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Was It Abramson’s Pay? Her Style? Gender?

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Baquet Calls Glenn Greenwald Criticism “Idiotic”

In Reversal, Google Pledges to Disclose Diversity Figures

Next on Net Neutrality: Contentious Sitdown Expected

MTV Finds Youth Lack Historical Perspective on Race

Oprah Postpones Plans for Michael Sam Reality Show

Photo Editor Harry Walker Confirms End of McClatchy Job

Secrecy Over Executions Could Be First Amendment Issue

Nominate a J-Educator Who Has Helped Diversity

Short Takes

The ouster of Jill Abramson, left, as executive editor of the New York Times overshadowed the appointment of Dean Baquet, right, as her successor. Whether she was being paid more than her predecessor, Bill Keller, center, became a central issue in the drama. The three are shown at Abramson’s 2011 appointment. (Credit: Fred R. Conrad/the New York Times)

Baquet Calls Glenn Greenwald Criticism “Idiotic”

Gossip overshadowed the history-making moment for Dean Baquet. He became the first African-American to head the venerable New York Times,” Tracie Powell wrote on Thursday for her alldigitocracy.com. “The focus, instead, was on whether gender politics — or something else — played a part in his predecessor’s ouster.

“The New Yorker’s Ken Auletta quoted unnamed sources who said former editor Jill Abramson was fired because she clashed with higher ups; NPR’s David Folkenflik quoted unnamed sources saying money was the ‘final rupture’ to the relationship; BuzzFeed’s Kate Aurthur recounted internal squabbles ‘friends’ told her about that led to Abramson’s exit; Politico’s Dylan Byers and The New York Times’ own David Carr and Ravi Somaiya speculated that Baquet’s anger over Abramson’s attempt to install a co-managing editor without his consent precipitated her abrupt departure. . . .”

Even Journal-isms subscribers became caught up in the gossip. A message intended to be private was inadvertently posted to members of the Journal-isms email list, and others added their comments. “What reporter doesn’t enjoy some gossip and speculation? ;)” one wrote.

Meanwhile, Glenn Greenwald, who published Edward Snowden’s leaks from the National Security Agency, delivered seemingly the first criticism of the choice of Baquet. On HuffPost Live, Greenwald argued “that Baquet has displayed a history of journalism that’s been ‘subservient’ to people in power,” Josh Feldman wrote Friday for mediaite.com. Feldman also wrote, “Greenwald said Baquet has a ‘really disturbing history of practicing this form of journalism that is incredibly subservient to the American national security state.’ . . .”

However, Baquet replied by email Saturday to Journal-isms, “The greenwald comment is idiotic. I’ve been The key person pushing back against the government. He doesn’t know what he is talking about.”

Auletta, the veteran, plugged-in media watcher, weighed in late Thursday with perhaps the most detailed follow-up on the Times intrigue, published in a blog post on the New Yorker website.

Publisher Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. “and Abramson had a fraught relationship almost from the start of her tenure as executive editor, nearly three years ago,” Auletta wrote. “He saw her as difficult, high-handed, and lacking in finesse in her management of people at the paper. She, in turn, was increasingly resentful of his intrusions into her command of editorial operations, and of his increasingly close relationship with Mark Thompson, the company’s C.E.O., who came from England and the BBC to run the business side.

“It is always hard to say what causes a final break—a firing, a divorce—but, clearly, a last straw came a few weeks ago, when Abramson, who made little secret of her displeasure with Sulzberger, decided to hire a lawyer to complain that her salary was not equal to that of her predecessor, Bill Keller. She had also been told by reliable sources at the paper that, as managing editor, she had once earned less than the managing editor of news operations, John Geddes.

“Abramson’s attempt to raise the salary issue at a time when tempers were already frayed seemed wrongheaded to Sulzberger and Thompson, both on its merits and in terms of her approach. Bringing in a lawyer, in particular, seems to have struck them as especially combative. Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the Times, argued that there was no real compensation gap, but conceded to me that ‘this incident was a contributing factor’ to the firing of Abramson, because ‘it was part of a pattern.’

“(Update: Murphy wrote to me after this post went up to dispute this. Her quote is accurate and in context, as I’ve confirmed in my notes. However, she now e-mails: ‘I said to you that the issue of bringing a lawyer in was part of a pattern that caused frustration. I NEVER said that it was part of a pattern that led to her firing because that is just not true.’)

“Another episode that added to the characterization of Abramson as hard to deal with came after a decision was made to hire a second managing editor to oversee the Times’ digital endeavors. Abramson led that hiring effort. The Times, in its story on Abramson’s dismissal, said that Abramson had offered the job to Janine Gibson, the editor of Guardian U.S., ‘without consulting’ Dean Baquet, then the managing editor and now Abramson’s successor.

