After activists picketed the New York Times building Tuesday and delivered petitions with more than 70,000 signatures urging the newspaper to drop the term "illegal immigrant," the Times announced a change in policy. But the National Association of Hispanic Journalists called the change "unacceptable" and cowardly.

Unity: Journalists for Diversity, which includes NAHJ, followed NAHJ on Thursday.

The immigration debate and the accompanying debate over terminology are likely to remain in the headlines. Reform bills are before Congress, and two brothers who immigrated from Chechnya are suspected of carrying out last week's Boston marathon bombing.

"On Tuesday, The New York Times updated its policies on how it uses the phrase 'illegal immigrant' in its coverage," Christine Haughney reported for the New York Times. "The newspaper did not go as far as The Associated Press, and it will continue to allow the phrase to be used for 'someone who enters, lives in or works in the United States without proper legal authorization.' But it encourages reporters and editors to 'consider alternatives when appropriate to explain the specific circumstances of the person in question, or to focus on actions.' " 

Haughney had noted, "This month, The Associated Press announced it would eliminate the use of 'illegal immigrant' entirely. The news agency wrote, 'Except in direct quotes essential to the story, use "illegal" only to refer to an action, not a person: illegal immigration, but not illegal immigrant.' "

While the AP style guidelines are widely followed, some news organizations have their own. Among the broadcast media, for instance, ABC News has used the terms "undocumented worker" and "undocumented immigrant," network spokesman Jeffrey W. Schneider told Journal-isms.

Haughney continued, "Philip B. Corbett, the associate managing editor for standards, who oversees The Times's style manual, made the announcement on Tuesday shortly after a group staged a protest in front of The New York Times headquarters and delivered more than 70,000 signatures to Jill Abramson, the executive editor of The Times, asking her to end the use of the phrase.

"Mr. Corbett said in a statement that editors had spent months deliberating the updated style change. He said he shared these changes 'with key reporters and editors over the last couple of weeks.' He said he recognized how sensitive this issue is for readers. . . . "

NAHJ said in its statement, "The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is disappointed by the NY Times' carelessness and cowardice on the dehumanizing term 'illegal immigrant.' The Times shift in policy is unacceptable in accurately and sensibly describing a group of hard working people. The Times attempt to have it both ways by 'allowing the phrase to be used' and only 'encouraging reporters to consider alternatives' is unacceptable. Instead of taking an opportunity to show it understands how destructive the term is to Latinos; the publication only demonstrated how disconnected it is to this group."

The protesters included immigration activist Fernando Chavez, eldest son of the late farmworkers' rights leader Cesar Chavez; Jose Antonio Vargas, the former journalist who publicly disclosed his unauthorized status in 2011; and members of the groups MoveOn.org and Presente.org. The Applied Research Center's "Drop the I-Word" campaign also participated.

In a separate development, Luis Miranda, who just stepped down as director of Hispanic media for the Obama administration and is credited with improving access to the White House for Latino media, disclosed Tuesday that he was once an unauthorized immigrant.

"When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot. One of my best friends with the same goal joined the Civil Air Patrol and encouraged me to join, too. I jumped at the chance. But then it happened. I needed a Social Security number and didn't have one. I began to understand what it meant to be undocumented," Miranda wrote in an op-ed piece in USA Today.

A 1986 law "allowed immigrants like myself a path to citizenship," Miranda wrote. [Updated April 25.]

Esther J. Cepeda, Washington Post Writers Group: The wise words of Uncle Ruslan

Elise Foley, Huffington Post: Deportations Continue As Congress Seeks Immigration Reform

Juan Gonzalez, Daily News, New York: Boston Marathon bombings used in effort to derail congressional immigration reform efforts

Ruben Navarrette Jr., Washington Post Writers Group: Boston bombing not an immigration story

Fox News a Haven for Talk About Muslim Threats

"In the days following the Boston Marathon bombings, Fox News has become a haven for talk about the extreme threats posed to the United States by Muslims," Jack Murchinson wrote Wednesday for the Huffington Post. "Day after day, the network's hosts and pundits have warned about an Islamic menace which is poised to take down the country.

"At the most extreme has been 'Fox News liberal' Bob Beckel, whose call on 'The Five' to bar or severely restrict Muslim students from coming into America seemed to startle even Dana Perino, George Bush's former spokeswoman. Beckel stuck by his comments on Tuesday, saying that some of the 75,000 Muslim students in American schools are likely to harbor terrorist ambitions.

