House Vote Called a Blow to Michael Powell
The media verdict is in on the House vote Wednesday to overturn the Federal Communications Commission rules on media ownership:
“. . . a setback for Michael K. Powell, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, who was guided by the laws, rather than the politics, constraining media conglomerates,” wrote Jennifer 8 Lee in a news analysis in the New York Times.
“‘This is a real dangerous spot for Powell,’ said Andrew Schwartzman, head of the Media Access Project, an advocacy group. ‘He is facing a kind of Congressional repudiation of a rare kind.”
The Washington Post followed with a piece today saying that the vote “is just the latest example of how Powell’s fortunes have shifted.”
Meanwhile, Richard Simon and Janet Hook reported in the Los Angeles Times that:
“The White House and lobbyists for media conglomerates scrambled Thursday to prevent a potentially embarrassing showdown between President Bush and members of his own party” over the issue, while their colleague Sallie Hofmeister reported that “two of the nation’s largest media companies — Viacom Inc. and News Corp. — could be forced to sell or swap a host of their television stations if Congress overturns new media ownership rules.”
Even journalist groups overseas were weighing in. The Associated Press reported that the International Federation of Journalists, an umbrella group for journalist unions in 100 countries, “said it was supporting a long-running campaign by its U.S. affiliates — The Newspaper Guild-CWA, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the National Writers Union and the Writers Guild (East) — against the new rules.”
Gag Order Issued as Accuser Becomes Fair Game
The Eagle County, Colo., judge assigned to the Kobe Bryant case issued a gag order to attorneys and to involved law enforcement personnel to restrict their comments, while NBC News quoted a fellow party goer saying Bryant’s accuser bragged about the alleged assault at a party last week — and gave a graphic description of the NBA star’s anatomy, according to Derek Rose in the New York Daily News.
“‘Steve Evancho told NBC News that he was surprised when the 19-year-old woman showed up at his house party on July 15 – three days before prosecutors slapped Bryant with sex assault charges,” wrote the News.
“‘She was bragging about the whole thing,’ Evancho said, adding that the woman seemed ‘happy. She was having fun.’
“She even answered a question about the 6-foot-7 L.A. Lakers star’s manhood, five people at the party told NBC.
“‘She answered with a gesture and a description,’ said NBC correspondent Michelle Hofland. ‘They couldn’t believe it.’
“Meanwhile, today’s Globe supermarket tabloid published a photograph of the accuser on the cover with a black bar covering her eyes,” the News said.
Also, “Dist. Atty. Mark Hurlbert responded to an application by the Los Angeles Times and other media to unseal court documents assembled by the Eagle County Sheriff’s Department by filing a brief detailing reasons he believes the information should remain out of public view. Hurlbert took the unusual step of attaching a handwritten note requesting that the entire brief be sealed because it contains information sensitive to the case,” the L.A. Times said.
As the Associated Press reported, “Media new and old are making the alleged victim in this most public of sexual assault cases fair game, angering some who say the spotlight is making her a victim all over again and drawing criticism from others who favor full disclosure.”
Jayson Blair Gets Assignments from Esquire, Jane
Disgraced reporter Jayson Blair is getting back into the journalism game already, reports Keith J. Kelly in the New York Post.
“He’ll be reviewing the new Stephen Glass movie for Esquire and writing about workplace pressures for Jane.
“David Granger, editor in chief of Hearst-owned Esquire, has commissioned Blair to write about Glass — another serial fabricator, who resigned from The New Republic in 1998 after faking dozens of stories for it and other magazines.
Blair will review “Shattered Glass,” a movie about the scandal.
“Jane chief Jane Pratt, at Fairchild Publications, appears to be a little more timid about discussing her role in the hiring of Blair. She did not return a call seeking comment.
“Friends of Blair, however, say his Jane piece will be about dealing with stress in the workplace, and illustrated by Blair’s own moves and mistakes,” Kelly wrote.
