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.
Roland Martin Out at CNN
The pundit says that the cable news channel's president, Jeff Zucker, "wants his own peeps."
Roland Martin told his Twitter followers Tuesday that his last day as a CNN commentator will be April 6, ending speculation about his fate under new CNN President Jeff Zucker.
"Roland I am really missing not hearing your view point on @CNN," a Twitter follower wrote. Martin replied, "Sorry. Can't book myself. My last day at @cnn is April 6."
Responding to a tweeter's question about why he is leaving the network, Martin explained that the "new boss wants his own peeps," referring to Zucker and the recent wave of changes at the network.
Martin sent this message to Journal-isms:
"My agents notified me that they had been informed that at the conclusion of the two month extension granted in February, my last day at CNN would be April 6.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my little over six years there. There are many folks I will miss dearly, especially wonderful colleagues like Josanne Lopez, Soledad O'Brien, Ali Velshi, and so many bookers and producers.
"But I also miss the folks I tried to speak for and represent the most when I was on the air: the men and the women who worked on the crew; the security guards; and even the janitorial workers. Those were the people I most spoke for; those were the people who would cheer me on as I walked down the streets, in the grocery store; and at airports.
"I have had the likes of Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and others in sports and entertainment thank me for being an unwavering and unapologetic voice of truth, and unwilling to back down when someone needed to stand up.
"Before I signed with CNN, I sat in the lobby of 1 Time Warner Center and said, 'God, if it's your will to be here, then so be it.' I said the same these last two months.
"I've worked hard to ensure that my voice wasn't heard in one place. I will continue with my show on TV One, a network I was with before CNN; will continue my daily segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show; and will continue my nationally syndicated column.
"In my final days at CNN when I'm on the air, I will to do as the Tuskegee Airmen did, fight to the last hour, last minute, last second, for what is right. And I will do that as long as there is breath in my body."
CNN has increasingly turned to Van Jones, former Obama administration "green czar," as its African American male commentator during special events.
LISTEN: Roland Martin Talks With Eric Deggans About The State Of The Media; African American News Consumption (audio)
"Difficult Year at Best" for African-American Media
"The story about how African American-oriented news media coped last year was a difficult one at best," Emily Guskin, Amy Mitchell and Mark Jurkowitz reported in a section of "The State of American Media."
They said in "African American: A Year of Turmoil and Opportunity":
"In the newspaper sector, many historic African American publications both lost circulation and struggled to find advertising revenue. The Chicago Defender, for example, declined in circulation and laid off two editors because of reduced advertising.
"On television, a platform African Americans turn to for news at even greater rates than Americans over all, news continues to fight for a place in African American programming.
"While several new channels geared toward African Americans emerged in 2012, only one of them planned any news content. Still, BET, the most popular channel geared toward a black audience, gave a news talk show yet another try and TV One, another channel aimed at African Americans, partnered with NBC in coverage of the 2012 presidential election.
"In radio, African American voices became even scarcer in 2012. Black-owned radio stations continued to wither in number and several programs hosted by major African American personalities went off the air. The year also witnessed the consolidation of two of the largest black radio networks," referring to Radio One, Inc.'s consolidation of its Syndication One Urban programming line-up with Reach Media, Inc.
"As traditional media become more difficult to maintain, the digital world offered some hope. African American-oriented websites continue to develop, and survey data suggest, moreover, that African Americans are more likely than web users over all to access social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook.
"The handful of African American magazines that carry at least some news had different stories to tell in 2012. One of the most popular, Ebony, enjoyed a solid rebound after years of decreasing circulation, but other magazines did not fare nearly as well. . . ."
David Bauder, Associated Press: Pew State Of The Media Study: Journalism Cutbacks Are Driving Consumers Away
Andrew Beaujon, Poynter Institute: Nearly one-third of U.S. adults have abandoned a news outlet due to dissatisfaction
Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: State of the News Media study reveals less reporting power, less content and more disappointed consumers
John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable: Pew Study: News Consumers Turned Off By Coverage Cutbacks
Matthew Schwartz, PR News: What shrinking newsrooms means for media relations
Derek Thompson, the Atlantic: This Is the Scariest Statistic About the Newspaper Business Today
Meenal Vamburkar, Mediaite: MSNBC Coverage Almost Entirely Opinionated, While Fox News Includes More Factual Reporting, Study Says
Early One-Third in Survey Report Deserting News Outlet
The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism Monday documented "a news industry that is more undermanned and unprepared to uncover stories, dig deep into emerging ones or to question information put into its hands.
"And findings from our new public opinion survey released in this report reveal that the public is taking notice. Nearly one-third of the respondents (31%) have deserted a news outlet because it no longer provides the news and information they had grown accustomed to."
"The State of the News Media 2013 -- An Annual Report on American Journalism" continued, "At the same time, newsmakers and others with information they want to put into the public arena have become more adept at using digital technology and social media to do so on their own, without any filter by the traditional media. They are also seeing more success in getting their message into the traditional media narrative.
"So far, this trend has emerged most clearly in the political sphere, particularly with the biggest story of 2012 -- the presidential election.
