Big Brands Not Always Big Opportunities, Says “Journalist of the Year”

NABJ Elects Bob Butler President

Gannett Cuts Jobs in Its Newspaper Division

NAHJ Honors 8 Media Firms for Visibility of Latinos

Eric Deggans to Join NPR as TV Critic

Calvin Sims Leaving Ford Foundation to Lead Nonprofit

Ford Grant Targets Asian, Gay Issues in Heartland

Steve Jones, Longtime USA Today Music Critic, 57

Big Brands Not Always Big Opportunities, Says “Journalist of the Year”

Roland Martin, the TV One host whose six years as a CNN commentator ended in the spring, told the National Association of Black Journalists Saturday night that larger is not always better and that a lot of journalists are impressed “with the largest of the companies on our business card, without realizing they are providing us limited opportunities.”

Martin accepted the 2013 Journalist of the Year award from NABJ as the organization wound down its convention in Kissimmee, Fla. Gregory L. Moore, editor of the Denver Post, accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, agreed with Martin on one point. “This is the best time to be a free agent in our history. We get to build our brands,” he said.

TV One announced last month that Martin would host a new live, one-hour weekday news/public affairs show as part of a multiplatform news offering from the network’s parent company, Radio One. The network promised news and analysis of politics, entertainment and culture from an African American perspective, as Martin did with “Washington Watch with Roland Martin,” a Sunday news analysis show that ran weekly from 2009 until this year.

Martin also continues a daily segment on the “Tom Joyner Morning Show” and writes a weekly column for Creators Syndicate.

“You can’t ignore what you think is something small,” Martin told the NABJ “Salute to Excellence” awards dinner. “That’s where somebody is going to give you a shot.”

Wearing a red-and-white checkered ascot and a feather pocket square reminiscent of a black-feathered peacock, Martin said he would always remember advice Moore gave him in 1991: “Never, ever not do you.”

Byron Pitts, ABC News chief national correspondent, said in introducing Martin, “Roland knows who he is and more important, he knows whose he is. Roland is creating a path many of us can follow. Black folks know that he puts truth to power on their behalf.” 

Martin insisted that the cable news networks need evening anchors of color and African American executive producers.

“Every one of us should accept the admonition of the Tuskegee Airmen, ‘We will fight, we will fight, we will fight,’ ” he continued. “It’s time to operate as free black men and women,” and also to “accept the responsibility for [mentoring] the next generation.”

Bob Butler, incoming president of NABJ and current vice president/broadcast, echoed that theme. “I challenge each member — find two students who do what you do and help them,” he said. Butler said NABJ would create an “NABJ Cares” database where hiring editors and managers could go to find employees rather than calling NABJ leaders seeking resumes.

Outgoing president Gregory H. Lee Jr. noted that he is one of only four African Americans leading sports departments at daily newspapers (he is at the South Florida SunSentinel), and said the cable news networks were emulating their sports counterparts, which hire athletes for jobs formerly performed by journalists. In the case of the cable news networks, the usurpers are politicians and advocates. “The game has changed, and so we have to find new ways and think bold,” Lee said in his farewell speech.

Moore, editor of the Denver Post since 2002 and co-chair of the Pulitzer Prize board in 2012-13, noted progress for black journalists, however. “In my now 37 years in journalism, we were once fighting for a seat at the table,” Moore said, but now we are “deciding who sits at the table.” He said his career mirrors that of NABJ.

Moore was introduced by Washington Post reporter Wil Haygood, author of the newspaper story that became the movie “Lee Daniels‘ The Butler,” to be released Aug. 16 and previewed at the convention Saturday, winning raves. Haygood and Moore worked together at the Boston Globe.

Yamiche Alcindor of USA Today, named “Emerging Journalist of the Year,” said she had been inspired by Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till, the African American 14-year-old who was kidnapped and lynched in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Mamie Till kept her son’s memory alive, and with that inspiration, Alcindor said she had written about women victimized as sex slaves and others who used emergency rooms for primary care.

Verna Holtzclaw provided an emotional moment with an eloquent speech about the generosity and cheerfulness of her husband, Theodore Holtzclaw, operations manager of WABC-TV in New York, who died last year. She said her husband would sing, “hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work I go.”