Meanwhile, Paul D. Colford writes today in the New York Daily News that “a report due from a [New York Times internal] committee that’s investigated the Jayson Blair reporting scandal and reviewed newsroom operations is expected to recommend the appointment of a career development editor and an ombudsman.”
Jay Harris Joins Federal Reserve Branch
Announcing one of the most unusual side gigs for a journalist, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says that Jay T. Harris, former chairman and publisher of California’s San Jose Mercury News, is joining its board of directors.
Harris “will provide the Federal Reserve System with economic information on his industry and the Twelfth District’s nine-state economy,” an announcement says.
Harris, who as Mercury News publisher held one of the highest-ranking jobs among African American journalists, now is the Wallis Annenberg Chair in Journalism and Communications at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. He was publisher from 1994 to 2001, when he resigned to protest the profit margins expected by Knight Ridder.
Cops, WBBM Apologize for “Ice Cube” Description
“The Chicago Police Department apologized Tuesday for issuing a community alert saying a suspect wanted for a series of sexual assaults in Wicker Park resembled the entertainer Ice Cube, prompting a Chicago TV station to use a video of the rapper when it reported the story Monday night,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“The police alert described the man as a black male in his mid-20s who ‘resembles the popular rap artist “Ice Cube”.’
Elizabeth Shapiro, communications director for WBBM-TV, owned and operated by CBS, said:
“Last night, we did report a story which included video of rap artist Ice Cube. Chicago police had issued a community alert saying a suspect in a string of crimes in Wicker Park resembled rap artist Ice Cube. So our information was taken directly from the Chicago Police Department community alert.”
“Tonight, we will clarify that report and update the information for our viewers, and it will include a new composite sketch of the alleged suspect.”
Matt Labov, spokesman for Ice Cube, told the Tribune he had seen the composite sketch of the suspect and it looks nothing like Ice Cube. “They are both African-Americans. That’s where the similarity ends.”
John Yearwood to Lead Miami “World” Coverage
John Yearwood, international/national editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has been named world editor of the Miami Herald, a position held by a only tiny number of African Americans at U.S. newspapers, from which he will supervise 12 staffers in Washington, Miami and on foreign beats. Editor Tom Fielder also told the Herald staff that Juan Tamayo will work under Yearwood in a role “akin to a player-coach, reprising the late Bill Montalbano’s Chief of Correspondent’s role.”
The moves come a week after Fielder named four managing editors, three of whom are Anglo. The reporting of that fact prompted a response from Larry Olmstead, vice president/staff development and diversity at Knight Ridder, the Herald’s parent company, that appeared in Monday’s Journal-isms.
Of Yearwood, a candidate in the National Association of Black Journalists elections next month, Fielder told his staff that “the Star Telegram’s executive editor, Jim Witt, credits John with bringing new life to the paper’s national and foreign report since he took them over two, critical years ago.
“John also brings with him a strong background in national and foreign reporting, including extensive travel in Africa and the Caribbean (he was born and raised in Trinidad and edited a magazine there).” He starts Sept. 8.
Fielder also said Diego Ribadeneira, currently the enterprise editor, would become deputy metro editor.
Meanwhile, Knight Ridder announced that David Satterfield, former assistant managing editor for business, will become managing editor of California’s San Jose Mercury News, serving under editor Susan Goldberg. That paper, where top editors of color are few, once had an African American publisher in Jay T. Harris, and sits in “majority-minority” Santa Clara County.
Knight Ridder also announced the retirements of two white publishers, Heath J Meriwether at the Detroit Free Press and Michael Maidenberg at the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald.
Journalists’ Same-Sex Marriage “Announced”
“The Washington Post on Wednesday published the announcement of Deb Price and Joyce Murdoch’s wedding — their legal marriage in Canada — reportedly the first announcement of a legal same-sex marriage to run in a U.S. newspaper,” reports the Advocate.
