Culture

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…

First the newspaper article, then the movie. The Internet was abuzz Monday with a New York Post story that went viral: “. . . Today, Sly Stone — one of the greatest figures in soul-music history — is homeless, his fortune stolen by a lethal combination of excess, substance abuse and financial mismanagement. He lays…

The National Association of Black Journalists, frustrated by job losses in its membership, setbacks in diversity efforts and a perceived decline in news that benefits African American communities, will reach out to elected officials as it seeks allies to reverse these trends, NABJ President Gregory H. Lee Jr. said on Friday. “NABJ’s mission is to…

National Lesbian, Gay Journalists Association to Join for 2012 “UNITY: Journalists of Color will now include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA), after the boards of directors of both organizations agreed to the partnership last week,” Unity announced on Monday. The decision appeared not to be unanimous. “The majority voted and moved on,…

Attendant on Doomed Flight Falsely Labeled “Hysterical” The world learned that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had begun when flight attendant Betty Ong, flying on the hijacked plane that left from Boston, picked up the in-flight phone and punched the buttons for the American Airlines reservations desk. ” ‘The cockpit is not answering…