As she concluded, Holtzclaw called Camille Edwards, vice president of news at WABC, to the stage, and presented her with the NABJ Legacy Award she had just received in her husband’s behalf. “This truly belongs to WABC,” Holtzclaw said.

Though they were called the “Salute to Excellence” awards, there were gaffes by the co-hosts, Don Lemon of CNN and Cari Champion of ESPN. Engaging in happy talk during the evening, they mispronounced and garbled names (as Lemon warned that they might). At one point, Lemon declined to try to pronounce the name of Seniboye Tienabeso of ABC News, one of the winners in the “Television — General Assignment: Long Form” category for “Shooting in Sanford: The Death of Trayvon Martin.” Lemon said Tienabeso’s name was too difficult to pronounce.

Still, Paul Cheung, national president of the Asian American Journalists Association, said he found motivation in the evening and the convention. “I could really see the civil rights origins” of NABJ, Cheung told Journal-isms. “For AAJA and the other groups, we didn’t come into development” until later. “NABJ led the movement, and to see it was inspiring.”

NABJ Executive Director Maurice Foster said attendance figures had not changed much since Tuesday, when 1,937 people were registered, a figure that includes exhibitors. NABJ attracted 2,586 registrants last year in New Orleans.

NABJ Elects Bob Butler President

August 2, 2013

Campaign Ends Amid Concern Over Deficit, Executive Director

Bob Butler, a multimedia reporter at KCBS radio in San Francisco and two-term vice president/broadcast of the National Association of Black Journalists, was elected president of the organization Friday as members learned that NABJ ran a deficit in 2012 and that its finance committee projected one for 2013 as well.

Butler, 60, defeated Sarah J. Glover, 39, social media editor at WCAU-TV, the NBC-owned and operated station in Philadelphia, 251 to 229.

In other races, incumbent Errin Haines Whack, a reporter for the Washington Post and vice president/print, defeated Denise Clay, writer/proofreader and copy editor at the Philadelphia Sunday Sun. She won 286 votes to Clay’s 165.

For vice president/broadcast, Dedrick Russell, a reporter at WBTV-TV, Charlotte, N.C., and a current regional representative, defeated Lisa D. Cox, producer at KTLA-TV in Los Angeles and current NABJ secretary, 255 to 208.

For secretary, Corey Dade, contributing editor at the Root and a current regional representative, defeated Michael Feeney, a reporter for the Daily News in New York and president of the New York Association of Black Journalists, 233 to 222.

For parliamentarian, incumbent Cindy George, reporter and Houston Advocate blogger at the Houston Chronicle, defeated Caleb Wilkerson, supervising producer and director at Discovery Communications and former board member, 272 to 171.

Treasurer Keith Reed, senior editor at ESPN The Magazine, was unopposed and garnered 393 votes.

Overall, 490 of NABJ’s 1,316 full members voted, Elections Committee Co-Chair Mike Woolfolk said, 37.2 percent of those eligible. When those in other categories are counted, NABJ membership stood at 2,986 in July, down from a high of 4,119 in June 2008 but greater than a recent low of 2,578 in September 2010, Executive Director Maurice Foster said.

As vice president/broadcast, Butler conducted diversity surveys of station management for NABJ and advocated among station managers around the country for hiring black journalists. He also represents broadcasters in San Francisco on the national board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and is a member of its diversity committee.

He attributed his victory to support from young journalists. “People called and said, ‘you helped my career,’ ” Butler told Journal-isms after the votes were announced Friday at the NABJ convention in Kissimmee, Fla. “They need someone who can provide them with the direction they may not be getting” in their communities. “I’ve got a big Rolodex of NABJ members. I started reaching out to these people, and 85 percent said, ‘Bob, it’s a no-brainer.’ “

Glover, two-term president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and three-time board member of NABJ, was present for the announcement of the election results, already known to the candidates. She wrote to her Facebook followers, “I want to thank my #sarah4nabj supporters. I lost the #NABJ13 election by 22 votes. I will continue to be a proud NABJ member and serve to infinity.”

Butler spoke with Journal-isms after the news conference, livestreamed from the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.