" 'It's a risky situation,' he said. . . . "

Justin Berrier, Media Matters for America: Fox's Bolling: Rep. Ellison Is "The Muslim Apologist In Congress" And "Very Dangerous"

Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report: White Chechens Open New Vistas of Repression in America

Arthur Hayes, USA Today: Boston F-bomb exemption: Column

Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report: Every Day Terror

Andrew Lam, New America Media: Boston Bombers -- The Denial of American Grandeur

Asra Q. Nomani, Daily Beast: How American Muslims Can Respond to Boston

Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Terror motives likely will never make sense

TJ Raphael, Folio:: Reactions to Time Magazine's Boston Bombing Cover

Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Guns and terrorism, a double-barreled standard

Barry Saunders, News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.: The 24/7 news cycle should slow when justice is at stake

Robin Washington, Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune: After suspect's capture, city on a hill shines again

Erik Wemple, Washington Post: CNN: We've instituted 'checks and balances'

DeWayne Wickham, USA Today: 'Mirandizing' Boston suspect was wise

Edward Wyckoff Williams, the Root: Yes, They're White and Muslim

Fired, Then Hired, Clemente Becomes Instant Celebrity

"He was hired. And then he was fired. And now he's been hired -- for a night -- as a celebrity correspondent," Ann Oldenburg reported Wednesday for USA Today.

"A.J. Clemente, the North Dakota anchor who shot to fame for dropping an f-bomb on the air on his first day on the job only to be immediately fired, stopped by Live With Kelly and Michael today.

"And the two co-hosts offered him a job.

" 'A.J., you know, I've got to tell you, that this clip of you has captivated all of us,' Kelly Ripa told him. 'It's taken us on a wild ride. What exactly was going on in your head when that happened? Were you aware that you were on the air?'

"Replied Clemente, 'I had no clue.' And there was a bleep, even though he didn't curse. The show's control room bleeped him to be funny. . . ."

Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: "F-bomb" anchor A.J. Clemente visits NBC's Today and Letterman, revealing serious problems with small town TV news

Edward Esposito, Radio Television Digital News Foundation: Memo to AJ: Learn, don't burn

Scott Stump, "Today," NBC: F-bomb anchor: Watching viral clip 'was gut-wrenching'

Meenal Vamburkar, Mediaite: Local Anchor Fired For Swearing On Air Speaks Out About His 'Gut-Wrenching' Mistake On Today

Politico Piece on N.Y. Times Draws Sexism Charges

"Has Jill Abramson, executive editor of The New York Times, 'lost the newsroom'?" Tom McGeveran asked Wednesday for Capital New York.

"A story posted last night by Politico's Dylan Byers characterizes Abramson as a woman on the verge of a newsroom breakdown. The culprit is her personality, but also, to be fair, the way that personality has manifested itself in a few decisions, none of which were particularly key decisions.

"Today, the story has readers charging sexist bias, thin sourcing, and a certain naivete about how the great big newsrooms work. I don't think any of these is really applicable to Byers' reporting, but this article does speak volumes about all three issues. . . ."

The Byers article opens with an anecdote about Managing Editor Dean Baquet, the highest ranking black journalist at the newspaper, who was said to have competed with Abramson for the top job after Bill Keller stepped down in 2011.

Emily Bell, the Guardian, Britain: Jill Abramson and the wholly sexist narrative of the woman in power

Nicholas Carlson, Business Insider: Politico's Takedown Of The New York Times Editor 'Doesn't Ring True To Me,' Says Brian Stelter

Jack Mirkinson, Huffington Post: Jill Abramson: 'Very Unpopular' Or Just Doing Her Job?

Hanna Rosin, Slate: You Don't Know Jill

Unity Urges Appointment of Pro-Diversity FCC Chair

Unity: Journalists for Diversity urged President Obama Wednesday "to consider the diversity of America's news coverage and news companies as you evaluate candidates to chair the Federal Communications Commission."

Unity also joined "Fifty organizations, most representing minority constituencies, [who] have asked the White House to nominate two new FCC commissioners, including a replacement chairman -- who will make minority and female participation in media a priority," John Eggerton reported for Broadcasting & Cable.

Unity did not urge Obama to appoint a woman of color to the chairmanship, as the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters did this month, but the letter from President Tom Arviso Jr. said, "The next chairman or chairwoman of the FCC will shape the future of news for diverse communities in America"  and named "the principles we believe should serve as core values for any future appointment."

The Unity coalition asserted its opposition to additional consolidation of the nation's media; urged the FCC "to conduct research on tracking the number of minority, women and LGBT owned broadcast stations"; said that "diversity should be measured and factored into approval or rejection of all licensing and re-licensing applications" and that "universal access to the Internet is a basic right."

Eggerton reported, "The White House is said by various sources to be vetting the current nominee for chairman -- former cable and telecom association exec Tom Wheeler is said to be the leading candidate -- and could announce a nominee, as well as a Republican to be paired with him or her, within the next couple of weeks.

