Focus to Shift to Hispanics, Asians, Muslims, Gays
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After a “town meeting” in southeast Texas on racism involving African Americans, CNN announced Tuesday night it would look at the treatment of other groups.
“In the weeks ahead on this show,” host Paula Zahn announced, “we are going to broaden our discussion to look at discrimination and intolerance against other groups of people in America, against Hispanics, Muslims, Asians, gays and women. And we would welcome any input you might have into that debate.”
She urged viewers to e-mail their suggestions and comments to CNN.com.
The race discussion affected the Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise, the newspaper reporting on the event, which hosted an online chat before, during and after the show that lasted more than six hours.
At the paper, “Some people think we should stop writing about it,” Dee Dixon, a black journalist, told Journal-isms. “Racism is a hard thing to talk about.”
The Tuesday night meeting, Dixon reported Wednesday, “served as a springboard for dialog, said some people who attended the Tuesday night event.
“Vidor Mayor Joe Hopkins, who on Monday decided not to participate in the CNN forum, watched it and came away from the program disappointed about much of the dialog.”
On the show, Zahn said of Hopkins, “He feels very strongly that Vidor is being exploited as a symbol of racism in America, even though they say it is not that way anymore.”
Vidor was once a “sundown town,” where blacks were in danger if they were spotted after sundown.
“Melanie Wright, 27 of Vidor, was the first participant to address the panel,” Dixon’s story said.
“‘It’s been an interesting week. So many people didn’t want to come because they feel they will get burned,’ said Wright, who said things have changed. As an example, she said the high school last year selected its first black Mr. Vidor High School.
“After the show she and a group of friends gathered outside the Jefferson Theatre to talk about the event.
“They said the people who said they had bad experiences related to race were a minority and that people shouldn’t focus so much attention on the fact that they had the bad experience.”
Anti-racism writer Tim Wise, author of “White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son” and one of the CNN panelists, “issued a challenge to people who say black people should get over whatever injustice they experienced.
“‘When white folks stop telling blacks to move on, then we can actually talk about reconciliation. But it’s hard to move on when you are the only one being asked to do that,’ Wise said. “We’re not told that as Jews; black folks shouldn’t be told that either.”
Panelists such as Roland S. Martin, editor of the Chicago Defender, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, the New York activist, said the talk about race was necessary. “You can’t save your marriage with one conversation. It starts a continuing process over and over. Whether it’s church, community, whether it’s city council, county government, it has to continue for it to take effect,” said Martin.
On the Enterprise’s message boards, the talk was a lot less genteel.
“What upsets me the most is these out of town journalists claim to be holy than thou,” wrote an anonymous poster. “The truth is everyone is somewhat racists. I [wonder] how these perfect people would react if there daughter brought home a black boy. I can tell you that 90% of them [would] become racists real quick.”
The executive producer of “Paula Zahn Now” is Victor Neufeld; the senior producer of the racism special was Tom Goldstone.
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Victoria Valentine Stepping Down as Crisis Editor
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After nearly six years as editor in chief of the NAACP magazine the Crisis, Victoria L. Valentine, who formerly wrote for the defunct Emerge magazine, is stepping down.
“She’s done it for six years, and she’s done it superbly,” Roger Wilkins, the history professor, civil rights activist and onetime newspaper editorial writer who serves as Crisis publisher, told Journal-isms on Wednesday.
“But she’s now at a point in her life where she feels she ought to move on. I would dissuade her if I could.”
The Crisis, founded by the NAACP in 1910 with W.E.B. Du Bois as its first editor, is virtually the only national African American magazine devoted to social-policy issues. The Washington-based publication has a circulation of 250,000 and is distributed as a benefit of NAACP membership, though it is sold for $3 on some newsstands.
The November/December issue, for example, is devoted to “Race and sports,” with stories on the late Negro Leagues legend Buck O’Neil, the state of black women in sports and the recent survey on the low number of African Americans working in newspapers’ sports sections.
