Blacks, Hispanics 40 Percent of U.S. War Dead?
The footage today of the statue of Saddam Hussein being pulled down in Baghdad was indeed breathtaking, as Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said. But have the news media conveyed that a disproportionate share of the ultimate sacrifice has been borne by African Americans and Hispanics?
DeWayne Wickham, columnist for USA Today and Gannett News Service, puts the figure at 40 percent.
“As of this morning, AP reports that 98 American troops have been killed in the Iraq war. At least 18 percent of the dead are African Americans. I’ve reached this total by looking at the photo gallery of dead soldiers on Newsday’s Web site and by checking the hometown papers of those persons whose names appears on the Newsday site without a picture,” says Wickham.
“Remember all the stories that were written in the weeks before the war started about how despite the disproportionately high number of blacks in the military that whites would suffer the most casualties because they are largely in the front line combat units? Well, that so far hasn’t been the case. In fact, if you add blacks and Hispanics together, they account for about 40 percent of the dead, as of today.”
Newspaper Minorities at 12.5%, Missing Goal
The American Society of Newspaper Editors did not reach this year?s benchmarks to increase diversity in newsrooms, according to an ASNE report released Tuesday, reports the student newspaper at the ASNE convention in New Orleans.
ASNE?s goal was to have journalists of color make up 15.6 percent of newsrooms in 2003. But according to the ASNE annual census, only 12.5 percent are minorities.
“This progress amounts to trying to fill a glass a few drops at a time, when the glass just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” said Unity president Ernest R. Sotomayor in Unity’s official statement.
A statement from the National Association of Black Journalists noted that “the report also showed newspapers may be backing off of earlier commitments for diversity in their intern ranks. According to the survey, the number and percentage of minority interns dropped in 2003, now at 30.6 of all interns, down from 31.1 percent last year.
“Newspapers used to pride themselves on looking for young, diverse talent while still in college, and exposing them to the excitement of newsrooms,” said Bryan Monroe, vice president/print. ?This needs to become a priority again.?
?While the improvement is better than in past years, the pace of progress is still inadequate given the enormous growth of the nation?s Latino population and the historic underrepresentation of Latinos in the newsroom,? said Juan Gonzalez, president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, in NAHJ’s statement.
The Asian American Journalists Association, in its statement, called on ASNE to release individual newspaper data by racial or ethnic group.
“ASNE provides percentages and figures of the number of minorities at individual newspapers, the percentages and numbers of minorities at papers by job categories and by circulation size, but it does not provide breakdowns by race at individual newspapers,” the statement said.
“Sharing more detailed information could help the industry recognize areas where weaknesses lie and allow AAJA to suggest ways of addressing them, said [Lisa] Chung [AAJA vice president/print]. It could also help identify strengths at individual newspapers that can be duplicated elsewhere.”
On Diversity, the Newspaper Owner Matters
A study of the ASNE data from the Knight Foundation looked at which papers do better than others at hiring minorities in relation to their community minority figures, ranked newspaper companies and listed the all-white newsrooms.
The summary:
“1. How well do editors know the demographics of their communities?
“One reason that editors may be making only slow progress toward their goal of employing minority journalists is that many editors believe they’re a lot closer to the goal than they actually are.
“When the American Society of Newspaper Editors asks them the size of the minority populations in their communities, their estimate is far more often underestimated, not overestimated.
“2. How many newspapers still have all-white newsrooms?
“No people of color work in 372 American newspapers. Many of these all-white papers are small, but they have a combined weekday circulation of 4,113,752 — more than USA Today, The New York Times and The Washington Post combined. (And that’s not counting the more than 400 newspapers that don’t reply to the ASNE survey.)
“3. How close are most papers to parity with their minority communities?
“Only three out of 10 U.S. newspapers are at least halfway to ASNE’s declared goal.
“4. Aren’t some papers improving?
“Yes. In the past year, 276 papers drew closer to parity with the community. But 215 papers declined. Only a third of the largest newspapers are at their all-time high-water mark in minority share of newsroom seats. The odd ducks are still the one-tenth of big-city dailies whose minority employment has reached parity with their minority communities.
“5. Don’t the largest newspapers hire away all the minorities from smaller newspapers?
“Size matters. But size isn’t determinative. There is a wide variation among newspapers of the same circulation. And some smaller newspapers employ a greater share of minorities than many larger papers.
“6. Does it matter who owns the newspaper?
“Apparently, yes. If you had to guess a newspaper’s minority staff, the first question would be: Who owns it?”
