Glenn Rice Received “Strong Disciplinary Actions”
Kansas City star reporter Glenn E. Rice, who resigned as treasurer of the National Association of Black Journalists after an alternative newspaper raised allegations that he had plagiarized portions of a music review, was the subject of “strong disciplinary actions,” Star Editor Mark Zieman said in a Star article published today.
The article also said that “after receiving the complaint, The Star conducted a larger examination of his work.”
The writer of the alternative weekly story that prompted the public disclosure of the incident, C.J. Janovy, editor of The Pitch, told Journal-isms today that “we’re pleased to see that the Star has finally addressed an issue that several journalists in Kansas City knew was going on — an issue of Mr. Rice’s plagiarism and discipline.”
She said she believed that a sports columnist at the paper early in the ’90s, Gib Twyman, was fired for plagiarism, though Rice was not. However, an Associated Press story from Dec. 14, 1993, says that Twyman was suspended for three weeks over a column on the NFL that some readers charged was taken in part from a story in Sports Illustrated. “Twyman said he was not found guilty of plagiarism. He will not be paid during his suspension,” the story said.
“Plagiarism is a serious ethical breach, whether it involves a Page One story or a review inside the paper,” Zieman was quoted as saying in today’s paper. “Our examination of Glenn’s music coverage revealed serious problems that had to be addressed. We took a series of strong disciplinary actions.” Those actions were not specified, but the next paragraph said, “Rice was reassigned last year from his beat covering Jackson County government to working in The Star’s bureau covering the Northland.” Zieman did not respond to requests for comment today.
The incident took place in May 2002 but was not disclosed, even to the NABJ, until The Pitch appeared last Thursday with an article that was also published in its online edition.
The Pitch story said: “Zieman wasn’t eager to tell us when we contacted him last week to ask about Rice’s apparent plagiarism. ‘As I wrote in my Sunday column, we appreciate it when ethical issues are brought to our attention at The Star, we take them extremely seriously and we investigate them thoroughly,’ he wrote in an e-mail to the Pitch on Friday, June 27. ‘We take strong action when it is warranted, with the level of discipline based on the facts of each case. Generally, however, I cannot comment on specific personnel issues.'”
The story also said, “Maybe it’s presumptuous of us to suggest that race is the reason Rice kept his job.” NABJ President Condace Pressley, in a statement Monday night disclosing Rice’s resignation, said, “Those who use these incidents as a platform against diversity have a fallacious argument at best.” Janovy said she did not intend her statement as a platform against diversity, only that the Star benefited from having an NABJ officer on staff.
Some younger black journalists feared the incident would reflect on them. “NO!!!! Not again. . . . said one writer to the young black journalists’ e-mail list. “This doesn’t make US look good. That makes me angry.”
In an interview with The Associated Press Tuesday, Pressley said the incident “breaks my heart” because she considered Rice a close friend.
“I was greatly disappointed in that he was unable to tell me exactly why it was he sought to step down,” she said. Rice has avoided commenting, telling the Star that “I am trying to move forward.”
Sign of Times? Michael Savage Fired
MSNBC on Monday fired Michael Savage for anti-gay comments in a sign of what Los Angeles Times media writer Tim Rutten calls changing times.
“In 1963, every state in the union had a law against sodomy; in 2003, a popular talk-show host was fired in less than 48 hours for telling a gay caller to ‘get AIDS and die,'” writes Rutten.
“Even Savage, who by all evidence is a man beyond shame, felt compelled to apologize Tuesday on his Website: ‘This was an interchange between me personally and a mean-spirited vicious setup caller which I thought was taking place off the air. It was not meant to reflect my views of the terrible tragedy and suffering associated with AIDS. I especially appeal to my listeners in the gay community to accept my apologies for any inadvertent insults which may have occurred.’
However, it’s also true, as the Associated Press reported, that “Savage didn’t translate into a television hit. He increased the ratings for the time slot marginally, according to MSNBC.”
AP reported:
“The incident that resulted in his firing began innocently enough. Savage was taking viewer phone calls about airline horror stories, and a male caller began talking about smoking in the bathroom.
“‘Half an hour into the flight, I need to suggest that Don and Mike take your . . .’ the caller said, before he was cut off and his words became unintelligible.
“‘So you’re one of those sodomists. Are you a sodomite?’ Savage asked.
“The caller replied: ‘Yes, I am.’
“‘Oh, you’re one of the sodomites,’ Savage said. ‘You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How’s that? Why don’t you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat a sausage and choke on it.’
“He asked for another phone caller who ‘didn’t have a nice night in the bathhouse who’s angry at me today.’
“These bums ‘mean nothing to me,’ he said.”
