Dog Story with Happy Ending

Months Later, Owner Finds Pet Was 1,900 Miles Away

People like dog stories, and they like tales with happy endings. This one is both, with the conclusion taking place this weekend amid the devastation of Gulf Coast life after Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans television and radio news veteran Warren Bell, now the spokesman for flood-recovering Xavier University, is to be reunited with his dog, one of thousands of cats, dogs, chickens and other animals that disappeared in the flooding after Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug. 29.

That accomplishment isn’t as simple as it might appear.

His daughter Brianna’s 7-year-old catahoula leopard dog, named the Great Santeeni, was forcibly separated from Bell’s brother, Gavin, by a National Guardsman three days after the storm struck, Bell, who is also a former board member of the National Association of Black Journalists, told Journal-isms.

Gavin Bell “took a long piece of twine and tethered the dog to the porch” of Warren Bell’s godmother’s home in New Orleans. At gunpoint, a guardsman ordered Gavin to leave for the armory.

When Warren Bell returned to retrieve the dog, “all I could find was the collar.” On Sept. 8, he posted a notice of the missing pooch on petfinder.com.

The Xavier University spokesman had relocated to Baton Rouge, La., where he was assuring the news media that the nation’s only historically black Roman Catholic university would be back and advising students and faculty on what they should do in the meantime.

A temporary shelter set up by the Humane Society of the United States in Gonzales, La., housed 6,000 animals before it shut down in mid-October; another 2,400 animals, including 1,000 chickens, were in Hattiesburg, Miss., a spokeswoman said today. And the Humane Society did not run the only shelters.

The Great Santeeni had been taken by one of the many animal rescue workers who came to the city. The dog was being sheltered 1,900 miles away in San Mateo, Calif., by the Peninsula Humane Society, which tries to find foster homes for abandoned pets. But the society was not having much success in placing Santeeni. A volunteer contacted Catahoula Rescue in Flatonia, Texas, which specializes in catahoulas. Word got to Beth Hodgson, a former tour director who, with her husband, breeds catahoulas at their home in Ponchatoula, La., just north of New Orleans.

Hodgson, who is also a volunteer with the Department of Homeland Security’s Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams, recalled seeing Bell’s ad on Petfinder.com. She contacted two volunteers in California to go to the San Mateo shelter and evaluate the dog’s temperament, and this past Sunday, she went to New Orleans to see if the dog was reported lost near where it was reported found. “It was 10 blocks away, just three minutes for a dog,” Hodgson said. “It’s sort of like dog detective work. I said, ‘wow, this is too close.’ I called Warren; he was in a little bit of shock when I told him where I was,” she told Journal-isms.

Hodgson had already arranged for the dog to be flown to New Orleans, and an hour and a half after meeting Bell, they went to meet the dog at the airport. “I kept saying, ‘I hope this was this man’s dog, and not some wild goose chase,'” she recalled. At the airport, Bell called out the dog’s name, but Santeeni ignored him.

Then Bell used an earlier nickname, “Teeny Weenie,” and “his ears shot up, his eyes opened up. He looks even better than before. He was neutered; they inserted a chip so that he can be found anywhere in the world. This was all done at no charge to anyone. This lady was determined to find the rightful owner,” he said of Hodgson.

Still, Hodgson said, not all such stories have happy endings. “Warren is not the norm of what’s going on down here,” she said. “Some of the animals are not doing good. Warren is very lucky to get his animal back. People have died for their animals, and people were forced by gunpoint to leave their animals behind.” Also, “When people have lost everything, and all of a sudden, their animal turns up, most times it’s a good thing. But we’ve had instances where it’s overwhelming to people who have not landed on their feet. They’re still living in hotels. Or they get the animal back and realize they don’t have the resources to deal with the animal and have to give them back.

“We don’t really have any other news here but Katrina news,” Hodgson continued. “We do need to get the news out that it is really bad, and there isn’t enough being done to get things moving.”

Bell plans to be out of his hotel digs this weekend and will be able to take Santeeni back permanently. “We’ll do a grand reunion this weekend,” Hodgson said. The dog, meanwhile is still at Hodgson’s. “He lays around and acts like he owns the place, like he always did,” Bell said.