“We’ve brought on some nationally known newspaper writers and other academics,” Valentine said of her tenure, and “more organized management. It was a great opportunity and I’ve enjoyed it. The next person will be able to move it a few steps further.”
She noted that as a social-issues publication, it is more difficult to get advertising. “When you focus on financial issues, you have a natural tie-in,” she said. “Social issues aren’t as easily married to a particular institution.”
Business manager India Artis said the publication already had six applications for the editor’s job, and Wilkins said he welcomed more. “We plan to be deliberate and thorough,” he said, but also to fill the job “as soon as we can.” Those interested should write to Artis at the NAACP’s Baltimore headquarters, sending a resume and three writing samples. She is at iartis@naacpnet.org.
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Deaths of Journalists in Iraq Set Record
“Violence in Iraq claimed the lives of 32 journalists in 2006, the deadliest year for the press in a single country that the Committee to Protect Journalists has ever recorded,” the Committee reported on Wednesday. “In most cases, such as the killing of Atwar Bahjat, one of the best-known television reporters in the Arab world, insurgents specifically targeted journalists to be murdered, CPJ found in a new analysis.
“Worldwide, CPJ found 55 journalists were killed in direct connection to their work in 2006, and it is investigating another 27 deaths to determine whether they were work-related.
“‘The deaths in Iraq this year reflect the utter deterioration in reporters’ traditional status as neutral observers in wartime,’ said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “When this conflict began more than three and half years ago, most journalists died in combat-related incidents. Now, insurgents routinely target journalists for perceived affiliations — political, sectarian, or Western. This is an extraordinarily alarming trend because along with the terrible loss of life, it is limiting news reporting in Iraq — and, in turn, our own understanding of a vital story.'”
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Who’s Covering Lack of War Refugees From Iraq?
“The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Post have all published stories in recent weeks charting the mass exodus of [Iraqi] citizens to places like Jordan, Syria, and Iran,” Andrew Bielak wrote Tuesday on the Columbia Journalism Review’s CJR Daily.
“Conspicuously absent from these narratives, however, are stories like that of Osman Yarrow, in which a refugee’s struggle concludes with an arrival across the Atlantic. As the Boston Globe’s Michael Kranish reported last week, there’s probably good reason for that.
“In 2005, Kranish notes, the Office of Immigration Statistics reported that a whopping 198 of the 53,738 refugees admitted to the United States that year were from Iraq. Compared to 1,849 Iranians, 1,665 Ethiopians, and 8,517 Laotians, the number of refugees arriving from what is arguably the most broken country in the world seems particularly startling — and worthy of a bit of attention from the news media.
“But wait, Kranish also reports that the quota for Iraqi refugees allowed into the United States is increasing for 2007 — to a total of 500.
“The story raises a host of questions about U.S. policy regarding Iraqi refugees, all of which journalists should be asking.”
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TV Journalist, TV Critic Debate Role of Race
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TV critic Eric Deggans and CBS News anchor Russ Mitchell, two black journalists, are engaged in a public discussion over how much Mitchell’s race should factor into coverage of his new assignment as news anchor for CBS-TV’s “The Early Show” — and how such delicate questions should be asked.
The debate started when Deggans began a Dec. 11 St. Petersburg Times piece:
“Ask Russ Mitchell whether his appointment as news anchor at CBS’s Early Show signals that the network is concerned about diversity, and his reply is blunt.
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“‘I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and there comes a point in your career where you hope your credentials speak for themselves,’ said Mitchell, who was named news anchor last week, three days after CBS announced the departure of Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler, who is also black. ‘I’m not some 25-year-old kid fresh from school . . . And I didn’t get this job because I’m some black guy.'”
The Mitchell quote made news on some media blogs, some of which seemed to cast it as part of an affirmative action debate.
The same day, Deggans explained more of the context to Journal-isms: “That quote came from a two-pronged question: What do you make of the lack of a diverse bench at CBS and what would you say to people who might say CBS wanted a black guy in there so they chose you?”
