Maynard Institute archives

Stations Remove Supremacist’s Campaign Ads

by richard0516

FCC Sees No Requirement to Give Candidate Airtime

‘LeBron Sips Water, World Awaits Him Wiping Mouth.”

Mixed Reaction to Obama Speech on Immigration Reform

Blacks Less Demonstrative in Patriotism, Survey Finds

. . . Sunday Also Marks Anniversary of Jack Johnson Fight

Reporters Banned Four Days From Puerto Rican Senate

Awards Spotlight Abuse of Children and Families

Short Takes

White supremacist Glenn Miller said he bought 257 ads on eight radio stations. (Video)

FCC Sees No Requirement to Give Candidate Airtime

Missouri radio stations have stopped running ads for a white supremacist write-in candidate for the U.S. Senate after being advised that they were mistaken in believing that federal law requires them to do so, according to a lawyer representing the Missouri Broadcasters Association.

One of the ads from Frazier Glenn Miller Jr., 69, of Aurora, in rural southwest Missouri, is addressed to “Whitey.” It says in part, “All you care about is your belly, pocket and genitals and watching the coons play ball on television.”

In a story about the ads on KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Mike Shanin, co-host of the “Shanin and Parks Show” on conservative talk station KMBZ-AM, protests that legally, “not to play it puts the license of the station in a terrible position.” Dan Weinbaum, the reporter covering the story, essentially agreed.

Not true, said Gregg Skall, Washington counsel for the Missouri Broadcasters Association.

“In April of this year, the Missouri Broadcasters Association joined by Chris Koster, Attorney General of the State of Missouri and Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri, Inc., filed a request for declaratory ruling with the Federal Communications Commission to determine whether Miller is a ‘bona fide’ write-in candidate for United States Senate entitled to mandatory reasonable access to Missouri’s broadcast airwaves,” according to a statement issued in late June by the association [PDF] .

“On Friday, June 18, 2010, the Missouri Broadcasters Association was advised by telephone that the FCC’s response to its petition would be in the form of informal, oral advice. The advice was received from the Media Bureau’s Policy Division staff. The advice was that, on the facts and pleading submitted by all parties, including Mr. Miller, it would not be unreasonable for Missouri broadcasting stations to determine that Miller is not a bona fide write-in candidate and therefore, Missouri broadcasters may deny him access to broadcast [on] their stations.”

It was Skall who spoke with the FCC. The broadcasters “seem to be very, very pleased” with the decision, he told Journal-isms on Friday. “Some started getting complaints from listeners.”

Skall said that “not a great many” stations had been running the ads, but in a story Thursday by Cory de Vera of the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader, Miller said he had bought 257 ads on eight radio stations. Skall said in the story that one reason Miller’s campaign for statewide office didn’t seem bona fide was that nearly all of Miller’s activities were limited to southwest Missouri.

An unhappy Miller was quoted as saying, “They leave me no choice but to file a lawsuit and get a federal judge to comply with the law, allowing me to campaign on the radio.”

The ads remained on at least one station.

“Dewayne Gandy of Eagle Broadcasting in Aurora said his company has not had a chance to review the ruling, and he would like to review the FCC decision before deciding,” the News-Leader story said.

Gandy “said his stations decided to run the ads because advice he received was that Miller was a legitimate candidate. His station did not receive any backlash from running the ads, which ran with disclaimers citing the parts of the law they were following both before and after Miller’s ads.”

According to the KMBC-TV story, Miller was a leader of the White Patriot Party in North Carolina in the 1980s. “Earlier this year he began submitting radio ads to stations around the state that urged white people to ‘unite’ and ‘take our country back.’ Various ads posted on his campaign Web site use language derogatory to Jews, racial and ethnic minorities,” the News-Leader reported.

The Cleveland Cavaliers website is dominated by a video tribute to its star, LeBron James. (Video)

“LeBron Sips Water, World Awaits Him Wiping Mouth”

Jemele Hill, who has been in South Africa covering the World Cup for ESPN.com, wrote this from Johannesburg on Friday:

“There are two words that are absolutely meaningless in South Africa and honestly, I couldn’t be more relieved.

“The words?

“‘LeBron James.’

“In this corner of the world, there is barely, if any, interest in LeBron. Not a single South African has asked me about where LeBron will play next year. There is no around-the-clock television coverage of his meetings with various NBA teams, since none of the hotels I’ve stayed in have ESPN. There are no newspaper headlines that read, ‘LeBron Takes Sip of Water, World Awaits Him Wiping Mouth.’ “

As if in response, Jerry Brewer wrote Thursday in the Seattle Times, “Apologies to the World Cup, but the biggest event in American sports right now isn’t really an event. It’s a flirtation. It’s a hope.

“No, it’s sad.

“It’s riveting, too.”