"A Pew Research Center analysis revealed that campaign reporters were acting primarily as megaphones, rather than as investigators, of the assertions put forward by the candidates and other political partisans. That meant more direct relaying of assertions made by the campaigns and less reporting by journalists to interpret and contextualize them. . . ."
The report identified six major trends:
"The effects of a decade of newsroom cutbacks are real – and the public is taking notice.
"The news industry continues to lose out on the bulk of new digital advertising.
"The long-dormant sponsorship ad category is seeing sharp growth.
"The growth of paid digital content experiments may have a significant impact on both news revenue and content.
"While the first and hardest-hit industry, newspapers, remains in the spotlight, local TV finds itself newly vulnerable.
"Hearing about things in the news from friends and family, whether via social media or actual word of mouth, leads to deeper news consumption."
Film on Latino Immigration Seeking National TV Audience
The makers of "Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America," a documentary about the reasons behind Latino immigration to the U.S. mainland, are seeking a television network outlet even as the film wends its way around the country in movie theaters, one of the principals told Journal-isms on Monday.
"We decided to do the theatrical release first to generate buzz," Wendy Thompson-Marquez, a co-producer of the film, said. "We are currently reaching out to several networks in hopes to get some carriage."
"Harvest of Empire," based on a 1999 book by Juan Gonzalez, columnist for the Daily News in New York, co-host of Pacifica Radio's "Democracy Now!" and founder and past president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, tells the story of migration to the mainland United States from Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Cuba, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Gonzalez serves as the film's narrator. The documentary makes liberal use of news footage from the past few decades in making the case that U.S. intervention in each jurisdiction created the conditions that caused residents to emigrate.
It is a useful primer, especially for journalists, and such reporters as Maria Hinojosa, Gonzalez and Geraldo Rivera are among the participants.
The movie's current tour, which began March 1 in Phoenix, opens in San Diego on March 22; in Denver April 6; Chicago, April 19; Houston, May 3; and Philadelphia on a date to date to be determined. It began a run in Washington on Friday, through March 28, and has played in New York; Santa Fe, N.M.; San Francisco; and Berkeley, Calif.
" 'Harvest of Empire' has a journalistic pedigree and a punch that comes from political advocacy," Rachel Saltz wrote last September in the New York Times.
Associated Press: Many Latinos Do Not Identify With Current Census' Race Categories
José de la Isla, Hispanic Link News Service: Harvest of Empire's Healing Power [PDF] (August 2012) (Page 2, El Reportero)
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: 'Harvest of Empire' review: On immigration
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: Connecting dots on immigration
Ruben Navarrette Jr., Washington Post Writers Group: For Latinos, a left-behind feeling
Eddie Pasa, Reel Film News: Movie Review: Harvest of Empire
Marisa Treviño, Latina Lista: Documentary explores the volatile history of Latino migration to the United States (Sept. 7, 2012)
CNN Criticized for Steubenville Rape Coverage
"CNN's coverage of the verdict in the Steubenville rape case appeared to be curiously weighted on Sunday, focusing on the effect the guilty verdict would have on the lives of the now-convicted rapists and their families, rather than that of the victim and her family," Kia Makarechi reported for the Huffington Post.
"Steubenville High School football players Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, were accused of raping a severely intoxicated 16-year-old West Virginia girl who also attends the Ohio school. Thousands of text messages introduced in the case presented a picture of teens swapping graphic stories about the assault.
"In a Sunday afternoon segment, anchor Fredricka Whitfield followed the straight news of the guilty verdict (which she described as rape occurring 'after a night of heavy partying') by showing the rapists' parents' weeping in court. Footage of Richmond, his mother and father offering emotional appeals to the victim's family dominated the segment.
"Whitfield threw the story to reporter Poppy Harlow, but not before reiterating that Mays and Richmond's 'family members tried their hardest to plead for some forgiveness from the victim's family, as well as from the judge. . . .' "
Huffington Post: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC Air Name Of Steubenville Rape Victim
Zerlina Maxwell, the Grio: Steubenville case: Why acquaintance rape is not a myth
Jack Mirkinson, Huffington Post: CNN's Steubenville Rape Coverage Draws Petition Demanding Apology
Andy Moore, brobible.com: The Onion Scarily Predicted CNN's Coverage of the Steubenville Rapists
Michael Smith and Jemele Hill, ESPN Radio: His & Hers: Michael Smith and Jemele Hill have a candid conversation about the Steubenville rape verdict with LZ Granderson and Katie Hnida. (audio)
Philadelphia Magazine Editor Faces Critics at Forum
"Philadelphia Magazine editor Tom McGrath and Robert Huber, author of the controversial 'Being White in Philly' cover story, faced their critics at a forum Monday night at the National Constitution Center," Robert Moran reported for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"McGrath opened by saying he was sorry to anybody who was hurt by the article because that was not his intent, but he did not regret publishing the story.
"Huber told the packed auditorium of about 200 that the purpose of the article was to explore 'how white people relate to black people in the inner city, or don't relate to them.'
"In his piece, Huber wrote: 'We need to bridge the conversational divide so that there are no longer two private dialogues in Philadelphia -- white people talking to other whites, and black people to blacks -- but a city in which it is okay to speak openly about race."