Then, on Tuesday, Brian Montopoli of the CBS Public Eye blog quoted Mitchell as saying, “You’d like to think once you hit a certain level that your credentials stand on their own. Nobody’s denying who they are. I’m proud of being a black journalist. What I have a problem with, and I think anybody would have a problem with, is someone making an assumption that the only reason you got something was because of the color of your skin.”
A parallel discussion took place on the e-mail list of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Deggans wrote to that list on Wednesday, “This is the quandary journalists often face when reporting on these issues. If we believe that journalists of color can bring elements to their work that some white reporters cannot, or that there is value in having a slate of reporters whose ethnic diversity reflects [America’s] population, then when big jobs change at a network involving people of color, we have to ask why decisions were made. And if a network acknowledges the value of diversity — as CBS has — it shouldn’t have a problem discussing how such issues play into their personnel decisions.
“The question only doesn’t matter if diversity doesn’t matter.”
Mitchell responded, “Does anyone like being asked if they think they got their job because of their skin color? My guess is the answer is no. But as I told Eric and as I said in a previous post I do understand. Yeah, it’s insulting but I do understand. My problem comes when the question is asked and the person asking it does not seem to even consider the body of work that helped you get to that place. I didn’t say the body of work should outweigh what is clearly a bigger issue. my feeling is that body of work should be considered and at minimum properly documented.
“. . . I agree with Eric in that I think he and the rest of us should continue to ask hard questions about diversity and why more of us are not entering what I think is a great profession and why so many of us who are in it are leaving the business. But I do hope when we ask each other these questions we give each other the same respect and courtesy we give others. “
Coincidentally, Black Enterprise magazine published Tuesday an article by Sonia Alleyne, “The Competitive Advantage To Being Black: How your ethnicity can advance your career.”
“Experts agree that the psychological weight black [professionals] carry about how they are perceived in an organization is probably the biggest obstacle to why many don’t use ethnicity to their advantage,” Alleyne wrote.
“‘Sometimes we worry about being hired just because we’re African American,’ explains Sharon Hall, a managing director for the executive search firm SpencerStuart in Atlanta. ‘I would encourage us not to worry about why you’re hired, because the only reason you’ll be allowed to stay is if you’re doing a good job. So, whatever gets you a leg in the door is worth it.'”
Full text of Deggans’ and Mitchell’s statements are at the end of today’s posting.
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Immigration a Complex Issue for Latino Writers
“Last week, in a forum sponsored by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Dallas/Fort Worth Network of Hispanic Journalists, journalists discussed their role in the coverage of our communities,” David Sedeno wrote Sunday in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“Throughout the discussion, my mind kept racing back to an incident 17 years ago when I was working as a journalist in San Diego,” wrote Sedeno, who is publisher of Diario La Estrella, the Star-Telegram’s Spanish-language offshoot and a member of the Star-Telegram’s editorial board.
“California is a state of opportunity-seeking immigrants, whether they’re from Mexico or the Midwest. At the time, a group calling itself ‘Light Up the Border’ frequently went on Dairy Mart Road in southern San Diego County to shine its headlights at the Mexican border in symbolic support of the U.S. Border Patrol.
“At one such protest, I asked a white child why he was there. ‘To stop the dirty Mexicans from coming over here,’ the child said, looking up at a grandfather who was smiling, pleased with the response.
“I went to the other side of the road to ask the same question of a young Hispanic girl, who said: ‘This land was ours and was taken from us by the white people, and we have to fight for justice.’
“Their responses, influenced by their upbringing, illustrate nonetheless that the immigration debate and resolution lie somewhere in the middle.
“Sorting through the semantics of immigration is a complex exercise, and for many Hispanic journalists reporting that story, the issue is not always black or white.”
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“Macaca” Yes, “N-Word” No as Word of the Year
“Macaca,” the offensive slang term for some residents of Indian subcontinent used by Sen. George Allen, R-Va., in his unsuccessful reelection campaign, was judged the top politically incorrect words or phrase for 2006.
At least that was the judgment Dec. 13 by the Global Language Monitor, a San-Diego-based organization that “documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language the world over, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.”