“This implies that Abramson was operating more or less in a vacuum, without consistent consultations with her colleagues, particularly Baquet. Gibson met separately with Sulzberger and Thompson on May 5th, and had lunch with Baquet that same day. What Baquet did not know, until Gibson herself mentioned it to him at lunch, I’m told, is that she was offered a managing-editor job comparable to his own. He was, it is fair to say, unenthusiastic, and even angered.

“Abramson clearly should have conferred earlier with Baquet, a failure that contributed to the impression that she could be an unskilled and insensitive executive. But the story is complicated by a previously undisclosed e-mail from April 28th, from Thompson to Abramson . . .”

Auletta concluded, “No one is served well by this story — not Sulzberger, Abramson, or Baquet, who cannot have wanted his elevation to come with controversy. Nor is it good for the institution of the Times. . . .”

Abramson’s status as the Times’ first female editor and the introduction of the pay-disparity issue made it easy to cast the story as simply one of a woman wronged.

The Times’ own story, by Leslie Kaufman and Somaiya, reported Thursday, “A day after The New York Times Company announced that it had dismissed Jill Abramson, The Times’s first female executive editor, it found itself mired in controversy, having to reassure employees and rebut reports that her removal was related to her complaints about receiving less pay than her male predecessors.

“In announcing Ms. Abramson’s departure on Wednesday, the company said she had been fired only because of management issues, but through Thursday, a strong counternarrative had emerged in the news media — including the ‘Morning Joe’ show on MSNBC and The New Yorker — that Ms. Abramson had been a victim of sexism by being held to a different standard than male editors. The news even reverberated on Capitol Hill, where Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, used Ms. Abramson’s ouster to argue for equal pay legislation. . . .”

As the speculation continued alongside genuine reporting, one point in Powell’s piece seemed to be lost.

“Abramson’s firing is a great story, filled with intrigue and resonance for a lot of women — black and white — who have fought the good fight in corporate America,” Powell wrote. “But Baquet’s promotion is an equally great story because of its historic resonance. Media watchers are doing a poor job telling both these stories in ways that do justice not only to both individuals, but also the struggles that both women and minorities have experienced in white male dominated corporate cultures, including at The New York Times. . . .” [Updated May 17]

In Reversal, Google Pledges to Disclose Diversity Figures

“Prodded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Google said Wednesday that it will reverse a long-held stance and reveal publicly how many minority workers are employed by the giant Internet company, in a report next month,” Brandon Bailey reported for the San Jose Mercury News.

” ‘We’re working very hard. We’re not doing enough and we can do better,’ said David Drummond, the company’s chief legal officer, after Jackson attended Google’s annual shareholder meeting and urged top executives to provide more opportunities for blacks, Latinos and other minorities. . . .”

Bailey also wrote, “Google has three female directors, and Drummond, the company’s fourth-highest paid officer, is black. Drummond said Google is working with historically black colleges to improve their computer-science programs, but he acknowledged, ‘we need to do a lot more.’

“Along with other valley companies, Google has balked at divulging its minority hiring statistics, arguing that the information is a competitive secret. ‘We’ve come to the conclusion that we’re wrong about that,’ Drummond said. . . .”

Google held a “day-long summit with media industry leaders” on Thursday at the Newseum in Washington. Co-sponsors included the Online News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the International Center for Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association.

“Before anyone tries to criticize me for schlepping for Google and YouTube,” Errin Haines, NABJ’s vice president/print, wrote for alldigitocracy.org, “let me just say that journalists are already on these platforms, but we are hardly maximizing their potential for our benefit. If we are only using 10 percent of our brain power, we are using even less of Google’s power.

“I believe this is especially true in ethnic media and at historically black colleges and universities. Reaching these groups is crucial to building a diverse pipeline of qualified digital journalists ready to work in the 21st century newsroom — something the industry is currently sorely lacking. I left the day’s event empowered as an ambassador to these groups and others about the storytelling potential for journalists with these skills. . . .”

Next on Net Neutrality: Contentious Sitdown Expected

“Following the Federal Communications Commission’s vote to move ahead with new open Internet rules that could allow for some companies to pay for faster delivery of their content online, calls of protest have sprouted from Internet companies and activists alike,” Alex Wilhelm reported Friday for TechCrunch.

“What’s next? FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will head to [Congress] on May 20 for a sitdown that should prove contentious. When it first became known that Wheeler would testify in front of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, it was before it was clear what the proposed net neutrality rules would be and when they would be voted on. . . .”

The New York Times’ Edward Wyatt wrote of the FCC’s 3-2 decision, “While the rules are meant to prevent Internet providers from knowingly slowing data, they would allow content providers to pay for a guaranteed fast lane of service. Some opponents of the plan, those considered net neutrality purists, argue that allowing some content to be sent along a fast lane would essentially discriminate against other content. . . .”