"The cover story, however, was criticized for dwelling on negative experiences that whites had with blacks that often fit into racial stereotypes.
"In a scathing letter, Mayor [Michael] Nutter last week requested that the Philadelphia Human Relations Commission consider whether the magazine and Huber deserve to be rebuked for the article.
"Nutter said Huber ignored positive anecdotes 'to feed his own misguided perception' that African Americans are 'lazy, shiftless, irresponsible, and largely criminal.'
"McGrath served as a moderator for a panel that included Huber, journalists Solomon Jones and Christopher Norris, People's Emergency Center president Farah Jimenez, and University of Pennsylvania lecturer Walter Palmer, who teaches about racism and social change."
The story added, "When Editor Tom McGrath was questioned about his staff's lack of diversity, he replied: 'I'm committed to having a more diverse staff' and 'I am committed to do something.' "
Jenice Armstrong, Philadelphia Daily News: Human Relations Commission disappointed with "Being White in Philly" article
Wayne Bennett, the Field Negro: Being happy at Philly Mag, and searching for a time machine for CPAC.
Editorial, Philadelphia Tribune: Race-baiting at Philly Magazine
Robert Moran, Philadelphia Inquirer: Nutter goes after Philadelphia Magazine over race article
Adrienne Simpson, Philadelphia Inquirer: The only black person in the room
Linda S. Wallace, Tri-State Defender, Memphis, Tenn.: 'Being White in Philly'
Some Blacks Make Self-Defense Case for Guns
"While African-Americans on either side of the debate agree gun violence is a scourge in the inner-city, they disagree on another vital fact: whether gun control hurts more than it helps," Claire Gordon wrote Monday for HuffPost BlackVoices.
Gordon quoted Yale University sociology professor Elijah Anderson, "These black people living in these hyper-ghettos feel like they're on their own." Anderson is author of the classic "Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City" and has spent most of his adult life studying these communities.
" 'To protect yourself from criminals, to protect your daughter, to protect your son, you have to show this person in no uncertain terms that if the police don't deal with you, I'll deal with you. I'll kick your ass,' he told The Huffington Post. 'This is a decent person who goes to church. An old lady who's 65 years old, who has a gun.'
"For many black gun rights activists, policies that disarm minorities eerily echo old racist claims that blacks were unfit for citizenship. Throughout the country's history, it's been harder for minorities to get their hands on firearms. . . ."
Melissa Block, NPR: Among Thousands Of Gun Deaths, Only One Charles Foster Jr.
Tammerlin Drummond, Oakland Tribune: A community under siege by crime
Chip Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland gang raids may be 1st of many
Chip Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland's crime plan off to good start (March 7)
Tom Joyner, Black America Web: Follow The Money, It’s in the NRA's Pockets
Mary Mitchell, Chicago Sun-Times: People should get angry over gangs killing innocent people
Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Chicago's violent streets offer lessons for Detroit
Columnist Says Fix Is In: Affirmative Action for Whites
"Waiting for the Supreme Court ruling in Fisher? Forget it. The fix is in," Emil Guillermo wrote Monday on his blog for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. "Affirmative Action for Whites is coming as more colleges use class to trump race in college admissions.
"Didn't you read the front page of the New York Times on Sunday?
"The right column front is always where editors place 'the big story,' and there on the right column was the story on the new report that is likely to redefine affirmative action as it's practiced now -- regardless of what the Supreme Court does on the Fisher case.
"The headline, 'Better Colleges Failing to Lure Poorer Strivers,' (that's the slightly different headline in my national edition), and its subhead, 'Qualified but Unaware; Study Says Most Don't Apply Despite Skills, Hurting Diversity,' isn't exactly as earth shattering as, say, 'Budget issues solved; GOP comes to its senses; World Peace next."
"But you'd understand it to be front page news, if they just gave the news to us straight: 'Influential report to become new justification for affirmative action -- for white people.'
"That's a big deal.
"The comprehensive national study by two longtime Harvard and Stanford researchers analyzed everyone who took the SAT recently.
"What they found was that only 34 percent of low-income students (defined as students from families with incomes under $41,472) attended the country's 238 most selective colleges.
"Meanwhile, 78 percent of students from families earning more than $120,776, attended the best schools. . . . "
Esther J. Cepeda, Washington Post Writers Group: Chasing diversity in education (Feb. 28)
Nikole Hannah-Jones, ProPublica: A Colorblind Constitution: What Abigail Fisher’s Affirmative Action Case Is Really About
David Leonhardt, New York Times: The Liberals Against Affirmative Action (March 9)
Julianne Malveaux, syndicated: Black Unemployment has Not Improved
Ari Melber, the Grio: What the New York Times gets wrong about affirmative action
Dan Slater, New York Times: Does Affirmative Action Do What It Should?
Pundits Differ Over Crackdown on Sugary Soft Drinks
"As obesity and diabetes batter African-American and Latino communities, advocacy groups should be a fortress against the efforts by soda companies to defeat legislation to tax or place limits on their products," Derrick Z. Jackson wrote Saturday for the Boston Globe. "Instead, too many of them are allies of the soda industry.
"The most recent example was this week, when a New York state judge struck down the 16-ounce limit on sugary drinks about to go into effect in New York City. Joining the beverage industry in opposing the law was the New York state chapter of the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation, a Northeast coalition of community service agencies.
