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Media Resist Fear-Mongering on Fort Hood

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American Muslims Take Steps to Head Off Backlash

Journalists Win Election Day Victories in Miami, Detroit

NABJ Sharpens Questions About NPR’s Diversity

Rodgers Says Lack of Diversity Inspired Career

Cuts at Repository of Black Papers Could Be Fatal

Favorable Reaction to Obama Meeting With Tribes

Jet Wedding Pages Analyzed as Window on Change

Leonard Pitts to Black Women: You’re Already Beautiful

Short Takes

American Muslims Take Steps to Head Off Backlash

The identification of the suspect in the Fort Hood, Texas, mass killings Thursday as a Muslim officer sent American practitioners of that faith scurrying to prevent a backlash. Most of the news media made an effort not to fan anti-Islamic flames.

But not everyone.

"It’s been just over twenty-four hours since Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood – more than enough time, clearly, for our pundits to begin opining on what it all means," Greg Marx wrote¬†Friday for the Columbia Journalism Review.

"And though those interpretations are varied, there is one headline that could apply to nearly all of them: Tragic Massacre Vindicates My Pre-existing Political Convictions.

"Many of those convictions, of course, are about the nature of Islam, the character of Muslims, and the war on terror. Michelle Malkin is talking about ‘Muslim soldiers with attitude.’ Andy McCarthy of National Review declares, ‘Nidal Malik Hasan committed a mass-murder under the influence of principles held by a disturbingly large percentage of the world’s billion-plus Muslims.’ The blog Gateway Pundit provided this ‘update’ to its readers: ‘This was jihad.’

"But there’s plenty of conclusion-drawing from the non-conservative sections of the mediasphere, too. By 8:30 this morning, Newsweek’s Web site featured a column headlined ‘Is Fort Hood a Harbinger? Nidal Malik Hasan May Be a Symptom of a Military on the Brink.’ Writer Andrew Bast acknowledges near the outset that ‘It’s hard to draw too many conclusions right now,’ and then goes on for another 900 words about the stress of combat, the perils of PTSD, and the strain two wars are exacting on our military. And Gawker, leaping off the fact that Hasan was stopped by a female first-responder, concludes that ‘Ft. Hood Shoot-Out Proves Women Should Be Allowed in Combat, Already.”

Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of fatally shooting 13 people at Fort Hood on Thursday, was shot four times by a civilian police officer. He is in stable condition, as the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Thirty-eight people, including the officer who shot Hasan, were wounded in the rampage, according to lawmakers who were briefed by military officials.

"Sen. Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat, says Army briefers told senators the wounded included 37 soldiers and a Defense Department police officer," the Express-News story said.

Brett J. Blackledge added for the Associated Press, "There are many unknowns about Nidal Malik Hasan, the man authorities say is responsible for the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base. Most of all, his motive.

"In an interview with The Washington Post, Hasan’s aunt, Noel Hasan of Falls Church, Va., said he had been harassed about being a Muslim in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and he wanted out of the Army.

"A military official told the Associated Press that Hasan was in the preparation stage of deployment, which can take months. The official said Hasan had indicated he didn’t want to go to Iraq but was willing to serve in Afghanistan."

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations rushed out a statement condemning "this cowardly attack in the strongest terms possible. . . .  No religious or political ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence."

Still, as al-Jazeera reported, "US Islamic groups were bracing themselves for a public backlash against the faith."

"We had different challenges yesterday and today," George Haj, deputy managing editor/news at the Houston Chronicle, told Journal-isms on Friday.

"Yesterday’s challenge was to make sure we weren’t reporting rumors or [allowing] those being quoted to make generalizations about Muslims, or the role of mosques in a possible conspiracy, etc. – particularly when it appeared there might be more than one gunman. And I think we did a good job of making sure none of that material appeared on the web site or in print.

"Today’s challenge was primarily around reader comments on the stories. Our online editors were very aggressive about removing inappropriate comments regarding Muslims.

"We are also doing a story for tomorrow’s paper on reaction from the local Muslim community."

Bob Mong, editor of the Dallas Morning News, said Dianne Solis of his staff did such a story on local Muslims Thursday night. "I thought she humanized their concerns and their expressions of grief over the loss of life," Mong told Journal-isms.

