Articles Feature

Blavity Rises to Most Popular Black Website

by richard05226

Targeting Millennials, Platform Displaces BET.com

NPR’s Michel Martin to Join ‘Morning Edition’ Hosts [Added March 9]
Dallas’ Al Día Reporters Win ‘Substantial’ Raises [Added March 9]

Debra Lee: Affair With Bob Johnson Turned Toxic
Tyler Perry, Byron Allen Eye Buying BET
News Leaders Say No Diversity Survey, No Award

No Basis for Illegal-Voting Claim Against Alcindor
‘Replacement Theory’ Terrorizes Blacks in Tunisia
‘Black Girl Missing’ Asks, ‘Who’s Newsworthy?’
Cartoonist Will Self-Syndicate ‘Dilbert’
Press Photographers Announce Honorees
Nominate a J-Educator Who Promotes Diversity

Short Takes: Diversity and new ‘The Hill’ show; j-students providing bilingual news; Elise Preston; covering India’s neglected Dalits [Updated March 9]

Homepage photo: Blavity at work

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From left, Blavity founders Aaron Samuels, Morgan DeBaun, Jeff Nelson and Jonathan Jackson. (Credit: Blavity)

Targeting Millennials, Platform Displaces BET.com

Blavity, a website founded nine years ago to target Black millennials, has displaced BET.com as the most popular African American-oriented platform, according to the Comscore research company, which supplied traffic figures requested by Journal-isms.

Journal-isms last published such a list in 2017, when BET.com was No. 1, its total unique visitors nearly twice that of its nearest competitor, HuffPost Black Voices.

For 2022, Comscore recorded 7,297,000 unique visitors for Blavity, up 120 percent from the year before, compared with 6,886,000 for BET.com, up only 0.1 percent. HuffPost Black Voices sank to No. 19 on the list of websites for which Journal-isms asked for figures (Not every African American-oriented site was included.)

The Blavity website is just one of the company’s products. Blavity, Inc. is “home to the largest network of platforms and lifestyle brands serving the multifaceted lives of black millennials. Their mission is to ‘economically and creatively support Black millennials across the African scape, so they can pursue the work they love, and change the world in the process,’ ” according to a profile of its CEO and primary founder, Morgan DeBaun.

The company recently launched a home interior brand+, “Home & Texture,” joining the lifestyle 21Ninety and travel title Travel Noire. It is hiring an editor for Home & Texture.

Blavity Inc.’s other brands include AfroTech, “the largest multicultural tech gathering in the United States,” and Blavity TV.

There’s more: In 2019, the company launched a new site called BlavityU, “to encourage . . . powerful young minds to share their discourse and celebrate Black Gen-Z culture.”

Blavity spokespeople could not be reached — no one responds at its “press” email address — but a piece last year on changes at The Root characterized Blavity’s priorities as “listicles, slideshows, or image-heavy pieces.“

 [Wasif Khan, chief business and financial officer, messaged on April 29, “We’re proud of the work we’ve done and the growth we’ve been able to achieve – – doubling ad revenue in 2022 — during a time that has been very challenging for the media industry. Blavity.com’s editorial team brings an authentic and fresh POV in its coverage across lifestyle, culture, news and entertainment, which is resonating with readers and attracting more audiences to the platform. Over the past year, we’ve built on the success of our editorial brands and expanded the business of Blavity Inc. across our publishing and advertising network Blavity360º, as well as launched new technology, and experiences – now reaching a monthly audience of over 250M across all our brands.”]