Macarena Turns Down N.Y. Times, Gets Promotion
The New York Times tried and failed to woo Macarena Hernandez, the Rio Grande Valley correspondent for the San Antonio Express-News whose story was plagiarized by Jayson Blair and led to Blair’s downfall at the New York Times, according to Hernandez’s editor, Robert Rivard.
Rivard wrote in his column that the wooing took place at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in New York.
“One of the Times’ editors present in the audience that day openly chatted with me afterward about the newspaper’s interest in Hernandez, even gloating as she walked away, ‘She’s ours,'” Rivard writes.
“The publisher of another major newspaper jokingly introduced me moments later to someone as ‘Macarena’s former editor.’
“That’s not how the story ends.
“We made an announcement in our own newsroom last week that Macarena Hernandez has decided to stay at the Express-News, accepting a promotion to our projects team, a job that will remove her from daily reporting along the border, but leave her down there to develop longer, more meaningful stories.”
FCC Ownership Rules Called Poorly Written
“The Federal Communications Commission’s new media ownership rules are so poorly rationalized that they’re in danger of being thrown out by the courts,” Doug Halonen writes in Television Week.
“That was a key concern voiced by industry critics last week after the FCC released the 257-page explanation of its controversial June 2 vote.
“‘They’re a mish-mash,’ said Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America of rules that would permit one company to own up to three TV stations, the local cable system, several radio stations and the daily newspaper in some markets.”
Spike Lee, Viacom Settle Over “Spike TV”
“After squabbling for weeks with Viacom Inc. over plans to rename its TNN cable network Spike TV, filmmaker Spike Lee said he looked forward to working with the entertainment giant,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“‘I no longer believe that Viacom deliberately intended to trade on my name when naming Spike TV,’ Lee said in the statement, which was released as his lawyer, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., and Viacom attorney David Boies finalized a settlement. Lee added in the statement that he was ‘pleased to be able to resolve this matter and be able to work with Viacom on new projects.’
“Lee filed suit against Viacom last month alleging that the company was exploiting his name to attract viewers to its male-oriented programming. Viacom argued that Spike TV had no connection to the director and said it lost nearly $17 million when it had to revamp the channel’s new advertising campaign pending a court ruling.
“Lee formally dropped his lawsuit Tuesday, allowing Viacom’s TNN cable network to go ahead with its planned name change.
“No money changed hands in the settlement, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity. Viacom also did not reach any new filmmaking deals with Lee, the source said.”
Lee said: “On reviewing the circumstances, I no longer believe that Viacom deliberately intended to trade on my name when naming Spike TV. As an artist and filmmaker, I feel that protection of freedom of expression is a critical value and I am concerned that my efforts to stop Viacom from using the Spike TV name could have the unintended consequence of threatening the First Amendment rights of Viacom and others.”
Hawaii Convention Bureau Picking Up Reporters’ Bill
“In an unusual arrangement, the Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau is covering the airfare and hotel bills of the television reporting team that is accompanying Gov. Linda Lingle to Japan,” the Honolulu Advertiser reports.
“The HVCB, which receives about 90 percent of its money from state taxpayers, has budgeted $200,000 for the trip, including travel expenses for a reporter and cameraman from KITV-4, the ABC affiliate.
“The arrangement is considered unusual because it essentially involves government officials arranging for news coverage of themselves. To avoid the appearance of conflict, news organizations usually pay their own way, especially when covering stories involving politicians and government officials.
“Gerald Kato, a former newspaper and television reporter who is an associate professor of journalism at the University of Hawai’i, said the deal raises many questions.
“If someone has a direct interest in getting coverage for the trip, that raises all kinds of concerns about media independence,” he said.
Restaurateur B. Smith Hired for TV One
“Former model and restaurateur B. Smith has often been called the ‘black Martha Stewart’ in the press because she has a syndicated TV show, a Web site, cookbooks and a line of bed and bath products,” as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution put it. Now she is the key to afternoon programming for TV One, the new Comcast-Radio One cable network targeting African Americans, says the New York Daily News.
“Both Cox and Time Warner Cable said they’re in talks with TV One,” the News said. CEO Johnathan Rodgers “wants TV One to be carried in the country’s top 20 markets, including New York, on day one.
“The key to wooing cable operators will be compelling programming and Rodgers says he has it. Among his recent hires: B. Smith, the African-American domestic diva who will be a cornerstone of the network’s afternoon programing block.
“‘The reception to TV One at the highest levels has been superb,’ Rodgers said. “We’re in conversations. In three weeks, I’m hoping we will have some resolution.”
“Rodgers, the former head of Discovery Networks, is a highly regarded broadcasting veteran who built up cable networks like Animal Planet. He said his mission is not to replace BET but to complement it.
“‘Imagine if there were only one TV channel that chronicled your life and that channel was MTV,’ Rodgers said. ‘It’s a near tragedy that there is only one network for African-Americans. It’s why you need choices. It’s about co-existence.'”