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Barkley to Give $1 Million to Morehouse

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NBA Hall of Famer Aids Journalism and Sports Program

. . . Sports Journalists Get a “D” on Diversity Hiring

Judge Upholds Firing of Cop in Infamous Photo

Student Video Gives Voice to Outrage Over McKinney

5 Reasons Women Are Underrepresented in News Media

Writers Fault Authorities for “Cruelty” That Led to Suicide

Project Links Female Latin American Journalists, Tech

Columnist Sees “Plain Ignorance” About Latino Politicians

African Journalists Welcome Whistleblowing Platform

Short Takes

NBA Hall of Famer Aids Journalism and Sports Program

“Basketball legend Charles Barkley recently announced his intention to make a $1 million gift to Morehouse College,” the school announced on Friday. “In that same announcement, he pledged similar support to Auburn University (his alma mater) and the Wounded Warrior Project,” for a total of $3 million in donations.

“Barkley is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and a noted analyst on TNT’s Inside the NBA show.

“The gift to Morehouse will benefit the College’s burgeoning Journalism and Sports Program (JSP) that was initiated in 2007. Since its inception, this program has sent 40 of its students into the media workforce, while 17 have earned master’s degrees in journalism or related fields, including six at Columbia University.

“Currently, nearly 65 percent of professional football players and 80 percent of professional basketball players are black; yet only 8 percent of newspaper sports journalists are African American. In response to this phenomenon, JSP was conceived by veteran filmmaker and Morehouse alumnus Spike Lee and his friend, the late Ralph Wiley, one of the nation’s first African American sports columnists.

“JSP’s director, Ron Thomas, joyfully reacted to this surprise announcement. ‘We aim to produce the media’s next generation of image makers, from columnists to digital specialists, covering a wide variety of news and marketing positions,’ he said.

” ‘Charles Barkley has always been very generous to students in our Journalism and Sports Program on a personal level. I am thrilled that Charles has greatly extended his generosity by donating $1 million to address our growing needs.’ . . .”

In advance of the official announcement, Barkley disclosed his planned donations during a conference call for the American Century Championship’s celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nev., on June 2, Brandon Marcello reported for al.com.

“Barkley is close friends with Cpl. Chad Pfeifer, an Iraq War veteran and amputee who teamed up with Barkley in 2014 at the event. Barkley made the decision to tell his friend — and the world — about his donation plans [June 2] while speaking to the media.

” ‘I think we’ve had a conversation about how much I respect and admire what all you soldiers do,’ Barkley said. ‘So I just got a new contract. And my goal is always to, I try to give a million dollars a year away to charity. So I was going to announce Friday, I didn’t know you were going to be on the conference call, but I’ll announce now.

“I’m announcing Friday that I’m giving Auburn another million dollars. I’m giving Wounded Warriors a million dollars and I’m giving Morehouse University in Atlanta, each one of (you) all a million dollars. And I just want to thank you personally for having the stones to go to war, and I think it’s a joke the way they treat our soldiers.’ . . .”

. . . Sports Journalists Get a “D” on Diversity Hiring

The latest report on diversity among sports journalists at newspapers and websites, conducted every two years for the Associated Press Sports Editors, shows “an increase in opportunities for people of color as copy editors (from 14 percent to 16.7 percent), and slight increases for reporters (13.7 percent to 15 percent), and columnists (16.1 percent to 16.5 percent).

“There was also an increase for women as reporters (from 11.7 percent to 12.7 percent), sports editors (from 9.6 to 9.9), and women columnists (from 9.7 percent to 12.4 percent). There was a large decrease in women assistant sports editors (from 17.2 to 9.8 percent) and a slight decline for copy editors/designers (from 19.6 to 19.2 percent).”

However, the report, published by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, said, “For 2014, the grade for racial hiring practices for APSE newspapers and websites was a C+, which was the same grade as in the 2012 study. The APSE newspapers and websites received the fourth consecutive F for gender hiring practices. Grades were not issued for the 2006 Report Card. The combined grade for 2014 was a D, the lowest of all the reports issued by TIDES.”

Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute and primary author of the report, released on Wednesday, wrote, “ESPN has been a leader in the hiring of women and people of color in key positions. Of the 16 people of color who are sports editors at this level, seven work for ESPN. If the ESPN sports editors of color were removed, the percentage of sports editors of color would drop from 11.7 percent to 6.9 percent. Of the 11 women who were sports editors at this level, seven worked for ESPN. If the ESPN sports editors who are women were removed, the percentage of female sports editors would drop from eight percent to 3.1 percent. . . .”

Lapchick also wrote, “My primary recommendation to the APSE remains that it adopt a Ralph Wiley Rule, named after the late African-American writer.

