Maynard Institute archives

New Fusion Features Light-Skinned Latinos

by richard0544

Professor Asks, Where Are Diverse, Homegrown Hispanics?

Karen Lincoln Michel, Native American Gannett Editor, Exits

NAHJ Leaders Say the Unity of Our Memories Is Gone

Shutdown Over, So Is Ted Cruz “Unendorsement”

“Racial Preferences?” Let’s Just Say “Factors”

Simmons: “Liars” Say I Chased Johnson From ESPN

Diary Method for Nielsen Ratings Misses Blacks, Latinos

A Pale Class for Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame

Short Takes

Comedian Yannis Pappas, left, Univision reporter Mariana Atencio and Globo jour

Professor Asks, Where Are Diverse, Homegrown Hispanics?

The new Fusion network, aimed at English-speaking Latino millennials, is following in the footsteps of its Spanish-language counterparts and so far is featuring only light-skinned Hispanics.

Asked whether Afro-Latinos will be on the network, a joint venture of ABC News and Univision, spokesman David Ford told Journal-isms by email, “He’s not an Afro-Latino, but Derrick Ashong will be anchoring a nightly program on Fusion called ‘DNA.’ Born in Ghana and educated at Harvard, Derrick was raised in Brooklyn, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and New Jersey. Derrick previously anchored ‘The Derrick Ashong Experience’ on SIRIUS XM’s Oprah Radio and the Emmy-nominated ‘The Stream’ on Al Jazeera English.”

Ashong is not Hispanic.

Arlene Davila, a professor of anthropology, social and cultural analysis at New York University and an expert on Latino identity and marketing to Latinos, saw the Oct. 9 news release about Fusion’s morning show and wrote on Facebook Monday:

“Remember ABC/Univision ‘Fusion”s promise to represent ‘Latino millennials’?? well get ready for more of the same: super white anchors, no Mexican Americans or Puerto Ricans or US Latinos but same old cast you’d find in any Latin American exportable show — except they speak English! Whoever is heading this thing needs to hit our barrios and get a reality check!! “

One of her Facebook friends replied, “Well, but what can we expect from Blancovision?” and “The other phrase that we used was Uniblanco.”

Davila told Journal-isms by telephone, “the racial blinders are still in place.”

Hispanics can be white, black, Indian, Asian or a combination of those races. A longstanding complaint about Spanish-language television is that only lighter-skinned Hispanics are featured, especially in the telenovelas.

Latin American nations are not monolithic in their approach to race, but a country such as the Dominican Republic has been openly hostile to people of African descent. Blacks are encouraged to call themselves “Indios.” A Dominican court decision recently stripped citizenship from children of Haitian migrants, who are dark-skinned, rendering more than 200,000 people stateless.

Yet of the estimated 11.2 million enslaved Africans who survived the Middle Passage from 1502 to 1866, most were taken to Latin America and the Caribbean, with only 450,000 landing in the United States. About 4.8 million went to Brazil alone, according to figures quoted by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his 2011 PBS series and book, “Black in Latin America.”

In some countries, “white” and “black” are considered social, not racial terms, indicating status. Whites are at the top of the pecking order. In 2000, Brazil counted whites as 53.7 percent of its population, with mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5 percent and blacks 6.2 percent.

Fusion’s two-hour morning show features Brazilian journalist Pedro Andrade as one of three hosts. The others are Venezuelan-American Mariana Atencio of Univision News and comedian Yannis Pappas, a Greek-American born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The media play their role in determining racial status. As Damarys Ocaña Perez wrote in 2012 for Latina magazine, “It doesn’t help that despite the high-profile black Latinas making it in Hollywood and other industries, black Latinas are rarely seen as such in movies (many black Latina actresses play African Americans on screen) and in ads, which generally depict Latinos as light-brown hued.” Ocana quoted Yvette Modestin, director of Boston’s nonprofit Encuentro Diaspora Afro as saying, “The effect on Afro-Latinas is the creation of a “very schizophrenic world” in which many are not understood or accepted. . . .’ “

Representatives of Spanish-language Univision, Telemundo and CNN en Español did not respond when asked about participation of Afro-Latinos in their programming.

