Media

“I Do Care, That’s Right. . . . Why Don’t You Care?” For more than a year, Republicans have taken to calling President Obama’s health care reform legislation “Obamacare” in an effort to disparage it. No Republican presidential candidates debate is complete without numerous uses of the term, and like “death tax” for “estate tax”…

Some Reports Keep Focus on Plight of Black Libyans Many African journalists reacted with relief Thursday at the killing of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, according to early reports. Some were focusing on the plight of black and dark-skinned Libyans who had been harassed and tortured by the victorious rebels because they had been or…

Keith Clinkscales, who had supervised ESPN’s publications and a media incubator that produced such prize-winning movies and specials as “30 for 30,” is leaving the network after six years, an ESPN spokesman confirmed Friday. Crystal Howard, a spokeswoman for Clinkscales, said it was his decision, citing Clinkscales’ entrepreneurial temperament. Clinkscales, 47, was president and CEO…

Amy Alexander Mervin Aubespin Howard Bryant Ellis Cose Belva Davis John W. Fountain Juan González and Joseph Torres Michele Norris Rochelle Riley Eugene Robinson Carole Simpson Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan Mark N. Trahant Isabel Wilkerson Two new books on race and the news media — Amy Alexander’s “Uncovering Race: A Black Journalist’s Story of Reporting and…

NABJ Is Gone, but Some Influence Will Remain The Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc., board of directors met face-to-face for the first time this weekend without the National Association of Black Journalists as a partner and with the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association as a new member. The group smoothly integrated the NLGJA members…

Cary Clack, columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, wrote his farewell column to readers for publication on Sunday, joining at least 10 African American newspaper columnists who stopped writing their columns this year, in most cases leaving the newspaper entirely. An email to Clack’s newspaper address brings this reply: “I’m out of the office for…

Gary Knell, Network’s New President, Commits to Diversity The new CEO of NPR says, “I made diversity a key part of my pitch to the NPR board” to get the job and that “this is a big part of my agenda.” He even wants to reach low-income listeners. Gary E. Knell, appointed Sunday to a…

Mixed Reactions to Revelation About Racist Name In the course of reporting on Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s boyhood home, Washington Post reporter Stephanie McCrummen came upon information that exploded on the Post’s front page on Sunday: “In the early years of his political career, Rick Perry began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at his…

NLGJA Wants “Journalists of Color” Out of Coalition Name The decision by Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc., not to release the votes of its board members to admit the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association is “a prime example” of the lack of accountability that helped drive the National Association of Black Journalists away from…

NABJ Founder Says Gay Group’s Admission Changes Mission The co-founder of the National Association of Black Journalists who successfully steered the association into talks on reunifying with Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc., said Wednesday that “if I had to vote right now on recommending unification, sadly I’d vote no.” Joe Davidson, a columnist at the…