War Makes MSNBC’s Lester Holt a Star
“Lester Holt isn’t impressed that he’s been anointed by media critics as one of the stars of the exhaustive TV coverage of the war in Iraq,” writes J. Freedom du Lac in the Sacramento Bee. “Nice to know people are paying attention, but the plaudits ultimately don’t mean much, says the steely MSNBC anchor with the staggering stamina.”
Mixed Reviews for “Face of the War Effort”
Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, arguably “the face of the U.S. war effort,” has received accolades for the most part, reports Verne Gay in Newsday. “‘From what I’ve seen, he’s quite candid and forthcoming,’ says Joseph Lorfano, former U.S. Navy Commander, who held the daily press briefings in Saigon in 1967 and 1968. ‘I think he’s great. He looks great and talks great, and that’s part of it. You have to get the press to have confidence in what you’re telling them,'” Gay continues.
“Others – yes, professional journalists – are less effusive. ‘He conveys authority, level-headedness, composure and a rational, nonemotional approach to the events,’ says Al Ortiz, CBS News’ executive producer of special events who is an overseer of the network’s war coverage. Yet Brooks, he adds, is also ‘very careful to repeat [the military’s] basic message over and over again and the end result is that there’s a very limited amount of information that’s coming out of the Centcom briefings.’
“One reporter covering the war is more blunt: ‘A lot of us find him robotic. He has five scripted things to say and a lot of stuff he just won’t answer.’ “
Community Media Put Ethnic Feel on Iraq War
“The hundreds of publications and news outlets that make up California’s ethnic media bring the war home to their communities, often in deeply personal ways,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Vietnamese publications compare the fighting in Iraq to what happened in their own country more than a generation ago. Indian publications write how what’s happening in Iraq could ultimately justify an Indian invasion of Pakistan. Spanish-language publications report on tightening borders, and Arab American publications note fears of a backlash.
“Filipino media even played a role in one of the big stories at the start of the conflict: the first capture of U.S. prisoners of war. Anecita Hudson of Alamogordo, N.M., got the news that her son, Army Spc. Joseph Hudson, was taken when she saw him on ABS-CBN’s ‘The Filipino Channel,’ whose U.S. operations are based in Burlingame,” Calif., Dan Fost wrote.
Is TV Still Color-Struck in the Triangle?
Does television news prefer not to put dark-skinned African Americans on the air?
A Durham, N.C., pastor thinks so. Writing about the annual banquet of the Triangle Association of Black Journalists, Carl W. Kenney writes:
“The next to be honored was Renee McCoy. I love that smile. I remember the first time I saw her anchor news with WRAL-TV. I was proud of her. Renee doesn?t fit the traditional image of one who would deliver the news. She?s what you would call a darker shade of black.
“The darker hued blacks normally get relegated to positions behind the scenes. Not McCoy. Her beauty transcended her shade. Her talent was unsurpassed. That smile and her keen insight helped bring the best out of the story. She did more than read the news. She helped us feel the news.”
McCoy, who Journal-isms is told should actually be recognized for her “golden” voice, is no longer on WRAL-TV in Raleigh. The News and Observer reported that she was last on the air on Jan. 25, 2002.
“McCoy was fired, according to WRAL general manager Tom Allen, because the station could no longer accommodate her part-time schedule. McCoy had worked out a deal in 1999 in which she would leave WRAL’s early morning newscast but continue on the noon broadcast. A single parent, she wanted to spend more time with her young daughter. But Allen said McCoy’s schedule conflicted with the station’s needs,” the paper reported.
Unity Notes Non-Diverse Federal Press Corps
Unity and its alliance organizations have commended Knight Ridder and its Washington bureau for its recent hiring of Stephen Henderson as its U.S. Supreme Court correspondent, but says it remains “disappointed that it has taken so long for the Supreme Court press pool to reflect the growing diversity in the nation and the court itself.” Henderson is believed to be the first person of color ever assigned the Supreme Court beat by a mainstream news organization.
“As Unity prepares to hold its convention in Washington in 2004, we hope to work with media executives and their companies to boost the number of people of color in newsrooms that cover the important business of the nation?s capital, from the courts to Congress and the many other government departments and agencies that daily affect the people in our communities,” Unity President Ernest R. Sotomayor wrote to Jerome Ceppos, Knight Ridder vice president, news.
Kudos to Diane Rehm For Pressing O’Connor
Kudos to talk-show host Diane Rehm of National Public Radio for pressing Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, considered the swing vote on affimative action cases, today on whether she considers herself to be a beneficiary of affirmative action.