Yvonne LattyJournal-isms asked Yvonne Latty, a clinical associate professor in journalism at New York University, for her perspective. She is Dominican and African American, is active in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

“I am not surprised by the lack of Afro Latinos on Fusion because frankly we are invisible,” Latty said by email, edited here. “The same issues that plague African Americans in terms of jobs on air plague us, but with an unfair twist. If a market is interested in hiring a Latino, they will most likely hire a white Latino, that is why a great number of Latinos on air are white Latinos. And that just dates back to stereotypes on beauty and what is pleasing to a general audience. If a market wants to higher a black reporter they will hire an African American, not an Afro Latino, you can get past that if you have a non-Latino last name. Alex PerezThis is why I celebrate ABC’s hiring of Alex Perez, an Afro Latino and a rarity in network news, but clearly a case of a talented reporter getting a great job because he is a talented reporter.

“In order for Fusion to put Afro Latinos on air they would have to acknowledge our existence as a group, which until recently has not been acknowledged at all by anyone. They would have had to think about diversity among Latinos and representing that diversity, which they did not. There is a Greek comedian on their morning show, but not an Afro Latino.

“But when I attend NAHJ conferences and conventions, the number of Afro Latinos is low, so to find these candidates would take more work and I can only assume it was not a priority.

“The station is aimed at young Latinos, but in many cases those young Latinos could have a black, white or Asian parent as well. This trend is what I am seeing in grad school applications. Students who say that their father is black or white and their mother is Mexican/Dominican/Puerto Rican/Colombian etc. and they identify as Afro Latino or Latino. These students are craving culture and identity. It seems like bad business not to acknowledge what is happening with the younger generation of Latinos, where children of immigrants marry Americans of different colors.”

[Hugo Balta, president of NAHJ, messaged Journal-isms on Thursday, “I think the observations made (about the talent on Fusion) are valid. I don’t know the extent of their on-camera pool of talent because the network hasn’t launched yet. So, I cannot pass judgment based on the most recent announcement.

[“I agree that it is in the best interest of not only Fusion, but all media (especially networks solely focus on the Latino community) to be inclusive and reflective of all Latinos. And that means light skinned, dark skinned Latinos. It means Latinos from the more than 20 Spanish speaking countries across the globe. It also means white, black, Asian and other ethnic groups within the Latino community. It means having a good understanding that a Latino in the west coast is very different than the east coast. I hope that these are the type of conversations being had at Fusion and other media outlets as they work on ways to better serve the emerging majority population of the U.S.”] [Updated Oct. 17]

Karen Lincoln Michel, Native American Gannett Editor, Exits

Karen Lincoln MichelKaren Lincoln Michel, executive editor of the Gannett-owned Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, La., and the Daily World in nearby Opelousas,  a former president of Unity: Journalists of Color and one of the few Native American editors at a mainstream newspaper, is stepping down, the newspaper reported Wednesday.

“It was a tough decision for me to leave, but it’s the right course,” Lincoln Michel told Journal-isms by email.

Lincoln Michel took the job in March 2012 after having been assistant managing editor at the Green Bay (Wis.) Press-Gazette, that paper’s Madison bureau chief and a staff writer for the Dallas Morning News and La Crosse (Wis.) Tribune. She is also a past president of the Native American Journalists Association.

“I have very much enjoyed leading the news staffs of The Daily Advertiser and Daily World, ” Lincoln Michel continued by email. “I considered each day a gift, realizing that readers in these two communities rely on us to help them make sense of the issues that matter most to them.

“I also am very glad that I got to lead my newsroom with Native American principles and values. At the core of that leadership style is having respect for each person, understanding them as human beings, collaborating with them to get the best performance from them and making decisions on what’s best for the whole, not just a few.

“For me, my job has always been about seeking the truth and raising the level of quality of the journalism. I hope I have instilled that in my staffers, and I trust them to carry that on.

“I am looking forward to the next adventure, whatever that may be. In the short term I will be volunteering my time to some boards that I belong to, including the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.

“My husband Roberto and I are going to stick around in Louisiana for now. Lafayette is one of the coolest places in the South. I have found an affinity here among the Cajun and Creole people and I want to soak up the culture while I can. They have a joy of life that’s rare to see. As one of my entertainment writers wrote in a blog post last week: ‘… what we celebrate here isn’t a show or a facsimile of somebody’s idea of somebody else’s music, culture or a way of life. It’s real, people. We do this even when no one is watching.’

“Gannett has given me a lot of opportunity, and I am truly grateful for that. The company brought me here, and that’s been a true blessing.”

Lincoln Michel’s departure further diminishes the number of editors of color at Gannett. Africa Price’s resignation as executive editor of the Times in Shreveport, La., in August left the nation’s largest newspaper company with only two African Americans among its top editors.