MTV Finds Youth Lack Historical Perspective on Race

“One oft-employed generalization about The Kids These Days is that they’ve grown up free from the legalized discrimination and racial neuroses of older generations, and they will live in a more multicultural world with less racism. But do we even know if that’s true?,” Gene Demby wrote Thursday for NPR’s “Code Switch” blog.

“MTV, that reliable weather vane of popular youth culture, wanted to find out. It polled a nationally representative sample of people ages 14 to 24 about their views on bias and identity.

” ‘The first thing we wanted to just find out was how much our audience knew about bias, talked about bias and cared about bias,’ Luke Hales, the lead researcher on the survey, told me. The poll was conducted ahead of MTV’s Look Different project, which is meant to help young people deal with bias and discrimination in their daily lives.

“What the pollsters found is that many values are shared across all racial groups, like a strong sense of the importance of equality. But they also found that the respondents seemed to lack historical perspective, which might not be too surprising because of their ages. Another reason they may not have much historical perspective? Race isn’t something they talk about very much. (More on that in a minute.) . . .”

Oprah Postpones Plans for Michael Sam Reality Show

“Oprah has punted, for now, on a planned documentary series about openly gay NFL draftee Michael Sam,” Thomas Tracy reported Friday for the Daily News in New York.

“The Oprah Winfrey Network announced Friday it will postpone the untitled documentary, claiming it didn’t want to hurt the fledgling football star’s chances of making it onto the St. Louis Rams.

“The team drafted Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by the National Football League, last week in a ground-breaking moment for professional sports. . . .”

Jason Hughes wrote Thursday for The Wrap, ““OWN cameras were already rolling at Michael Sam’s house when he received the call that he’d been selected in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams. His agent, Cameron Weiss, admitted on ‘NFL Live’ that the Rams didn’t know about the planned documentary before they drafted Sam. . . .”

Columnists were disapproving of Sam’s move.

Photo Editor Harry Walker Confirms End of McClatchy Job

Harry E. Walker, who as photo director of the McClatchy-Tribune Photo Service is the highest ranking black journalist at the McClatchy-Tribune News Service, confirmed Friday that he will be leaving when Tribune Publishing, which owned 50 percent of the service, takes full ownership.

“As part of the acquisition, Washington, D.C.-based MCT will consolidate operations in Chicago and become part of Tribune Content Agency, a syndication and licensing business operated by Tribune Co. since 1918,” Robert Channick wrote last week for the Chicago Tribune.

But Walker told Journal-isms by email, “No, myself nor anyone from my photo staff will be going to Chicago. To go to Chicago, you must reapply for new photo positions. No relocation assistance will be offered either.

“Most of the photo staff’s last day at MCT will be July 3rd, with one editor remaining until August 1.

“One photo editor that already worked for Tribune Company in the Los Angeles bureau will remain with the company. He will be the sole remaining photo staff member once the transition takes place.”

Who is remaining in the bureau? “Only 4 people from our innovations department. Approximately 40 others are being laid off, which is the remaining staff,” Walker wrote.

As for his own hopes, “I would like to continue in photo editing as Director of Photography at major to mid-sized daily newspaper. Second choice would be to work in public relations or as a media coordinator,” Walker added.

The Tribune acquisition put the jobs of five journalists of color at risk.

Nominate a J-Educator Who Has Helped Diversity

The Association of Opinion Journalists, formerly the National Conference of Editorial Writers, annually grants a Barry Bingham Sr. Fellowship — actually an award — “in recognition of an educator’s outstanding efforts to encourage minority students in the field of journalism.” The educator should be at the college level.

Nominations, now being accepted for the 2014 award, should consist of a statement about why you believe your nominee is deserving.

The final selection will be made by the AOJ Foundation board and announced in time for the Sept. 21-23 convention in Mobile, Ala., where the presentation will be made.

Since 2000, the recipient has been awarded an honorarium of $1,000 to be used to “further work in progress or begin a new project.”

Past winners include James Hawkins, Florida A&M University (1990); Larry Kaggwa, Howard University (1992); Ben Holman, University of Maryland (1996); Linda Jones, Roosevelt University, Chicago (1998); Ramon Chavez, University of Colorado, Boulder (1999); Erna Smith, San Francisco State (2000); Joseph Selden, Penn State (2001); Cheryl Smith, Paul Quinn College (2002); Rose Richard, Marquette University (2003); Leara D. Rhodes, University of Georgia (2004); Denny McAuliffe, University of Montana (2005); Pearl Stewart, Black College Wire (2006); Valerie White, Florida A&M University (2007); Phillip Dixon, Howard University (2008); Bruce DePyssler, North Carolina Central University (2009); Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia University (2010); Yvonne Latty, New York University (2011); Michelle Johnson, Boston University (2012); and Vanessa Shelton, University of Iowa (2013).

Nominations may be emailed to Richard Prince, AOJ Diversity Committee chair, richardprince (at) hotmail.com. The deadline is May 23. Please use that address only for AOJ matters.

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