Los Angeles Times Staffers Await Buyout News

Company Has Until May 25 to Approve or Not

Staff members at the Los Angeles Times, including some veteran journalists of color, are waiting to see whether their requests to take a buyout will be accepted.

The Los Angeles Times announced on April 23 “that it would offer voluntary buyouts in hopes of cutting its staff of 2,775 by as many as 150 employees — seven months after two of the paper’s top executives spoke out against such cuts,” as James Rainey reported then.

“The plan would pay Times employees who volunteer to leave the equivalent of two weeks’ salary for every year they have been at the paper. The departing employees could receive a maximum of 52 weeks’ pay and benefits.

“Volunteers for the buyouts were asked to submit their applications by May 14, with the company to respond with the list of those to be cut by May 25. The announcement said that employees’ last day of work ‘generally will be no later than Friday, June 1.'”

In Variety, Marc Graser reported that Calendar editor Lennie LaGuire is one of those who is leaving.

In LA Observed, Kevin Roderick published a list of names said to be circulating in the L.A. Times newsroom. Sports columnist J.A. Adande was one of the journalists of color; listed as “unconfirmed” were former foreign editor Simon Li; former business editor Bill Sing; Mai Tran, the paper’s only Vietnamese speaking reporter; and real estate writer Gayle Pollard-Terry, a former editorial writer.

Not all of them could be reached on Wednesday.

Times spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan would not discuss the buyout program or how newsroom diversity would be affected, saying “a discussion of newsroom buyouts at this juncture would be premature.”

Other newspapers had pledged to take diversity into account when they decided which buyout offers to accept. Expertise, seniority and continuity were other factors.

Though the Philadelphia Inquirer imposed layoffs, not buyouts, in January, a disproportionate number of those who left were journalists of color.

Management and the Newspaper Guild blamed each other for the results, as layoffs were subject to collective bargaining. Some black journalists were rehired after protests from the National Association of Black Journalists and others.

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Correspondent Mohamad Bazzi Leaving Newsday

Mohamad Bazzi, a Lebanese-born foreign correspondent for Newsday based in Beirut, is leaving the Long Island paper for a fellowship and a teaching job, bringing to 10 the number of journalists of color to leave since December.

Bazzi, 32, told Journal-isms from Beirut that he felt “I’ve gotten a chance to do everything I wanted to do” at the paper and that after being a foreign correspondent, there wasn’t much else there that interested him. But he said the uncertainty at the newspaper “is certainly a factor in my thinking.”

Things could happen to the newspaper “that would be beyond the control of the editor and the publisher,” Bazzi said. “That has happened at a whole number of newspapers in the last couple of months.” On April 2, the Tribune Co. board agreed to sell the company to Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell. But the direction Zell will take his new properties, which include both the Los Angeles Times and Newsday, remains uncertain.

“I’m going to be a tenure-track, assistant professor at NYU‘s journalism department, starting in Sept 2007,” Bazzi wrote in an e-mail. “I will spend the first year on leave so that I can do the Edward R. Murrow Fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations. I’ll start teaching in Sept 2008.

“I’ll continue to practice journalism, and I expect to make reporting trips to the Middle East during the summer and other breaks.”

Bazzi has been a member of the South Asian Journalists Association, is a former board member of the New York chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association and is a member of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association.

He was born in Lebanon and in 1985, in the midst of the Lebanese civil war, left to live in the United States at age 10.

“When I graduated from college, Les Payne (who was then the AME for foreign/national/state/science coverage and the city edition) hired me onto the Queens staff. That was in January 1998, and it was my first full-time reporting job. I covered GA and neighborhood issues,” he said, referring to “general assignment,” “but I also wrote about politics, education, housing. I then covered transportation in New York City. Throughout my time on the city desk, Les and the foreign editor, Tim Phelps, knew that I was interested in reporting on the Middle East and that I spoke Arabic. They sent me on special assignments to help out on big stories or to fill in when the Middle East correspondent was away,” Bazzi continued.

“A few days after Sept. 11, I was moved to the foreign desk and sent to Pakistan. For the next six months, I was on special assignment reporting about the rise of militant Islam. I traveled from London to Cairo to Pakistan chronicling the emergence of the Al-Qaeda network and its ideological roots.

“I later served as Newsday’s UN bureau chief, where I covered the lead-up to the Iraq invasion. I became Newsday’s Middle East bureau chief in January 2003. I spent much of 2003 and 2004 covering Iraq. I later moved to Beirut, and covered the region from here.”

The others of color to leave Newsday since December are John Gonzales, J. Jioni Palmer, Errol Cockfield, Wil Cruz, Walter Middlebrook, Ray Sánchez, Curtis Taylor, Mira Lowe and Herbert Lowe.

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Yolanda King’s Death Surprises Mom’s Biographer

The death late Tuesday of Yolanda Denise King, daughter and eldest child of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, came as a surprise to veteran journalist Barbara A. Reynolds, who was mentored by Coretta King.