Here is the list:

  1. Blavity.com, 7,297,000 unique monthly average visitors/viewers, up 120 percent over 2021.
  2. BET.com, 6,686,000, up 0.1 percent
  3. AtlantaBlackStar.com, 5,889,000, down 16.1 percent
  4. BlackEnterprise.com, 5,688,000, down 13 percent
  5. TheGrio.com, 4,916,000, up 13 percent
  1. Essence.com, 4,319,000, down 5 percent
  2. Bossip.com, 2,429,000, up 50 percent
  3. TheRoot.com, 2,428,000, down 36 percent
  4. MadameNoire.com, 1,885,000, down 22 percent
  5. WorldStarHipHop.com (w/history), 1,759,000, down 7 percent (“w/history” “means that the entity/parent company decided to combine media previously reported under different parent and/or different level.”
  1. HelloBeautiful.com*, 1,342,000, up 35 percent (“* Indicates that the entity has assigned traffic to certain pages in the domain to other entities.”) 
  2. NewsOne.com, 1,185,000, down 20 percent
  3. TheShadowLeague.com, 1,122,000, down 43 percent
  4. NBCNews.com BLK (w/history), 875,000, down 31 percent
  5. Andscape.com, 628,000, down 61 percent
  1. BlackAmericaWeb.com*, 552,000, up 16 percent
  2. Ebony.com, 506,000, up 19 percent
  3. MediaTakeout.com, 194,000, up 385 percent
  4. HuffPostBlackVoices.com (w/history), 162,000, down 48 percent
  5. EURWeb.com, 154,000, down 63 percent
  6. LoveBScott.com, 149,000, up 18 percent
  7. TheYBF.com, 128,000, up 20 percent
  8. BlackPlanet.com, 19,000, down 32 percent

NPR’s Michel Martin to Join ‘Morning Edition’ Hosts

Michel Martin (pictured) has been selected as the fourth host of Morning Edition, NPR’s morning drivetime news magazine carried by 840 public radio stations, the network announced Thursday. “Her last day hosting weekend All Things Considered will be March 12, and her first day hosting Morning Edition will be March 27.”

Martin, who joins hosts Steve Inskeep, Leila Fadel and A Martínez, ” has spent more than 25 years as a journalist — first in print with major newspapers and then in television before coming to NPR in 2006 to launch Tell Me More. Since 2015, Michel has been the weekend host of All Things Considered and host of the Consider This Saturday podcast, where she draws on her deep reporting and interviewing experience to dig-in to the week’s news. Outside the studio, she also hosted ‘Michel Martin: Going There,’ an ambitious live event series in collaboration with NPR Member stations. . . .

” ‘When I came to NPR back in 2006 to launch Tell Me More, I came because I wanted to try something new,’ said Martin. ‘I wanted to see if I could take the skills I had developed in newspapers and television, covering everything from politics and policy to music and fashion, and use those skills to lift up voices and stories that didn’t always get center stage. NPR has both intimacy and reach. We all appreciate the trust the audience places in us. I’ve always wanted to work on a morning show, and I am so excited to work with Steve, Leila, and A to be a part of the great legacy of this program.’ “

Rotating guest hosts will appear on the weekend “All Things Considered” until a permanent host is named, an NPR spokesperson said. [Added March 9]

The current Al Día Dallas staff. Clockwise, from left, Lorena Flores, Abraham Nudelstejer, José Luis Adriano, María Ramos Pacheco and Imelda García. (Credit:: Al Día staff)

Dallas’ Al Día Reporters Win ‘Substantial’ Raises

The five journalists at the Dallas Morning News’ Spanish-language Al Día , who are being integrated into the Morning News staff, will be given raises to compensate for what the Dallas News Guild says are gaping pay disparities with the Morning News staff, the Guild has announced.

“Last month, Dallas Morning News management announced they would integrate Al Día staff into the DMN newsroom,” the Guild tweeted March 2. “These five Al Día journalists were vastly underpaid relative to their DMN counterparts.

“The Guild demanded that Al Día colleagues be paid fairly. The Company refused, but the Guild fought back.

“Our efforts paid off. This week, the Guild and DallasNews Corp. came to an agreement.

“These five journalists will get:

  • “Substantial raises that total about $113k
  • “Training and support necessary in their new roles
  • “Assurances that newsroom leaders will make every effort to ensure they succeed
  • “The $35 cellphone stipend DMN reporters already get

“This is a step in the right direction to fixing the years-long pay disparity between DMN and Al Día employees.
Some Al Día staff members make half the salary of DMN counterparts with similar jobs and experience. Several work extra jobs before dawn or on weekends to make ends meet. They shouldn’t have to.

