black women in media
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ESPN, Alliance for Women in Media Announce Sponsorship for the Next Generation of Black Female Journalists
As The Root’s resident sports junkie—who moonlights as its sports, culture and music writer—I can’t help but take tremendous pride in fellow Black reporters and commentators like Malika Andrews, Maria Taylor, Jemelle Hill and Cari Champion every time they drop gems on some of my favorites sports shows. Just yesterday, I had the privilege of watching…
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Citing the Unprecedented Impact of COVID-19, Essence Announces Staff Furloughs
It’s been a difficult year for all of us—and as a statement published in Essence magazine Tuesday night revealed, “Essence Communications, Inc. (“ECI”) has not been immune to it.” Framed as an update on the actions taken by the company in response to the now six-month-long impact of COVID-19, the legacy imprint, which celebrated its…
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Yamiche Alcindor Named the 2020 Gwen Ifill Award Recipient by the International Women’s Media Foundation
As a White House correspondent for the PBS NewsHour and a political contributor for NBC News and MSNBC, Yamiche Alcindor has fearlessly and consistently challenged Trump and his minions on their dangerous rhetoric and outright lies, helping to maintain the credibility of journalism amid an administration bolstering itself on the falsehood of “fake news.” On…
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Further Refuting the Claims of #BlackFemaleAnonymous, Essence Publishes Results of Final Independent Review
The saga that began with a bold public plea to #TakeBackEssence seemed one step closer to ending as of Tuesday, as Essence released the results of yet another independent legal review, this time conducted by the law firm Morgan Lewis. The firm’s report appeared to quash claims of discrimination, sexual harassment, and toxic work culture…
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Essence Answers Sexual Harassment Claims Against Owner Richelieu Dennis With Results of 1st Internal Review
As the 26th annual—and first virtual—Essence Festival dawned this year, #BlackFemaleAnonymous, a group of “former and current employees” of the 50-year-old magazine published an indicting missive titled “The Truth About Essence.” The open letter (subsequently legally referred to as “the Article”) alleged a toxic workplace culture, pay inequities, nepotism, and “an unhinged abuse of power.”…
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Joy Reid Is Ready for Prime Time, Will Host Nightly MSNBC News Show
After four years hosting the weekend talk show AM Joy on MSNBC, journalist Joy Reid will now take over a coveted nightly spot on the left-leaning cable news network, becoming one of only a handful of Black women to ever helm an evening news show. Reid’s new show, The ReidOut, will debut on July 20…
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Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy Named New Publisher of Simon & Schuster
Legacy publishing house Simon & Schuster just scored a prize: Pulitzer Prize-winning former journalist turned Pulitzer Prize administrator Dana Canedy has just been announced as the new senior vice president and publisher of its flagship imprint. Canedy’s former employer, the New York Times, where she spent two decades, reported the news on Monday morning, calling…
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![4 Days Into Their Effort to #TakeBackEssence, the Collective Known as #BlackFemaleAnonymous Declares Success [Updated]](https://www.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ibdgsduolu9wfvedrmmp-300x169.jpg)
4 Days Into Their Effort to #TakeBackEssence, the Collective Known as #BlackFemaleAnonymous Declares Success [Updated]
After a barrage of accusations and threats to publish incriminating evidence to support their claims, the group of current and former Essence staffers who comprise #BlackFemaleAnonymous say their conditions have been met. The announcement, made via a tweet on Thursday night, came a day ahead of the collective’s pronounced July 3 end-of-day deadline, after a…
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Amid a Firestorm, Essence Appoints an Interim CEO, Promising an Independent Review and 'Transparency' [Updated]
The pioneering and still most prominent media brand for Black women will once again have one at the helm—at least, for the immediate future. This is just one of the announcements Essence Communications made in a statement emailed to The Glow Up on Tuesday night, just two days after a now-viral open letter was published…
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#TakeBackEssence? As Essence Celebrates 50 Years, Explosive Allegations Against Its Leadership Spark Controversy
This past weekend was intended to be a landmark one for Essence. The beloved Black legacy publication celebrated its 50th anniversary amid a pandemic, pivoting its 26th annual Essence Festival of Music and Culture to a virtual format spanning over not one, but two weekends, culminating in its traditional Fourth of July weekend festivities. Instead,…