Palestinian and Israeli authorities. The outlet's equipment was funded in large part by U.S. agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Middle East Partnership Initiative. . . . "
Max Blumenthal, the Nation: The Muslim Brotherhood's War on Egyptian Media
Editorial, Los Angeles Times: Low expectations for Obama's Israel visit
David A. Love, the Grio: Does Obama's name alone hurt the Middle East Peace process?
Matthew Weaver, the Guardian, Britain: Obama condemns new Israeli settlements -- live updates [March 21]
Pakistanis Arrest Militant With Ties to Daniel Pearl Killing
"Pakistani authorities arrested a militant who they say is connected with the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002," Tom Wright reported Tuesday for the Journal.
"The Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary organization, said in a statement it arrested Qari Abdul Hayyee, alias Asad Ullah, in a covert operation just north of Karachi's international airport. Mr. Hayyee, a former leader of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned sectarian group, was involved in Mr. Pearl's death, the statement said. A Pakistani security official said the arrest occurred three or four days ago.
"Investigators are unsure whether Mr. Hayyee played a direct role in Mr. Pearl's abduction and beheading, but believe he was linked to the crime as a leader of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Sindh province, the official said. . . ."
"Pearl's parents, Ruth and Judea Pearl, issued a statement through the Daniel Pearl Foundation," Alex Rodriguez reported Wednesday for the Los Angeles Times.
"We are gratified by this latest arrest and hope that justice will be served on all of those who were involved in this crime against humanity," they said.
Philadelphia Magazine Takes More Criticism at 2nd Forum
"For the second night in a row, the editor of Philadelphia Magazine and the author of its 'Being White in Philly' cover story willingly endured a barrage of criticism and some harsh accusations about the controversial piece," Robert Moran reported Wednesday for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"Round Two delivered more punishment for editor Tom McGrath and writer Robert Huber as they faced the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists at a meeting Tuesday at the offices of The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
"A vice president of the association accused both men of being racists. They were subjected to mockery from some of the questioners and threatened with a boycott of the magazine's advertisers.
"As they did Monday at the National Constitution Center, McGrath and Huber responded politely to questions and criticisms. Their answers often did not satisfy the audience. . . ."
Being Vibe's Editor: Schmoozing, Fixing, Bartering
"If you think print pubs have had it bad, just look at the R.I.P. list in the music category: Blender (March 2009), Giant (November 2009), Spin (December 2012)," Andrea Williams wrote Wednesday for MediaBistro. "But, thankfully for urban music and entertainment fans, one iconic brand was able to rise from the ashes.
"Within months after folding in 2009, Vibe -- founded by producer, composer and all-around musical genius Quincy Jones -- was re-launched by new owners looking to infuse it with fresh content for the digital age and new editorial blood, namely EIC Jermaine Hall."
Williams asked Hall, "What advice can you give to other editors who are looking to position themselves to become an editor-in-chief during their careers?"
Hall replied, "I think it's just about, whatever position you're at, excelling at that and mastering that position. And then, once you have that down, I think it's just really starting to expand. A lot of things that come with being editor-in-chief aren't necessarily drilled down into the day-to-day tasks. It's a lot of schmoozing; it's a lot of fixing relationships; it's a lot of bartering; it's a lot of people skills, I would say. It's really going out there to be the ambassador of the brand on all levels. And that doesn't necessarily come from being the strongest writer, it just really comes from people skills and the contacts and the relationships there that you've been able to build over your career. So, I think it's knowing that it's more than just writing and more than just editing at this level."
Another challenge, Hall said, is gaining access to celebrities in an era of social media. Williams asked, "What is one of the most challenging aspects of working with musicians who are often notoriously fickle and temperamental?"
"I would say access," the editor replied. "Because of social media and because these artists now have their own voice, it's like 'I'm an artist and I want to get a message out. I don't need to wait for a magazine to interview me, I don't need to wait to go on radio, I don't need to wait to go on a television program -- I can just say it right now. I can say it on my Twitter account; if there's a picture that I want to put out there, I'll go to Instagram and do it right away.' So, I'd say one of the challenges that we face is getting the amount of time that we need to really craft a good story or put together a fantastic package. . . ."