"The organizations said the law discriminated against small-business owners of color. They did have a small point because regulatory limits exempted supermarkets and convenience stores. But if civil rights groups were truly concerned about obesity, they would have appealed to convenience stores to voluntarily join the ban. . . ."
Other columnists of color disagreed. Leonard Pitts Jr. wrote in the Miami Herald that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's ban was "the very definition of liberalism run amok, a good idea (people should limit their intake of sugary soft drinks) driven headlong into the weeds of overkill, over regulation and basic preposterousness. The resemblance to conservative extremism and its resort to unwieldy laws to govern behaviors it disapproves (did someone say transvaginal ultrasound?), is doubtless unintended, but no less real even so. . . ."
Hillary Crosley, the Root: Keep the Big-Soda Ban and Live Longer
Merlene Davis, Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader: We need to curb our cravings for 'death food'
Emil Guillermo blog, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund: New York's Soda Ban: When good ideas become bad laws
Derrick Z. Jackson, Boston Globe: FDA must act on sugar, salt
Barry Saunders, News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.: For Duke professor, New York's big soda ban didn't go far enough
Pamela Brown, left, George Howell and Alina Machado have joined CNN as correspondents, the network announced Monday. "Brown will report primarily for CNN's new morning program and will be based in New York. Howell will report for the network and will be based out of Chicago. Machado will report for CNN, CNN en Español and CNN Latino, and will be based in Atlanta." (Credit: CNN)
Steve Coll, a former managing editor at the Washington Post, was named Monday as dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Among the people of color on the search committee were A'Lelia Bundles, a vice chairman of the board of trustees; faculty members Howard French, Duy Linh Tu, Mirta Ojito and Sree Sreenivasan, who is also Columbia's chief digital officer; graduate student KC Ifeanyi; and Tim Wu, faculty member at Columbia Law School. Coll succeeds Nicholas Lemann on July 1.
"Since President Obama came to the White House in 2009, federal regulatory and science agencies have taken measurable steps -- on paper, at least -- toward improving their relationships with the press, according to an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)," Curtis Brainard reported Friday for Columbia Journalism Review. He added, "Even so, not everybody made the honor roll, and the report stressed that practice doesn't always live up to policy in some offices. . ."
"MundoFox has decided to expand its national news coverage starting today," Veronica Villafañe reported Monday for her Media Moves site. "A new nightly weekday edition of Noticias MundoFox premieres tonight at 10:30 pm ET/PT. Rolando Nichols will also anchor the evening newscast. . . . "
Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez figured in a report by Erik Maza in Women's Wear Daily last week on best and worst sellers at the newsstand. The November issue of Vogue with Rihanna on the cover was Vogue's second worst seller of the time period, 32 percent below the six-month average that ended in December. At In Style, Lopez was hot: She took the number-two ranking for her September cover. Meanwhile, some are using first lady Michelle Obama's second Vogue cover appearance, for the April 2013 issue, as an occasion to attack her for a range of reasons, Alexis Garrett Stodghill reported Thursday for the Grio.
"NBC Sports Radio announced today that weekend talker Newy Scruggs will expand his duties with a new show premiering April 1st," RadioInk reported Monday. "Voices of the Game with Newy Scruggs will air during the 12noon-3p ET Monday-Friday slot. Scruggs is the Sports Director and weeknight sports anchor at KXAS-TV (NBC 5) in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. NBC Sports Radio will launch its full 24/7 talk programming on April 1. . . ."
Kelly Virella, who founded a New York-based digital magazine, Dominion of New York, is starting the Urban Thinker, a "monthly thought magazine featuring America's best black writers and their friends. We explore current affairs and personal narratives through well-crafted, in-depth writing and showpiece photography and we host salons and other social events for our readers. We are set to launch in May 2013 and will be available on tablets, smartphones and desktops. . . ."
The two-part "180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School," tells the story of Washington Metropolitan High School (DC Met) and its first graduating class, and premieres on PBS March 25 and 26 . Check local listings. Jacquie Jones, executive director of the National Black Programming Consortium, told Journal-isms by email, "whether or not you should watch really depends on how interested you are in the top-down, privately-funded school reform 'movement' currently shaping our national education policy and the impact it's having on black and brown children. . . . 180 Days was imagined as a kind of counterpoint to films -- such as Waiting for 'Superman' or The Lottery -- highlighting instead the voices and experiences of the kids, teachers, principals and parents who are actually on the front lines of all of this." Jones wrote a piece for Tuesday's Huffington Post.
Jeff Ballou, Al Jazeera producer, is shown next to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus in photos accompanying reports of Priebus' National Press Club appearance Monday. Ballou organized the event as part of the speakers committee and a member of the club's board of governors. " Priebus said Republican policies were sound, but he portrayed a conservative party that had been outmaneuvered strategically and that had sometimes appeared intolerant of women, minorities and others in a heated campaign season," Susan Heavey reported for Reuters.
"Seven former members of the former secret service in Colombia, the Administrative Department for Security (DAS), face charges of 'psychological torture and intimidation' inflicted on prominent journalist Claudia Julieta Duque, the office of the national human rights prosecutor announced on 10 March," the International Federation of Journalists reported Friday, welcoming the charges.