O’Connor, who became the first woman on the court when Ronald Reagan selected her in 1981, replied that she didn’t know what was in the mind of the man who appointed her. “I didn’t think about it that way,” she said, when pressed. “I thought about it in broader terms. I was concerned about whether I could do the job.” White women have been the chief beneficiaries of affirmative action.
By contrast, yesterday on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America,” another stop on the tour promoting O’Connor’s new book, “The Majesty Of The Law,” affirmative action was never raised.
Knight Ridder Names Interns, Scholarship Winners
Knight Ridder has announced $200,000 in academic scholarship assistance to five high school seniors who aspire to pursue careers in newspaper and online publishing. Each winner receives a $40,000 cash scholarship, payable over four years, four paid internships at Knight Ridder companies and employment within Knight Ridder upon successful completion of the program and college.
The company also named seven aspiring journalists of color as Knight Ridder Rotating Interns for 2003-2004.
In the Rotating Internship Program, started by the former Cap Cities Newspapers and continued by Knight Ridder when it acquired the papers, interns spend a year working at three newspapers for four months at a time. The participating papers are the Kansas City Star, Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Contra Costa Times and St. Paul Pioneer Press. Knight Ridder says it places many interns into full-time jobs upon completion of the program.
The scholarship winners are: Bilal Ahmed, a student at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, Ky.; Jaweed Kaleem, a senior at West Springfield High School in Springfield, Va.; Ching Lo, a senior at St. Paul Central High School in St. Paul, Minn.; Lorraine Monteagut, a senior at Maritime and Science Technology High School (MAST) in Key Biscayne, Fla.; and Ellen Young, a senior at Leland High School in San Jose, Calif.
The “rotating interns” are: Aman Batheja, a senior at New York University; Nicklaus Lovelady, a senior at the University of Louisiana at Monroe; Danielle McNamara, a University of Delaware senior; Ayanna McPhail, a Spelman College graduate; Aimee Santos, a San Jose State University graduate; Blanca Torres, a senior at Vanderbilt University; and Lena Fung Warmack, a master’s degree candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.
“Boondocks” Strip Controversial Again
The Durham (N.C.) Herald-Sun canceled “The Boondocks” and at least three clients ran substitute strips after seeing Aaron McGruder’s March 29 comic, Editor and Publisher reports.
“The strip featured a box, superimposed on the usual cartoon panels, that read: ‘In order to express the outrage and the disappointment at the situation in the Middle East, as well as an upcoming movie starring Cuba Gooding Jr. in which the actor will undoubtedly shame himself and his race, today’s installment of “The Boondocks” will not be appearing. Seriously, folks. Let’s stop the madness. The Bush administration’s hunger for war, and Hollywood’s continued production of movies starring Cuba Gooding Jr., must be stopped.’ “
Another Warning on Media Consolidation
The media industry needs more regulation, not less, Barry Diller, the former studio chief and media mogul who recently resigned as head of Vivendi Universal Entertainment, told the annual National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas, reports Media week.
“Diller said the ‘big, bad truth that I don’t think anyone really understands or gives enough importance to is that the Big Four [broadcast] networks have in fact reconsituted themselves into the oligopoly that the Federal Communications Commission originally set out to curb back in the 1960s.
“Diller warned that the five biggest media coporations — Viacom, Disney, Fox, NBC and AOL Time Warner — are ‘on the verge of controlling the same number of households as the Big Three did 40 years ago,'” Media Week said.
N.Y. Times Out Front on Olatunji Death
Babatunde Olatunji, the Nigerian drummer, bandleader and teacher who was a tireless ambassador for African music and culture in the United States, died on Sunday in Salinas, Calif., reports Jon Pareles in the New York Times today.
Olatunji was 76 and lived at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif. The Times is apparently first out of the box among major papers to report the death.
As Pareles noted, “Mr. Olatunji’s 1959 album, “Drums of Passion,” was the first album of African drumming recorded in stereo in an American studio, and it introduced a generation to the power and intricacy of African music. . . . ‘Drums of Passion’ made Mr. Olatunji the most visible African musician in the United States. Bob Dylan cited him alongside [Martin Luther] King and Willie Mays in ‘I Shall Be Free’ in 1963.
” ‘Drums of Passion’ was hugely influential among musicians, helping to spark a wave of African-jazz fusions in the early 1960’s. ‘Jin-Go-Lo-Ba,’ from ‘Drums of Passion,’ was remade as ‘Jingo’ to become the first single by Santana in 1969.?
The funeral service is to be held April 28 at the Riverside Church in New York; viewing from 9 a.m.; service beginning at 11 a.m.