But on CNN’s "Larry King Show," the suspect’s motives were the subject of speculation. Tom Kennif, a commissioned officer with the Army National Guard’s Judge Advocates General Group, spoke of post-traumatic stress syndrome – and Islam.

He said, "You know, this looks a lot less like PTSD, and a lot more like the Hassan Akbar case in 2003, where another soldier who has an Islamic last name throws grenades randomly into tents occupied by his fellow officers, and by his fellow soldiers, for no other reason but to commit acts of terror, and to instill fear on the military installation, and to bring attention to himself."

The others in that segment rejected that idea. "You don’t take the guy’s last name and impugn the Islamic nation. Are you kidding me?" said Dr. Phil McGraw, the TV show host known as Dr. Phil.

"That’s ridiculous," agreed Shoshana Johnson, a former POW who now serves on the advisory panel for the Veterans Administration’s Center for Minority Veterans.

Overall, said Aman Ali, a board member of the Muslim American Journalists Association¬†and a reporter at the Journal News in New York state’s lower Hudson Valley, the news media acted with restraint.

"I’m glad they didn’t turn to generalizations" about Muslims, he said.

Salam al-Marayati, the executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, agreed. He told Al-Jazeera, "the majority of the American media has been very responsible in trying to really tone down any kind of anti-Muslim rhetoric at this point."

In the Columbia Journalism Review, Marx cited one more reason not to jump to conclusions: Bill Sparkman.

"Sparkman is the part-time Census employee whose body was found near a cemetery in rural southeastern Kentucky on Sept. 12, a rope tied around his neck and the word ‘Fed’ scrawled on his chest. Coming in the wake of August’s angry town hall meetings and amidst still-brewing ‘tea party’ sentiment, Sparkman’s death looked like a case of anti-government violence," Marx wrote.

But on Thursday, he noted, the Associated Press moved an update¬†that hasn’t received as much attention:

"Investigators probing the death of a Kentucky census worker found hanging from a tree with the word ‘fed’ scrawled on his chest increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job and are pursuing the possibility he committed suicide, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press."

Journalists Win Election Day Victories in Miami, Detroit


Journalists won elections to city offices Tuesday in Miami and Detroit, with Miami Mayor-elect Tom?°s Regalado promising¬†a breather from eight years of rapid development, and Detroit Council President-elect Charles Pugh vowing to bring a new sense of cooperation to city government.

Former journalist Myron Lowery of Memphis surrendered his mayor pro tem position last week after losing an Oct. 15 special election to replace longtime mayor Willie Herenton. Lowery returned to the City Council.

In Miami, unofficial results showed Regalado had 72 percent of the vote, the Associated Press reported.

Regalado, 62, replaces outgoing Mayor Manny Diaz, who was barred from seeking a third term.

"Tom?°s, who has been a city commissioner since 1996, is also the news director for Spanish Broadcasting Systems, a daily host and commentator on WWFE 670 AM, ‘La poderosa’ and host of ‘El informativo,’ on cable network TeleMiami," Veronica Villafa?±e reported on her Media Moves site.

"Born in Cuba, he arrived in Miami at age 14 in 1962. He is the son of Tom?°s Regalado Molina, the last president of the Cuban Association of Journalists and Reporters and a political prisoner for over 22 years."

Charles Rabin and Michael Vasquez reported in the Miami Herald that "Regalado, who takes office Nov. 11, has promised to slow the development craze of the past eight years.

"Tuesday’s results could be read as a referendum against a Diaz-backed makeover that brought new towering skylines to Miami and a new ballpark to Little Havana."


Pugh is a former television reporter who becomes Detroit’s first openly gay elected official, as Steven Gray reported earlier this week for Time.

"After being primarily raised by a grandmother, Pugh got a ticket out of Detroit with a scholarship to the University of Missouri’s journalism school. He then built a successful television-reporting career in Indiana and Virginia before joining the local Detroit Fox News affiliate," Gray wrote.

In the days before the election, the editorial boards of both the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News pulled their endorsements of him after Pugh acknowledged that his three-story home near downtown Detroit has been foreclosed, Gray continued.

Five incumbents and 13 challengers competed for nine City Council seats. Pugh received the most votes. The top vote-getter automatically wins the council presidency.

"Pugh, taking the council reins of a city saddled with debt, said [he] intends to tackle the budget first — which may include layoffs," Tammy Stables Battaglia wrote in the Free Press.