“As they join other teams in the newsroom, our colleagues will receive the pay they deserve.

“The Guild will now get back to negotiating our first contract. Thank you to journalists from local, state and national organizations for your support for Al Día.”

Katy Murray, president of Dallas News Corp., said through an editor Thursday that “we don’t comment on personnel matters.”[Added March 9]

Debra Lee spoke on “Good Morning America” and in The Washington Post. She said, “I wanted to tell that story because power dynamics are so important in a relationship, especially if you’re having a relationship with someone you work for. We all know the potential pitfalls.” She also said, “I felt like I had to include it or people would say: “Everyone knows they had a relationship. Why didn’t she put it in the book?”

Debra Lee: Affair With Bob Johnson Turned Toxic

Debra Lee, former CEO of Black Entertainment Television, says in her new memoir that her relationship with BET co-founder Bob Johnson turned into a toxic affair, telling ABC’s Robin Roberts Tuesday that “I wanted young women to know that if you’re in a relationship that’s uneven in terms of the power structure, that it can turn abusive.”

Johnson and Lee were married to other people at the time of their affair.

“You believed your career was at risk if you walked away from the relationship?” “Good Morning America’s” Roberts asked Lee, whose memoir, “I Am Debra Lee,” went on sale Tuesday.

“Oh yeah, I was told that many times. It’s like, Okay, if you’re going to break up with me, let’s get on the phone and tell people you are leaving right now. And as a working mother, how does one recover from something like that? How does one say, ‘The man I worked for for 20 years won’t give me a recommendation and fired me because we were in a relationship and now it’s over.’ . . .

” ‘What saved me was therapy, and eventually, Bob left the company and I became CEO, and I was CEO for 13 years without him being there and … to live my dream without any form of harassment,’ she said, adding that after the rise of Me Too and the Time’s Up movement, she began recontextualizing the relationship to ask herself how much consent she actually had in and during its development. . . .” Monique Jones reported Tuesday for Blavity.

In The Washington Post, Alexis P. Williams asked Lee, “Explain the standard that Black viewers held BET to during your tenure.”

Lee replied, “Well, I think there’s always been some criticism of Black programming, whether it’s reality or scripted, because there was so little of it. The programming that existed, it had to try to showcase all different types of Black folks, but it could never do that. … Our viewers had a very personal relationship with BET.

“And anything that looked like it might relate to the race in a negative way, they didn’t want to see it on BET, which is more of a burden for us than it was for a Bravo who was doing ‘Real Housewives of Wherever.’ But I thought, in the end, it was a positive thing, that they wanted more from us. We just needed the resources and the talent to be able to deliver it to them. And when we did, they showed up by watching them in the millions.”

Johnson’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

BET is preparing for its annual awards program, scheduled this year for the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on June 20. (Credit: BET)

Tyler Perry, Byron Allen Eye Buying BET

“Media moguls Tyler Perry and Byron Allen are vying to purchase a majority stake of BET Media Group amid reports that owner Paramount Global is exploring a sale of the asset,” Jennifer Maas and Angelique Jackson reported Monday for Variety.

“Variety has confirmed that Perry is in talks to acquire the network, while a spokesperson for Allen stated that the Allen Media Group founder is also ‘interested in buying BET, and he will be pursuing the acquisition of the network.’

“Perry currently owns a minority stake in the operation run by CEO Scott Mills, which includes cablers BET and VH1, and also produces a large portion of the programming available on BET and streamer BET+, which he helped launch in 2019. Also among BET’s divisions is production company BET Studios, which counts Kenya Barris, Rashida Jones and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas as minority stake holders.”

As Jessica Toonkel and Joe Flint reported for the Wall Street Journal Monday, “Founded in 1980 by Robert Johnson with backing from cable mogul John Malone, Black Entertainment Television was the first national programming service primarily targeting Black viewers. Viacom, which is now called Paramount Global, acquired BET in 2000 for $2.3 billion in stock and the assumption of $570 million in debt. . . .”