Also on its list were “herstory” for “history,” which it said was based on a mistaken assumption, and “Oriental” for “Asian.” “This is generally a purely American phenomenon. In Europe, Asians prefer the term Oriental, which literally means ‘those from the East’,” the organization maintained.
Meanwhile, linguist Geoff Nunberg of the School of Information at the University of California at Berkeley noted comedian Michael Richards‘ use of the well-known epithet directed at African Americans in a discussion of possible “words of the year” the same day on National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air”:
“Of course, this particular epithet has been in the running for ‘word of the year’ before,” Nunberg said. “It could have been selected in 1998, when black leaders threatened to boycott Merriam-Webster’s for not beginning their dictionary definition of the world by labeling it as `offensive.’ Or in 1995, when a tape of Detective Mark Fuhrman using the word was played at the O.J. trial, reinforcing the jury’s suspicion that the LA police might have planted evidence.
“Or if the linguists had been voting back then, the word could have been chosen in 1988, when the group NWA, or Niggas With Attitude, brought gangsta rap into the musical mainstream with their album ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and set off an ongoing controversy over the use of the word by black entertainers.
“Or in 1948 when Strom Thurmond ran for president as a Dixiecrat end told his audience that `not all the troops in the Army could force Southerners to admit the nigger race into their theaters, swimming pools and churches.’ Or in 1928, when Paul Robeson was criticized for singing the word in the lyrics to ‘Old Man River,’ in the Kern/Hammerstein musical ‘Show Boat.’
“Actually, that’s why it’s unlikely that anybody will choose the epithet as ‘word of the year’ for 2006. The Richards episode may have been shocking, but it didn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know already. Still, you can be sure the word will be back in contention for the honor in the years to come,” he said.
- Joseph C. Phillips, BlackAmericaWeb.com: Our ‘Ownership’ of the N-Word Doesn’t Move Us Forward; It Keeps Us Anchored to the Past
- Tonyaa Weathersbee, BlackAmericaWeb.com: Black Teens Adamant that The ‘N-Word’ Doesn’t Mean Anything to Them? But Shouldn’t It?
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Internet Debate Named as “Censored Story”
“Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media” is No. 1 on the list of the Top 25 Censored Stories of 2007, compiled by Project Censored at Sonoma State University in California even before the year has begun.
“Throughout 2005 and 2006, a large underground debate raged regarding the future of the Internet. More recently referred to as “network neutrality,” the issue has become a tug of war with cable companies on the one hand and consumers and Internet service providers on the other. Yet despite important legislative proposals and Supreme Court decisions throughout 2005, the issue was almost completely ignored in the headlines until 2006.1 And, except for occasional coverage on CNBC’s Kudlow & Kramer, mainstream television remains hands-off to this day (June 2006),” it says.
In November, the national associations of Hispanic and black journalists took a joint position in favor of “network neutrality.”
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Black Film Critics Honor “Dreamgirls,” Spike Lee
The African-American Film Critics Association, an organization of writers and broadcasters who work in media other than daily newspapers, named the upcoming musical “Dreamgirls” as the best picture of 2006.
Forest Whitaker was selected as best actor for “The Last King of Scotland.” Helen Mirren was best actress for “The Queen.” “Mr. Whitaker elevates an already amazing body of work with his riveting portrayal of Idi Amin,” said association president Gil Robertson IV in a statement. “And, although our organization gives specific consideration to work by artists of African descent, Ms. Mirren’s audacious portrayal of Queen Elizabeth is undeniably brilliant and deserving of our recognition.”
“Dreamgirls also won in other categories, including newcomer Jennifer Hudson as best supporting actress category, alongside veteran Eddie Murphy and director Bill Condon.
The association gave its special achievement honor to director Spike Lee, who enjoyed a box office success with “Inside Man,” and produced the HBO documentary “When the Levees Broke” on Hurricane Katrina.
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Boston Station Drops Newscasts; Most Lose Jobs
“After covering the news for 22 years, Boston’s WLVI-TV news team was to deliver the news for the last time Monday night at 10, as Jessica Heslam wrote in an advance story Monday in the Boston Herald.
