Maynard Institute archives

Fox News Missing in Uproar Over Jail Death?

by richard0549

Social Media Elevate Tragic Case of Sandra Bland

Cornel West Blasts Ta-Nehisi Coates; Dyson Serves It Back

C. Ron Allen, Fred Hamilton: Someone’s Looking for You

HuffPost Moves Trump Coverage to Entertainment Pages

Judge Extends Gag Order on Charleston Massacre

Houston Paper Calls for Moving Confederate Monuments

How Charles Schulz Added a Black Character to “Peanuts”

More of Color With Tech Degrees Than Silicon Valley Lets On

Glennwood Branche of ABC, Mentor and V.P., Dies at 62

Short Takes

Social Media Elevate Tragic Case of Sandra Bland

A social media campaign demanding attention to the case of a black woman found dead in a Texas jail has borne fruit in the mainstream media, with pieces on Friday’s “CBS Evening News” (video) and “ABC World News,” but, according to Scott Eric Kaufman, writing Friday for Salon, not on Fox News.

“USA Today’s Adam Bennett and Josh Chapin report that the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be joining the Texas Rangers in examining the suspicious circumstances of Sandra Bland’s death — but if last night and this morning are any indication, don’t expect to see anything about the investigation itself or the attendant call for justice on Fox News,” Kaufman wrote.

“On ‘The Kelly File’ Thursday night, you could watch GOP presidential hopeful [Ben Carson] defend those who perpetrated the Planned Parenthood hoax . . .

“Or you could watch Scott Walker talking about the coming war with radical Islam, or Peter King saying the same, or another report on the Planned Parenthood hoax — but you’d be hard-pressed to find any story indicating that black lives might actually matter.

“On ‘Hannity’ you could treat yourself to watching Geraldo Rivera in the wilds of Mexico searching for El Chapo . . .

“Or you could watch an exclusive report about that search, or Donald Trump talking about El Chapo’s escape and the shootings in Chattanooga — but you can’t find any stories about the suspicious death of a 28-year-old black woman who had moved to Texas to start a new life only to end up dead after in police custody. . . .”

Spokeswomen for Fox News Channel did not respond to requests for comment.

The Bland story was also missing from Friday’s “NBC Nightly News,” although stories about Bland are on the NBC News website, including a video dated Saturday and headlined “D.A.: Sandra Bland Death Won’t Be Swept Under the Rug.”  An ABC News spokesman said his network included the story on “ABC World News” Thursday and Friday.

In the Houston Chronicle Friday, Matt Levin explained “Why some doubt the official version of Sandra Bland’s death in a Waller County jail,” in the words of the headline.

“Here’s why some of Bland’s family, friends and many on social media are skeptical about the official story of the Chicago woman’s death:

  • “Promising future

    “Bland was traveling to Texas to start a new job, and family and friends see her unexpected death as unfathomable. A friend told the Associated Press that Bland was ‘so excited’ about a new job at Prairie View A&M. Her sister described Bland as outspoken, happy and passionate to the Chicago Tribune.

    “Bland was trying to post bail before her death, according to The Daily Beast. The publication spoke to a bail bondsman who said Bland called her from jail and he ‘called her mother for her.’ A friend or family member would’ve needed $500 to post bail.

    “The Daily Beast also linked to a Facebook video Bland posted back in March where she talks about depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Family members said they suspect foul play, but also have insisted on patience and not politicizing the issue, the family’s attorney told the Chicago Tribune.

    “Officials originally did not comment on how Bland hanged herself, only stating that she did not use her shoelaces or a blanket. Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said on Thursday afternoon that Bland hanged herself with a plastic bag, and jail video showed nobody entered or exited her cell ‘from the time she was placed there until a jailer found her unconscious. . . .’ “

Levin added these reasons:

  • “How she was arrested . . .
  • “Past racial tension . . .
  • “Leadership doubted . . .
  • “Federal interest . . .

Advocates for the Bland story were using several Twitter hashtags, including #YouOkSis, #SayHerName, #SandyBland, #SandraBland #StayWoke, #BlackLivesMatter, #BlackTwitter and #AllLivesMatter.

Cornel West Blasts Ta-Nehisi Coates; Dyson Serves It Back

“Cornel West took to his Facebook page on Thursday afternoon to deliver a blistering takedown of Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose new book, Between the World and Me, came out this week,” Matthew Kassel wrote Thursday for the New York Observer.