“Besides looking to unload assets that may prove challenging to incorporate into Paramount+, Paramount Global wants to shore up its balance sheet. Paramount has said the company expects 2023 to be the peak year in spending and that next year the company will hit positive cash flow and earnings growth.

“One asset Paramount declined to sell despite a strong offer is Showtime. Earlier this year, the company turned down a more than $3 billion offer to sell the premium channel to David Nevins, who oversaw Showtime and had backing from private-equity firm General Atlantic. . . .”

News Leaders Say No Diversity Survey, No Award

After only a fraction of the nation’s print and digital outlets participated in its annual newsroom diversity survey, the News Leaders Association is requiring that they join the effort in order to be eligible for its annual journalism awards.

“Last year we required applicants for three of our awards to have participated in the survey: the Dori J. Maynard Justice award, the Robert G. McGruder Diversity award and the News Leader of the Year award, and we announced that for 2023 we would be requiring a commitment to participate in the next survey or have newsrooms publish their own for all awards submissions,” Executive Director Myriam Márquez (pictured) messaged Journal-isms Wednesday. “Our Diversity Committee recommended that requirement and the NLA Board approved it unanimously.” She said the contest drew about 400 entries last year.

More than 175 journalism entities had urged the Pulitzer Prize board last year to take the same action, but the Pulitzer board, which was expected to take up the issue last summer, did not, Pulitzer administrator Marjorie Miller (pictured) told Journal-isms on Wednesday. “NLA suspended its survey and was remaking it.”

Last year, in its letter to the Pulitzer organization, the NewsGuild outlined a rationale that would also apply to the News Leaders.

“The NewsGuild-CWA joined with the National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, Ida B. Wells Society, LION Publishers, URL Media, Center for Public Integrity, OpenNews, the Writers Guild of America, East and many others to call for the change to the award requirements. The News Leaders Association also supports the measure, and is committed to prioritizing the survey and working with news organizations to increase participation.

“ ‘The Pulitzer Prizes are the top award in U.S. journalism and this simple requirement would make sure hundreds — if not thousands — of news organizations are transparent about how diverse they are,’ said NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss. ‘It’s a disgrace that many news organizations refuse to share information about the makeup of their newsrooms. ‘ ”

Angela Wu noted for the Poynter Institute last year, “Since 1978, NLA and predecessor organization, American Society of News Editors, have collected demographic data from print and digital media outlets via annual surveys to assess the diversity of the news industry. NLA had sought to collect 2,500 responses this year, but last month, Márquez told Nieman Lab that just 303 newsrooms had participated, sparking furor among journalists.”

Last fall, the NLA sought proposals to develop, design and implement the next iteration of the diversity survey. [PDF]

No Basis for Illegal-Voting Claim Against Alcindor

NBC White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor (pictured) has prevailed after a complaint touted by conservative media alleged that she voted illegally in Florida because she had moved to the District of Columbia.

A group described by Esquire magazine as “a dark-money operation founded by the former oppo guy for the presidential campaign of Tailgunner Ted Cruz” filed the complaint on Oct. 25 with Florida authorities.

A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement told Journal-isms on Tuesday, “The Florida Department of State/Division of Elections have construed that residency is where a person intends to make his/her permanent residence for voting [PDF]. After reviewing the complaint, there were no allegations of a crime. We received the complaint from the Department of State and notified Department of State.”

The Washington Examiner had reported, “The complaint notes that Alcindor publicized a move to Washington, D.C., in 2017, attaching a tweet of hers.

“Some news: I moved to DC this week to cover social safety net issues and how Trump’s administration impacts everyday people’s lives,” Alcindor wrote at the time.

However, an NBC spokesperson told Journal-isms then, ‘Yamiche’s legal residence is in the state of Florida — the only state where she votes – and she complies with state voting laws and absentee voting guidelines.”

Thomas H. Jones, founder of the American Accountability Foundation, who filed the complaint, did not respond to a request for comment. An NBC spokesperson said Tuesday, “I don’t have any updates from my end on this.”