"If commissioner Mignon Clyburn is named interim chair" -- she is the senior Democrat after outgoing chair Julius Genachowski -- "she could be in that post for several months and have an opportunity to put her imprint on the issue as the first African-American woman chair. . . . "

Unity includes the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, the Native American Journalists Association and the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association.

Unity Joins Fifty Organizations Urging the White House to Nominate FCC Members Committed to Promoting Diversity and Inclusion

Gracie Lawson-Borders Named Dean at Howard U.

Gracie Lawson-Borders, associate dean at the University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences and professor in communication and journalism there, has been named dean of the Howard University School of Communications, Howard announced on Tuesday.

Lawson-Borders is a former journalist who worked as a reporter and editor at the Akron Beacon Journal in Ohio, the Oakland Press in Michigan and the Chicago Tribune, the university said.

She succeeds Jannette Dates, who had been dean or acting dean for 17½ years and associate dean for five, and Interim Dean Dr. Chuka Onwumechili, who served in the post for the last year.

Lawson-Borders is also a former director of the African American & Diaspora Studies program at Wyoming and is working on her second book, about digital business models and strategies for media organizations, the university said.

In September, the university Board of Trustees approved two new undergraduate programs and a new doctoral program in the School of Communications as a part of the university’s "academic renewal" efforts.

The new undergraduate programs are strategic, legal and management communications, and media, journalism and film. The doctoral program is in communication, culture and media studies.

The School of Communications has 1,050 students.

Howard Chua-Eoan, News Director at Time, Retiring

Howard Chua-Eoan, news director at Time magazine and time.com, is retiring, Chua-Eoan told Journal-isms by email on Wednesday. He has been with Time Inc. for 30 years.

"I am retiring. But still going to do the occasional project for TIME. In fact, I am about to start on one next week," Chua-Eoan wrote.

Time magazine received the 2012 Thumbs Down Award from the National Association of Black Journalists "for its lack of diversity within its reporting corps," NABJ announced at its convention last year in New Orleans.

"That's why I'm here," Chua-Eoan told Journal-isms at the convention. Chua-Eoan said he was available to meet with potential hires, though he did not have a recruiting booth because Time decided to skip the NABJ career fair in favor of the Unity convention in Las Vegas.

When Steven Gray left last year as Time's last remaining African American correspondent, he praised Chua-Eoan, saying he "brought me to the magazine and is one of the most elegant editors I've ever worked for."

According to a 2002 bio, "Chua-Eoan was an Assistant Managing Editor for TIME and was responsible for both breaking news and religion stories until January 2002 when he became News Director. He was also editor of 'Heroes & Inspirations,' the fifth in the series of six TIME 100: People of the Century issues which profiled the 100 most influential individuals of the past 100 years.

"The weekend editor for the magazine, Chua-Eoan was on duty on Aug. 30, 1997 when news broke of the accident that took Princess Diana's life. He edited and co-wrote stories and organized the 16-hour effort that completely revamped 20 pages of the issue and resulted in the dramatic overnight cover change. Chua-Eoan was also deeply involved in the commemorative issue produced by the magazine the following week that included not only a 40-page tribute to Diana but a six-page appreciation of Mother Teresa that Chua-Eoan wrote. The two Diana covers hold the record for the most copies of TIME sold on the newsstand. . . ."

The bio notes that Chua-Eoan was born in Manila, the Philippines, and came to the United States in October 1979 at age 20.

Short Takes

Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy Jr. devoted his column Wednesday  to the marriage of former colleagues Lynne Duke, who died of cancer Friday at 56, and Phillip Dixon, a former Washington Post city editor and journalism department chair at Howard University. "He looked remarkably content, not distraught as I had expected, but like a man who knew that there was more to this world than meets the eye, that he'd felt the presence of a loving spirit when he needed it most," Milloy wrote of Dixon. Services have not yet been scheduled.

Soledad O'Brien was named a distinguished visiting fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, spending the 2013-2014 year delving into topics related to public education in America, the Huffington Post reported Wednesday. O'Brien left CNN's now-defunct morning show "Starting Point" in March and said she would continue to work with the network by producing documentaries independently with her own production company.

Leon Tucker, a former managing editor at the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, N.J., a black journalist and one of three senior content editors, left the paper on Tuesday, according to the publisher's office. Tucker succeeded Everett "E.J." Mitchell II in the top newsroom job in 2010. Content Editor Christina Mitchell was named executive editor on Tuesday. Interim Publisher Ellen Leifeld, who had retired as publisher of the Tennessean, has been in charge of the Courier-Post newsroom as part of her duties. Both the Courier-Post and the Tennessean are Gannett newspapers.

