Maynard Institute archives

Ebony, Jet Swear Off That Epithet

by richard0397

Black Publications Take Stand Against “N-Word”

In an editorial accompanying a discussion of the infamous racial epithet, Bryan Monroe, editorial director of Ebony and Jet magazines, declares that, “from here on, after you read the powerful discussion of that term in these subsequent pages of Ebony, you will likely never see that word used in this magazine — or our sister magazine, Jet — again.

 

 

“On the very rare occasion that its use is central to the telling of an important story, I, as the editor, will need to sign off on it personally.”

Monroe, the former Knight Ridder news executive and current president of the National Association of Black Journalists, assumed the newly created job only last summer. His declaration appears in the February issue under the headline, “Enough! Why Blacks — and Whites — should never use the ‘N-Word’ again.”

While the word has rarely been used in the two magazines, which together represent the most successful magazine enterprise targeting African Americans, Monroe’s statement was designed to introduce the package of articles and to put the publications on the record, spokeswoman LaTrina Blair told Journal-isms.

It is accompanied by “A brief history of the word ‘nigger,'” and two pieces. In one, Michael Johnson, a biracial South African who looks white, recalls that “after a reassuring glance into their rearview mirror to establish my Whiteness, countless taxi drivers have used the word in every U.S. city I have lived in or traveled to.” And “having lived in America, Africa and Asia for nearly equal thirds of my life and spending scattered years in Europe . . . I can explain firsthand how the global bond of White racism operates through language.”

In a second piece, Goldie Taylor, a black woman whose father was murdered in 1973, explains that the word was used by the black men who killed him. But while Johnson opposes the word’s use, Taylor says “the larger issue here is the state of Black America . . . our time, talent and resources are better spent on causes that matter.”

Monroe, 41, argues that many blacks using the term today are ignorant of its history. “Some say it is a generational thing, that those over 40 can’t get with the language of the young folk,” he writes. “But I don’t buy that. We have a generation who have been desensitized to — or never were taught — the real origins and impact of such a hateful term.

“Whether it ends in ‘-er or ‘ah’ or -a,’ the word — and the pain — is still the same,” he said. . . . “How about ‘mah brutha’ or ‘mah man’ or ‘my friend.'”

Ryan Ford, executive editor of the hip-hop magazine The Source, told Journal-isms that his publication uses the word “when it’s quoted from an interview subject. We don’t just toss the word around.” He disagreed that its use was generational, citing its use in 1970s blaxploitation movies, for example. “If we stop using the word today, are they going to let all the blacks out of jail, are we going to have health care” and redress other social problems? asked Ford, who is 29.

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Washington Post Ends Series on Black Men

After seven months and 562,724 page views online, the Washington Post’s “Being a Black Man” series ended Sunday with two critiques in the paper’s “Outlook” opinion section and a commentary by a black comedian.

Kevin Merida, the Post associate editor coordinating the project, said the newspaper was considering turning the series into a book, and Managing Editor Philip Bennett told Journal-isms, “I’ve never been associated with a journalism project that generated as much response from readers and viewers.”

In narratives ranging from 2,500 to 4,800 words, the paper sought to describe the lives of black men at various stations in society, for the most part leaving readers to draw their own conclusions.

In Sunday’s Outlook section, Patricia J. Williams, a law professor at Columbia University and columnist for the Nation magazine, wrote, “Reading all this, I felt myself sinking into despair. To the extent that the series accurately reflects our culture, I saw little possibility of escape, no window of bright hope toward which to point my son. What will our children have to do to overcome the confinement of subtle rhetorical boxes, the presumption of others that they can glance at you and know everything there is to know?”

Orlando Patterson, a professor of sociology at Harvard University, took heart that, “The Post’s survey found that 60 percent of black men attribute their plight to their own personal failures and attitudes rather than to racism. They do not underplay the persistence of racism in the United States, but they refuse to explain away their troubles by blaming the system.”