NAHJ Leaders Say the Unity of Our Memories Is Gone

Leaders of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists told 50 members participating in a “town hall” conference call Wednesday that “the Unity that people remember no longer exists” and that dealing with the current Unity: Journalists for Diversity coalition is sapping needed energy from NAHJ’s own work.

The four NAHJ delegates to the Unity board — including President Hugo Balta and Vice President Mekahlo Medina, vice president, broadcast — each outlined reasons why NAHJ should follow the National Association of Black Journalists and leave the coalition, which they described as outdated and financially wounded by NABJ’s pullout two years ago.

“Sweet memories do not pay the bills,” Yvonne Latty, one delegate to Unity, said.

Just two participants on the 95-minute call raised objections, with others merely asking questions. Immediate Past President Michele Salcedo advised the board to be wary of an alliance with NABJ, which she said had a $300,000 deficit as of June 30.

Salcedo was referring to statements made at NABJ’s business meeting at its August convention, in which NABJ’s Finance Committee disclosed that “NABJ ended 2012 in the red, and is headed for possibly a $300,000 deficit in 2013 unless major steps are taken to eliminate the threat.” Balta replied that he and NABJ were discussing a joint convention in 2016, not a permanent alliance. He also said NAHJ and the Asian American Journalists Association had broached the idea of a joint meeting in 2015.

Brandon Benavides, president of the Washington, D.C., chapter, pleaded with NAHJ leaders to return to the table to work out differences. He noted that Washington chapters of the journalist of color organizations had conducted successful mixers drawing 300 people.

Latty responded, “Why do we need an umbrella organization called Unity to have a mega-mixer?”

Particularly irksome to the NAHJ delegates were financial arrangements and a perceived lack of transparency. Balta pointed out that NAHJ was given its share of the revenue (just over $90,000) from Unity’s 2012 convention in December, only to have Unity turn around in March and ask for $11,900 of it back, claiming it had overpaid, as Sara Morrison reported Wednesday for the Wrap. An audit that concluded in August revealed that NAHJ owed Unity just $4,535.

A Unity report on its 2012 convention in Las Vegas showed the decline in attendance since NABJ left the previous year. AAJA brought 493 registrants, the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association 115, NAHJ 473, and the Native American Journalists Association 75. Meanwhile, NABJ attracted 2,586 registrants to its convention in New Orleans.

“What is the point of Unity?” Latty asked. “Who does it serve?” She compared remaining a member with staying in a bad personal relationship. Medina said he took notice when Anna Lopez Buck, a former executive director of Unity who and now does that job for NAHJ, recommended a pullout.

Balta said the NAHJ board would meet next week and make a final decision. The board expects to hear from David Steinberg of NLGJA, newly elected Unity president, and from a member of NABJ.

Balta said members would hear what amounts to “he said, she said,” but added, “Who are you going to trust at the end of the day?” Are members going to listen to a group whose interest in NAHJ is more about its financial impact than in hearing NAHJ’s voice?

Balta said he still believes in the concept of Unity and in the addition of NLGJA, which joined after NABJ departed. He said NAHJ could return to the coalition if Unity reformed itself and that meanwhile, NAHJ could work with Unity on projects.

AAJA is staying with Unity, Morrison reported.

” ‘Like NAHJ, AAJA also [shares] similar concerns regarding UNITY’s governance and business practices,’ AAJA president Paul Cheung told TheWrap.

” ‘But I am confident in working with the new UNITY president David Steinberg to move UNITY forward. The alliance presidents have put together a reorganization plan that will create a more flexible governance structure for UNITY.’

“Said Steinberg of AAJA: ‘They’re not making the same demands that NAHJ is making.’ . . .”

 

Does anyone else miss Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison? (Credit: jeffcopy.com)

Shutdown Over, So Is Ted Cruz “Unendorsement”

For all the world, it looked as though the Houston Chronicle was taking back its endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who led the fight to defund the Affordable Care Act in a chain of events that led to a partial shutdown of the federal government. The shutdown ended Thursday as “a chastened Congress approved a bill to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7,” in the words of the Washington Post.

Cruz’s actions led to record levels of public disapproval of the tea party, which supported him.

“Does anyone else miss Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison?” the Chronicle asked in an editorial on Tuesday.

“We’re not sure how much difference one person could make in the toxic, chaotic, hyperpartisan atmosphere in Washington, but if we could choose just one it would be Hutchison, whose years of service in the Senate were marked by two things sorely lacking in her successor, Ted Cruz.