CareerCast.com publisher Tony Lee put "newspaper reporter" dead-last in his best/worst job list for 2013, media blogger Jim Romenesko wrote Wednesday, because "There are very few jobs on our list that project negative growth or falling income" and the newspaper reporter position has both. Lee added, "When we say newspaper reporter we mean newspaper reporter; we do not mean a reporter who works for, say, espn.com" or any other digital job.

Rapper Snoop Lion, formerly Snoop Dogg, is "serving as Speakeasy's first-ever special guest editor," according to an editor's note Monday in that section of the Wall Street Journal. "In that role, he wrote the following essay about his reggae transformation, assigned a story on how sports can help at-risk youth, and will answer reader questions that are sent on Twitter with the hashtag #AskSnoop. . . ."

In the Bay Area, Stanley Roberts, the photographer for KRON-TV who was attacked last week filming his "People Behaving Badly" segment in Berkeley, Calif., tweeted the next day, "What disturbs me most about yesterdays attack, with all the people on the street, they 'all' just stood there and did absolutely nothing!" Also, "I am just amazed at the amount of people who think I deserved to be attacked! Just amazed!"

"Homegoings," a film that "explores the African-American funeral home, a 150 year-old institution that is now vanishing," will begin the 26th season of PBS' "POV" series, Evette Dionne wrote Wednesday for Clutch magazine. Filmmaker Christine Turner has been working on the film since 2011.

Simone Weichselbaum, a reporter for the Daily News of New York who was born into a Brooklyn, N.Y., family with German-Jewish and Jamaican roots, has won a Be'chol Lashon Media Award, "established to recognize outstanding journalism depicting the rich diversity of Judaism and the important place diverse Jews have among the Jewish people." She was selected for "her piercing, respectful, accurate and often entertaining reporting of the multicultural borough, in particular its Orthodox Jews and Jews of color."

"For any journalist or journalism student considering working independently, please join us for a webinar featuring print and broadcast journalist Mark Trahant," the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education asks. "Mark has successfully created a profitable niche out of his disparate interests -- everything from health care, Native American issues and writing poetry based on the news. He will discuss his business plan, his growth strategies and his pricing plans in a webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern, April 26. To enroll, please go to: http://mije-trahant-042613.eventbrite.com/ NOTE: This webinar will be recorded and can be accessed later by contacting Elisabeth Pinio at epinio@mije.org." Trahant is board chair of the Maynard Institute.

"A press freedom group is demanding that Mexico investigate the disappearance of a crime reporter in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, where 12 journalists have been slain or gone missing since 2010," Olga R. Rodriguez reported for the Associated Press on Monday. "The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday urged Mexican authorities to find Sergio Landa Rosado and bring the kidnappers to justice. A colleague tells The Associated Press that Landa went missing Jan. 23. . . ."

Aundrea Murray, 21, a junior majoring in journalism at Central Connecticut State University, wrote in the Hartford Courant Tuesday that she was among a spring break trip to China joined by 23 students and two professors from the university. " 'Celebrity' was what my white classmates used to describe what I and other African American students must have looked like to the Chinese," she wrote. "But I felt far less than a celebrity and much more than just a foreigner. I was a victimized minority in a country besides my own. . . ."

Five public television stations have been awarded a total of $440,000 under the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Ready to Learn program, in which stations are to provide children ages 2 to 8 with digital learning, Andrew Lapin reported last week for current.org. The grantees are Nashville Public Television; New Mexico PBS; KLRU in Austin, Texas; Louisiana Public Broadcasting; and PBS SoCal in Los Angeles.

Rochelle Riley of the Detroit Free Press won a National Headliner Award for local interest column on a variety of subjects [PDF], the Press Club of Atlantic City in New Jersey announced this week.

Raja Abdulrahim of the Los Angeles Times, David Barboza of the New York Times, Najibullah Quraishi and Jamie Doran of WGBH "Frontline" and Clover Films, and Alberto Arce of the Associated Press are among Overseas Press Club of America award winners.

Thanh Tan of the Texas Tribune; Vikki Vargas of KNBC in Southern California; Israel Alfaro and Jenny Martinez of KRGV-TV in Texas' Rio Grande Valley; Serene Fang, Gabriela Quiros and Craig Miller of KQED-FM in San Francisco and the Center for Investigative Reporting; Ryan Vasquez of Alabama Public Radio; Lu Olkowski, Laura Spero, Taki Telonidis and Al Letson of NPR's "State of the Re:Union"; and Alberto Arce of the Associated Press are among  recipients of the 2012 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism.