However, Patterson called for “social policies that reduce the exposure of young blacks to the streets, increase adult supervision during childhood and lessen the burden on black mothers, especially in light of welfare policies that oblige them to work. All this implies more, not less, government.”

The series represented a new step in collaboration between the printed newspaper and its online component, which featured the series in multimedia presentations. Tanya Ballard, project coordinator for the online version, said the Web site would remain up for some time and that readers are continuing to submit comments. The initial video, featuring opinions on what it means to be a black man, is probably the site’s most popular feature, she said.

Merida said in an online chat Monday, “The most impressive thing, from my vantage point, was seeing how readers engaged the series. Whether praising or criticizing, the critiques were thoughtful and often impassioned. . . . We carried our series to neighborhoods, in the form of forums, which were well-attended. And all of that reminded me that there is a readership for long-form journalism that touches people’s lives and seems authentic to their experiences. The most disappointing thing was having to end this series, and not being able to get to so many other topics worthy of inclusion — from black men and spirituality to single mothers and grandmothers who have raised so many black boys. But ending the series does not end our commitment to this kind of journalism and to those subjects.”

Bennett’s complete comment: “I think ‘Being a Black Man’ was an important success for The Post and for the communities we cover. The series addressed with depth and nuance some of the most complex subjects in American society, and I think what emerged was a portrait of black men that did justice to that complexity, and to the diversity and richness of their experiences.

“I think these stories asked tough questions and described tough truths as our reporters and photographers discovered them. There was an honesty and genuine quality to these stories — and the voices that they carried — that connected with readers, in the paper and through the stunning videos on our web site.

“I’ve never been associated with a journalism project that generated as much response from readers and viewers. One of our goals was to get people talking, and they’re still talking, to us and to each other.”

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Of Presidents, Latino Leader Says Clinton “Gets It”

Raúl Yzaguirre, whom the Hispanic Link News Service calls “the Hispanic community’s most influential and respected national advocate throughout the last quarter century,” believes that “The Bill Clinton era represents the high watermark for Latino influence in the White House and in the federal government. Bill Clinton does not have the personal visceral affinity for Hispanics as he has for African Americans, but he gets it. By that I mean that at a cerebral level, he understands the importance of Latinos in this nation.”

Yzaguirre “nurtured the growth of the National Council of La Raza into this country’s most powerful Latino civil rights organization as its president for three decades” and retired on Dec. 31, 2004. He made the observation in an interview with Hispanic Link in which he was asked to assess recent presidents. The interview, carrying Alex Meneses Miyashita‘s byline, was transmitted in three parts. Yzaguirre said:

  • Lyndon Johnson “knew our community and we made significant progress in his administration, principally through the Great Society programs, but the Vietnam war and the huge media focus on civil rights violations against African Americans, coupled with the riots, consumed most of LBJ’s attention.”
  • In retrospect, Richard Nixon “accomplished some important gains for Hispanics. He was the first president to appoint Latinos to sub-Cabinet posts and as heads of important independent agencies such as the Small Business Administration. He also initiated a focused effort to recruit Hispanics into the federal government by mandating the so-called 16-point program.”
  • “We had to educate” Gerald Ford. “He came from a Michigan district without many Latinos and he was not particularly well attuned to us. We enjoyed access, but access doesn’t mean influence.”
  • Jimmy Carter “just did not know our community very well. But once you presented a problem to him, he reacted positively to it. We had very high expectations for the Carter Administration. We were expecting a forceful Latino civil rights agenda and at least one Cabinet nomination. We got neither.”
  • George H.W. Bush was “a benign president when it came to Hispanics. He paid scant attention to our community, but there was no meanness about him.”
  • The current President Bush “turned out to be more ‘conservative’ than ‘compassionate.’ The mainline Latino groups have neither access nor influence with this administration. . . . He showed he was more interested in pleasing the religious right than in responding to the Hispanic community.”

The interview does not indicate he was asked about Ronald Reagan. After leaving La Raza, Yzaguirre joined Arizona State University as presidential professor of practice in community development and civil rights.