"A Somali judge on Sunday freed a journalist who was jailed last month for interviewing an alleged gang-rape victim in a case that sparked international condemnation over how Somali authorities treat victims of sexual violence and press freedom," Feisal Omar reported Sunday for Reuters.
"Hugo Chavez may be dead, but the offensive he led against democratic institutions in Venezuela and across Latin America has not slackened. In fact, it may be accelerating, especially with regard to independent media," the Washington Post editorialized on Saturday. The Post called for resistance to efforts by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, "who aspires to replace Mr. Chavez at the head of the region's anti-democratic left," to defund "the most valuable institution of the Organization of American States . . . its independent Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and its rapporteur on press freedom."
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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.
Where Was Solidarity With Black Freelancers?
Ta-Nehisi Coates writes in the Atlantic that there was never a golden age of freelancing for blacks.
Freelance journalist Nate Thayer prompted a debate last week when he publicly declined an opportunity to write for the Atlantic magazine for free. But in the arguments over the benefits of getting paid only with exposure, Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote on Wednesday, one element has been missing: race.
"Two things helped me break through," Coates wrote on his Atlantic blog. "The first, being vouched for by someone in a position of power who had a relationship with someone else in a position of power. I met that person when costs of investment were low: I worked for David Carr [at the Washington City Paper] at a rate of $100 dollars a week and ten cents a word for anything I published. The first summer I worked for him, I made $1,700. I did not consider myself underpaid. This was 1996. The New Republic had just told the world that black people had evolved to be stupid, and it seemed like every week they were saying something just as racist. I was at Howard University, surrounded by a community of brilliant black people, cut off from the Ivies. None of them had the contacts or the resources to reply. They just had to take it. I can't tell you how much that angered me. I was made in that moment. And when I got my first break in writing, I didn't think about being ripped off. I thought about whipping ass. I haven't changed.
"The second thing was the destruction of the monopoly on publication by gate-keepers. When [Slate's Matthew] Yglesias wrote me, I didn't care a whit about payment. I cared about a world wherein writers wrote stories like this, and no black people were around to answer.
". . . What I am asking you to do is to avoid an appeal to a more noble past. I lived there. It wasn't noble. It was fucked up. Like right now is fucked up. When you ask me to show solidarity with writers who aren't being paid, you should also ask yourself what solidarity white magazine writers have shown over the years with struggling black writers who could not break in. You are appalled that Nate Thayer was once offered $125,000 to write for The Atlantic, and was then offered nothing. Fair enough. Are you equally appalled that there were virtually no black writers who could have gotten the same deal?
"Over the past few days, I have been told that I am the 'exception,' that I 'won the lottery.' No one thinks that Thayer won the lottery when he was offered his contract. No one sees the compromised ground underneath. I am sorry this new world is not fair. I am all for doing something to make it more fair. But while we are doing so, remember something: The old world was never fair. It was war. I am, indeed, an exception to the rule. But not the rule you think."
Unable to Define "Journalist," Police May End Credentialing
"San Diego police may follow other agencies by ending media credentials as the spread of bloggers and online publications make it more difficult to define who is a journalist," Elliot Spagat reported Sunday for the Associated Press. "The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security stopped issuing credentials last month and the Orange County Sheriff's Department in Southern California did so in December.
" 'With the advancements in digital media and the proliferation of bloggers, podcasters and freelancers, it has become challenging to determine who should receive a press pass,' the Sheriff's Department said.
"At stake for journalists is whether they can cover certain stories. At stake for the general public is who delivers their news. . . . "
Gunshot Fired Into Newsroom of Black Va. Newspaper
A gunshot damaged a window on the second floor of the offices of the Richmond, Va., Free Press, [PDF] ripping window blinds and scattering debris in the Free Press newsroom, the African American weekly reported in its March 14-16 edition.
"Thankfully none of our staffers were on duty when our window was bullet-holed and desks were dotted with glass," the newspaper reported, adding that the March 3 vandalism was reported to the FBI as well as local police.
"Detective [Dale] Shamburg suggested the shot came from a shotgun blast fired from a nearby parking lot across from the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the blast may have come from partygoers.
"We do not know the source of this criminal behavior, but we do know that it is an uncivilized act that fits in the same category as past and ongoing schemes to shut down the Free Press.
"The newsroom blast is the latest in destruction to Free Press property since the newspaper opened in Downtown 21 years ago.
"Examples of the previous vandalism: Distribution boxes flattened by big-tire vehicles; Free Press editions burned in distribution boxes; racist messages scrawled on the front of the distribution boxes; boxes stolen and papers thrown into trash containers; and the fencing of our boxes to block reader access to copies of the Free Press.
The story concluded, "The Free Press will not be intimidated. Neither will we bow to political and economic schemes viciously intended to control the Free Press."
The gunshot was mentioned Friday during a luncheon panel in Washington at the annual Black Press Week of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a trade group of the publishers of black weekly newspapers.
Harvard Law professor Charles J. Ogletree told the group that "when something happens to one editor, it happens to all of us. We march for everything else, why can't we march for the black press?"