“I just talked to her a few days ago, where she was giving me the parameters of the biography she had selected me to write about her mother,” the Rev. Dr. Reynolds told Journal-isms. “She told me she was very tired and had so much on her plate, but I never thought she was talking about anything more than the normal tiredness. I was surprised that the family was saying she had some sort of heart disease, because I had never heard that one before. I know as the executor of her mother’s estate, she was cautiously guarding not just the monetary concerns but the spirit of her mother, who she felt was always with her guarding and leading her. She wanted the dignity, compassion that her mother carried to be passed on somehow to future generations.”

Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center in Atlanta, said King died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 51. He said the family did not know the cause of death but thought it might have been a heart problem.

• Ernie Suggs, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Yolanda King’s sudden death shocks family, friends
• Maria Saporta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Reporter’s friendship, history with ‘Yoki’ remembered

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Reactions on Falwell Underscore Divisiveness

“Reactions to the sudden death of The Rev. Jerry Falwell today at the age of 73 underscore what a powerful and divisive figure he was,” Kim Pearson, professor at the College of New Jersey, wrote Tuesday on the BlogHer Web site.

“In the New York Times’ obituary, Falwell was credited for his success in convincing religious conservatives to put aside doctrinal differences to promote common political views, such as opposition to abortion and homosexuality. NPR has a good timeline of some of Falwell’s most newsworthy moments, along with clips of interviews over the years. Al Tompkins at Poynter.org says Falwell’s university was struggling financially and cites polls suggesting that religious conservatives may be losing their influence on the American body politic.

“Not everybody’s mourning, though. Gawker snarked: A Great Day for Larry Flynt: Jerry Falwell Dead by God’s Hand. Falwell’s l988 lawsuit against the publisher of Hustler magazine led to a landmark Supreme Court decision protecting publishers of satire against public figures from libel claims. Gawker also noted Falwell’s support for the South African regime in 1985 and his criticisms of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.”

• Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher: Falwell’s Death Draws Mixed Editorials

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GOP Hopefuls Not Diverse, But Questioners Were

Two weeks ago, David Letterman said this of the 10 Republican presidential candidates for 2008, after their first debate in Simi Valley, Calif.: “They look like guys waiting to tee off at a restricted country club.”

The candidates were still 10 white males for the second debate Tuesday at the University of South Carolina, but diversity found a place among the three Fox News questioners when White House correspondent Wendell Goler joined Chris Wallace and Brit Hume.

Goler made news by giving former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani a chance to exploit his role after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. When “Giuliani literally grabbed the moment last night, insisting that Fox News White House correspondent and debate tri-questioner Wendell Goler give him the floor, the topic was 9/11 — his raison d’etre in this race. Talk about the planets aligning,” Mike Allen wrote on Politico.com.

“Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) gave Giuliani the opening late in the 90-minute debate by saying: ‘They attack us because we’ve been over there; we’ve been bombing Iraq for 10 years.’

“Goler astutely followed up: ‘Are you suggesting we invited the 9/11 attack, sir?’

“When Paul didn’t take the escape hatch, Giuliani interjected.”

The exchange led to an analysis by the group Media Matters faulting media coverage.

On the AOL Elections Blog, David Knowles wrote, “Brit Hume, Chris Wallace and Wendell Goler did what MSNBC’s Chris Matthews could not. They played hardball, asking tough questions and inciting the candidates to spar with one another. It made for, dare I say it, exciting viewing.”

In other recent political commentary:

• Monroe Anderson, Chicago Sun-Times: Threat requires guards
• Bob Herbert, New York Times: More Than Just Talk
• Dwight Lewis, Nashville Tennessean: When Frist bucked the party but Thompson wouldn’t
• Roland S. Martin, Creators Syndicate: Giuliani Must Confront Abortion Critics Head-On
• Sheryl McCarthy, Newsday: 9/11 myths may put Giuliani on top
• Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune: Satire about Obama isn’t the same as Imus’ flub
• Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald: Racism lurks in the shadows for Obama
• Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Ask all candidates about their big-city agenda
• Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: A Question Of Race Vs. Class: Affirmative Action For the Obama Girls?
• David Roybal, Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal: Richardson Should Air Perspective on Immigration

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Mumia Abu-Jamal Case Reaching Its Climax

“The case of death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, now a quarter of a century long, is heading to a climax this Thursday in a hearing before a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. It is a hearing that could result in a new trial for the Philadelphia journalist and former Black Panther, or possibly in a new date with the executioner,” Dave Lindorff and Linn Washington Jr. wrote Tuesday on the Counterpunch Web site.

A former president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, “Abu-Jamal, convicted in 1982 for the 1981 slaying of white Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner during an arrest of Abu-Jamal’s younger brother William, is appealing his conviction,” Lindorff and Washington wrote.

“He is arguing that his jury was unconstitutionally purged of black jurors by the prosecutor, who used peremptory challenges to bar 10 or 11 black jurors from being seated, though all had said that they could vote for a death penalty. He is also appealing his conviction on the ground that the prosecutor, Joseph McGill, improperly diminished the jury’s sense of responsibility for their verdict by telling them that a guilty verdict would ‘not be final’ since there would be ‘appeal after appeal.'”