The first-ever National Summit on Plagiarism and Fabrication is planned for April 5 in St. Louis, the Radio Television Digital News Association reported Wednesday. The summit is to be part of the American Copy Editors Society national conference. Journalism organizations "will gather to recount recent incidents and address the problems affecting traditional and new media," RTDNA said.
"When Roger Ailes saw his words in print, the stark accusation that President Obama is lazy, he was momentarily taken aback," Howard Kurtz wrote in the Daily Beast. The Fox News chairman and CEO made disparaging comments about Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. "Anybody who knows me knows that half the time I'm saying things with a somewhat humorous overtone,' Ailes says," Kurtz continued. "So is he backing away from the incendiary comments? Not a chance. 'Are every one of those statements true? Yes,' Ailes says. 'Should I have said them? Well, that's a debate.' . . . "
"Pierre Thomas, ABC News Senior Justice Correspondent, has been elected as secretary-treasurer of the Executive Committee of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press," the committee reported Tuesday. "Thomas succeeds Saundra Torry, editorial writer at USA Today, who became vice chairman upon the resignation of Jim Rubin, who recently retired from journalism. . . ."
In Detroit, "WJBK-TV (Channel 2) reporter Charlie LeDuff told police that he and his brother feared for their lives during a brawl at Corktown's St. Patrick's Parade earlier this month, according to a police report," Gina Damron reported Wednesday for the Detroit Free Press. "LeDuff filed the report a few days after the March 10 parade, where a security guard accused the reporter of biting him during a fight. The 46-year-old reporter told police that he was 'choked and nearly blacked out' after being thrown out of a private party at the parade and denied the allegations against him 'as reported in the media,' according to the police report, which he filed March 14. . . ."
"In an effort to continue the national conversation about how to help prepare America's students for success, NBC News is bringing 'Education Nation On-The-Road' to Detroit beginning March 22," the network announced Tuesday. "The NBC News team will spend a week in the city, partnering with its affiliate station, WDIV, to ignite a public dialogue about new efforts in the region and across the state to improve student outcomes. . . ." NBC added, "The Summit will be hosted by NBC News Special Correspondent Chelsea Clinton, NBC News Chief Education Correspondent Rehema Ellis and WDIV Anchors Devin Scillian and Rhonda Walker."
As of Monday, the South Asian Journalists Association had collected $9,630 in its SAJA Broadcast Challenge, according to its website. Current and former broadcast journalists were to match all donations made, up to a total of $10,000. The original end date of Feb. 1 was extended until March 15.
Malian newspaper editor Boukary Daou, who was arrested two weeks ago after publishing a letter criticizing the salary of Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, leader of the coup in Mali, has been charged with "inciting disobedience" and "publishing falsehoods," according to Reporters Without Borders, the Associated Press reported Monday. Daou, editor-in-chief of the Republican newspaper, was charged Monday and imprisoned, AP said.
In Honduras, "Reporters Without Borders is very worried about Julio Ernesto Alvarado, the producer of the current affairs programmes 'Medianoche' on Tegucigalpa-based Radio Globo and 'Mi Nación' on its sister TV station, Globo TV, because of a recent increase in the threats and acts of intimidations against him that began a year ago," the press-freedom group said. "Alvarado, 60, who is vice-president of the Organization of Ibero-American Journalists, told the Honduran Committee for the Families of Disappeared Detainees (COFADEH) on 5 March that he has suspended 'Medianoche' as a result of the threats. . . ."
"Bloomberg Media Group, a division [of] Bloomberg L.P., and El Financiero, the media branch of Grupo Lauman, announced Wednesday a long-term agreement to launch a new multi-platform Spanish-language business news service," Chris Roush reported Wednesday for Talking Biz News. "The companies will create a high-definition television channel that combines Bloomberg's global business and financial insight with locally-produced content. The service will be offered in Mexico and Central America. The companies also plan to offer content online, on mobile sites and in print with a co-branded section in El Financiero newspaper. . . . "
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Journal-isms is published on the site of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (mije.org). Reprinted on The Root by permission.