In other discussion on the panel, Jineea Butler, founder of the Social Services of Hip Hop and the Hip Hop Union, told the publishers, "I represent entrepreneurs in hip hop. We don't know that you exist. The black press should be teaching us, should be engaging us. I need to know what happened before us. The people that came before us don't think that we want the information. Lead us! Tell us!"
Civil rights and social activist Benjamin Chavis, a co-founder with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of the nonprofit Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, said one problem is that hip-hop is visual. "We have more to write about, but we're writing less," he said, suggesting that NNPA ought to have its own publishing house.
At an awards dinner Thursday night, Susan L. Taylor, former longtime editor-in-chief of Essence magazine, also raised the literacy issue. Now leading the National Cares Mentoring Movement, active in 60 cities, Taylor told the group that 58 percent of black fourth-graders are functionally illiterate. She urged the publishers to "bring more young people into your companies" and to hire more copy editors so that black newspapers are "pristine." Taylor received an award for "community empowerment."
U.S. Business Journalists Miss Third World Story, Dean Says
Business journalists in the United States tend to focus on personalities rather than changes in the economic balance of power that are giving Third World countries more importance, Peter Blair Henry, dean of the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, told Journal-isms on Friday. "Foreign journalists have more of the big picture."
In Washington on a book tour, the Jamaican-born economist told a breakfast meeting of NYU alumni of a "trust deficit" between the Third World and the developed nations that he argued is more important than the fiscal deficit in the United States.
It's more significant "because the trust deficit is undermining the willingness and ability of emerging nations to generate the growth to help lead us out of our economic problems," an argument he makes in "Turnaround: Third World Lessons for First World Growth."
Henry, one of the few African Americans to lead a mainstream U.S. business school, said he was teaching his students to think globally.
Henry writes in the book, ". . . the growth rate of developing countries surged after 1995, and their output now accounts for almost 50 percent of global economic activity. In spite of this fact, the developing world receives short shrift in the realm of international economic relations. The voice and representation of developing countries as multilateral institutions pale in comparison to their contributions to the world economy.
"The WTO [World Trade Organization] has failed to secure a global trade deal that provides equal access to global markets for emerging countries, and no citizen of the developing world has ever been chosen to lead the IMF [International Monetary Fund] or the World Bank. To make matters worse, the challenging economic outlook tempts governments of advanced countries to look inward, to adopt various forms of protectionism, and to pursue growth strategies eerily reminiscent of those they urged developing countries to abandon in the recent past. . . ."
George E. Curry, National Newspaper Publishers Association: China Prepares to Become the World's Largest Economy
Peter Blair Henry with Kojo Nnamdi, "the Kojo Nnamdi Show," WAMU-FM, Washington: "Turnaround: Third World Lessons For First World Growth" (audio)
Time Promotes Ghosh to Editor of International Edition
"Bobby Ghosh has been named the editor of Time International, Time Inc. Editor-in-Chief Martha Nelson and Time Managing Editor Rick Stengel told staffers in an announcement Friday morning," Andrew Beaujon reported for the Poynter Institute. " '[T]his appointment has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he saved me from getting tear-gassed in Tahrir Square last year,' the memo reads.
"Jim Frederick is vacating the position 'to move on to other challenges,' the memo says. He will become a contributing editor."
Ghosh has been with Time since 1997. "Bobby, quite simply, is a magnificent journalist who has done the highest level of work that one can aspire to in our profession," Nelson and Stengel wrote. "During his five years as our Baghdad bureau chief throughout the worst of the Iraq war, Bobby wrote two of our most unforgettable cover stories: Life in Hell, and Sunnis vs. Shi’ites. He was not only fearless in his work in Iraq but he was the guardian of all who worked for us in Baghdad. . . ."
Ghosh is Indian American, but the publication has no full-time black correspondents.
Meanwhile, Jeff Bewkes, CEO of the parent Time Warner Inc., announced creation of the company's first Multicultural Innovation Council, "a company-wide group of senior executives that will focus on one of our greatest collective growth opportunities."
Bewkes wrote, "We have made terrific progress in reaching diverse audiences on a global scale. A study presented at our November 2012 Multicultural Business Summit showed that across all forms of media, Time Warner reaches about 95% of multicultural adults in the U.S. However, engaging younger, increasingly diverse audiences and expanding our global reach remains an imperative for all our businesses."
John Martin, Time Warner chief financial officer, is to lead the Council along with Lisa Garcia Quiroz, chief diversity officer and senior vice president, corporate responsibility.
Christine Haughney, New York Times: Spinoff of Time Inc. Rattles Employees
Whites Twice as Likely to Own Guns as Blacks, Latinos
"Roughly three-in-ten (31%) whites own a gun, which is much greater than the rates of gun ownership among blacks (15%) and Hispanics (11%)," the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press reported Tuesday.
"The general profile of gun owners in America differs substantially from the general public. Roughly three-quarters (74%) of gun owners are men, and 82% are white. Taken together, 61% of adults who own guns are white men. Nationwide, white men make up only 32% of the U.S. adult population.