"Imprisoned Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu is the winner of the 2013 UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize," the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization announced Wednesday. "Ms Alemu was recommended by an independent international jury of media professionals in recognition of her 'exceptional courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression.' "

In the Philippines, police said radio announcer Mario Vendiola Baylosis, 33, was shot dead by two motorcycle gunmen in a daring broad daylight Monday in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga Sibugay, the Mindanao Examiner reported on Monday.

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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.

Allen H. Neuharth, who led the newspaper industry in championing diversity and made it possible for Robert C. Maynard to become the first African American publisher of a mainstream newspaper, died Friday at his home in Cocoa Beach, Fla. He was 89.

An obituary by Herbert Buchsbaum of the New York Times described Neuharth as "the brash and blustery media mogul who built the Gannett Company into a communications Leviathan and created USA Today, for years America's best-selling newspaper" and noted, "In an industry long dominated by white men, Mr. Neuharth led the way in the hiring and promotion of women and minorities, tying compensation to hiring goals.

"By 1988 the proportion of minorities in Gannett newsrooms was 47 percent higher than the national average. Women accounted for nearly 40 percent of the company's managers, professionals, technicians and sales agents and an unheard-of quarter of its newspaper publishers."

A February 1992 article in  Black Enterprise magazine listing the "25 Best Places for Blacks to Work" said of Gannett, "total minority employment has progressed from 12 percent to 21 percent since 1980."

Neuharth even believed that black Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke, who forced the Post to return a 1981 Pulitzer Prize when it was disclosed that Cooke had fabricated her winning story in that highly competitive newsroom, deserved a second chance. However, the Gannett paper Neuharth had in mind for Cooke, who left the Post in disgrace, reportedly balked at the idea.

Neuharth's support for diversity "went from supporting individuals within the company to the Oakland Tribune, in particular when it mattered most," Dori J. Maynard, president of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, said by telephone.

Michael Liedtke wrote in the October 1991 edition of American Journalism Review:

"Then-media tycoon Al Neuharth stood beside newspaper publisher Bob Maynard in mid-August to celebrate the salvation of the long-suffering Oakland Tribune, the two men hoped for a better ending than the first time they'd joined forces to rescue the newspaper.

"That was 1979, when the hard-driving Neuharth was chief executive officer of the ever-expanding Gannett Company. The newspaper firm had just purchased the Tribune and hired Maynard to edit it. Four years later, Maynard bought the paper from Gannett in one of the first leveraged buyouts of the 1980s and he and Neuharth parted ways.

"Now, together again, the duo takes a stab at a happier course. The plot remains the same — Neuharth provides the deep pockets, Maynard the journalistic savvy and community connections — and the flailing newspaper gets a handhold.

"But the story may twist with the allegiance of Neuharth, the self-professed 'S.O.B.' who two years ago retired from Gannett to become chairman of the nonprofit Freedom Forum. The Forum, at Neuharth's urging, committed $7.5 million of its $670 million endowment to save Oakland's paper.

"What remains unclear is what impelled Neuharth back into the Oakland game. Is he — as he and Maynard maintain — merely the generous bystander with nothing more on his agenda than the preservation of a 117-year-old paper? Or does he see the Tribune rescue as a chance to tweak noses at the Arlington, Virginia, offices of his former employer, which wound up swallowing most of the Tribune 's $31.5 million debt?

"Neuharth insists the reports of a feud are overblown. 'All the speculation that we are trying to poke each other in the eyes is not true,' he says. 'It didn't matter to me whether the Tribune's major creditor was Gannett or Joe Blow...

" 'It's really quite simple,' he says. 'We believe in the Maynards and we believe in the staff of the Oakland Tribune.' . . . "

The Loma Prieta earthquake, coverage of which won the Tribune a Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography in 1990, combined with a national recession and a troubled city economy to force Bob and Nancy Maynard to sell the Tribune in 1992. The pair had owned the paper for 10 years.

David Honig, president of the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council, told Journal-isms by email, "I'm originally from Rochester, NY. Gannett was based there in the 1970s, when I got to know Al Neuharth.  I found him to be gracious, collaborative and insightful. As his obit in USA Today and his autobiography made clear, sometimes Al was not a very nice person.  Al had little charm and no sartorial taste.  But Al was way, way ahead of his peers when it came to diversity.

"Al, Doug McCorkindale, and I put together Gannett's 1979 'Partners in Progress' program – the first modern voluntary affirmative action program in journalism.  It was highly effective because Al, with his can-do spirit and low tolerance for excuses, commanded his publishers and TV station general managers to observe it and exceed its goals and targets. Their compensation and bonuses depended on it.

"Lots of people who Al treated poorly are probably saying (to themselves) 'finally the bastard is dead.'  But I will miss him."