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“Racists Have All But Ruined” Comment Section

“A local website has become ground zero for hate in South Florida. It’s loaded, on an almost daily basis, with racist stereotypes, slurs, and sentimental references to slavery and lynchings. You can see it at this address: http://www.sun-sentinel.com,” Bob Norman wrote Dec. 28 in the Broward-Palm Beach (Fla.) New Times.

“That’s right, our oh-so-proper daily newspaper of record, the politically correct Tribune Co.-owned standard-bearer of stodginess, has become the chief disseminator of hate speech in the region, quite possibly the entire state.

“It’s not coming from the Sentinel’s reporters and editors but from the readers. This summer, the newspaper began allowing readers to post unchecked comments beneath each article on its website. Almost immediately, the hatemongers stormed the gates, and they haven’t let up since.

“. . . The racists have all but ruined what should be a good thing, and it’s getting more and more obvious that the newspaper needs to monitor the boards a lot more closely.”

Sun-Sentinel Editor Earl Maucker, who wrote in a Nov. 26 “Ask the Editor” column that, “we’re very disturbed when we see insensitive, racist and offensive messages that some feel compelled to post,” did not respond to a request from Journal-isms for comment.

Norman wrote, “The Miami Herald, smartly, has restricted comment capability to just a few stories, so it has largely been able to avoid the problems faced by the Sentinel.

“Maucker might want to start taking note of his competitor’s strategy, or really get his newspaper to start monitoring the website instead of just promising in his column to do so.”

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Lives of Mexican Reporters Remain on the Line

“Journalism has always been a challenging, murky craft in Mexico,” Hugh Dellios, the Chicago Tribune’s foreign editor, wrote on Sunday.

“For decades, reporters and editors were co-opted by the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, just like any other ‘interest group.’ Regular perks and paychecks kept reporters in line with ‘the revolution.’

“Today, after years of struggle for freedom of expression, a more modern media is emerging in the big cities. But in remote corners and along the borders, the narco bosses are the new co-opters, and many journalists find it as hard to resist as the local police do.

“‘Plomo o plata?’ the saying goes. Lead or silver?

“Too often, the authorities quickly write off the death of a journalist as just a common street crime.”

Dellios was writing of the November death of Misael Tamayo Hernandez, founder of the newspaper El Despertar de la Costa—The Awakening of the Coast. His body was found in a cheap motel room, nearly naked on the bed, hands tied behind his back with a belt.

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“No Such Luck” on New Day for Muslims

“I really thought things were going to be materially better for people with ‘funny’ names like mine when Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., came to Washington. And they have been,” Askia Muhammad wrote from Washington for Saturday’s Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune.

“Since he’s been here I have noticed an appreciable mellowing of people on the telephone. I’ve gone from typically hearing the indignant ‘Who?’ whenever I would leave my name, to a curious ‘Will you spell that, please?’

“So, as a Muslim who has encountered my fair share of religious bigotry, I thought things would be similarly better when the first Muslim was elected to Congress, especially one with a ‘normal’ name.

“No such luck.”

Muhammad went on to discuss the insults directed at Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minn., after he said he would use a Koran at his swearing-in ceremony, and his own experiences as a Muslim journalist in the capital. His was one of several recent commentaries on the politics of 2006 and 2008:

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CNN Details Airing of King Papers Series

CNN began its “American Morning” series on the Martin Luther King Jr. papers on Monday with a look at those dealing with the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56. The schedule for the rest of the week is: Tuesday, Birmingham police dogs (1963); Wednesday, the “I Have a Dream” speech (1963); Thursday, the Nobel Peace Prize and the Selma march (1964-65); and Friday, the assassination in Memphis (1968). The series airs during the 8 a.m. block, barring breaking news.

Feb. 23 Deadline for Jarrett Medal Nominations

The Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies at North Carolina A&T State University is accepting nominations for the Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence, given to journalists for outstanding coverage of people of African descent and the issues that affect their lives.

It is intended to promote greater diversity in the coverage of domestic and foreign news by media organizations in the United States. Applications must be postmarked by Feb. 23.