For CBSSports.com, Mike Freeman wrote Thursday, “Read somewhere LeBron James’ free agency is going to be the biggest summer bomb starring a young, black superstar since Will Smith in ‘Wild Wild West.’

“That was funny. Made me laugh.

“But LeBron-gasm 2010 isn’t a bust. Watching NBA teams fall all over themselves to recruit James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh is brilliant theatre.

“It’s like watching ‘Survivor’ and ‘Lost’ at the same time.”

Rob Parker wrote for ESPN New York, “It’s the biggest collection of talent ever assembled on the open market at one time,” and “there’s no disputing that the big catch is LeBron James.”

It was difficult for sports columnists to ignore.

President Obama addresses the nation on the need for comprehensive immigration reform Thursday at American University. (Credit: Pete Souza/White House)

Mixed Reaction to Obama Speech on Immigration Reform

President Obama on Thursday gave a long-awaited speech on immigration reform, speaking at the American University School of International Service.

“Seeking to build new momentum on an issue many advocates hoped would be resolved by this point, Obama laid out his rationale for a comprehensive approach to fixing what he and others, Republicans included, say is a broken immigration system,” Darlene Superville reported for the Associated Press.

“He said the problem cannot be solved ‘only with fences and border patrols’ but said the government should be held accountable for its responsibility to secure the border. Obama also said that businesses should face consequences for knowingly employing illegal immigrants. And he said those who enter the country illegally should own up to their actions before they can begin the process of becoming citizens. . . .

“Obama has endorsed a proposal by Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would require illegal immigrants to admit they broke the law, pay fines and back taxes and perform community service to eventually obtain legal status. But Graham since has balked at acting on immigration this year, and no other Senate Republican has come forward.”

On National Public Radio’s “Tell Me More,” columnist Ruben Navarrette of the Washington Post Writers Group said he didn’t expect much action on the issue.

“The Congress has a deadlock, and it’s very simple. Democrats don’t want to talk about this issue because it divides their coalition between Latinos on the one hand and organized labor on the other,” he said. “Republicans don’t want to talk about the issue because it divides their coalition between nativists on the one hand, law-and-order types ‚Äî nativists on the one hand, and big business on the other. So they have this gentlemen’s agreement where they just don’t want to talk about the issue because it’s bad for both parties.”

Blacks Less Demonstrative in Patriotism, Survey Finds

Nearly all Americans consider themselves patriotic and voice pride in being American, but 59 percent of non-Hispanic whites say they are extremely proud of being an American compared with 36 percent of non-Hispanic blacks, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

“People younger than 30 also are less likely than older Americans to say they are extremely proud of being an American,” the center reported on Thursday. “And many of those who voice strong patriotism and pride in the country also are highly critical of the federal government and its political leaders.”

“More men (36%) than women (30%) say they are more patriotic than others and racial and age differences in these attitudes are also noted. More than a third of whites (35%) say they are more patriotic than others, compared with 26% of African Americans. And people age 65 and older were more likely (at 42%) than younger age groups to see themselves as more patriotic than others.

The center, which surveyed 1,001 adults from June 24 to 27, found “Those who give Barack Obama the lowest job ratings ‚Äî predominately Republicans and independents who lean Republican ‚Äî also are more likely to say that they are extremely proud to be an American than are those who give the president more positive ratings.”

The center also said, “The picture is largely the same when it comes to a key way that Americans express their patriotism: displaying the American flag. Asked in a June 8-28 Pew Research survey, nearly six-in-ten (59%) say they show the flag at their home, office, or on their automobile. Men and women are equally likely to do this, but there are large differences by party affiliation, race and age. Majorities of people age 30 and older display the flag, compared with 42% among those ages 18-29. Republicans are more likely than Democrats or independents to display the flag (72% for Republicans, 51% for Democrats and 59% for independents). And far more whites (65%) than African Americans (37%) say they display the flag.”

. . . Sunday Also Marks Anniversary of Jack Johnson Fight

Jack Johnson“July 4 is also 100th anniversary of ‘The Fight of the Century’ between Jack Johnson, Jim Jefferies,” read the headline over Tim Smith’s sports column Friday in the New York Daily News.

“There is no single sporting event in the U.S. to compare it to today. The heavyweight boxing match in 1910 between Jack Johnson and Jim Jefferies, dubbed ‘The Fight of the Century’ was the kind of event that transfixed a nation before the modern age of telecommunications.

“It combined all the hot-button topics that still dominate the American scene today ‚Äì race, politics and sports.

“This Fourth of July weekend will mark the 100th anniversary of that match in Reno that divided a nation and sparked racial riots throughout the country, resulting in the U.S. military being called in to quell hostilities in some cities that resulted in the deaths of at least eight people.”

