L.A. TV Newswomen Flaunt Physical Attributes
“‘KTLA Morning News’ anchor Sharon Tay’s seductive gaze from the pages of a men’s magazine suggests that the headlines of the day are the last thing on her mind,” writes Greg Braxton in the Los Angeles Times. “Bold lipstick accents her prominent lips, and few might disagree that she wears her clothes ?- what there is of them -? well.
“But despite posing in various stages of undress in the March issue of Razor magazine, Tay, who anchors the 5 to 7 a.m. edition of the news, insists she has no aspirations to be America’s Next Top Model.
“‘Oh, no, no, NO!’ says the petite Tay, shaking her head vigorously. ‘I’m way too short!’
“Now Tay’s ‘fashion’ pictorial has revived the debate about the blurring of boundaries between news and entertainment. While some TV newswomen, such as Fox 11’s Jillian Barberie and KTLA’s Mindy Burbano, have emphasized sexuality to promote themselves and their newscasts for several years, the emergence of news anchors using magazines and websites to flaunt their physical attributes has heightened concerns about the boundaries between journalism and show business, with academics, news directors and rival anchors denouncing the practice.”
Tay is not the only broadcaster of color mentioned in Braxton’s piece.
“KCOP’s nightly ‘UPN News 13’ anchor Lauren Sanchez often appears in miniskirts, boots and revealing blouses, delivering stories at a hyper pace underscored by techno music,” the story continues
And there is KCAL-TV afternoon anchor Mia Lee.
“While few are willing to speak publicly, several news directors, anchors, reporters and news executives at rival stations are privately blasting Sanchez, Tay and their respective stations for what they called irresponsibility and prioritizing shallowness above journalistic integrity,” Braxton continues. “Said one rival station executive: ‘Either you’re going to be in the news business or you’re in the entertainment business. But you can’t do both.'”
Edwin Chen Gets in Question at Bush Conference
Edwin Chen of the Los Angeles Times was the only journalist of color President Bush called on Tuesday night at his first news conference since December, but a few others could be identified in the room of more than 75 journalists. They include April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks, Wayne Washington of the Boston Globe and William Douglas of Knight Ridder’s Washington Bureau.
Chen was one of 15 asking Bush a question; his was about the Aug. 6, 2001, Presidential Daily Briefing.
“You pointed out that it did not warn of a hijacking of airplanes to crash into buildings, but that it warned of hijacking to, obviously, take hostages and to secure the release of extremists being held by the U.S. Did that trigger some specific actions on your part and the administration, since it dealt with potentially hundreds of lives and a blackmail attempt on the United States government?” Chen asked.
Bush responded that he considered the report “mainly history” but that “all those reports concern me.”
Time Warner’s Parsons to Lead Unity Workshop
The first list of workshops taking place at the Unity 2004 convention Aug. 4-8 in Washington is on the Unity Web site, with the caveat that it is incomplete and subject to change.
One is “A Conversation with Dick Parsons,” with this description:
“The African-American head of the largest media company in the world — AOL Time Warner — will talk about diversity and media today and will answer questions from Unity partners and members of the audience.”
All told, 126 workshiops are listed, with 19 more going up shortly, according to M. Brandon Frazier, program development manager. In addition, the black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American journalist associations will have four workshops apiece, and eight to 10 more focused on multicultural issues are planned.
Some of the others already up:
- “Race Reporting
“This workshop will aim to get the audience to come up with some best practices in race reporting, which Newswatch will record and publish on its website. As America grows into a majority ?minority? nation by the midpoint of this century, and as we find ourselves as a nation increasingly linked to peoples of color all over the world, race has come into mainstream America.” - “Doing Cross Cultural Investigations: The Challenges and Solutions
“Investigative stories in different cultures present additional challenges for journalists. This panel will deliver advice and list resources for planning and carrying out such investigations while remaining sensitive to, and respectful of, cultural differences and avoiding the common pitfalls.” - “Brown V. Board of Education: 50 Years Later
“It’s been half a century since the groundbreaking decision that changed the American educational system. What have we accomplished in 50 years? Where do we go from here? Education leaders and journalists discuss the current state of American education and students of color.” - “Ultimate Minority TV Network Summit
“Minority-focused cable networks collectively reach hundreds of millions of viewers and are redefining the industry. Top programming chiefs discuss their programming strategies, unique challenges, and ways of getting respect from the industry and mainstream media.”
NAHJ Faulted for Lack of Latino Sportswriters
“Among full-time baseball beat writers at English-language newspapers, few are fluent in Spanish,” note Tom Weir and Mike Dodd in a USA Today story today about the communications problems of Latino baseball players. The piece includes a complaint about the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
“Ecuador-born Jaime Jarrin, who received the Hall of Fame’s Ford Frick award for his Spanish broadcasts of the World Series and Dodgers games, says there are ‘definitely’ fewer than 10 baseball writers fluent in Spanish and perhaps fewer than five. None of USA TODAY’s baseball writers are fluent in Spanish,” the story says.