“Sunbeam Television Corp., which owns Boston’s WHDH-TV (Ch. 7), bought WLVI (Ch. 56) from Tribune Co. for nearly $114 million. Ed Ansin, who runs Sunbeam, decided to scrap WLVI’s ‘The Ten O’Clock News’ and replace it with his own, ‘7News at 10 p.m. on6,’ which debuts tomorrow.
“When the doors close — just one week before Christmas — most of WLVI’s 150 employees will be without jobs.
“Channel 7 has hired between 10 and 12 WLVI employees. Ansin hasn’t hired any of the station’s anchors or reporters.
“Several sources said Tribune gave WLVI employees ‘very fair’ severance packages and will pay out the remainder of the on-air personalities’ contracts.
Reporter Lauren Jiggetts was one of the journalists of color affected.
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Short Takes
- In an analysis of coverage of race, poverty and inequality by network news and weekly news magazines from 1950 to the early 1990s, Princeton’s associate politics professor Martin Gilens found that racial stereotypes shaped the reporting, DeWayne Wickham wrote Tuesday in USA Today. “Even though most of this nation’s poor were white, blacks were ‘dramatically overrepresented in news stories about poverty, but underrepresented in sympathetic stories about poverty,’ Gilens said” during a presentation at the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation.
- Don Browne, president of NBC Universal’s Telemundo network, told the Miami Herald on Monday that “in the next 20 years . . . we’re going to be a significant content supplier for our mother ship NBC in films, broadcast and their digital-Internet world. Our creative community that we’re developing will be able to drive content for those English-language platforms. . . . There’s a huge bilingual population that’s looking for content relevant to their lives.”
- The FCC has extended the public comment deadline on its media ownership rule review from Dec. 21 to Jan. 16, John Eggerton reported in Broadcasting & Cable.
- Carol Lin, who anchored CNN the morning of the World Trade Center attacks, is leaving the network, Michael Learmonth reported Tuesday in Variety. “Sources said Lin’s contract was up and CNN wanted her to leave the anchor’s desk to become a national correspondent. Lin’s husband, former CNN producer Will Robinson, died soon after the birth of their first child; as a single mother to a toddler, she couldn’t commit to the travel requirements of that job.”
- Mireille Grangenois has resigned as as vice president of advertising at the Baltimore Sun, but continues to work for the newspaper as it searches for a new vice president, she told Journal-isms. The former reporter and onetime director of minority affairs for the American Society of Newspapers Editors said it was too soon to say what she would do next.
- Marjorie B. Parham, publisher emeritus of the Cincinnati Herald, has been named one of three members of the 2006 class of “Great Living Cincinnatians,” according to the Cincinnati Post. “Of the three, Parham, now 88, may have faced some of the most daunting challenges after her husband, Gerald Porter, died in 1963 as the result of injuries suffered in an auto accident. She was immediately thrown into the role that he had played as publisher of the Herald, a weekly that focuses on the African-American community, and its sister paper, the Dayton Tribune,” the Post said.
- “After six years as one of Metro’s top editors including 18 months as Metropolitan Editor, Keith Harriston is moving to a new role as Metro Law Enforcement Editor. In this player-coach position, he will both write stories region-wide on police, prosecutors and other public safety topics, and help oversee coverage of the subject,” Robert McCartney, the Washington Post’s assistant managing editor for metropolitan news, announced on Thursday. [Added Dec. 21]
- Singer Patti LaBelle and musician Jamar Jones performed at a memorial service for CBS correspondent Ed Bradley Sunday at Cheyney University in Pennsylvania, Bradley’s alma mater reported. Anchor Jim Vance of WRC-TV in Washington, a member of Bradleyâ??s class, was master of ceremonies. [Added Dec. 22]
- “TV One, the nearly 3-year-old network targeting African-Americans, is the fastest-growing cable network in the United States by percentage, according to Nielsen Media Research estimates,” according to Tom Siebert, writing Dec. 11 in MediaPost. “The TV One subscriber base grew by 39% in 2006 — adding 9.5 million households from December 2005 to December 2006, for a total of 33.8 million households.”