‘Allo,’ a Tunisian song by the artist Balti, was one of the top African compositions of 2022, as chosen by Music in Africa Foundation.

‘Replacement Theory’ Terrorizes Blacks in Tunisia

The “Great Replacement Theory” is finding a home in Africa, of all places, specifically in the North African, Arab-majority country of Tunisia. The resulting crackdown on Black migrants is leading countries such as Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Mali and Gabon to repatriate hundreds of their citizens from Tunisia, according to multiple news reports.

The replacement theory, embraced by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, by white nationalists, and by a growing number of white conservatives, holds that demographic changes in the United States are deliberately driven by liberal and progressive politicians attempting to gain political power by replacing more conservative white voters.

The theory is increasingly going global. “The racist conspiracy says there is a systematic, global effort to replace white, European people with nonwhite, foreign populations,” the Southern Poverty Law Center said last year.

“The ultimate goal of those responsible — Democrats, leftists, ‘multiculturalists’ and, at times, Jews — is to reduce white political power and, ultimately, to eradicate the white race. The theory has motivated multiple terror attacks, including the 2018 attack at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Tree of Life Synagogue, the 2019 attacks at two Christchurch, New Zealand, mosques and an El Paso, Texas, Walmart, and, most recently, an attack targeting Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.”

An Arab version of that theory has taken root in Tunisia.

Erin Clare Brown, North Africa editor of the Washington-based New Lines magazine, wrote Feb. 27, “After a fortnight of political arrests and detentions, Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, has now unleashed a racist campaign targeting Black migrants in his country, with conspiracies that echo the ‘great replacement theory’ and police raids in popular quarters across the country where many migrant workers live.

“In an address to his National Security Council on February 21, Saied claimed that ‘there is a criminal arrangement that has been prepared since the beginning of this century to change the demographic composition of Tunisia … There are parties that received huge sums of money after 2011 in order to settle irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in Tunisia.’ He called on the security forces to ‘quickly put an end to this phenomenon,’ repeating racist tropes about the inherent criminality of Black people. . . .”

The result? Nosmot Gbadamosi wrote Wednesday for Foreign Policy, “As Simon Speakman Cordall reported from Tunis in FP, ‘Gangs of predominantly young men are nightly kicking down doors and dragging Black migrant families into the street, some to watch their possessions burn. Testimonies of those confined to their houses, too scared to emerge for fear of their neighbors reporting them, are legion,’ noting, ‘The plight of Black migrants here is ironically familiar to the thousands of Tunisians who migrate to Europe without paperwork every year.’

“Tunisian police in a number of cities have detained hundreds of Black African migrants, including women and children. Black migrants have reported being beaten, stabbed, verbally assaulted, and evicted by landlords. Some are having to camp in makeshift tents outside the headquarters of the International Organization for Migration.”

Tunisia’s actions and Saied’s incitements are meeting with international condemnation. “U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday, “These remarks are not in keeping with Tunisia’s long history of generosity and hosting and protecting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, and we’re disturbed by reports of violence against these very migrants. We urge Tunisian authorities to meet their obligations under international law to protect the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.”

A poster for the new Lifetime movie “Black Girl Missing,” starring Garcelle Beauvais. (Credit: A+E Networks)

‘Black Girl Missing’ Asks, ‘Who’s Newsworthy?’

“A reporter sits across the table from a woman looking for her missing daughter, hoping to get news coverage to help bring her home,” Annie Aguiar wrote Monday for the Poynter Institute.

“The station would be happy to run the girl’s photo at 5 p.m. with the news roundup, the reporter tells her, but there’s not much else she can do. What the reporter doesn’t need to tell her is that a missing white girl is currently commanding national media attention, while this mother and her missing daughter are Black.

“ ‘So until my daughter is murdered,’ the mother asks, ‘she’s not newsworthy?’