“Murdoch is now managing editor for politics at National Journal magazine. Price is a nationally syndicated columnist on gay issues for The Detroit News, where she also covers Congress out of the Washington bureau,” the Advocate said.
Post spokesman Eric Grant said the paper moved the Price-Murdoch union to its weddings page because the women were lawfully married. Same-sex commitments and civil unions are usually posted on the “Celebrations” page, which runs a different day of the week, the Associated Press added.
S.C. Station Reaches for Help After Accusations
A Poynter Institute diversity faculty member is at WYFF-TV in Greenville, S.C., today and tomorrow in the wake of accusations of racial profiling leveled by an African American news anchor against a police lieutenant and at a reporter and a producer at her station.
“One of the things I’ll be talking about is just the need to talk and create a space where people can talk freely. I don’t think anything beats that,” Lillian Dunlap told Journal-isms.
Last month, news anchor Sharon Johnson accused reporter Brad Willis, producer Michelle Baker, and Greenville Police Lt. Mike Gambrell of labeling two African American men as drug dealers based on their color, according to the Web site mediachatter.com.
“To calm the controversy, station management called in troubleshooters from parent company Hearst-Argyle,” the Web site reported.
“In meetings with corporate reps and station management, Willis, Baker and Gambrell denied the accusations. Station insiders said Johnson still stands by the charges, and has sought support for her claims in the community.
“Newsroom sources believe the incident has created a divisive atmosphere among staff members.” Some black journalists are among those saying Johnson took the “profiling” remarks out of context.
The Web site published station manager Dave F. McAtee’s memo requiring both news and non-news staff, about 100 people, to attend the sessions. “They really did the right thing by responding quickly,” Dunlap said. “I shy away from using that word [diversity]. When I teach the notion of diversity, we talk about journalism. I’m framing it as good management. . . . talking about the things you value as an organization.”
Jenice Armstrong Awaits Chance to Gossip
“Several Daily News sources have confided to PW that Jenice Armstrong, a Daily News features reporter, may be the leading candidate to replace Stu Bykofsky’s high-profile gossip column,” reports Philadelphia Weekly.
“I’ve been interested in that job for years, ever since I heard Stu wanted out,” says Armstrong,” a former president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, in the story. “I like that it depends on what’s happening in the city. I’m always out and about, talking to people. That’s how I get my stories. That’s just how I live.”
Mother, Daughter to Anchor at Same Station
Come September, the new weekend anchor on Detroit’s “WXYZ-TV Action News” will be the daughter of longtime WXYZ anchor Diana Lewis, the Detroit News reports.
“It’s like a dream come true,” says Glenda Lewis, 28, in the story. “I’ve been walking the halls of Channel 7 since I was a toddler, so to walk through the doors after having worked hard and being a professional in my own right, earning a place there, that’s a feeling I can’t describe.”
Jailed Journalist Accused of Being Iraqi Agent
Khaled Abdel-Latif Dumeisi, a jailed Arab journalist accused of being a secret agent for Saddam Hussein’s intelligence service, remains hospitalized after undergoing an angioplasty to open clogged arteries, his lawyer said Wednesday, reports the Chicago Tribune.
“Dumeisi, 60, who owns a small Arabic-language newspaper in suburban Burbank, was charged this month with supplying Iraqi intelligence with information about opposition groups,” the Tribune said.
Bates, Singletary on New NPR Newsmagazine
“Day to Day,” a new National Public Radio newsmagazine produced in partnership with Slate, the online magazine, will debut on more than 50 public radio stations on Monday, NPR announces.
Funded in part by a $1.8 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, “Day to Day” is “NPR’s first new newsmagazine in a generation. Conceived by the creators of the leading morning and afternoon radio newsmagazines, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, the show’s format and style answers the needs of busy listeners, with NPR news, commentaries and features in shorter segments, and more stories in the hour,” a news release says.
Among the regular contributors are writer and NPR correspondent Karen Grigsby Bates, and personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary of the Washington Post, who will appear Tuesdays.