“Mr. West seemed to take issue particularly with Toni Morrison’s endorsement of the book — which addresses the issue of race in America in the form of a letter to Mr. Coates’ son — and the fact that she had compared Mr. Coates to our generation’s James Baldwin.

“In Defense of James Baldwin – Why Toni Morrison (a literary genius) is Wrong about Ta-Nehisi Coates,” Mr. West, a professor emeritus at Princeton University, begins. “Baldwin was a great writer of profound courage who spoke truth to power. Coates is a clever wordsmith with journalistic talent who avoids any critique of the Black president in power.’ . . .”

Kassell also wrote, “Mr. Coates did not respond to an email request asking for comment, but Michael Eric Dyson, a professor of sociology at Georgetown University who wrote a withering takedown of Mr. West in the April issue of The New Republic, was more than happy to weigh in.

“He described Mr. West’s Facebook post as an ‘acrimonious dirge,’ a ‘bitter, nasty, sorrowful blue note,’ and ‘despotically and willfully intolerant of the gifts and talents of those who may potentially eclipse him.’ . . .”

Meanwhile, New York Times columnist David Brooks challenged some of Coates’ assumptions in his Friday op-ed column.

” Does a white person have standing to respond?” Brooks asked. “If I do have standing, I find the causation between the legacy of lynching and some guy’s decision to commit a crime inadequate to the complexity of most individual choices.

“I think you distort American history. This country, like each person in it, is a mixture of glory and shame. There’s a Lincoln for every Jefferson Davis and a Harlem Children’s Zone for every K.K.K. — and usually vastly more than one. Violence is embedded in America, but it is not close to the totality of America. . . .”

In turn, Jezebel published a parody of Brooks’ piece by “Objective White Man.” It was titled, “Listening to Ta-Nehisi Coates Whilst Snuggled Deep Within My Butthole.”

C. Ron Allen, Fred Hamilton: Someone’s Looking for You

“In May, Emily Bloch, a student at Florida Atlantic University, wrote an article for the school’s newspaper, the University Press (UP), about an alleged campus gang rape,” Jonathan Kendall wrote Thursday for the Broward-Palm Beach New Times in Florida. “About one week after her article was published, a similar piece surfaced on the Boca Raton Tribune’s website.

“The byline said it was written by ‘Fred Hamilton,’ and to the UP staff’s surprise, this presumedly professional writer had blatantly ripped off Bloch’s article. Word for word, Hamilton had lifted entire passages from her piece.

“But what followed was even more bizarre: efforts to find Hamilton turned up no such man. They did, however, lead to more questions about the people running and contributing to the small Boca newspaper, which publishes a website as well as a bi-weekly print edition (weekly from October through May). The owners of the paper also publish a sister paper online, the Delray Beach Tribune. . . .

“Meanwhile, New Times covered the incident and tried reaching Hamilton for comment and the opportunity to defend his reputation. But there was no internet trail for a journalist named Fred Hamilton in Boca — no Facebook, Twitter, nor LinkedIn profiles. Just bylines with the Boca Raton Tribune.

“Some journalists noted this lack of an internet trail and began to question Hamilton’s existence, wondering if perhaps ‘Fred Hamilton’ was a pseudonym used to shoddily repost articles.

“Reached at The Boca Raton Tribune’s office by phone, [managing editor] Pedro Heizer reiterated that the staff had indeed completed an internal investigation and decided it was best to remove Hamilton’s articles from the newspaper’s website due to concerns they were also plagiarized. Heizer claimed that Hamilton was a retired African-American gentleman who previously ‘worked for the Rolling Meadows Review in Illinois,’ a now-defunct newspaper, and that he was not a staff member, so they did not have his contact information.

” ‘I’ve seen him though before,’ Heizer said. He insisted Hamilton exists.

“New Times attempted to reach all the local men we could find named Fred Hamilton, but they either did not fit the description or claimed to have never worked for newspapers.

“Heizer later clarified that Hamilton’s work had came from CRA Media Group, which he described as an Associated Press-like company that delivers local stories to community newspapers. Its CEO is C. Ron Allen, a former Sun Sentinel reporter who is also, according to Heizer, the interim editor-in-chief for [the Boca Raton and Delray Beach] newspapers. Heizer said that Allen was, indeed, ‘the best point of contact for Fred Hamilton.’

“Multiple phone messages were left for Allen, and Heizer said he would pass along a request for comment, but Allen never responded.