“The Wiley Rule would be like the Rooney Rule in the NFL and would call for a diverse pool of candidates including people of color and women for each opening of these key positions. According to John Cherwa, many of the individual newspapers have adopted such a rule.” Cherwa is an editor at the Los Angeles Times and adviser for the study.

Other highlights from the study include:

“The percentages of African-American men holding the position of copy editors/designers increased while assistant sports editors, reporters, columnists, and sports editors decreased.

“White male sports editors increased by 0.7 of a percentage point.

“The percentage of women sport editors increased for African-Americans and remained the same for Latinas.

“Latino men increased in percentage for sports editors, columnists, and reporters.

“Asian men increased for sport editors.

“ESPN formed a substantial part of the totals for people of color who were columnists and sport editors. . . .”

Meanwhile, the University of Missouri announced Tuesday that the Sports Journalism Institute is among seven individuals and two media organizations chosen for the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism. The Institute, which aims to “enhance racial and gender diversity in sports departments nationwide,” began in 1993 and has almost 300 graduates.

“Leon Carter, an ESPN vice president and editorial director of TheUndefeated.com, and Sandy Rosenbush, an ESPN event news editor, will accept the medal on behalf of SJI. The two are co-directors of the institute.”

Other medal winners include Yoani Sánchez, an acclaimed Cuban blogger, journalist and founder of 14ymedio, Cuba’s first independent daily digital news outlet; and Lincoln Stephens, who co-founded the Marcus Graham Project, “which is focused on bringing more diversity to the advertising industry through mentorship, exposure and career development.”

Judge Upholds Firing of Cop in Infamous Photo

“A white, clouted Chicago Police officer deserved to be fired for appearing in an offensive photograph, holding a black man like a hunting trophy, a Cook County Judge has ruled,” Kim Janssen reported Wednesday for the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Judge Thomas R. Allen on Wednesday upheld the previous decision of the Chicago Police Board to fire Officer Tim McDermott.

“Calling the case ‘straightforward’ and saying it revolved entirely around what even McDermott’s lawyer admitted was ‘a horribly offensive’ photo, he cited Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous definition of obscenity.

” ‘I know it when I see it,’ Allen said of the shocking photo during his 30-minute ruling. . . “

The Sun-Times published the photo on May 27. Jim Kirk, publisher and editor, wrote then, “It’s an offensive image, so much so that this newspaper had to think long and hard before publishing it today.”

The Sun-Times editorialized last Thursday in a piece headlined, “Cop in offensive photo should never get his job back.”

Jerome Finnigan, the second officer in the photo, which was taken between 1999 and 2003, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for leading a crew of rogue cops in robberies, home invasions and other crimes. McDermott was fired last year after the photo came to light, WGN-TV reported.

Student filmmaker Christian Vasquez created this three-minute video about reaction in McKinney, Texas, after attending a demonstration there on Monday. (Dallas Morning News) (video)

Student Video Gives Voice to Outrage Over McKinney

“Yes, there are conflicting storylines about the now-infamous incident involving former McKinney officer David Eric Casebolt,” Mike Drago wrote in an opinion blog Wednesday for the Dallas Morning News. “I’m sure Casebolt, whose histrionics ratcheted the situation up about three notches, will roll out his side of the story pretty soon.

“Be that as it may (to quote one of my favorite colleagues), and no matter which storyline prevails as closest to the truth, the fact remains that McKinney is like every other city in America in one important way: minority populations, by and large, fear and distrust police.

“That’s why relatively minor incidents (minor by comparison to Eric Garner and Mike Brown) blow up into international incidents. This country is a tinderbox that ignites with the smallest spark.

“Many Americans still don’t believe this self-evident fact. In our paper this week, I’ve seen those teenage party-goers called ‘thugs,’ ‘invaders’ and ‘animals.’ Did you see these kids pleading with the cops? ‘Sir, sir, please. I just came for a birthday party.’ Thugs? Really?

“When my colleague Rudy Bush wrote the other day about the McKinney incident, he was viciously attacked via social media and email. I learned some new words. You wanna see thugs? Just read the comments.

“We can, and will, argue all day about whether it was racism (by police and Craig Ranch residents who called 911) or stupidity (by people who threw a party where they might shouldn’t have) that caused Friday’s embarrassment.

“In my opinion, all that stuff is beside the larger point, which is that the tinderbox is real. The underlying sentiments of fear and mistrust are realities cemented through decades upon decades of actual experience. Racism is real, folks. My kids don’t fear police; my black colleagues’ kids do. That’s a problem, and it’s not race-baiting to say so.

“If you’re among those who think the McKinney flap is much ado about nothing — a media creation whipped up by East Coast elites and Al Sharpton — I urge you to take a close look at this three-minute documentary, created by student filmmaker Christian Vasquez and produced by local film professor and all-around guru Barton Weiss. . . .”