- “The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations will publish a magazine about aboriginal issues, saying it wants to counter the often negative coverage in the mainstream press,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday. “On Monday, the FSIN unveiled Saskatchewan Indian, a magazine that the federation’s leader, Chief Lawrence Joseph, said would tell positive stories about the province’s aboriginal people.”
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Eric Deggans on Story on CBS Diversity
Russ knows that when we spoke I tried very hard to communicate my respect for what he and folks like Byron Pitts have achieved in their work through their talent and ability. But when a black person leaves a show and another one joins it, there are people who will say race was a factor in the transition. I asked Russ about that and, apparently, he was insulted by the question — though he said at the time he understood why I had to ask it.
This is the quandary journalists often face when reporting on these issues. If we believe that journalists of color can bring elements to their work that some white reporters cannot, or that there is value in having a slate of reporters whose ethnic diversity reflects [America’s] population, then when big jobs change at a network involving people of color, we have to ask why decisions were made. And if a network acknowledges the value of diversity — as CBS has — it shouldn’t have a problem discussing how such issues play into their personnel decisions.
The question only doesn’t matter if diversity doesn’t matter.
After years spent writing these stories, I remain concerned that networks sometimes use white critics’ discomfort over these issues to avoid facing tough questions. And as somebody who has often advocated that journalists of color can talk about issues of race that are harder for white journalists to approach, I certainly feel a responsiblity to add my observations and concerns to the mix.
I do regret the fact that Russ felt insulted by my questions, and I will think on how to appoach such situations differently in the future. But I’m not going to stop asking about these issues and insisting on specific answers. Because if we don’t hold the networks accountable for their diversity levels, who will?
Russ Mitchell on Story on CBS Diversity
Eric and I had what I consider was a healthy, respectful conversation about his piece after it appeared in his paper and other outlets. I respect what he’s trying to do. However, after his response I wanted to send a note to try to put some of this in perspective.
Does anyone like being asked if they think they got their job because of their skin color? My guess is the answer is no. But as I told Eric and as I said in a previous post I do understand. Yeah, it’s insulting but I do understand. My problem comes when the question is asked and the person asking it does not seem to even consider the body of work that helped you get to that place. I didn’t say the body of work should outweigh what is clearly a bigger issue..my feeling is that body of work should be considered and at minimum properly documented.
I have been in television news for 25 years . . 15 of those at CBS..9 of those as the original and longest serving anchor of The Saturday Early Show. I leave the broadcast January 6. I have also been one of the main fill in anchors on the weekday version of the show for more than a decade (even Peter Johnson of USA Today called me a “veteran” in this regard). Yet in his piece Eric described me as “an occasional anchor for the Saturday Early Show” even though my various job duties and honors I’ve been lucky enough to have received in my career are mentioned in my CBS bio and in the press release sent out to announce my new assignment. Also, I have had 5 co-anchors on the Saturday Morning broadcast, all white women. Eric’s piece went on to wonder why my current co-anchor, who has been on the show 8-years less than I have, did not get the job. The column also implied that she is the permanent anchor of the show . . again, while I am only there on an “occasional!” basis. Although he mentioned my Sunday night anchor duties and my Sunday Morning reporting job the piece made it appear that there was no logical reason for me to even be considered for my new assignment other than the fact that I am a black person replacing another black person. Yes, as I shared with Eric I do have a problem with that lack of perspective.
When Eric and I spoke he said he was sorry about the “Saturday Early Show” mistake (I understand . . we’ve all made those . . Lord knows I have) and the CBS press office was told there would be a correction. I appreciated that. I agree with Eric in that I think he and the rest of us should continue to ask hard questions about diversity and why more of us are not entering what I think is a great profession and why so many of us who are in it are leaving the business. But I do hope when we ask each other these questions we give each other the same respect and courtesy we give others.