“For one thing, Hutchison had an unswerving commitment to the highest and best interests of Texas at all times. This revealed itself in a thousand different ways. Hereabouts, we miss her advocacy for NASA, the Port of Houston and the energy industry. And we know she worked just as hard for Dallas, San Antonio and a hundred smaller Texas cities and towns.

“And dare we say it? We miss her extraordinary understanding of the importance of reaching across the aisle when necessary. Neither sitting Texas senator has displayed that useful skill, and both the state and the Congress are the poorer for it. . . .”

That led Tal Kopan to write for Politico on Wednesday, “The Houston Chronicle editorial board expressed remorse over its endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz in the Senate race last year, saying he has failed to live up to their expectations. . . .”

But wait! On Wednesday, the Chronicle wrote a short piece headlined, “Did we un-endorse Ted Cruz? No.”

“It is not unusual, and certainly not extraordinary, for newspaper editorial boards to constructively reflect on the tenures of elected officials whom the panel has endorsed and criticize their performances when we deem it necessary,” the Chronicle said. “Our evaluation of elected officials’ work is an active, ongoing process. An endorsement does not preclude sharp criticism.”

Some commenters preferred their original interpretation. “The bigger question is: Why DIDN’T you pull your endorsement, then?” wrote someone signing in as NativeFan. “In shutting down the federal government, Cruz and his lackeys have succeeded where Al Qaeda failed. What height of irresponsibility does it take for you TO retract an endorsement?”

“Racial Preferences?” Let’s Just Say “Factors”

Lee C. BollingerJust when it seemed as though the term “racial preferences” had become a media synonym for “affirmative action,” Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger set the record straight.

Bollinger appeared Tuesday on the “PBS NewsHour,” and co-anchor Gwen Ifill led a discussion on the day’s arguments before the Supreme Court on a challenge to a Michigan law that would ban use of affirmative action at public universities.

The term “racial preferences” was used throughout the segment, and Ifill turned to Bollinger to ask about “racial preferences” and “legacy preferences.”

“Well, I think that you have to start with a different kind of framing of the issue,” Bollinger said.

“So, as soon as you say racial preferences, you immediately characterize the admissions process at universities and colleges all across the country in a way that distorts what actually has happened over the past 30, 40 years.

“I mean, virtually all universities in the United States, just like all institutions, corporations, media, the military, have since Brown vs. Board of Education tried to be more inclusive in their institutions, and also tried to realize the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education and the promise of the Equal Protection Clause, which is not only to stop segregation and discrimination, but also to achieve a more integrated society and one that really benefits, takes full advantage of that diversity.

“So, when you look at admission processes, there are lots of so-called preferences going around. We call them factors, people from different parts of the country, people internationally, athletes, legacies, people with all different kinds of talents. And racial and ethnic diversity is simply one among many things that we try to do to try to have a very rich student body that reflects the array of the human population.

“And, in that, you really get a better educational experience, while also helping the society achieve the great promise of Brown vs. Board of Education.”

As noted in this column over the years, the National Association of Black Journalists weighed in on the terminology in 1995. “Since polls have shown that the public supports affirmative action, but opposes ‘preferential treatment,’ using the terms interchangeably, under the guise of objective reporting, unfairly characterizes affirmative action,” the NABJ report said.

“. . . Race-based remedies are intended to counter ‘preferences.’ “

Michael Wilbon, left, Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons on the

Simmons: “Liars” Say I Chased Johnson From ESPN

“In what has become an annual rite of autumn, the on-air staffing for ESPN’s NBA Countdown has changed yet again,” Richard Deitsch wrote late Sunday for Sports Illustrated. “Last week Magic Johnson announced he was leaving the show (and ESPN as well) on the same day SI.com reported Doris Burke would be joining the program on Wednesdays. . . .

Deitsch also wrote, “it seemed like a good time to check in with Simmons, who also serves as the editor-in-chief of Grantland.com. He agreed to an email interview, which occurred on Sunday. Below, is the transcript of that conversation.

“SI.com: Deadspin reported last Thursday, via unnamed sources, that you were responsible for Magic Johnson being removed from Countdown. What is your response to that assertion?

“Simmons: Those unnamed ‘sources’ are liars. Someone planted a fake story to try to make me look bad, and there’s a 99.3 percent chance it came from someone in Bristol (which presents its own set of concerns). I was upset; I can’t lie. Maybe this happens to people more often than I realize, and maybe it comes with the territory, but man … I can’t properly explain how fantastic it was to watch basketball with Magic for nine months. I brought my dad to our show for the whole day once and he absolutely loved it.