• John M. Higgins, Broadcasting & Cable: Nagin Praises, Pans Katrina Coverage
• Wiley Hilburn, Shreveport (La.) Times: NBC News keeps spotlight on New Orleans
• Brian Williams, NBC News: A Word About Our Katrina Coverage

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Unity Executive Director Anna Lopez Resigns

Anna Lopez, executive director of Unity: Journalists of Color, the coalition of the associations of black, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American journalists, has resigned, the organization announced today.

Lopez, who previously was director of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, told Journal-isms, “I’ve been doing this for 11 years, between the two associations. I’m going to take some time off. I want a change and to do something new and exciting.”

Lopez joined Unity in July 2003. “UNITY’s successes since 2003 have been due in large part to Anna’s dedication and hard work,” Unity President Mae Cheng said in the statement.

Cheng said the board of directors appointed a committee to launch a nationwide search for a new executive director. Lopez, whose resignation is effective April 1, has agreed to stay on with the organization during the search process, the Unity statement said.

Lopez said she hopes the organization increases its visibility and becomes “a real force in how the industry is changing. There’s some uncertainty about the future of the industry. It’s crucial for Unity to be in the forefront of that. It needs to be a little bit more aggressive in the future,”

The organization needs to be sure its members “are positioned to make change as the industry changes,” she told Journal-isms, and also needs to be “more proactive on FCC issues and media consolidation.” She outlined the challenge this way: “We want our numbers to increase. How can we be sure the numbers increase as our newsrooms are decreasing?”

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WB-UPN Merger Called Blow to “Black” Shows

“The merger of the WB and UPN, announced yesterday to great surprise, solves many of the problems of the two long-struggling networks, ending their vicious ratings competition and allowing the merged entity to dominate the young audience they long divided,” Toni Fitzgerald wrote today in Media Life magazine.

“. . . There will be yet another consequence of the merger that buyers will not be pleased with, one with wider social and political implications,” Fitzgerald continued, speaking of advertisers.

“That is the reduced number of shows aimed at African Americans. That was UPN’s strength, but in the merger only two of the six black shows are likely to make the cut, ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ and ‘Girlfriends.’

“Shows that do well with black audiences often perform poorly in overall ratings. For example, ‘Half and Half’ and ‘One on One,’ both on UPN, rank in the top 10 among black households but consistently at the bottom in total viewers and other demos. The CW,” as the new network will be called, “is expected to target young women more than blacks.

“That would mean, of course, a white, less diverse primetime, one harking back to a time when America saw little but white when it turned on the TV. It will mean fewer blacks in front of the camera, and behind too, and it will mean fewer black faces tuning into broadcast television.”

Neither the WB nor UPN did much, if anything, in news or public affairs.

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Sharpton Asks McGruder to Apologize for TV Cartoon

“The Rev. Al Sharpton called for an apology yesterday from the cartoonist Aaron McGruder and Cartoon Network for an episode about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. broadcast last week on ‘The Boondocks’, depicting the civil rights leader using the word ‘niggers,'” Felicia R. Lee reported today in the New York Times.

“The episode, ‘The Return of the King,’ had its premiere on Jan. 15, the day before the holiday honoring King. The episode’s premise was that after being shot in 1968, King awakens from a coma around 2000 and is frustrated by some black behavior, including sexually explicit hip-hop videos.”

“A Cartoon Network spokesperson said in a statement: ‘This episode in no way was meant to offend or “desecrate” the name of Dr. King. We think Aaron McGruder came up with a thought-provoking way of not only showing Dr. King’s bravery but also of reminding us of what he stood and fought for, and why even today it is important for all of us to remember that and to continue to take action,'” Editor & Publisher reported.

BET.com and the Web site youtube.com were showing excerpts of the controversial episode. The latter Web site is also showing a Jan. 17 “Nightline” interview with McGruder about the episode. In his blog on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Web site, Richard L. Eldredge said the episode will re-air on the Cartoon Network Saturday night.

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Journalists Join in “Comical” Look at Black History

Sports journalist Roy S. Johnson, author Nelson George, Associated Press reporter Nekesa Mumbi Moody, former Vibe editor Emil Wilbekin and King Magazine Editor-in-Chief Datwon Thomas are among those participating in “BET’s Top 25 Most @ #%* Moments in Black History,” a news release from Black Entertainment Television said today.