"Gun owners and those who do not own guns differ politically. While 37% of all adults identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, that proportion jumps to 51% among gun owners. Among those in households without guns, just 27% identify with the Republican Party or lean Republican, while a majority (61%) are Democrats or lean Democratic."
Phillip Morris, Plain Dealer, Cleveland: New gun revenue will be no different than cigarette revenue once the states begin collecting
E.R. Shipp, Baltimore Sun: After the violence, silence: Anti-snitching culture still pervasive as city struggles through recent rise in homicides
Rod Watson, Buffalo News: Albany's take on violence is inconsistent
Vatican Rejects New Pope's Tie With Dirty War
"Reacting with unusual swiftness, the Vatican on Friday rejected any suggestion that Pope Francis of Argentina was implicated in his country's so-called Dirty War during the 1970s, tackling the issue just two days after the pontiff’s election," Daniel J. Wakin reported Friday for the New York Times.
"On a day when Francis delivered a warm address to his cardinals and continued to project humility, the Vatican seemed intent on quickly putting to rest questions about the pope's past, dismissing them as opportunistic defamations from anticlerical leftists. The swift response contrasted with past public relations challenges during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, when the Vatican often allowed criticisms to linger without rebuttal. . . ."
Stephen Rex Brown, Daily News, New York: Native Americans to new Pope: Recant the 'Discovery Doctrine,' which gave Catholics dominion over New World
Nsenga Burton, the Root: Is Pope Bergoglio Really the 1st Latino Pope?
Mary C. Curtis, Washington Post: Authentically black and Catholic — with something to say about Pope Francis
Juan Gonzalez, Daily News, New York: Pope Francis' disputed role in Argentina's Dirty War raises questions
Bryan Llenas, Fox News Latino: Latino Romans, Immigrants Have New Hope in Pope
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Questions from a 'Dirty War'
Steve Russell, Indian Country Today Media Network: Habemus Papam: Why We Should Care About the Selection of the New Pope
Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star: A Pope for the poor
Lack of Diversity at Inquirer Means "Unbalanced Coverage"
"(City Paper’s full-time editorial staff, like Philadelphia magazine's, is 100 percent white.) Just short of a thousand black reporters nationwide lost or left their jobs between 2002 and 2012, bringing their newsroom representation to just 4.65 percent, according to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). Management tends to blame union seniority rules, while unions tend to fault management for failing to make diversity a priority. The proliferation of unpaid internships as de facto entry-level jobs puts poor people of any race at further disadvantage.
"The Inquirer, with a newsroom of about 250 compared to just 90 at the Daily News, is the city's largest news-gathering operation — and also a profoundly white one. Last fall, the Temple University journalism department briefly stopped recommending interns to the paper to protest the lack of diversity.
"Annette John-Hall was the Inquirer's only African-American metro columnist until she took a buyout last month, leaving Karen Heller (who is white) as the paper's only metro columnist in a city where black people are a plurality. 'What you get is unbalanced coverage,' says [John-Hall], describing a paper that has shifted away from community-level beats and too often reduces neighborhoods to crime stories. The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ) asked Inquirer editor Bill Marimow that the next metro columnist be black. According to PABJ president and Philadelphia Tribune news editor Johann Calhoun, Marimow, who did not respond to a request for comment, said he would try. . . ."
Wayne Bennett, the Field Negro: Being clueless in Philly.
Short Takes
"It doesn’t get much cooler than having Prince compose the theme song for your show," Scott Stump reported Thursday for NBC's "Today" show. "MSNBC's 'NewsNation with Tamron Hall’ has a new song created just for the show from the Purple One, who happens to be a big fan of Hall’s work on television when he's not cooking up new guitar licks. . . ." [Video]
Robert Chrisman, a founding editor of the Black Scholar, a quarterly journal "launched in 1969 with the premise that black authors, scholars, artists and activists could participate in dialogue within its pages, 'uniting the academy and the street.' Died March 10 at his home in San Francisco of complications from congestive heart failure. He was 75." His daughter, Laura Chrisman, told Journal-isms the journal now had a circulation of 700. Obituary at the end of this posting.
Patrice Gaines, a former Washington Post reporter whose "Laughing in the Dark: From colored girl to woman of color, a journey from prison to power" was published in 1995, said Friday on NPR's "Tell Me More," "two years ago I was dismissed from a job with the Census Bureau because of my criminal record. My criminal record was when I was 21 years old." She added, "I was eventually called back, but at that time the harm had been done. . . . "
"Three months into its experiment as an all-digital publication, Newsweek Global is losing its editor, Tunku Varadarajan, Adweek reported on Friday. "Varadarajan had been the editor of Newsweek International, a post he inherited from Fareed Zakaria, who left after The Washington Post Co. sold the magazine to stereo magnate Sidney Harman." In 2010, the Daily Beast ran a list by Varadarajan of "The Left's Top 25 Journalists" and a similar one for the right. There were no black journalists among them, and Pulitzer Prize-winning African American commentators expressed their views about that in this space.
Phillip Martin of Boston public radio station WGBH, "in collaboration with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, and the Ford Foundation, traveled in the U.S. and across Asia to explore the modern slave trade of human trafficking," the station said. Martin's travels for the eight-part radio series took him to Wellesley, Mass.; New York; Thailand; Cambodia and Vietnam.