5 Reasons Women Are Underrepresented in News Media

Commenting on a report last week from the Women’s Media Center on the underrepresentation of women in the news media, Sara Catania gave these five reasons Monday in an article for the Poynter Institute:

“1. Some women in journalism get brutally harassed. . . .

“2. Women in journalism are more subject to burnout and are leaving as a result. . . .

“3. Women are (still) inordinately judged on their appearance. . . . 

“4. Men are (still) considered the experts. . . .

“5. Women in journalism can do more to support one another. . . “

In a 2014 story in NiemanReports quoted in Catania’s essay, Karen Magnuson, editor of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and co-chair of the diversity committee for the American Society of News Editors, praised the hiring of women into top jobs at some newspapers.

“I certainly see strides,” she said in the report. “But when it comes to people of color we’re not making the same progress.”

Writers Fault Authorities for “Cruelty” That Led to Suicide

“We don’t know if the grisly death by suicide of Kalief Browder could have been prevented, but it’s beyond doubt that the young man’s agony was intensified by years of mistreatment by a city that should have cared for him,” Errol Louis wrote Tuesday for the Daily News in New York.

“As a 16-year-old, Kalief fell victim to the outright brutality of officers on Rikers Island, the incompetence of lawyers in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office — and the apathy of an indifferent public that makes the scandal complete.

“The basics of Kalief’s story read like a real-world excerpt from ‘The Trial’ by Franz Kafka, the surreal fictional tale of a man who, charged with a crime that is never truly explained to him, endures endless court proceedings. In the spring of 2010, at age 16, Kalief was arrested for allegedly stealing a backpack; he denied guilt but was held on $3,000 bail, money his family could not raise.

“And so Kalief remained imprisoned on Rikers Island for three years, despite guidelines mandating that people charged with a crime be tried within six months.

“The sickening story came to public attention thanks to a blockbuster 7,000-word expose published by Jennifer Gonnerman in the New Yorker magazine last fall. . . .”

Columnist Sees “Plain Ignorance” About Latino Politicians

“Let’s say you’re a smart and accomplished Latino politician with big dreams, impressive credentials and what many people agree is a bright future.,” Ruben Navarrette Jr. wrote Tuesday for the Washington Post Writers Group.

“Only one thing stands in your way: You don’t speak Spanish.

“Will that fact cause you any grief, open you up to criticism or prompt the media to pounce? If you’re a Republican, the answer is likely yes. If you’re a Democrat, then probably not.

“The 2016 election is adding a new twist to familiar accusations of bias in the media. Latinos are at the center of the controversy, with two of them waging well-funded and credible campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination (Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida) and three more in the wings as possible running mates (Republican Govs. Brian Sandoval of Nevada and Susana Martinez of New Mexico, and Democrat Julian Castro, the secretary of housing and urban development).

“It’s a new world, and the elite Beltway media can’t keep up. In an interview with Castro’s twin brother, Joaquin, a congressman from San Antonio, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell made reference to his ‘Cuban-American’ heritage. But, as the congressman pointed out, he and his brother are Mexican-American. Last August, The Washington Post introduced a blurb about Julian Castro dining with former President Bill Clinton under the tacky subheadline: ‘We’ll need more fajitas.’

“That’s plain ignorance, the kind that grows like fungus in a petri dish in the laboratory of mostly white newsrooms where people who are paid to know a little about everything know virtually nothing about 54 million Latinos in the United States. . . .”

African Journalists Welcome Whistleblowing Platform

“Top editors and investigative journalists in South Africa have welcomed a new whistleblowing platform designed to protect sources who leak sensitive information to the media,” Raymond Joseph wrote Monday for the International Journalists Network.

“The platform, afriLEAKS, is being introduced to African media following a pilot phase during which it was tested by select newsrooms, including the weekly Mail&Guardian and Oxpeckers, an environmental investigative journalism platform that has played a key role in exposing the illicit trade in rhino horns.

“The embedding of afriLEAKS in African newsrooms is being spearheaded by the African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR). Based on Publeaks, a successful whistleblowing platform that is widely used in the Netherlands, afriLEAKS provides a secure platform for sources to share information and sensitive documents. The platform was customized for African newsrooms by Nairobi-based technologists affiliated with Code for Africa.

“[International Center for Journalists] Knight Fellow Justin Arenstein, a founder of Code for Africa, is leading the strategy to roll out the whistleblowing platform on the continent and coordinated a high-level gathering in Johannesburg where afriLEAKS was showcased. . . .”

The center explained, “Knight International Fellow Raymond Joseph is working with Code for South Africa to strengthen the storytelling and audience engagement of news through data journalism and civic innovation in South Africa as part of ICFJ’s Code for Africa data journalism initiative.”

Short Takes

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