Acosta Leaves CNN and Trump Exults

‘Never a Good Time to Bow Down to a Tyrant’
Maurice DuBois Debuts as Co-Anchor on ‘CBS Evening News’
Katrice Hardy to Leave Dallas Paper for Marshall Project
Black Cuban Arrested, Urged Dialog on Racism
. . . Independent Journalist Arrested, Held Five Days

Short Takes: “The Black man did it” again; grants for Uproot Project, High Country News; New York magazine accused of erasure; Kimbriell Kelly; indigenous journalists in Canada.

Homepage photo: Jim Acosta, left, promotes his 2019 book “Enemy of the People” on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night ABC television show.

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“One final message. Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope,” Jim Acosta said on his final CNN show on Tuesday. (Credit: New York Post/YouTube)

‘Never a Good Time to Bow Down to a Tyrant’

“CNN anchor Jim Acosta, who rose to acclaim as a hard-charging reporter who frequently clashed with members of the first Trump administration, said Tuesday that he will be leaving the network he has worked at since 2007,” Samantha Chery and Jeremy Barr reported Tuesday for the Washington Post.

“Acosta decided to depart the network after declining an offer from chief executive Mark Thompson to move his 10 a.m. show to midnight Eastern time, an offer that did not appeal to him, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly.

“ ‘I am grateful to CNN for the nearly 18 years I’ve spent here doing the news,’ he said. ‘… I want to thank all of you for tuning in. It has been an honor to be welcomed into your home for all these years.”

“That 10 a.m. time slot is now going to anchors Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown, who the network said last week will host a two-hour show. Blitzer is moving from a 6 p.m. time slot.

“Cable television viewership declines substantially after the prime-time hours of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, and it probably would have been very difficult for Acosta to book guests willing to appear after midnight.

“While CNN’s viewership is down significantly since the November election, Acosta’s morning show performed relatively well.

“ ‘Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the first amendment and for our journalistic freedoms,’ a network spokesperson said in a statement. ‘We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.’

“President Donald Trump, who had a combative relationship with Acosta during his first term, celebrated the news of his departure in a post on Truth Social. ‘Jim is a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up. Good luck Jim!’ he wrote.

“ ‘I see the president was paying attention instead of running the country,’ Acosta quipped to The Washington Post.”

“Former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, who first reported shakeups at CNN that included roughly 200 layoffs, reported Monday that Acosta didn’t see a future with CNN,” the Daily News in New York reported.

Acosta concluded his show Tuesday with this:

“People often ask me if the highlight of my career at CNN was at the White House covering Donald Trump.

“Actually, no. That moment came here when I covered former President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba in 2016 and had the chance to question the dictator there, Raul Castro, about the island’s political prisoners.

“As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson: It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant.

“I have always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account. I’ve always tried to do that here at CNN, and I plan on doing all of that in the future.

“One final message. Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope. . . .”

Alex Griffing, Mediaite: Trump Press Secretary Kicks Off First Briefing Scolding The Press, Heralding Rise of Independent Media

Max Tani, Semafor: LA Times owner Soon-Shiong finds his MAGA whisperer

CBS introduces its new “CBS Evening News” co-anchors. (Credit: YouTube)

DuBois Debuts as Co-Anchor on ‘CBS Evening News’

Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson took over as co-anchors of a revamped “CBS Evening News” on Monday, with DuBois joining NBC’s Lester Holt and PBS’ Geoff Bennett to become a record-setting third Black anchor of a major network evening news program.

“Anchor Norah O’Donnell signed off last Thursday for the final time. After more than five years and nearly 1,300 newscasts, O’Donnell told viewers, ‘This has been the honor of a lifetime, to anchor this legacy broadcast,’ ” Tom Jones reported Tuesday for the Poynter Institute.

“The new ‘CBS Evening News’ now has a different look with co-anchors taking O’Donnell’s place. That includes John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, along with ‘Face the Nation’ moderator Margaret Brennan, who will offer perspective and news about Washington and politics.” Each man has filled in as “CBS Evening News” anchor, and DuBois is a regular anchor on WCBS-TV in New York.

Jones continued, “Dickerson told People’s Kyler Alvord, ‘People have the news all day in their pockets, and we’re not trying to compete with that. What we can share is the perspective that comes from the deep reporting that our correspondents do. … That’s a CBS News strength — our experienced correspondents and the people working on the show who have spent their lives trying to figure out how to make a complicated world understandable.’

“DuBois told Alvord, ‘John and I will debrief our correspondents each night. You’ll get context and insight. It will feel like people you know describing incredible things that they just witnessed. I’m excited to give our viewers nuggets of info that they won’t get anywhere else.’ . . .”

Jones also wrote, “In the end, the newscast didn’t try to cover everything, but of the stories it did cover, it covered extensively. CBS isn’t reinventing the wheel, but there is no question that it had a different look and feel, and there is also no question that it was interesting. . . .”