“That question of newsworthiness is at the heart of ‘Black Girl Missing,’ a Lifetime movie that premiered over the weekend starring Garcelle Beauvais (‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’) as Cheryl Baker, a mother who tries and fails to get media and law enforcement to pay attention to her missing daughter, Lauren (Iyana Halley).

“The movie is inspired by actual stories of missing women of color, threading in real-life instances of law enforcement politely dismissing calls, local television stations gracefully turning down pleas for coverage and mothers holding out for hope. . . .”

“The only reason anyone knows who Scott Adams is because of the comics page. So I thought somebody on the comics page should respond to him on the comics page,” “Candorville” strip creator Darrin Bell, 2019 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting and commentary, told the Associated Press. (Credit: King Features Syndicate)

Cartoonist Will Self-Syndicate ‘Dilbert’

“Dilbert is coming back. At least in a different sense,” Ramishah Maruf reported Monday for CNN.

“Scott Adams, the comic creator who was dropped by hundreds of publications after his recent racist comments, tweeted that ‘Dilbert Reborn’ will launch exclusively on his subscription site on March 13.

“Adams told the Washington Post the initial strips will show the character of Ratbert ‘as a ‘context removing editor’ at a media outlet that spoofs newspapers like The Post. . . .”

Michael Cavna and Samantha Chery wrote Monday for the Post, “On his Feb. 22 episode of ‘Real Coffee With Scott Adams,’ the creator of the comic strip ‘Dilbert’ decided to riff on a much-criticized Rasmussen poll and promote a type of segregation. He declared that Black Americans are part of a ‘hate group’ and urged White people to ‘get the hell away from Black people.’

“By the following weekend, his syndicate and publishers were getting far away from him, severing business ties and halting future projects. So were hundreds of newspapers, including The Post, that dropped ‘Dilbert’ from their pages.

“Adams tells The Post that his remarks that day were intended to be hyperbole, while also contending that he was responding to a larger sociopolitical narrative. He does not apologize for what he said in the episode — viewed more than 360,000 times — though he asserts that he disavows racism. Meanwhile, on a follow-up ‘Real Coffee’ podcast, he called both White people and the press ‘hate groups.’ . . .”

Tom Kennedy, left, Sharon Farmer and Boyd Huppert are the 2023 NPPA recipients of the Founders Award.

Press Photographers Announce Honorees

The National Press Photographers Association has awarded its highest honor, the Founder’s Award, to Tom Kennedy, Sharon Farmer and Boyd Huppert “for advancing our industry through their mastery of the craft of visual journalism and dedication to educating the next generation of storytellers,” the NPPA announced this week.

Farmer volunteers as the official photo documentarian for the Journal-isms Roundtable. NPPA said, “Sharon Farmer is a legendary photographer and historical icon who has pioneered new paths in the world of photography during her 40-year career and lectures extensively on photography and photojournalism.

“Farmer made history as the first African American woman to be hired as a White House photographer in 1993, and then the first woman and African American to serve as director of the White House Photography Office from 1999-2001. She was an assignment editor for The Associated Press and later the campaign photographer for Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004. . . .”

Other winners include:

  • Boyzell Hosey (pictured), “the NPPA Outstanding Leader Award for his long and distinguished career as a deputy editor and director of photography at the Tampa Bay Times, and the priority he placed on being a mentor for young and minority journalists. . . .”
  • Carl Juste (pictured), “awarded the NPPA Mentorship Award for his work co-founding the Iris Photo Collective (IRC) with a mission to support and encourage visual storytellers of diverse backgrounds in bringing attention to critical issues, bridging cultural gaps and sparking social change. . . .”
  • Kevin Hartfield (pictured), “the NPPA Longevity Award for his 40-year career in television news, where he’s known for undercover work and innovating when visuals are scarce. . . .”
  • Polly Irungu (pictured), the NPPA Community Award for her groundbreaking work creating a new gathering place of community by establishing Black Women Photographers in 2020. . . .”
  • Val Hoeppner (pictured), “an NPPA Special Citation for her work diversifying newsrooms and training the next generation of journalists through the Diversity Institute at the John Seigenthaler Center. Her career is one of evolution and innovation, speaking frequently on mobile and social technology, media literacy and multimedia. She also works with student journalists in the Chips Quinn Scholars program, the Native American Journalism Fellows program and students at the Center for Innovation in Media at Middle Tennessee State University. . . .”
  • Shaminder Dulai (pictured), one of three President’s Awards,” nominated by Marie D. De Jesús during her term as NPPA president for distinguished service in 2022. Dulai, an appointed director at the time, now NPPA vice president, provided leadership advice and encouragement to the president. During his year as appointed director, Dulai structured the monthly Twitter Spaces talk show, ‘NPPA Exposure.’ As part of the monthly Twitter talk, Dulai creates scripts, books speakers and researches topics to provide relevant information to the membership. . . .”
Marquita Smith accepts congratulations from the Journal-isms Roundtable in a Zoom call Aug. 28. She said she wants to create a “spirit of service” at the University of Mississippi, where she is assistant dean for graduate programs, and has created opportunities at Ole Miss for students from historically Black colleges and universities. (Credit: Sharon Farmer/sfphotoworks)

Nominate a J-Educator Who Promotes Diversity

Beginning in 1990, the Association of Opinion Journalists, now part of the News Leaders Association, annually granted a Barry Bingham Sr. Fellowship — actually an award — “in recognition of an educator’s outstanding efforts to encourage minority students in the field of journalism.”

Since 2000, the recipient has been awarded an honorarium of $1,000 to be used to “further work in progress or begin a new project.”

Past winners include James Hawkins, Florida A&M University (1990); Larry Kaggwa, Howard University (1992); Ben Holman, University of Maryland (1996); Linda Jones, Roosevelt University, Chicago (1998); Ramon Chavez, University of Colorado, Boulder (1999); Erna Smith, San Francisco State (2000); Joseph Selden, Penn State University (2001); Cheryl Smith, Paul Quinn College (2002); Rose Richard, Marquette University (2003).

Also, Leara D. Rhodes, University of Georgia (2004); Denny McAuliffe, University of Montana (2005); Pearl Stewart, Black College Wire (2006); Valerie White, Florida A&M University (2007); Phillip Dixon, Howard University (2008); Bruce DePyssler, North Carolina Central University (2009); Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia University (2010); Yvonne Latty, New York University (2011); Michelle Johnson, Boston University (2012); Vanessa Shelton, University of Iowa (2013); William Drummond, University of California at Berkeley (2014); Julian Rodriguez of the University of Texas at Arlington (2015); David G. Armstrong, Georgia State University (2016); Gerald Jordan, University of Arkansas (2017), Bill Celis, University of Southern California (2018); Laura Castañeda, University of Southern California (2019); Mei-Ling Hopgood, Northwestern University (2020); Wayne Dawkins, Morgan State University (2021); and Marquita Smith of the University of Mississippi (2022).

Nominations may be emailed to Richard Prince, Opinion Journalism Committee, richardprince (at) hotmail.com. The deadline is April 7. Please use that address only for NLA matters.

Short Takes

  • “The injustices were all too common. In one part of India, a vendor’s stall was broken up, depriving him of his livelihood,” Karan Deep Singh reported Monday for the New York Times. “In another, members of a poor family were denied government benefits, forcing them to beg for survival. They were all Dalits, once deemed untouchable by India’s hierarchical caste system. Such episodes have gone largely unnoted and unaddressed for decades. But both cases were picked up by an online news outlet that was started two years ago with the mission of covering marginalized groups in India. Afterward, officials began taking action. To tell these stories and right these wrongs,” Meena Kotwal (pictured), “a Dalit herself, started The Mooknayak — or ‘the leader of the voiceless.’ . . . ”

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Richard Prince’s Journal-isms originates from Washington. It began in print before most of us knew what the internet was, and it would like to be referred to as a “column.” Any views expressed in the column are those of the person or organization quoted and not those of any other entity. Send tips, comments and concerns to Richard Prince at journal-isms+owner@groups.io

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