He noted that he had persuaded the JVC electronics company to lend NABJ the two cameras that student journalists used to record the news conference. That was an example, he said, of the work he had done for the association. The cameras came with an engineer to teach the students how to use the equipment, he said.

The election pitted Butler and other incumbents who supported Foster against outgoing President Gregory H. Lee Jr. and challengers who said the association is headed in the wrong direction with Foster as executive director.

Among those detractors was NABJ’s Finance Committee, chaired by former NABJ President Condace Pressley, which reported at NABJ’s four-hour business meeting on Friday.

“The NABJ Finance Committee is concerned that membership is not receiving an accurate assessment of the financial status of the organization. NABJ ended 2012 in the red, and is headed for possibly a $300,000 deficit in 2013 unless major steps are taken to eliminate the threat,” it said.

In continuing, the committee referred to a cleavage on the board previously unknown to most NABJ members. “It is the opinion of the finance committee that President Lee is the most knowledgeable and experienced NABJ board member regarding the organization’s finances. However, critical recommendations from the president regarding finances have not been adopted by the majority of the board or the Executive Director,” it said.

NABJ incurred a net loss of $30,828 for the year ending Dec. 31, Reed reported.

Asked Thursday at a candidates’ forum about the Finance Committee report, Butler said, “We’ve ended up in the red six of the last 10 years,” and “We might not have the profit, but we are a nonprofit organization.”

Glover, a former photographer for the Philadelphia dailies, said, “We should be receptive to the recommendations [the Finance Committee] put forward. I don’t think that any year that is a deficit year is a great year and that that should be excused. We need to look at our fund-raising structure and our revenue.”

Butler replied, “The election has become a referendum on the national office. It’s always the national office but not the leaders of the organization. Is that always the case?”

Asked at the forum about the possibility of NABJ returning to the Unity coalition, which the association left over financial and governance issues in 2011, Butler said NABJ “won’t have the conversation” until Unity resolves those issues. (Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc. has since become Unity: Journalists for Diversity with the addition of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association in NABJ’s stead.)  

Challengers successfully proposed motions Friday aimed at greater transparency and accountability, including one to eliminate a bonus for future executive directors if financial reports are not made available to members on time.

Foster told the group that the organization’s biggest challenge will be reining in spending. “We’re going to have to get a handle on this,” he said.

Also at the convention, the parents of slain black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin said they “took the negative and tried to turn it into a positive” after volunteer night watchman George Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges last month after shooting their unarmed 17-year-old son.

“With a guilty verdict everything would be stopped,” said Sabrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother. “But now the story goes on. There are a number of things we can do. Just the fact that so many people united during the rallies. Just the fact that people are talking about the case leads to something positive.”

Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, said he wants “to make sure Trayvon’s legacy lives on” so that 30 or 40 years from now, people will say that laws were changed in his name.

At a news conference, the parents said they were taking no stance on a proposed boycott of Florida, WFTV-TV in Orlando reported.

“Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, said Friday that critics of Zimmerman’s acquittal have the right to express themselves, but that she and the teen’s father are neither supporting nor opposing the proposal,” the station reported, incorporating material from the Associated Press.

• Talia Buford, Politico: Martin family pushes Trayvon Martin amendment to black journalists
• Orlando Sentinel: Trayvon’s parents continue call to amend ‘stand your ground’ laws

Gannett Cuts Jobs in Its Newspaper Division

“Gannett said Friday that it is eliminating an unspecified number of jobs in its newspaper division,” the Associated Press reported.

“Jeremy Gaines, a spokesman for the McLean, Va.-based company declined to say where the cuts are taking place. He said the newspapers are making the cuts to bring their business plans in line with local market conditions.

“McLean, Va.-based Gannett is the country’s largest publisher of newspapers by circulation. It publishes USA Today, the No. 3 newspaper in the U.S. by circulation, and operates television stations.

“Jim Hopkins, who publishes Gannett Blog, an independent blog about the company, estimates that over 200 jobs across at least 37 worksites have been eliminated so far. Hopkins, a former editor and reporter at USA Today, said the figures are based on information contributed by Gannett workers.