“He just couldn’t believe they paid me to watch hoops with Magic. One of Magic’s best qualities is that he always makes an outsider like that feel special and [feel as if] they connected with him — I probably watched him do it with 50 people last year. To see Magic do that for my father was something else.

“He’s just an amazing person. When [Johnson’s agent] Lon [Rosen] told me Magic was leaving, I actually got pissed at myself that I didn’t appreciate those nine months more. Our interview with LeBron [James] after Game 7 [of the NBA Finals] — seeing the affection that LeBron and Magic had for one another, getting LeBron to open up a little, and being part of that moment in NBA history — was one of the five or six highlights of my career.

“Jimmy Kimmel wanted me to write a book about a season watching basketball with Magic — he was endlessly fascinated that I spent 8-12 hours a week with someone like that. Magic is a story jukebox. We’d be bored sitting there watching some sh– game and I’d liven things up by asking, ‘Magic, what was the best fight you ever saw in a game?’ and he’d pause dramatically, then he’d launch into some awesome five-minute story and do all the voices and everything. Remember, Magic’s life intersected with just about every relevant NBA player and celebrity from the past 40 years. He has an endless well of stories. I probably heard two percent of them. My wife had a running joke — I’d come home from doing a show, walk through the front door and she’d immediately mock me in my voice (not hard to do), ‘I can’t believe I get to work with Magic Johnson’ before I even said anything. . . .”

A Pale Class for Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame

With the exception of Michael Strahan, a former defensive end for the New York Giants who co-hosts “Live With Kelly and Michael,” the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame is inducting an all-white class in New York on Oct. 28, a reader points out.

Asked about this, the B&C Hall of Fame Committee gave Journal-isms this response: “Thank you and your reader for raising this important question. Our annual Hall of Fame, into which more than 300 men and women have been inducted representing a variety of roles across the television business, is one of many well-attended, signature events we convene year-round. As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity as an organization, we also present our Hispanic TV Summit, Multiethnic TV Awards, our Multicultural Breakfast event at the Cable Show, Women of NY and Women of Hollywood.”

Broadcasters of color have been honored in past years. Debra Lee, BET Networks chairman and CEO, was inducted in 2010, for example, and the late Don Cornelius of “Soul Train” was honored in 1995.

Short Takes

  • A void in African American voices on the radio has been present in Milwaukee since the demise of black-owned WMCS-AM this year after a programming switch by management that eliminated all of the popular talk shows aimed at the black community, Eugene Kane wrote for Sunday’s print edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Kane also wrote, “Sherwin Hughes, a morning talk show host on black-owned WNOV (AM-860), is the lone black voice presenting local black opinion and commentary. . . .”
  • The transfer of Melanie Burney, an editorial writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer who was given a reporter’s job in August, took place because Editor William Marimow, who was fired this week, was instructed to reduce the opinion section based on research commissioned by co-owner George E. Norcross III, David Carr wrote Sunday in the New York Times. Norcross is a businessman and power broker in Democratic politics who meddled in newsroom operations more than some thought he should. Carr wrote about the “raucous war among the owners” that broke out last week.
  • “A study of median household ratings during the 2011-12 television season revealed what seems like a no-brainer, given the diverse makeup of the country: Cable shows in which 31% to 40% of the cast represented people of color on average generated higher household ratings than shows in which minorities represented 10% or less of the cast,” R. Thomas Umstead reported for Multichannel News. “But the Hollywood Diversity Brief: Spotlight on Cable Television report, conducted by the Ralph Bunche Center for African-American Studies at UCLA, also showed a majority of the casts of more than 844 shows across 61 cable networks examined had fewer than 10% minority actors and actresses. . . .”
  • “Long-time sports journalist Claire Smith has been named the first winner of the Sam [Lacy]-Wendell Smith Award presented by the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism,” the school announced. “The award is given to a sports journalist who has made significant contributions to racial and gender equality in sports. Claire Smith, a news editor at ESPN since 2007, has worked as a sportswriter and editor for more than 30 years at news organizations that include The New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Bulletin and Hartford Courant.. . . “