“. . . .On CRA’s website, Allen’s bio says that he is an inductee into the ‘Black Journalists Hall of Fame.’ The only such institution New Times could find is run by the National Association of Black Journalists. He is not listed as one of the inductees. In 1999, he was given a community service award though by the NABJ.”

[That was “for waging a victorious effort to steer 18 African-American boys ages 7 to 17 away from trouble and into a twice weekly mentoring program” called the Knights of Pythagoras, Wayne Dawkins wrote in his 2003 book, “Rugged Waters: Black Journalists Swim the Mainstream.”]

“. . . Well over one month since New Times began asking questions, neither Fred Hamilton nor C. Ron Allen have surfaced and Bloch remains frustrated. . . .”

HuffPost Moves Trump Coverage to Entertainment Pages

“After watching and listening to Donald Trump since he announced his candidacy for president, we have decided we won’t report on Trump’s campaign as part of The Huffington Post’s political coverage,” Ryan Grim, Washington bureau chief for the Huffington Post, and Danny Shea, editorial director, wrote Friday.

“Instead, we will cover his campaign as part of our Entertainment section. Our reason is simple: Trump’s campaign is a sideshow. We won’t take the bait. If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you’ll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette.”

Judge Extends Gag Order on Charleston Massacre

“Concerned about graphic photographs of the Emanuel AME Church shooting scene and 911 calls that might have captured gunfire, a Charleston judge on Thursday blocked access to public information for another week without immediately giving anybody a chance to challenge him,” Andrew Knapp reported Thursday for the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C.

“Ninth Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson extended his gag order during a hearing at the Charleston County Judicial Center downtown so he could give survivors of the attack and victims’ family members, who filled the front pair of the courtroom’s seats, an opportunity to ask for more permanent restrictions. . . .”

Knapp also wrote, “Nicholson granted a motion from attorneys representing news media, including The Post and Courier, to intervene and fight for the release of the information they seek. He acknowledged the lawyers in the courtroom Thursday, but he did not entertain their stance. The S.C. Press Association, WCIV-TV, the Associated Press, ABC News and The State newspaper of Columbia have joined the effort.

” ‘The Post and Courier has no interest in publishing graphic crime-scene photos from this horrific attack,’ the newspaper’s executive editor, Mitch Pugh, said. ‘However, we believe the public has the right and responsibility to inspect the 911 calls to determine if the agencies involved responded appropriately and promptly. Traditionally, the media have played a key role in helping the public perform this vital oversight. We trust we will be allowed to continue to do so.’

“Samuel Mokeba and Taylor Smith, attorneys for the newspaper and the other media outlets, would not discuss details of what they planned to argue in any future hearings on the gag order, but they appreciated Nicholson’s intentions to listen to others, they said.

” ‘I wouldn’t say the press lost this week,’ Smith added. ‘Their rights under the S.C. Constitution … (and state law) with regard to the Freedom of Information Act still apply. However, to the extent a judge is going to construe this order … to say that (the open-records law) does not apply, that would be a loss.’ . . .”

Houston Paper Calls for Moving Confederate Monuments

“If and when Gov. Greg Abbott appoints a task force to consider whether Confederate monuments, markers and statues on the Capitol grounds are historically accurate and appropriate, as five Democratic lawmakers have requested, task-force members are likely to find something even more sullied than misplaced veneration for slave-holding secessionists,” the Houston Chronicle editorialized on July 10.

“The large Confederate Soldiers Monument on the south lawn, two other substantial memorials on Capitol grounds, the portraits that hang in the Capitol chambers and more than a dozen markers that overtly refer to the Confederacy are expressions of what historians call the ‘nadir’ of African American history.

“It’s the period from roughly 1890 to 1920, when Southerners decades after the end of the war mounted an intense and pervasive effort not only to establish once and forever a rigid apartheid regime but also to obscure the truth regarding life in the antebellum South and the primary reason for secession. More than a century later, the monuments on the Capitol grounds are both expressions and tangible reminders of that inglorious era.

“The Confederate Soldiers Monument is the most glaring. Completed in 1903, it features four bronze figures representing the Confederate infantry, cavalry, artillery and navy. Those soldiers, an engraving on the granite base declares, ‘died for state rights guaranteed under the Constitution.’ A bronze statue of Jefferson Davis towers above the four.

” ‘The people of the South,’ the engraving continues, ‘animated by the spirit of 1776, to preserve their rights, withdrew from the federal compact in 1861.’ The engraving doesn’t mention slavery.