“According to the blog, the newspapers making the most cuts include the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey, The Burlington Free Press in Vermont, The Arizona Republic in Phoenix and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. . . .”

NAHJ Honors 8 Media Firms for Visibility of Latinos

“The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is proud to honor eight media companies who have shown their commitment to increasing the visibility of Latinos and/or working to portray an accurate representation of Latinos in media,” NAHJ announced on Friday.

” ‘This is the first year we are honoring a mix of news media and media companies,’ said Mekahlo Medina, NAHJ Vice President and Media Awards Chair. ‘We are excited to highlight the great work these companies are doing and honor those that make the decisions to get this work done.’ “

” ‘Among the honorees are the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times for finally addressing the use of ‘illegal immigrant.’ After years of urging by NAHJ, the AP changed its stylebook to no longer sanction the term or use of ‘illegal’ to describe a person. The move by the world’s largest newsgathering outlet has opened the conversation in dozens of newsrooms and caused many of them to follow suit or re-examine its use of the term. . . .”

Also honored are ABC News, ESPN, Universal Pictures, Hulu, Huffington Post and NUVOtv. The presentations are scheduled Aug. 26 at the NAHJ Media Awards and Hall of Fame Gala in Anaheim, Calif.

Eric Deggans to Join NPR as TV Critic

“Media critic Eric Deggans (@Deggans) is joining NPR News as a TV critic and correspondent,” NPR announced on Thursday.

“Deggans, a longtime TV and media critic at the Tampa Bay Times, begins reporting fulltime for NPR in October. Deggans’ work is widely recognized, and tomorrow, he will be honored at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention as the recipient of its 2013 Arts & Entertainment Task Force Legacy Award, given to a veteran A&E journalist that has set an example for others in the field.

Deggans, who will become NPR’s first television critic, told Journal-isms he intends to stay in Tampa for two years and then relocate to NPR’s Los Angeles studios. He has contributed commentary to the network and now will become one of its few black male voices. Deggans also heads the Media Monitoring Committee of the National Association of Black Journalists.

“He brought his deft understanding of media to NPR’s coverage of the Trayvon Martin case and the relationship between TV and real-world violence, and has also contributed to NPR’s race, ethnicity and culture blog Code Switch,” the release continued. 

“In this newly created role of TV critic and correspondent, Deggans will continue to bring audiences his distinct perspective on television, media and cultural criticism, and offer context on entertainment trends and their intersection with society and culture in America today. . . .”

Deggans received the 2013 NABJ Arts & Entertainment Task Force Legacy Award Friday night at the NABJ convention in Kissimmee, Fla.

• Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: Eric Deggans to leave Tampa Bay Times for job as NPR’s first TV critic

Steve Jones, Longtime USA Today Music Critic, 57

“As a longtime music critic for USA TODAY, Steve Jones impressed people with his mental warehouse of music history, his unflappable cool and his devilish wit,” Edna Gundersen and Brian Mansfield reported Friday for USA Today. “In an accessible and entertaining voice, he introduced readers to a staggering variety of artists and trends, shedding light on the cultural and artistic significance of everything from Michael Jackson‘s tragic odyssey to the Bay Area’s youth-culture hyphy craze. He possessed charm, dignity, heart and a world-class collection of Pez dispensers.

“Jones, whose USA TODAY career spanned nearly 28 years, died at his Herndon, Va., home Friday morning after a long illness. He was 57.” Colleagues said Jones was battling a congenital lung disease.

” ‘Steve had it all — talent, integrity, intelligence and a huge heart,’ says executive editor Susan Weiss. ‘He shared his deep knowledge of hip-hop and R&B with our readers, and he shared his smile, laughter and support with his USA TODAY colleagues.’

“A native of Washington, Jones joined USA TODAY in 1985. Before settling into the music beat in 1996, he served as a copy editor, layout editor, science editor, copy desk chief and movies and music editor. From 1992 to 1995, he co-wrote a weekly video review column that was distributed by Gannett News Service, and in 2010, he began covering DVD releases for USA TODAY. He interviewed such legends as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and James Brown, as well as contemporary superstars like Jay Z, Kanye West and Alicia Keys. . . .”

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