Neuharth extended his commitment to diversity to his personal life. In 2010, Anne Straub wrote for Space Coast Medicine, Neuharth was father of six children with his third wife, Cocoa Beach chiropractor Rachel Fornes. All were adopted at birth and come from diverse backgrounds. Neuharth also had two grown children.

25 Years Ago, It Was "the Place to Be": USA Today Had Reputation as Diversity Leader (Sept. 12, 2007)

David Colton and Rick Hampson, USA Today: USA TODAY founder Al Neuharth dies at 89

Alex S. Jones, New York Times: Cash and Debt Concessions Save Oakland Tribune (Aug. 15, 1991) 

Native American Journalists Association: NAJA statement on passing of USA Today founder Al Neuharth

Rosamunda Neuharth-Ozgo, Accuracy In Media: My Father Al Neuharth and Media Hypocrisy (April 27, 2009) 

New York Times: Gannett Stressing Minority Groups (1988)

Mike Schneider, Associated Press: USA Today founder Neuharth dies in Florida at 89

CNN's John King Says, "What I Am Not Is Racist"

"CNN's John King has taken to Twitter to further explain his erroneous report of an arrest in the Boston Marathon bombing," Erik Hayden wrote Thursday for the Hollywood Reporter.

King's defense of his report that law enforcement officials had identified "a dark-skinned male" as the suspect came a day before the Boston area was placed on lockdown as authorities sought — and eventually captured — a suspect who was not dark-skinned, but in fact was a native of the Russian republic of Chechnya.

" 'Source of that description was a senior government official. And I asked, are you sure? But I'm responsible. What I am not is racist,' the anchor wrote Thursday," Hayden reported.

Hayden's story continued, "The anchor's comments received widespread criticism on social media. Among many others, the NAACP, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart and MSNBC's Al Sharpton took issue with King's report.

" 'The fact that this information was false is only part of the problem,' said NAACP president and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous in a statement Thursday. 'Our concern is that CNN used an overly broad, unhelpful and potentially racially inflammatory categorization to describe the potential suspect. History teaches us that too often people of color are unfairly targeted in the aftermath of acts of terrorism.' "

CNN has not commented on King's error, leaving it to King to respond. But King has not addressed the larger implications of identifying a suspect as "dark-skinned."

"People are less tolerant are less tolerant when mistakes aren’t acknowledged or the on-air speculation veers into ethnic or racial stereotypes, as the discussion of 'dark-skinned' or alleged Muslim suspects did this week, says Emily Bell, a journalism professor at Columbia University," Paul Farhi reported for Saturday's Washington Post.

" 'You're inviting a very visceral reaction when you wander into that territory,' she says. 'The unintended consequence is that it cast instant suspicion on a lot of innocent people and adds very little' to the public understanding of the story."

On the suspense-filled day after King's tweet of explanation, "In the waning moments of daylight, police descended Friday on a shrouded boat in a Watertown backyard to capture the suspected terrorist who had eluded their enormous dragnet for a tumultuous day, ending a dark week in Boston that began with the bombing of the world’s most prestigious road race," Mark Arsenault reported for the Boston Globe.

"The arrest of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev of Cambridge ended an unprecedented daylong siege of Greater Boston, after a frantic night of violence that left one MIT police officer dead, an MBTA Transit Police officer wounded, and an embattled public — rattled again by the touch of terrorism — huddled inside homes.

"Tsarnaev’s elder brother and alleged accomplice — 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the second suspect in Monday’s Boston Marathon attack — was pronounced dead early Friday morning at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, after suffering shrapnel and bullet wounds in a gunfight with police. . . ."

Nearly all of the news networks went live to the scene as the suspect was captured and news conferences were held. Univision and Telemundo continued to show telenovelas, and Black Entertainment Television and TV One likewise continued with their regular programming.

Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times: For Muslims, bad memories and new worries

Paul Cheung, Asian American Journalists Association: AAJA Urges Vigilance in Reporting on Boston Bombing Suspects

Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: Why did media make so many mistaken assumptions about Boston Marathon bombers' race?

FBI "Wanted" poster

Rick Horowitz, Huffington Post: Lost in Boston's Carnage... (video)

Jennifer Ludden, NPR: Muslims Fear Backlash After Suspects' Faith Revealed (April 20)

Michael E. Ross, the Root: Describing a Suspect: A Few Tips for Mr. King

Gerry Shih, Reuters: Media, old and new, takes heat for Boston coverage (April 20)

Scott Simon and David Folkenflik, "Weekend Edition Saturday," NPR: Lessons Learned From The Media's Coverage Of Boston Bombing (April 20)

Adrian Walker, Boston Globe: The reckoning begins in Ashmont

Adrian Walker, Boston Globe: Three secular ministers preach healing

Jesse Washington, Associated Press: Across America, a Week of Chaos, Horror — and Hope (April 20)

Tim Wise blog: Terrorism and Privilege: Understanding the Power of Whiteness (April 16)

David Zurawik, Daily Download: Boston Coverage: Diane Sawyer Shines, CNN Struggles, Geraldo Rivera Sinks (April 20)

Firm Says Don't Judge Magazine Health by Print-Ad Declines

Figures showing a decline in advertising dollars for print magazines don't tell the whole story, according to the agency that prepares those figures for the magazine industry.