If the past is a guide, DuBois will be sensitive to word choices. In 2019, filling in as anchor on the “CBS Evening News,” DuBois reported the story of a House hearing on the proposal for a study of reparations. But instead of calling those who endured enslavement “slaves,” he said “enslaved people,” emphasizing their humanity.

“You noticed. Words are everything!” DuBois messaged Journal-isms then. “That’s why saying ‘people of color’ and not ‘minorities’ matters. (there’s nothing minor about the majority of the people in the world). And ‘racial preferences’) (video) is a head fake to take the focus off the need to fix the horrors Black people live with. And when the Philadelphia police punish 72 officers for racist social media posts, it’s not simply ‘offensive’. I could go on and on….”

Last June, DuBois and CBS News’ Jericka Duncan co-hosted the New York Association of Black Journalists third annual Juneteenth Gala & Awards, and last summer, DuBois was one of the of the mentoring journalists who welcomed students in the Black Male Journalists Workshop, sponsored by New York University and the Dow Jones News Fund. (photo)

New York University: Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute Names Summer Journalism Program in Honor of Ed Bradley

In 2022, Katrice Hardy was the keynote speaker at the Knight Foundation’s International Symposium on Online Journalism conference in Austin, Texas, “Challenges and opportunities for journalism in times of crises, disinformation and digital disruption.” (Credit: YouTube)

Hardy to Leave Dallas Paper for Marshall Project

“Dallas Morning News Executive Editor Katrice Hardy is leaving the company to become CEO of The Marshall Project, a national nonprofit news organization focused on criminal justice,” Amy Hollyfield reported Tuesday for the Morning News.

“Since 2022, Hardy has served on the board of The Marshall Project, which launched 10 years ago with a mission to produce impactful journalism that ‘exposes wrongs, bringing them to the attention of officials who can take action.’ She said the organization’s mission, reputation and singular focus on criminal justice drew her interest, along with the chance to ‘build a sustainable business model for our industry.’

“Hardy, 51, has led several newsrooms in her career, but this will be her first time leading a company. She and her family have made a home in Dallas, where she will stay and work remotely.

“ ‘Our newsroom’s ambition, passion and commitment to local journalism has made this decision so difficult,’ Hardy said of The News. ‘There are not many places where you walk into work every day with the “Rock of Truth” in the lobby, where we have independence because of the family that has owned this news organization for 140 years. This community values the work we do, and there are so many devoted and talented journalists and other staffers in every department who support this work. I learned from our team every day.’ . . .

“In nearly four years leading The News’ journalism, Hardy oversaw an increase in journalists in the newsroom, adding more reporters to cover development, food and restaurants, high school sports and local government. She also focused on strengthening the company’s connections with the community, joining the Dallas Assembly and the International Women’s Forum as well as spending time visiting other organizations.

“She helped expand The News’ community-funded journalism program, launching Arts Access in partnership with KERA to cover arts in Dallas-Fort Worth through the lens of access and equity, as well as adding journalists to cover transportation, faith, science and southern Dallas. . . .”

Hardy, who previously was executive editor of the Indianapolis Star, headed the Diversity Initiative committee for the now-defunct News Leaders Association, an organization of newspaper editors.

The first African American to lead the Morning News newsroom, she said less than a year after her 2021 appointment that while “the last few months of the Dallas Morning News [have] been very rewarding . . . what I’ve also experienced is more negativity and more criticism of staffers than I’ve ever experienced in my life.” In addition to beefing up security, Hardy said then, she would work to build community trust.

Juan Antonio Madrazo Luna in a Cuban community carrying out the work of the Citizens Committee for Racial Integration. (Credit: J.A.M.L/Facebook)

Black Cuban Arrested, Urged Dialog on Racism

A delegation of journalists and academics from Morgan State University went to Cuba last month to denounce “apartheid” in the United States and point out books by Black authors that had been banned.

Now comes a story from Cuba that reports on what happened when a Black Cuban tried to call out what he considered racism in that country.

“Cuban activists Juan Antonio Madrazo Luna and Pedro Albert were arrested on Tuesday, as the regime disrupted a press conference prior to a campaign related to the issue of racism in the former’s case, and punished a visit to the leader of the Ladies in White, Berta Soler, in the case of the latter,” the independent publication Diario de Cuba reported Thursday.

” ‘The reason for the arrest was to neutralize the press conference called at my house to present the Afro Cuba Soy Campaign,’ Madrazo Luna explained to DIARIO DE CUBA, after being released with a warning notice that he refused to sign.

“The detention, for which no explanation was given, lasted more than eight hours, from before 10:00 in the morning until 6:00 in the evening. It was denounced on social media by the Race and Equality Institute and several activists on the island.

” ‘Afro Cuba Soy is a citizen campaign, in which a group of activists and citizens will be working throughout the year, in preparation for the 2025 National Population and Housing Census, which will be carried out in Cuba,’ the human rights defender added.