  • “Last night, the iconic Empire State Building was lit up in El Diario’s colors to mark the centennial of this New York Latino institution,” El Diario/La Prensa announced on Sunday. “Today, a special bilingual supplement is in the paper that looks at how El Diario is positioned to grow. The celebration continues! Join us on Friday, Oct. 25th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Grand Central Terminal — which also marks 100 years — for an amazing Latino music and theater festival. Exhibitions of El Diario’s unique photos and front pages are ongoing at New York University, Hostos Community College and Columbia University. And take a look at our centennial web site, where you can send us your saludos, create your own front page or have fun with NY Latino trivia. . . .”
  • “KNBC, the NBC owned station in Los Angeles, is shaking up its morning newscast. Co-anchor Alycia Lane and traffic reporter Sean Murphy are out, a KNBC spokesperson confirms to TVSpy,” Merrill Knox reported Wednesday for TVSpy. Lane was described as “a Latina bombshell” when she anchored at Philadelphia’s KYW-TV.
  • “Thanks to the new Esquire-NBC News survey, Who’s in the American Center, we’re now supposed to know what ‘average’ Americans — those who don’t pander to extremism politics — really want,” Marisa Treviño wrote Tuesday for her Latina Lista blog. “One problem — everyone identified as ‘in the center’ is identified as ‘mostly white.’ In fact, among the 8 categories: Bleeding Hearts and the Gospel Left, which makes up (in this survey) the ‘Liberal Base;’ Minivan Moderates, the MBA Middle, the Pick-up Populists and #WhateverMan, comprising the ‘American Political Center;’ and the Righteous Right and Talk Radio Heads, classified as ‘the Conservative Base,’ Latinos don’t show up among any of these Americans. . . .”
  • “I’m trying to figure out what kind of Yahoo at Yahoo would come up with a headline like this?” Randall Yip wrote Wednesday for this AsAm News site. ” ‘Dogs in Vietnam: Not Just for Dinner Anymore.’ The story published in Yahoo from Reuters was about a new pet resort catering to dogs. It seems many in the US have a preoccupation with the culinary choices of some in the South East Asian nation. (update: Reuters.com used the same headline. So apparently the headline came from Reuters. But I still say Yahoo shouldn’t have repeated it.) Granted, the canine has shown up on the dinner menus of some in Asia. But must every story play up that up so much? . . .”
  • Two weekends ago, “Fox & Friends” host Anna Kooiman “committed the inexcusable error of taking seriously a ‘story’ on the Web site of the National Reporter saying that President Obama had dug into his own pocket to fund the International Museum of Muslim Cultures,” Erik Wemple wrote for the Washington Post. The error caused such interest in the center that “Fox News, via an on-air mistake, has assisted a museum that promotes Muslim cultures. That should scare it into quadruple-fact-checking everything from this point forward,” Wemple wrote.
  • Using data on 11,000 different news outlets gathered by the company General Sentiment, which gauged not only how often the candidates were mentioned but how positive or negative that coverage was, John Sides, co-author with Lynn Vavreck of “The Gamble,” a book about the 2012 presidential campaign, said he found: “In the Republican presidential primary, news coverage drove the candidates’ surges in the polls”; “in the primary, news coverage helped end these surges as well”; “in the general election campaign, it was the other way around: the polls drove the news”; “overall, media coverage of Obama and [GOP candidate Mitt] Romney was actually fair and balanced. No, really”; and “The news media are more prone to ‘root for the story’ than ‘root for the candidate.’ ”
  • Celeste Headlee, former co-host of NPR’s “The Takeaway,” launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $92,000 for an independent radio show covering the often-ignored world between the two coasts, Kristen Hare reported for the Poynter Institute. With the government shutdown, however, the show’s producers scaled back and are asking for less money — “down to $59,000 with the decision to seek three months’ funding instead of six. . . .”
  • Dissident journalists “Mario Echevarría Driggs, David Águila Montero and William Cacer Díaz, arrested in Havana last week, were freed” on Monday, Reporters Without Borders reported.
  • “Journalists and media owners across Africa gave Ethiopian journalist Woubshet Taye a standing ovation in Cape Town on Saturday night at the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013, but he wasn’t there to see it. Instead his wife and son accepted the Free Press Award on his behalf,” Sue Valentine reported for the Committee to Protect Journalists. Valentine also wrote, “Woubshet, deputy editor of the Awramba Times, has been in jail for more than two years. He was detained in June 2011 and held incommunicado before being convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in January 2012. After Woubshet’s arrest, the paper stopped publishing in Ethiopia and the editor fled into exile. . . ”

     

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