“The recent letter from the lawmakers, which went to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus, as well as the governor, referred to monuments that ‘espouse a whitewashed version of history.’ The description is almost literally true. . . .”

The editorial concluded, “Texans of good will are likely to differ on what we should do with these century-old monuments that perpetuate a willful misreading of history.

“The possibilities run the gamut — leaving them where they are and basically ignoring them; adding more accurate explanatory plaques; moving them to a museum; destroying them. In our view, they need to be removed from their places of honor in and around the Capitol, ‘the public face of Texas,’ as the lawmakers note. They belong, if anywhere, in a museum.

“If South Carolina, the birthplace of the Confederacy, can take down the Confederate battle flag from its own capitol grounds, surely Texas can face up to the symbols of hate, division and disinformation in our midst, symbols we have come to live with for more than a century. It’s time.”

More of Color With Tech Degrees Than Silicon Valley Lets On

“Yahoo disclosed last week that African Americans made up just 2 percent of its workers, while Hispanics stood at 4 percent,” Cecilia Kang and Todd C. Frankel reported Thursday for the Washington Post. “Those revelations came days after Facebook reported that in 2014 it had employed just 81 blacks among its 5,500 U.S. workers.

“Silicon Valley has a diversity problem, a contentious issue that has come into sharper focus in recent months as tech firms have sheepishly released updates on their hiring of minorities. The companies have pledged to do better. Many point to the talent pipeline as one of the main culprits. They’d hire if they could, but not enough black and Hispanic students are pursuing computer science degrees, they say.

“But fresh data show that top schools are turning out black and Hispanic graduates with tech degrees at rates significantly higher than they are being hired by leading tech firms.

“Last year, black students took home 4.1 percent of the bachelor’s degrees in computer science, information technology and computer engineering, according to an annual survey by the Computing Research Association of 121 top U.S. and Canadian colleges. That’s double the average of blacks hired at the biggest tech firms. Hispanics accounted for 7.7 percent of the degrees. . . .”

Glennwood Branche of ABC, Mentor and V.P., Dies at 62

Glennwood Branche, who recently retired as vice president of operations at the ABC News bureau in Washington, his hometown, died Wednesday of leukemia. He was 62, was one of the first black journalists in television management and was known as a mentor.

ABC News President James Goldston said in a statement on Thursday, “For nearly 40 years, Glennwood dedicated himself to ABC News and was a cherished and beloved leader for generations of our journalists.

“In 1995, Glennwood began serving as Vice President of Operations at our D.C. bureau. For 20 years, up until his retirement just a few months ago, he was involved in each and every story in Washington, always the first to arrive in times of crisis and breaking news.

“Glennwood started his career at the assignment desks at WJLA-TV and the D.C. bureau, refining his skills and talent for news before moving on to producer roles. Later, he became Bureau Chief in St. Louis and Philadelphia, as well as Senior Producer for World News Tonight. He won an Emmy Award and two Peabody Awards for our Millennium Special and September 11th coverage.

“After such an incredible career, he was looking forward to a wonderful retirement with his wife Yolanda and his two daughters, Erin and Natalie. It was sadly not to be, but those who spoke with him in recent days say he was remarkably at peace and prepared, his faith unbelievably strong.

“Glennwood truly helped to build ABC News, and just as importantly, he did so much to build and support the people of ABC News. . . .”

Friends and colleagues also praised Branche. “As we both rose up through the ranks, he ALWAYS HAD MY BACK. ALWAYS,” Lynne Adrine, who worked with Branche at ABC News, wrote on social media. She is director, D.C. Graduate Program, Broadcast and Digital Journalism, at Syracuse University.

Jeff Ballou, news editor at Al Jazeera English, The Americas, knew Branche as a friend, fellow parishioner and fraternity brother. He messaged friends, “To say he was a great guy with solid character, sharp judgment and a wonderful sense of humor only scratches the surface. There’s an old saying that one should live respected and died regretted. That was Glennwood.”

Jason Miccolo Johnson, a photographer who worked as a vacation-relief desk assistant on the ABC assignment desk in 1981, told Journal-isms by email, “Those were tough times at ABC News for African Americans in the early 80s, and Glennwood helped me to keep my sanity.”

Peggy Lewis, director of media studies at Trinity Washington University, messaged, “He was so helpful to young aspiring Black journalists! He was a pioneer in network television management. . . . he helped so many in this business.”

Short Takes

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