“‘It would appear to make sense for media properties to hire bilingual beat writers or encourage their baseball writers to learn Spanish,’ says Jose de Jesus Ortiz, a bilingual Mexican-American who covers baseball for the Houston Chronicle. ‘With that said, the leadership of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists has done an embarrassing job in helping sports editors find and groom Latino writers. . . . Latino sportswriters have made strides without NAHJ, but you can’t complain about the lack of Latino writers when the most powerful Latino journalism group doesn’t prepare qualified candidates.’
“Among Ortiz’s complaints is that NAHJ dropped the sports category from its annual awards.
“Juan D. Gonzalez, the NAHJ president and a news columnist for the New York Daily News, says the organization has worked at increasing internships for Latino sportswriters, but that’s just one of many challenges NAHJ faces.
“‘There aren’t enough Latino business reporters, there aren’t enough Latino entertainment reporters,’ he says. ‘It’s not surprising to me that sports has lagged behind even the other poorly represented areas of the newsroom. . . . Sports sections generally aren’t the most progressive sections of a newspaper,'” the story continues.
4 Black Writers Look at Cuban Race Relations
DeWayne Wickham, editor of BlackAmericaWeb.com, columnist Courtland Milloy and Style section writer Lonnae O’Neal Parker of the Washington Post and columnist Gregory Kane of the Baltimore Sun are in Cuba looking at race relations.
“More than 90 percent of Cubans in South Florida are white; over 60 percent of the people in Cuba are black,” the Web site notes. “In this series, BlackAmericaWeb.com examines the role that race plays in Cuba ?- and in the tug-of-war between the government of Fidel Castro and Cuban exile leaders in Florida.”
So far, the Web site has run “For Young Cubans, a Test of Ideas is at Hand, “by Parker; “Multi-hued Natives Take Pride in their Many Colors,” by Kane; and “U.S. Election will have Great Impact on Cuba” by Wickham.
Asian Journalists Present Male Broadcasters on DVD
In response to the “glaring lack of Asian American male reporters and anchors,” the Asian American Journalists Association announced in January it would compile a “Men of AAJA Showcase” DVD to unveil at next week’s joint convention of the Radio-Television News Directors Association and National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas.
Done.
“More than 60 broadcasters — large-, mid- and small-market reporters and anchors, network correspondents, and graduating journalism students — are featured on the DVD. While they all submitted their clips to promote Asian American men in broadcasting, not all are in search of new jobs,” AAJA says in a news release.
A study commissioned by AAJA in 2002 found only 20 Asian American male anchors and reporters in the 25 largest television markets.
“I believe we’ll remember 2004 as the year that Asian American men became more visible in broadcast journalism. We’ll credit AAJA’s bold initiative for spotlighting the wealth of talent in our midst,” said Jill Geisler, leadership and management group leader at the Poynter Institute and a veteran news director, in the release.
In Pittsburgh, “Irresponsibility Carried the Day”
After two racial incidents at local student newspapers, Ervin Dyer, president of the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, took to the opinion pages of the paper he works for, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“In March, the student newspaper at North Allegheny Senior High School published an editorial criticizing affirmative action as a form of ‘new racism.’ A related cartoon depicted a series of handicapped parking spaces reserved for racial minorities,” he recounted.
“Less than a month later, Carnegie Mellon University’s student newspaper, The Tartan, published an April Fool’s satire issue that, among other distasteful things, extolled the virtues of Asian porn, joked about rape of a teacher and used the word ‘nigger’ in a cartoon.
“While the North Allegheny case almost could be dismissed as uninformed children playing with the race card, the Carnegie Mellon disaster was an utter abomination and abuse of power. The magnitude of the offense and the half-baked explanations offered by the offenders suggest that something pathological may be at work.
“. . . It is noteworthy that the top leadership of both publications is white and male. Given that they enjoy distinct advantages because of white privilege and male privilege — benefits that accrue to them because of their skin color and gender — a legitimate question might be: Why are they afraid?
“. . . Ethics is the foundation of good journalism. Truth is its stock in trade. Students need room to make mistakes, and educators have an obligation to guide and nurture them. Sadly, in both of these cases, irresponsibility carried the day.”
A Matthew Shepard Case With Different Cast?
The 1998 beating death in Wyoming of Matthew Shepard, a white gay college student who was beaten and tied to a fence post, prompted hundreds of stories and continues to be used as a reference point in discussing hate crimes. Two white men, both 21, were sentenced to life in prison.
This morning’s Raleigh News & Observer contains a similar story — only the suspects are black, the victim is white, and the location Southern and urban.