NPR chose a bar at the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Texas, to kick off Generation Listen, a campaign to make public radio cool in the minds and ears of young people, Brian Stelter reported Tuesday for the New York Times. "The party was, like every party here, packed. But the goal was to convince 20-something listeners that NPR is something that they can belong to — and may be even worth their donations." When NPR CEO Gary E. Knell was named in 2011, he told Journal-isms he wanted to make NPR more attractive to audiences of color as well as look at age diversity.
The Native American Journalists Association denounced the cover of AnOther Magazine, featuring actress Michelle Williams wearing what was intended to be Indian garb. "Any time a non-Native person is styled to appear Native American, it perpetuates a stereotype that all Native people look like this, that Native people do not exist or even evokes comparisons of this group to that of mythical beings . . . ," the association said Thursday.
Robert Chrisman, Editor of Black Scholar, Dies at 75
Robert Chrisman, a founding editor of The Black Scholar, poet, academic and activist, died on March 10th, at his home in San Francisco, of complications from congestive heart failure. He was 75. He is survived by his brother, Philip Chrisman, and his daughter, Laura Chrisman.
Robert Chrisman was raised in Nogales, Arizona. His family moved to the Bay Area in the 1950s where he became involved in the lively and diverse cultural scene in San Francisco. He entered UC Berkeley’s English department to study literature. On his own he discovered the works of Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Robert Hayden, James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, Che Guevara, Pablo Neruda, Mao Tse-tung, and the Beat Generation writers.
Chrisman turned to poetry as medium of expression for his vision. His work gained recognition from critics and other poets, including Alice Walker who wrote of his poetry: "Revealed in this beautifully lyrical poetry is a mind's intense desire to comprehend the limits of, and to break through the snares of essentially Euro-Tectonic orientation into the larger world of struggling humanity." Chrisman published three volumes of poetry, Children of Empire (1981), Minor Casualties: New and Selected Poems (1993) and The Dirty Wars (2012).
Chrisman’s other books include three major edited anthologies of writings from The Black Scholar. These are: Contemporary Black Thought (1972), Pan-Africanism (1973), and Court of Appeal: The Black Community Speaks out on the Racial and Sexual Politics of Clarence Thomas v. Anita Hill (1993). In 2001 Chrisman co-edited with Laurence Goldstein the anthology, Robert Hayden: Essays on the Poetry.
In November 1969, Robert Chrisman co-founded The Black Scholar with Nathan Hare and Allan Ross. The launching of TBS followed in the wake of the historic strike at San Francisco State College. The strike involved thousands of students and faculty, including Chrisman, in a prolonged and sometimes violently repressive struggle with the administration and the state. Among the student demands were the creation of a Black Studies Department and a Third World College. These demands were won but Chrisman was forced to pay a high price for the victory. He and Nathan Hare were fired from their teaching positions in retribution for their activism in the strike. Chrisman was reinstated but not in a tenure-track position. Refusing to be silenced or driven from Black Studies, they instead decided to found a journal devoted to black studies and research, a journal that would be interdisciplinary in approach and that would seek to unite street activists and academic intellectuals in common advocacy for the needs of the black community. More than 200 issues later that journal is still publishing and has become the leading independent journal of African American scholarship and intellectual inquiry in the US. Following Chrisman's retirement as Editor-in-Chief, in 2012, his daughter Laura Chrisman became Editor-in-Chief, with Louis Chude-Sokei and Sundiata Cha-Jua as Senior Editors.
Robert Allen, long-term Senior Editor of TBS and close friend of Chrisman, writes “I know of no one who has worked harder than Robert Chrisman to actualize an intellectual vision. In building TBS he demonstrated the power of the principles of self-determination and self-reliance. He built the journal not by relying on grants and funding from foundations and government agencies, but by relying on the people we serve – teachers, students, community activists, labor activists, writers and artists, librarians, academicians, and just plain working people – our subscribers. These folks have shown that they have the power to sustain an intellectual enterprise and keep it independent. Chrisman believed that by relying on community support TBS could be self determining. For over forty years Robert Chrisman’s strategic vision enabled TBS to make a path where there was none before.”
Aside from his writing and editing, Chrisman was long engaged with the academy. He held an MA degree in Language Arts from San Francisco State, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Michigan. He taught at the University of Michigan, Williams College, UC Berkeley, the University of Vermont, and Wayne State University. In 2005 he retired as Professor and Chair of the Black Studies Department at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Among the initiatives he developed while at the University of Nebraska was the creation of an annual Malcolm X Festival in Omaha, the city where Malcolm X was born. In 2004 Chrisman and The Black Scholar were awarded the Pan-African Contribution for Publishing Award by the Organization of Women Writers of Africa and the Institute of African American Affairs at New York University. Chrisman’s other books include three major edited anthologies of writings from The Black Scholar. These are: Contemporary Black Thought (1974), Pan-Africanism (1972), and Court of Appeal: The Black Community Speaks out on the Racial and Sexual Politics of Clarence Thomas v. Anita Hill (1992). In 2001 Chrisman co-edited with Laurence Goldstein the anthology, Robert Hayden: Essays on the Poetry.
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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.