Meanwhile, Philadelphia-based photojournalist Hans Bennett alerted supporters that “German author Michael Schiffmann and I have collaborated to bring new crime scene photos (never published before in the United States) to the public eye during this crucial week.

“These explosive photos demonstrate police manipulation of evidence, and much more. We have paid for copyright use of the photos from press photographer Pedro Polakoff to use these photos to promote the fundraiser event for our organization, ‘Journalists for Mumia’ featuring Michael Schiffmann and Linn Washington, Jr. on Friday.”

• Democracy, Now!, Pacifica Radio: Philadelphia Court Hearing Could Decide Fate of Imprisoned Journalist

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Short Takes

• “Enlisting white males to foster diversity efforts . . . is gaining currency at U.S. companies,” Erin White reported May 7 in the Wall Street Journal. “It’s part of an effort to get diversity programs off the sidelines and into the mainstream of the business.” On the Diversity Inc. Web site on Wednesday, Luke Visconti disagreed, writing, “I don’t think that ‘more and more companies are turning to white men to champion diversity efforts’ nor do I think that a ‘white male in charge lends legitimacy to the effort.'”
• “Satellite radio giant XM announced Tuesday that it has suspended Long Island shock jocks Gregg ‘Opie’ Hughes and Anthony Cumia and ceased broadcast of their show for 30 days, effective immediately,” Newsday reported. The duo had aired “a segment in which a guest expressed desire to have sex with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as well as First Lady Laura Bush and Queen Elizabeth.” Robert Feder of the Chicago Sun-Times noted Wednesday, “The monthlong suspension . . . won’t affect their syndicated morning show on WCKG-FM (105.9) or other CBS Radio stations.”
• “Descendants of the Cherokee Nation freedmen are back as American Indians — for now, the Oklahoman in Oklahoma City reported on Tuesday. “The Cherokee Nation tribal court Monday granted a temporary injunction for descendants of the tribe’s slaves giving them back their tribal membership.”
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• Shirley Leung, an assistant business editor at the Boston Globe responsible for the Sunday section, was named business editor, succeeding Caleb Solomon, who was promoted to deputy managing editor, charged with developing high-impact stories for paper’s front page. Leung, 34, joined the Globe in 2004 and is president of the New England chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association. The Globe made the announcement on Monday.
• ESPN’s Michael Smith is among the reporters to appear on a new “60 Minutes” style broadcast called “ESPN Reports” that will focus on longform reporting, Variety reported on Tuesday. The others are Jeremy Schaap, Rachel Nichols, Tom Farrey and Lisa Salters, wrote Steven Zeitchik.
• “The Action News investigation of money spent by a tax-exempt, non-profit group for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick‘s lavish family vacation has taken an ugly turn. When confronted by Ray Sayah, the mayor threw his microphone down a hallway — while a camera was rolling,” WXYZ-TV in Detroit reported on Tuesday.
• “Maybe we underestimate the huge shift this represented,” Sean McManus, president of CBS News, said of Katie Couric‘s third-place ratings as anchor of the “CBS Evening News.” “It was almost a watershed event to have a woman in that chair,” he was quoted by Bill Carter of the New York Times on Monday. “There is a percentage of people out there that probably prefers not to get their news from a woman.” Last Thursday, Linda Mason, senior vice president, standards and special projects, agreed: “I’m just surprised at how, almost 30 years after I worked on the ‘Evening News’ as the first woman producer, that Katie is having such a tough time being accepted by the public, which seems to prefer the news from white guys, and now that Charlie [Gibson]’s doing so well, from older white guys. I guess they want the reassurance of a Walter Cronkite.”
• In Toronto, a Nov. 21 trial date has been set for a visiting African American photographer who says he was assaulted by police, and then was arrested on charges of assaulting the police, according to Ann Brown, who was with Tonye Allen when the incident took place last Oct. 16.
• The National Association of African Journalists has postponed its marches scheduled May 18 “in protest against the harassment, torture and murder of our colleagues in some African countries.” The delay is “to give room to dialogue” with “representatives from Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Gambia,” Eyobong Ita of the Kansas City Star, the organization’s president, told Journal-isms.
• The 20th season of “P.O.V.” begins on public television with two films, “Rain in a Dry Land” (June 19) and “Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars” (June 26), scheduled to coincide with the United Nations Refugee Agency World Refugee Day, June 20. The documentaries chronicle the hopes, struggles and achievements of African refugees, according to “P.O.V.” “Sierra Leone” is co-produced by rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube.

• In Sacramento, “Catalina Martinez, who reported on entertainment and weather for Channel 19’s morning news show ‘A Primera Hora,’ is leaving the Univision-owned station at the end of the month,” Sam McManis reported Tuesday on his Sacramento Bee blog. “She said she does not have a new job.”
• “The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Colombian authorities today to fully investigate the illegal tapping of journalists’ telephone lines. The government acknowledged on Monday that the national police have improperly listened in on the telephone conversations of public officials, opposition members, and journalists,” the organization said on Tuesday.