In fact, "Consumer Magazines are very powerful brands and are finding audiences and advertising through their brand extensions digitally via web, tablet, and mobile," Suzie Ross of Kantar Media messaged Journal-isms on Thursday.

"It's actually an exciting time for magazines as they reinvent themselves and evolve based on consumer interests/needs/behavior."

Ross, vice president for strategic partnerships and industry relations, was commenting on a report this month from the Publishers Information Bureau comparing advertising dollars and advertising pages for the first quarter of 2013 with figures for the previous year.

Journal-isms reported April 10 that Black Enterprise magazine sustained a 35.4 percent decline in advertising dollars and a 34 percent hit in advertising pages, that Jet magazine dropped 31.7 percent in advertising dollars compared with the same period a year before and that People en Español rose by 20.8 percent in ad dollars and 14 percent in ad pages.

Overall, "Consumer magazines' advertising woes continued in the first quarter of 2013, with ad pages slipping 4.8 percent versus the year-ago period on declines in nine out of the 12 top categories, according to numbers released today by MPA—The Association of Magazine Media," Emma Bazilian reported April 8 for Adweek.

Ross was asked to clarify the figures after Johnson Publishing Co., publisher of Jet, maintained that the decline in advertising dollars for the pocket-sized magazine should actually be much lower — 13.52 percent instead of 31.7 percent.

"There is nothing inaccurate in your column," Ross wrote. "The reported decline was correct, as was the comment about Jet having [fewer] issues in 2013 versus 2012.

"However, I should note that the PIB Press report you referenced does not reflect the concept of 'same store sales' and we provide our clients with information (such as number of issues published by publishers from one year to the next in a given period) that allows them to look deeper into the data and analyze it as they wish. This is not to say that PIB reporting is inaccurate — but you were wise to report the mistakes that many make when they use this data by quoting Mr. Barr," referring to Stephen Gregory Barr, Johnson Publishing senior vice president and group publisher. "The PIB reports that you referenced report . . . organic activity in a given time period — and provide year-over-year comparison so that the general idea of gains and losses is available.

"The Jet issue of 4/8 was not included in the Jan-Mar data because its an April issue and will appear in April's data (PIB data does not report by On Sale Date, but by Issue Date).

"What I would like to add is that declines in print really don't . . . tell the whole story and you are doing a disservice to the industry by highlighting print declines. Consumer Magazines are very powerful brands and are finding audiences and advertising through their brand extensions digitally via web, tablet, and mobile. It's actually an exciting time for magazines as they reinvent themselves and evolve based on consumer interests/needs/behavior. Kantar Media, the company that collects and reports PIB data, is actually working with the MPA [Association of Magazine Media] and PIB to capture the full magazine media footprint from an advertising perspective which currently includes both web and tablet. So stay tuned."

"People Behaving Badly" -- Toward the Photographer

In the Bay Area, "KRON 4 reporter Stanley Roberts was attacked while he was attempting to film his 'People Behaving Badly' segment in Berkeley Thursday afternoon when his subjects took exception, resulting in a sprained back," Katie Nelson reported Thursday for the Oakland Tribune.

"Two suspects in the attack were detained and later arrested on suspicion of battery and felony vandalism. They were booked into the Berkeley City Jail, said Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for the Berkeley Police Department.

"Roberts said he was filming outside of Amoeba Music located at 2455 Telegraph Ave. doing his 'normal schtick' for a segment about how squatters begging for money had become more rampant in the area.

"He said he had filmed three men from a distance at first and then walked up to them to get a closer shot.

"The men, who have not yet been identified by police, told Roberts they did not want to be filmed, but because they were in a public place, Roberts said, he told them he was allowed to do so."

Eventually, there was a scuffle, Nelson reported, during which "Roberts had his press credentials stolen and his $5,000 camera and $1,000 microphone broken before police arrived. . . ."

Preston Davis Dies, First Black President of an ABC Division

"Preston Davis, a pioneering television executive who served as president of broadcast operations and engineering for ABC, died April 15 after an illness, the Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday. He was 63," Mike Barnes reported Wednesday for the Hollywood Reporter.

"In 1993, Robert Iger, then president of the ABC Network Television Group, promoted Davis to lead broadcast operations and engineering, making him the first African-American president of any Capital Cities/ABC division in the history of the media company.