Jarrett (1918-2004) “was a race man and journalist. For nearly six decades he merged his black consciousness with his drive for journalistic fairness. As columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Defender, Jarrett was a champion of black causes. He used his journalistic voice to trumpet the achievements of blacks and to condemn those who ignored or trivialized the impact that blacks have had throughout the world,” the Institute’s Web site says.

Short Takes

  • “An estimated 1,100 people—more than double the number expected—crowded into a Charlotte Convention Center ballroom Friday night to begin work on what many local black leaders hope will be the first draft of a plan to tackle racial disparities,” Franco Ordoñez reported Saturday in the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer. Juan Williams of National Public Radio and Fox News asked audience members what they thought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would think of the ongoing disparities that exist almost 40 years after his death, the deterioration of black families, and the proliferation of derogatory images of black men and women on television. “He’d say, `Oh no, I can’t take this,’ ” Williams said, according to Ordoñez’s report.
  • Lori Waldon of WISN-TV is the first black news director in Milwaukee television history, Rich Kirchen reported Friday in the Milwaukee Business Journal. She calculated that she is one of only 10 black news directors across the country.
  • A federal judge ordered Carey Robinson, a former administrative assistant at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, to return to the station salary information she took without permission, as well as any other ill-gotten materials she collected, Paula Reed Ward reported Saturday in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Robinson, who was fired, claimed that the station discriminated against her because she is black and admitted removing from her boss’s desk a salary spreadsheet containing the names, titles and wages for 79 non-union employees and making copies, the story said.
  • “Faced with declining advertising revenues and competition from the Web, midsize, regional dailies across the country have been retrenching in recent years to focus on local news. That has scaled back their Washington coverage, and their national ambitions,” Katharine Q. Seelye reported Monday in the New York Times. Washington bureaus were the focus of a Unity: Journalists of Color report in 2004 that found less than 10.5 percent of the reporters, correspondents, columnists, editors and bureau chiefs were journalists of color—60 out of 574.
  • Russ Mitchell started on Monday as news anchor of “The Early Show” on CBS. In a story on this development in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Gail Pennington wrote Monday that a month or so before CBS correspondent Ed Bradley died Nov. 9 of leukemia, he had visited “The Early Show.” “You know who you should interview? Richie Havens. He’d be great,” Bradley said, referring to the guitarist and folk icon who opened the Woodstock music festival. “I wondered why he was telling me I should do Richie Havens when that was such a perfect piece for him,” Mitchell said. “I think now that he must have known how sick he was, and that he wouldn’t get to it.”
  • Elyse Tanouye of the Wall Street Journal will become a senior editor at the paper, which will add new responsibilities to her job as chief of the New York Health & Science reporting group, the Asian American Journalists Association reported Friday. “Elyse will create health-related content for WSJ.com reader, which could take the form of expanded news online, blogs and other web projects.” Elyse is a graduate of the 2006 Executive Leadership Program session in Scottsdale, Ariz.,” the association said.
  • Richard Chacón has become new Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick’s director of policy and cabinet affairs, working directly with cabinet members to oversee his policy initiatives. Chacón, 41, had been deputy campaign manager/communications director for the Democrat’s campaign after leaving the Boston Globe, where he worked for more than a decade as reporter, editor and ombudsman, the Globe reported when he was named in December.
  • In Venezuela, Francisco Rangel Gomez, the governor of southern Bolivar state, endorsed President Hugo Chávez’s decision not to renew the broadcasting license of television network Radio Caracas Television, and said he would propose comprehensive controls on radio stations and newspapers both in Bolivar state and throughout Venezuela, according to El Universal.
  • “A photojournalist with this newspaper was yesterday roughed up by one of President [Mwai] Kibaki’s bodyguards while taking pictures of the President at a church service at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi,” The Nation newspaper in Nairobi, Kenya, editorialized Monday. The act “betrays a subtle desire on the President’s men to reintroduce Press repression that Kenyans fought against for so long.”

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