For an “Extraordinary history-making visit to Havana, Cuba,” a delegation from historically Black Morgan State University and guests such as Pulitzer Prize-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones staged a symposium, “Banning Black Books, Silencing Black Voices: America’s Apartheid.” (Credit: Facebook)

” ‘It is a citizen campaign that seeks to have people identify themselves through self-recognition based on their skin color, according to our color palette,’ said Madrazo Luna, adding that the campaign also calls for ‘an open dialogue about racism and the inequalities that mark Cuban society.’

“The activist was arrested around 9:40 AM, when he was returning from picking up the food he would offer to the guests at the press conference. Two blocks from his house, he was approached by a police patrol and a motorcycle, which he identified as belonging to State Security.

“In the presence of a woman and a man in plain clothes, a uniformed officer asked him for his identity card and told him that he had to take him to the police station. Madrazo Luna asked for an explanation, but the officer told him that he would receive it at the unit. . . .”

. . . Independent Journalist Arrested, Held Five Days

“The independent journalist Niober García Fournier (pictured) was released on Friday after 5 days of detention, in the police operations unit, located in the El Salvador municipality, in Guantánamo,” the U.S.-sponsored Marti Noticias reported Thursday.

“From that province, Garcia Fournier told Martí Noticias that a fine of 7 thousand Cuban pesos was imposed on him for alleged usurpation of public functions.

“The independent communicator explained to the officer who interrogated him that he is a member of the Inter-American Press Association and has a precautionary measure issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the OAS,‘ ‘which has told the [Cuban] government several times that “They should let me work.” ‘

“The officer responded that the Cuban government was not interested in the claims of these organizations, which it does not recognize. . . .”

Dorisbel Guillen Cruz, ADN Cuba: Alarming increase in violations of freedom of expression and press in Cuba

Diario de Cuba: Cubalex reports an increase in interrogations as a repressive method on the island

Short Takes

Former Long Island-based state trooper Thomas Mascia shot himself at a park, setting off a “wild-goose chase” for a nonexistent shooter, the District Attorney said. (Credit: James Carbone/Newsday; A.J. Singh; Jim Staubitser)

A former Long Island-based state trooper, celebrated as a hero after claiming he was shot by a dark-skinned driver on the Southern State Parkway, actually shot himself in a nearby park and stashed the gun at home before setting off a “wild-goose chase” for a nonexistent shooter, a Nassau County, N.Y., prosecutor said Monday, Nicole Fuller reported Tuesday for Newsday. However, her report and many others downplayed Thomas Mascia’s claim that a “dark-skinned” driver, in this account, “Black or Hispanic” in another, was the culprit. There is a history: Among other cases: Patricia Ripley of Miami was taken into custody in 2020 for the murder of Alejandro Ripley, a 9-year-old with severe autism. She initially told police that two Black men came to her home and held her at knifepoint in a robbery, claiming that they took the boy and her phone. The Boston Globe last year revisited the 1989 case of Charles Stuart, who falsely claimed that he and his pregnant wife had been shot and carjacked, identifying a Black male as the alleged attacker. The community is still feeling the after-effects, the newspaper wrote.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Tuesday announced more than $6 million in grants to support the growing field of climate journalism in the United States. Among the recipients, “The Uproot Project will be supported with $300,000, granted to Grist, for its network of journalists of color and others who cover climate and environmental issues that provide resources, training, and peer networking. Also, “High Country News will receive $500,000 to support its general operations, including reporting on climate, environment, the ongoing energy transition, and intersecting Indigenous and rural issues across the Western United States.”

New York Magazine has been accused by attendees of a pro-Trump inauguration party of misleading readers by cropping an image to portray the attendees as almost entirely white, Sean Craig and Corbin Bolies reported Tuesday for the Daily Beast. “A spokesperson for Vox Media, New York Magazine‘s parent company told The Daily Beast: ‘The magazine’s most recent cover story explores the new class of conservatives taking Washington by storm, through the lens of inauguration weekend. The cover was cropped to the center of a picture that was published in full online, and we believe both the cover and story provide an accurate impression of the weekend.’ ‘”

“The Center for Journalism & Democracy at Howard University announces the hiring of award-winning journalist Kimbriell Kelly (pictured) as its inaugural visiting professor,” Brittany Bailer reported for the university Jan. 17. . . . “Kelly brings more than 20 years of experience to the role. She joined the Los Angeles Times in 2019 as the deputy editor for Enterprise and Investigations and in 2020 was promoted to Washington Bureau Chief.” After becoming part of a layoff at the Times that claimed at least 115 people a year ago, in December Kelly joined Chicago’s Investigative Project on Race and Equity as interim investigations editor.

“Five veteran Indigenous journalists have launched a new organization dedicated to supporting and representing fellow First Nations, Metis and Inuit storytellers,” the Canadian Broadcasting Co. reported Sunday. “The Indigenous Media Association of Canada, or IMAC, will represent Indigenous journalists and media at the federal level, push for better coverage of Indigenous communities by mainstream media and advocate for the implementation of UNDRIP Article 16,” the organization said in a news release, referring to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. “The section states that Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages and to have access to all forms of non-Indigenous media without discrimination. . . .”

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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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