Local Blacks Criticize St. Pete Times
The St. Petersburg, Fla., NAACP challenged the Times Publishing Co. Tuesday to appoint an African American to its all-white board of directors by February in honor of Black History Month. Andrew Barnes, Times chairman and chief executive officer, said, “No one feels more frustrated about this [situation] than I,” and acknowledged that “I have failed to attract African-American candidates for these key executive jobs,” from which board candidates are chosen. In April the newspaper created the position of diversity officer and named Sebastian Dortch, a veteran editor with experience in national and local news, to the job.
Vicente Fox to Address NAHJ
Mexican President Vicente Fox will kick off the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention at an opening plenary session in Tijuana, Mexico, today, June 12. The session will focus on U.S.-Mexico relations. Univision anchor and syndicated columnist Maria Elena Salinas will moderate the discussion that will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. PST. The plenary will be Webcast live on Videonewswire. The NAHJ convention then moves to San Diego and will run through June 15.
Newspaper Business Pages More Diverse?
Journalists of color may be better represented on business and financial news staffs than they are in newsrooms at large, according to a survey from Baruch College in New York, conducted with the support of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
The survey of 21 major newspapers found that people of color comprise 22.7 percent of business-news staffs: 7.9 percent were Asian American, 7.6 percent Hispanic and 7 percent African American.
The American Society of Newspaper Editors found that 12.07 percent of all newsroom staff came from minority groups, but ASNE includes many smaller papers that have no people of color at all.
Black Television Women Filing Suit on Both Coasts
Black women on both coasts are suing their television stations charging discrimination. In Los Angeles, Angela Black, once one of a few female, African American weekday news anchors, is accusing KCBS of racism, age and sex discrimination, retaliation, slander and defamation of character. She claims she was fired without cause or notice in September.
In Philadelphia, Beverly Williams, who turned 55 in May, is suing KYW-TV alleging race, sex and age discrimination. Once one of the station’s top anchors, she says she was repeatedly demoted and wants her old position back.
Jay Harris Reportedly a Finalist as Columbia Dean
The search for the next dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University appears to have narrowed to three candidates: journalists James Fallows and Alex Jones and former publisher Jay Harris, says columnist Paul Colford in the New York Daily News. Harris resigned last year as publisher of the San Jose Mercury News after parent company Knight Ridder mandated profit targets that Harris said he couldn’t abide. He has since spoken widely on the toll taken by profit targets on journalism.
Latin Dailies Pamper Their Young Siblings
To attract younger readers, some Latin American dailies try the same things their U.S. counterparts do: They serve up bigger doses of entertainment and sports, and surround tightly written news stories with bold graphics. But these days an increasing number of Latin American publishers are leaving their flagship newspapers alone — and starting new papers unmistakably targeted at the young.
What’s in It for Local Black Community?
A letter writer to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asks how bringing to town such groups as the National Association of Black Journalists, which convenes in the city from July 31 to Aug. 4, helps the local black community.
Women Journalists’ Role in Newsrooms Shrinking
Studies show women journalists’ role in America’s newsrooms is shrinking, even though women predominate in undergraduate and graduate journalism programs, and have for decades. Women of color at newspapers comprise only 2.99 percent of all women. And a study by the White House Project found that women accounted for 11 percent of all guest appearances on Sunday talk shows in 2000 and 2001.
Hispanic Link Eyes Present and Future
The Hispanic Link News Service has been around since 1980, so many of its former interns are working at newspapers. But Hispanic Link is still trying to make the demographics of journalism more closely resemble the demographics of the country.