" 'Preston and I started at ABC around the same time,' Iger, now Disney chairman and CEO, said in a statement. 'He was a talented and tenacious leader who earned wide respect for his abilities and was revered for his impeccable integrity. When I had to choose someone to lead BO&E into the future, there was no question Preston was the right person, and he led that team to great achievements for the better part of two decades. Preston was a class act and a great guy who had a tremendous impact on everyone who knew him.' "

The story added, "Davis, who retired from the company in 2011, joined ABC in 1976 as an engineer in Washington, D.C. He moved into various positions of increasing responsibility involving field and studio operations in D.C., Atlanta and New York and was promoted in 1988 to vp television operations for the East Coast, where he directed studio and field operations, electronic newsgathering, telecommunications and the RF operations and engineering group. . . ."

Lynne Duke, 56, Former Washington Post Reporter, Editor

"Lynne Duke, a journalist who brought an emotional clarity to the most trenchant stories, from the crack epidemic that terrorized a Miami housing project once known as 'the Graveyard' to the legacy of apartheid South Africa, died April 19 at her home in Silver Spring," Adam Bernstein reported Friday for the Washington Post. "She was 56.

"The cause was lung cancer, said her husband, Phillip Dixon, a former Washington Post city editor. Ms. Duke worked at The Post from 1987 to 2008, retiring as an editor in the Style section after earlier assignments reporting from Johannesburg and New York.

"Ms. Duke had once aspired to a career in dance and theater, and she brought the expressive qualities of those art forms to her journalism.

"Covering South Africa was a defining experience for Ms. Duke. She first visited for The Post in 1990, when Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years. She returned to Johannesburg in 1994 for the nation's first multi-racial election and stayed on to cover Mandela's presidency. She also jumped around the region for breaking news, including the aftermath of Mobutu Sese Seko's dictatorial rule in what was then Zaire.

"Howard W. French, a former New York Times reporter in Africa and author of 'A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa' (2004), described Ms. Duke as a dogged competitor for whom the experience of working in Africa also provoked deep emotional discovery. . . ."

Jackie Jones, a former Post colleague, told Journal-isms, "Lynne was not warm and fuzzy. There were not a lot of hugs and kisses and stuff that lots of women friends do with each other, but if you wanted a frank opinion, a clear appraisal or someone who would listen and reserve judgment — until you stopped talking — Lynne was the one to call. . . "

Soul of the South Network Sets May 27 Launch

"The Soul of the South Network, targeting African-American viewers, said Thursday it will launch in 30 markets May 27 after closing an initial round of funding for $10 million raised from the state of Arkansas and private investors," Alex Ben Block reported Thursday for the Hollywood Reporter.

"The new network will be distributed initially by over-the-air stations and on digital channels on the broadcast spectrum but also plans to air on cable and expects its stations to qualify under FCC must-carry rules (which mandate nearby cable systems must carry it) because it is local and offers unique news programming.

" 'Our distribution footprint covers at least 70 percent of all African-American households in the south and in Chicago and Philadelphia, which we call sister regions,' says Doug McHenry, the Hollywood-based producer of films including New Jack City and House Party and TV shows including Malcolm & Eddie, who is the new network's president of entertainment.

"By the end of this summer, Soul of the South expects to be in 50-60 markets with a high concentration of African-Americans, reaching 30-40 million households.

"At launch over Memorial Day weekend, the network will not have any original programming outside of an active news presence in its local markets.

The story added, "The lead investors in the Soul of the South Network include Richard Mays, a former Arkansas Supreme Court justice and civil rights attorney, who is chairman of the board; Edwin V. Avent, who is CEO; attorney Christopher Rankin Clark, who is executive vp business and legal affairs; and Matthew J. Gruber from Mississippi, who is vice chairman of the board."

Tom Jacobs is news director.

Black Network Plans 5 Hours of News (June 8, 2012)

News release: SOUL OF THE SOUTH NETWORK Set to Launch Memorial Day Weekend After Securing Nearly $10 Million Investor Infusion

Mike Reynolds, Multichannel News: Multiethnic TV Awards: BET's Lee to Competitors — Bring It On

Chicago Tribune to Follow AP Style on Immigrants

The Chicago Tribune has decided to follow the Associated Press in its declaration that the word "illegal" should describe an action, not a person, when discussing immigrants who are in the country illegally, Joe Knowles, associate managing editor/editing and presentation at the  Tribune, told Journal-isms on Friday. .

"We decided to follow AP style on 'illegal immigrant' and 'illegal immigration,' " Knowles said by email. "Where possible, we will be more specific ('in the country illegally' or 'in the country on an expired visa')."

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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.