“Hosted by the controversial and often irreverent” comedian Paul Mooney, “this one-hour special takes a comical look at the intentional, accidental and downright mortifying moments in the lives of key Black figures through original footage and commentary from celebrities, comedians, journalists, industry insiders and even accomplices. Who could forget such celebrity catastrophes like Terrell Owens‘ bizarre antics; Clarence Thomas‘ controversial hearings; and the East Coast/West Coast rap wars?”

The show airs Tuesday from 10 to 11 p.m. Michael Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Diana Ross, Owens and Dave Chappelle are also scheduled to appear.

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Short Takes

• “Knight Ridder is telling prospective buyers that its profits can be sharply increased by cutting jobs and benefits and reducing the size of some of its 32 newspapers,” Pete Carey reported today in Knight Ridder’s San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.
• “WCIN-AM 1480, Cincinnati’s oldest black radio station, will be sold to pay debts of more than $950,000,” Cliff Peale reported Monday in the Cincinnati Enquirer. “A federal district court in Cincinnati appointed a receiver last week to control and sell the station. Its primary asset is the Federal Communications Commission license and signal that now will be sold to the highest bidder.”
• Rapper Kanye West poses as Jesus on the cover of Rolling Stone, “but yesterday, usually outraged Catholic League gadfly William Donohue had trouble working up much spleen,” George Rush and Joanna Molloy wrote today in the New York Daily News. “This kind of thing has become commonplace,” Donohue told the two gossip writers.
• “The Department of Defense must release the identities of hundreds of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainees, a judge said Monday,” ruling for the Associated Press, the AP’s Larry Neumeister reported Monday. “U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff said the government must provide The Associated Press with unredacted copies of transcripts and documents related to 558 military hearings in which detainees were permitted to challenge their incarcerations.”
• “The McClatchy Co. will begin distributing its Spanish-English newspaper, Vida en el Valle (Life in the Valley), in the Sacramento and Stockton markets next month, hoping to tap into a growing Latino population in the Central Valley,” Clint Swett reported Tuesday in the Sacramento (Calif.) Bee. “The free weekly paper, published by the Fresno Bee, will boost its distribution to more than 167,000, making it the nation’s largest Latino-focused weekly, according to Valerie Bender, Vida en el Valle’s publisher.”
• “Joe Moreno, WNBC/Ch. 4’s weekend morning weathercaster, is back on the injured reserve list, where he’s recovering from a bad back,” Richard Huff reported Tuesday in the New York Daily News. “Moreno injured his back while working in the studio on Oct. 29. He returned last month, but now he’s out again with his injury.”
• “Black Family Channel and American Urban Radio Networks have entered into a partnership which includes cooperative sales and marketing efforts, cross-platform program promotion and branded content offerings on both networks,” the Radio Ink Web site reported.
• “Janet Rollé has been named to the new position of vp and general manager of AOL’s Women’s & Lifestyle Programming division,” Media Week reported. “Rollé will oversee editorial content for multiple channels on AOL, including Beauty & Style, Diet & Fitness, Food, Health and Parenting. In addition, Rollé will continue to serve as the vp and general manager of AOL Black Voices, a position she has held since joining the company last July.”
• Lynette R. Holloway, who as a New York Times reporter covered hip-hop, has been writing for Ebony magazine for a little over a year, she said today, covering a range of topics. As a Times writer, her attempt at a complex business story prompted what amounted to a story-length correction, and she resigned in 2003 in the post-Jayson Blair climate. Since both are African American, some media writers had linked the two.
• Uganda has authorized its Media Centre “to investigate all foreign journalists entering the country because they have become a ‘security concern’,” Frank Nyakairu and Natabaalo Grace of Uganda’s Monitor newspaper, published in Kampala, reported late last week.
• Six trustees of Zimbabwe’s independent news production company Voice of the People were charged with broadcasting without a license, which carries a potential two-year prison penalty, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported Tuesday.
• The Committee to Protect Journalists registered its outrage Monday at the Ethiopian government’s weekend expulsion of Associated Press correspondent Anthony Mitchell. Mitchell, who reported news Friday of renewed clashes between police and protesters in the capital, Addis Ababa, left Sunday after government officials gave him 24 hours to depart, CPJ said Tuesday.