In Memphis, Lowery turned over the mayoral reins to A.C. Wharton, who beat him 60 percent to 18 percent in the special election. Lowery has returned to the council seat he has held since 1991, where he said he’ll be a "force to reckon with." He also said he’ll be one of Wharton’s biggest cheerleaders on the council.

Lowery, WMC-TV’s first full-time African American reporter, was an early board member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Another former NABJ board member, Sheila Smoot, has announced she will be a candidate in the 2010 Alabama Democratic Party open-seat primary for the 7th Congressional District.

Currently a commissioner in Jefferson County, which includes Birmingham, the former broadcaster was removed from the NABJ board in 2002 after she was certified to run for public office.

NABJ Sharpens Questions About NPR’s Diversity

Leaders of the National Association of Black Journalists have responded to National Public Radio’s report on the status of diversity at the network by challenging NPR’s figures and asking additional, pointed questions.

"You also mentioned people of color comprise 16.9 percent of your on-air hosts, reporters and correspondents. Besides Contributing News Analyst Juan Williams, who on the staff is an African American man?’ NABJ President Kathy Y. Times and Bob Butler, vice president for broadcast, asked NPR’s CEO, Vivian Schiller, in letter dated Wednesday.

"With the firing of Greg Peppers, there are no African Americans or other minorities with the title of producer or manager in your Newscast Unit. There has never been a black male hired as a full-time anchor in the unit’s 20-year history. This 24-7 operation is a very visible part of NPR’s programming," it continued.

"Now that Next Generation Radio is gone, what specific programs exist to help train young people of color for careers in public radio? And what internal programs exist to help train the people of color who comprise 27.3 percent of the NPR staff so that they can achieve positions in management?

"Finally, we agree with you that diversity not only includes race and ethnicity, but also sexual identity, socioeconomic background, political perspective, etc. But it is still a problem when the vast majority of your managers are white and your staff fails to reflect your listening audience and our very diverse country."

The letter, posted on NABJ’s Web site, reiterates NABJ’s willingness to sit down with the network.

NABJ reacted¬†to the Oct. 16 firing of Peppers, one of two black men in NPR’s newsroom management, with a strongly worded letter questioning the network’s commitment to diversity.

Schiller replied¬†Oct. 29 that "we are examining our overall diversity status critically" and produced NPR’s own set of figures about the makeup of its staff.

Johnathan Rodgers accepted Hall of Fame honor from Broadcasting & Cable. (Video)

Rodgers Says Lack of Diversity Inspired Career

Broadcasting & Cable magazine Thursday added to its Web site a video of Johnathan Rodgers, president and CEO of TV One, accepting his 2009 B&C Hall of Fame honor on Oct. 20. Recalling that he and his childhood friends would discuss the lack of African American images on television, Rodgers said, "I decided to devote my life to gently bringing change to our industry while maximizing change in our society."

Cuts at Repository of Black Papers Could Be Fatal

The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University, repository of a number of original documents tracing the history of the black press, might be forced to close its doors after 95 years, according to the university’s student newspaper, the Hilltop.

‚ÄúThe loss of 60 percent of its resources and the abolishment of some critical positions due to the Voluntary Separation Incentive Retirement Program (VSIRP) resulted in many problems,‚Äù the center’s interim director, Thomas C. Battle, told Camille Augustin for a story¬†in Friday’s editions.

Moorland-Spingarn "is recognized as one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive repositories for the documentation of the cultural history of people in the African Diaspora, according to Howard.edu. The center that holds the Black Caucus repository, information of TransAfrica, documents pertinent to the formation of the Black Greek Lettered Organizations and Howard University administrative records is facing a cut back in hours of operation and loss of staff," the story said.

"According to Battle, MSRC formerly had a staff of 50 or more people but now only 12 staff members remain in the library division. Battle said critical positions that are vacant are director, chief librarian, chief administrator and prints and photography librarian."

“This should be a greater outcry,” Battle said in the story. “This is the premier place to research black history and culture.”

Joellen Elbashir, curator of the Manuscript Division, told Journal-isms that among the documents are papers of P.L. Prattis and Robert Vann, who each edited the Pittsburgh Courier; of Arthur Carter of the Washington Afro-American; William O. Walker of the Cleveland Call and Post; Carl Murphy of the Afro-American newspapers of Baltimore and Washington; Carlton B. Goodlett, publisher of the Sun-Reporter chain in California; Alice Allison Dunnigan, who in 1947 became the first black woman accredited to cover Congress; Ethel Payne, Washington reporter for the Chicago Defender (her papers are also at the Library of Congress); and cartoonist Clint Wilson Sr. of the Los Angeles Sentinel.