“One of the suspects in the killing of Sean Ethan Owen told police how he and two other Durham men wanted to steal a car, found their intended victim on a gay chat line and lured him to his death along the banks of the Eno River,” begins a story by Benjamin Niolet.
“Matthew Lawrence Taylor, 16; Shelton Deangelo Epps, 21; and Derrick Arness Maiden, 18; have been charged in the February killing and remain jailed. Their cases are likely to be heard soon by a grand jury. But at a bail hearing for Taylor this month, the first detailed account of the killing became public. The account reveals the three used the gay telephone chat line as a hunting ground, but what began as a robbery plot ended in a violent death. . . .”
“We were going to get the gay guy high to steal his car,” Epps told police. “[Taylor] said if the guy was not smooth, he would shoot him.”
Then there are the details.
“In front of the car, Taylor pulled the revolver, cocked the hammer and put the gun to Owen’s head. Epps remembered that Owen said, ‘Please don’t do this to me,’ and turned to run.
“Taylor fired. Owen was hit in the head but did not fall. The three ran after him, and each hit Owen in the face. Owen was trying to get back inside his car while Epps, now holding the gun, tried to get a clean shot. Owen kept fighting.
“‘The old boy is still moving. I’m thinking, “This boy is a soldier,” ‘ Epps said in the statement,” the story continued. After abusing the body some more, they rolled it into the river.
It will be interesting to note who pays attention to this story, and whether anyone examines where these young men learned their values.
Greg Stanford to Be Honored by Marquette U.
Gregory Stanford, a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial writer and columnist, is to be honored with a “Byline Award” from his alma mater, the College of Communication at Marquette University, from which he graduated in 1968. The ceremonies take place Saturday, April 24.
Carlos Cisneros, Scion of Media Family, Dead at 38
“Carlos Enrique Cisneros, former president of the Cisneros Television Group and 2001 Miami Beach Citizen of the Year, was found dead in his Los Angeles home Saturday night. He was 38,” Christina Hoag reports in the Miami Herald.
“Cisneros, nephew of Venezuelan media mogul Gustavo Cisneros, became known as a young entrepreneur in a cutting-edge medium. He paired that high business profile with philanthropic activism.
“He served two years as president of the board of trustees of Miami Art Museum and was active in charity fundraisers, including those for AIDS causes.
“In 1999, he was named a World Economic Forum ‘Global Leader for Tomorrow.’ The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce lauded him as Citizen of the Year in 2001.
“The circumstances of his death remain cloudy, officials said.
“He died of ‘an overdose of an unknown medication,’ said David Campbell, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.”
“His death is being investigated as a possible suicide, Campbell said. Toxicology results are not expected for six to eight weeks,” the story said.
Pitts: Hampton U. Incident Was “Frightening”
“Leonard Pitts, named last week as the 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner for commentary, was interviewed by Earl Caldwell before an audience of about 90 people at Hampton University Monday,” reports Wayne Dawkins for the electronic newsletter of the Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals.
“This semester, Pitts, whose Miami Herald column is syndicated in 150 daily newspapers, commutes from Maryland to teach HU students twice a week [at] the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.
“Pitts fielded a dozen audience questions, including this one: Had he been teaching at HU last semester, would he have written about the administration confiscating the student newspaper because of a disagreement over story placement?
“Pitts replied that he was about to write a commentary last October, but withdrew when the administration and students appeared “to work things out” (a task force was convened).
“Nevertheless, Pitts called the incident ‘a frightening infringement’ by the administration, and [said] the school must be in the business of educating the next generation of journalists and show profound respect for the core values of the craft.
“‘Otherwise,’ Pitts said, ‘this is not journalism.’
“He said these words about 30 minutes after acting president JoAnn Haysbert, the person who had the papers confiscated, introduced Pitts and said, ‘Every school is probably envious of HU’ for having a Pulitzer Prize winner on campus.
“Pitts said his first published article appeared in the black-owned Los Angeles Sentinel when he was 14 years old. His first professionally published piece (read, he was paid) was in the former Soul magazine when he was age 18, circa 1976.”
“‘Stop aspiring and start doing’ was Pitts’ advice to a young male questioner,” Dawkins wrote.
And If Jayson Blair Says It’s Raining . . .
At a New York Times Co. shareholders meeting at Manhattan’s New Amsterdam Theatre, Cliff Kincaid, editor of Accuracy in Media Report, a conservative watchdog publication, pressed Times Chairman Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. about newsroom tales told in disgraced Times reporter Jayson Blair’s book, according to Paul D. Colford in the New York Daily News.
“If you choose to believe this gentleman, that’s your problem,” Sulzberger said of Blair. “I am not interested in what Jayson Blair has to say about anything,” according to Colford’s account.
“As shareholders applauded Sulzberger, he said that if Blair ‘told me it was raining outside today, I probably wouldn’t bring my umbrella,'” Colford wrote.