Producer Ken Burns, who produced a 2005 public television documentary on Johnson, “Unforgivable Blackness,” discussed some of the media coverage of Johnson Friday on National Public Radio’s “Tell Me More”:

“I was drawn, and I actually wrote it down ‚Äî to an editorial in the Los Angeles Times the day after, and it was titled ‘A Word to the Black Man.’ And they’re not speaking about Jack Johnson. They’re speaking about all black people. It was this warning, an ominous and grim warning and it said, do not point your nose too high, do not swell your chest too much, do not boast too loudly, do not be puffed up, let not your ambition be inordinate or take a wrong direction. Remember, you have done nothing at all. You are just the same member of society you were last week. You are on no higher plane, deserve no new consideration and will get none. No man will think a bit higher of you because your complexion is the same as that of the victor of Reno.”

In a Jan. 14, 2005, editorial, written after a meeting with Burns, the Times editorial board recalled its “shameful” words of a century ago and noted that Burns was leading an effort to win Johnson a posthumous presidential pardon.

“Count the members of this editorial board among those who believe that the best way to surmount the past is to confront it. Count us among those asking that Johnson be pardoned,” the Times wrote.

Reporters Banned 4 Days From Puerto Rican Senate

Journalists have regained access to Puerto Rico‚Äôs Senate press gallery after the chamber‚Äôs president lifted a four-day ban on members of the press,” Mike Torralba reported Wednesday for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

“The dispute between the Puerto Rican media and Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz began Thursday when he kicked out reporters and photographers as the lawmakers were in session to discuss the commonwealth‚Äôs budget, according to news reports.”

At the time, Rivera Schatz gave no reason for blocking journalists from covering the discussion but later alleged that a photographer had inappropriately tried to take pictures of papers on his desk, said Oscar Serrano, co-executive director of the Center for Investigative Journalism in San Juan, Torralba wrote. Rivera Schatz did not identify either the photographer or the news organization to which she belonged, Serrano said.

“In an editorial, El Nuevo D??a questioned: ‘Who gave the senate president authority to dictate where a journalist’s job begins or ends? What is the senate president scared of, or worried about?'” Ingrid Bachmann wrote Tuesday for the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas.

Awards Spotlight Abuse of Children and Families

Sharon Dennis, outgoing principal of Detroit's notorious Henry Ford High School,“Heart of the City: Detroit‚Äôs Dropout Factories,” a documentary by Jason Samuels, Grant Clark and Keith Brown of BET News, won in the “video long form” category as winners of the 2010 Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism were announced on Tuesday. The medals are presented by the Journalism Center on Children & Families and funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

“This unvarnished account of high school dropouts in Detroit goes beyond damning generalizations to hold accountable the players at every level ‚Äì from students and their parents to teachers and federal officials. The piece exposes problems that can be applied to troubled school districts across the country. The use of personal stories helps explore the complexities, offer solutions and provide cautionary examples of those who followed the dropout path,” the foundation said.

“All winners receive a Casey Medal and $1,000 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. More than 500 journalists from across the nation entered this year‚Äôs contest. . . . Winners are automatically considered for two additional $5,000 awards presented by the America‚Äôs Promise Alliance.”

Among other winners:

  • “MAGAZINE. ‘Brave New Welfare,’ Mother Jones, Stephanie Mencimer and Monika Bauerlein. The piece offers a raw and revelatory account of Georgia‚Äôs efforts to purge its welfare rolls and put money intended to help the poor toward other programs. That a state could get away with sneakily withdrawing its safety net is both shocking and frightening. Solid reporting, strong writing and a powerful case study provide a fresh look at welfare in a time of economic crisis. Mencimer does a public service by highlighting the issue.”
  • “NONDAILY. ‘For Their Own Good,’ Houston Press, Chris Vogel and Margaret Downing. Who knew that sheriff‚Äôs officials in Harris County, Texas, were placing children as young as 15 in solitary confinement, bereft of counseling, physical activity and education? No one, apparently ‚Äì not even the judges who sent them there. With dogged reporting and compelling writing, Vogel exposes a justice system that seems to have given up on its most vulnerable. The project prompted outrage and action, among legislators, academics and advocates.”
  • “MULTIMEDIA. ‚ÄúFifty-fifty: The odds of graduating,‚Äù WBEZ-FM/Chicago Public Radio, Linda Lutton, Natalie Moore, Julia McEvoy and Sally Eisele. This investigation into a South Side Chicago high school that graduates only 40 percent of its students is thorough, brave and full of impact. The WBEZ team deemed it essential not merely to report the story from a distance ‚Äì as is often done with at-risk communities ‚Äì but to actually embed themselves within their sources. The broad use of multimedia makes it difficult to imagine a closer or more focused look into the heart of this story. The project led officials from Chicago Public Schools, the city‚Äôs juvenile justice system and even performer Kanye West to direct attention and resources to the students at Paul Robeson High.”

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