"By the end of this semester, no staff will be present in the Moorland-Spingarn Research Room resulting in its potential closure, Battle said. In addition, he said Moorland-Spingarn’s budget was not increased and no plans have been drafted to direct or manage the facility or fill the vacant positions," according to the Hilltop story.

Favorable Reaction to Obama Meeting With Tribes

"Obama ushers in a new era for Indian country" was the headline in Indian Country Today, signaling a generally favorable reaction to the White House Tribal Nations Conference, where more than 400 federally recognized tribes were believed to be represented at a meeting with President Obama.

The publication presented a slideshow alongside its story by Rob Capriccioso.

It wasn’t only the Native press that reacted favorably.

"White House receptions of American Indian leaders have too often been patronizing historical footnotes," began an editorial¬†in the New York Times. "President Obama opened what we hope will be a more promising chapter on Thursday when he met with the leaders from all 564 federally recognized tribes. He vowed that there would be no more ‘going through the motions’ and that his administration would finally face the severe economic and social problems that are the result of centuries of federal abuse and neglect."

[Capriccioso told Journal-isms, "The Native press was all over this event with Indian Country Today, Indianz.com, the Native Voice, Rez Net, American Indian Report and several more American Indian-focused outlets there in person.

["Mainstream press at the event seemed sparse, although many outlets appear to have written about it by pulling information from press releases and the live online stream offered by the White House. It should be noted that this event was open to the full White House pool, but many in the pool seemed not to think it was worth it to be there live. In comparison to other events I’ve covered with President Obama present, the number of reporters seemed smaller."] [Added Nov. 9]

Jet Wedding Pages Analyzed as Window on Change

The wedding pages of Jet magazine ‚Äî "Someone once called wedding sections ‘the sports page for women,’ Eric Easter wrote¬†Wednesday for ebonyjet.com ‚Äî provide a window to the changes in black America since Jet’s founding 58 years ago, according to the ebonyjet.com editor.

"One pattern that stands out is the degree to which the children of Black American families have surpassed the generations before them in wealth, status and achievement — the dream of every parent. . . . Earlier, the listing of parents’ professions was only done when parents were in the legal and medical professions. But today when the listing of occupations has become commonplace, it is not unusual to see young, advanced-degreed marrieds entering the workforce in positions as high or higher than their parents’ most recent rank.

"The increasing role of Black women in the workforce is very clear, with descriptions of brides‚Äô jobs running from homemaker through most of the 50s, clerk and ‘schoolmarm’ during the 60s, a preponderance of social workers and government administrators in the 70s, and then incredible leaps to corporate senior management, law firms and private medical practices in the 80s and beyond.

"In the last decade, it has also become fairly common for brides to be more accomplished professionally and educationally than their grooms, an anecdotal trend that matches the statistical facts in a number of studies.

" . . . the overall quality of Black achievement reflected in these otherwise simple announcements is no less than stunning."

Leonard Pitts to Black Women: You’re Already Beautiful

Leonard Pitts Jr., who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2004 after writing viscerally about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, last week delivered "An open letter to African-American women" with similar emotion. It was pegged to Chris Rock’s movie, "Good Hair," a film discussed in print most often by women.

"So go on, sister, do what you do. I ain’t mad at’cha," Pitts wrote. "But neither am I fooled by your chemicals and weaves.

"I am your brother, your father, your husband and your son. I’ve seen you in church with big hats on, giving children the evil eye. And at the jail on visiting day, shoring up that wayward man. And at the bus stop in the rain on your way to work. And at the dining table with pen and paper, working miracles of money. When I was a baby, you nursed me, when we were children, I chased you through the house; when we were dating, I missed half the movie, stealing sugar from you. I saw you born; I took you to your prom; I glowed with pride when you went off to school. I have married you and buried you. I love your smile. A million times, you took my breath away.

"You are the rock and salvation of our people, the faith that remains when all hope is gone. So if it’s about the need to be beautiful, maybe it’s time somebody told you:

"You already are. You always were."

Short Takes

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