Maynard Institute archives

Journal-Isms September 23

by richard0566

Philly’s Fee for Covering Pope From Risers: $1,500

Natives Object to Canonization of Friar Accused of Cruelty

Ex-Publisher Says Newspaper Diversity Efforts Have Failed

Marvel Hires Coates to Write Black Panther Comic

Expanded Roles for Yvette Miley, Rashida Jones at MSNBC

Egyptian President Pardons, Frees Al Jazeera Reporters

Black Publishers Honor Roland Martin, 4 Others

Carson, Condemned for Muslim Comment, Sees Donations Rise

Clinton Talks Black Colleges, Birthers on Joyner Show

Short Takes

Philly’s Fee for Covering Pope From Risers: $1,500

Here’s a Pope Visit story you may not have heard,” Denise Clay, a Philadelphia-based independent writer, told friends in social media last week.

“Today, I got an email telling me that I had been approved for an on site credential for the Papal mass on Sunday the 27th.

“But there was a catch.

“I’d have to pay $1,500 for the spot.

“I looked at the email for a minute and decided to call the number at the bottom to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

“The gentleman on the other end of the phone assured me that I wasn’t. He apologized and explained that the reason why reporters were being asked to basically pay to cover the Papal mass was because of how much the risers cost the World Meeting of Families to build.

“(The inner smart ass in me wanted to ask if they used Cherry wood, but I didn’t.)

“Since I’m doing this for small news outlets that can’t — or won’t — give me the $1,500, and I don’t have it myself to use and write off as an expense, I won’t be up on the riser, I guess.

“Now I don’t mind paying for certain things when I do assignments. As long as I have a place to sit, I don’t need a plate at your rubber chicken dinner. If I do want a plate, I’ll buy a ticket.

“I’ve bought concert tickets to review shows, movie tickets to review films, and I even paid my own way to cover the 2008 DNC in Denver and both Obama inaugurations with some help.

“But being asked to pay $1,500 to, basically, cover a church service is a new one.

“But I guess it could be worse. I could be a photographer.

“The fee for the standing risers they need to do their jobs ranges from $4,500 to $7,500.”

Hadas Gold added Tuesday for Politico Media: “Kenneth Gavin, the director of communications for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said the costs were due to the lack of existing infrastructure in the city and that it wasn’t under the control of the Archdiocese or the World Meeting of Families.

” ‘Due to the significant media infrastructure that had to be built from scratch on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the associated costs were necessary to provide quality resources for media to properly cover this momentous event,’ Gavin wrote in an email.

“This vastly differs from the events in New York and D.C. as they already have an existing infrastructure and did not require any expansive build out needed to accommodate media coverage. . . . Additionally, it is possible for reporters to cover the events on the Parkway without paying for space on the risers. . . .

“The problem is that Serra is also documented as being an extreme and unapologetic abuser of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Coast,” Simon Moya-Smith wrote for CNN. (Video)

Natives Object to Canonization of Friar Accused of Cruelty

“Fifteen years ago, Pope John Paul II apologized for hundreds of years of violence and subjugation that the indigenous peoples of the Americas suffered at the hands of Catholics. Pope Francis, speaking in Bolivia, followed this up in July by expressing remorse over the cruelty committed against the indigenous peoples of the Americas,” Simon Moya-Smith wrote Wednesday for CNN.

” ‘I say this to you with regret: Many grave sins were committed against the native people of America in the name of God,’ he said. ‘I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offense of the church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.’

“So why is he set to canonize someone whose actions would seem to fly in the face of such encouraging words?

“This week, during his first visit to the United States, the Pope is expected to canonize 18th-century Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra, who arrived in 1769 and founded nine of California’s 21 Spanish Catholic missions.

“The problem is that Serra is also documented as being an extreme and unapologetic abuser of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Coast.

“Indeed, according to Elias Castillo, author of ‘A Cross of Thorns: The Enslavement of California’s Indians by the Spanish Missions,’ Serra would brutally beat and whip men, women and children in order to force obedience among the Indians. Castillo also writes that Serra celebrated the demise of Indian children, referring to their deaths as a ‘harvest.’ . . .”

To their credit, some media outlets, such as the “CBS Evening News” and Pacifica Radio’s “Democracy Now!” did not overlook the Native perspective on Junipero Serra.

“It was an actual — a culturecide of the indigenous people there,” Valentin Lopez, chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, said on “Democracy Now!” “The missions would use shackles, and they used stocks on the Indians. The women that were — when they separated the families, the women were repeatedly raped by the soldiers. There was no other women in California at that time. And so, the men would go into the women’s dormitory or barrack at nighttime and just repeatedly rape them. Those dormitories were locked, but the soldiers would just go on in and repeatedly rape them . . . . It wasn’t unusual to have 10 — I mean, 1,200 Indians dying at one time. . . . “

CBS’s Carter Evans presented the church’s side as well. ” ‘But Serra doesn’t see that. He sees Indians as naked, as hungry, as hungering literally for food and for salvation in Christ,’ said History Professor Steven Hackel.

“Hackel says for many Hispanics in California, Serra is seen as a founding father. . . .”

Ex-Publisher Says Newspaper Diversity Efforts Have Failed

“We all know the names: Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and Eric Garner,” Tim Gallagher wrote in his “Business of News” column Thursday in Editor & Publisher. “At least part of the reason they are household names is because American newsrooms continue to do a terrible job covering race issues.

“After 37 years of trying, it is time to call the effort by American newspaper companies to improve coverage of minorities and diversify their newsrooms what it is — a failure. This failure hurts American newspaper readership and, in a much larger sense, hurts the nation. . . .”

Gallagher is a public relations consultant in Ventura County, Calif., with 30 years in the newspaper business, Most recently Gallagher was publisher of the Ventura County Star, where he was editor from 1995 to 2004 and publisher from 2004 through 2007. He told Journal-isms that he wrote the column after seeing the latest diversity figures for print and online newsroooms, released in June by the American Society of News Editors.. ” I am pretty pissed off about this. Talked to the ASNE Minority Chair Karen Magnuson. Good person. Trying hard. But there are so many newspapers that don’t make the effort,” he said by email.

Gallagher also wrote, “There are places where issues of race are covered well — in social media channels, not mainstream media channels. If you want to learn about the roots of racial division, it’s easy to find talk of it throughout the Web and on Twitter. In an encouraging and ironic move, The Los Angeles Times hired a reporter to cover ‘Black Twitter.’ So now the mainstream media is assigning a reporter to cover what the mainstream media does not cover.

“It seemed that everyone had an opinion after the subsequent riots following the Gray, Garner and Brown incidents. But little of the coverage provided the depth, the background, and the reasons why there is such mistrust between law enforcement and minority communities. Fewer yet spotlighted the communities where law enforcement reaches out to minority communities and builds relationships.

“It’s the height of hypocrisy for newspaper opinion writers to offer commentary on race relations in America when nearly nine of 10 people in their newsrooms are white. When other industries fail to represent ethnic communities (for instance, the hand-wringing over the lack of African-Americans in Major League Baseball), newspapers are quick to slam them. But they are blind to their own failings. . . .”

Marvel Hires Coates to Write Black Panther Comic

“Ta-Nehisi Coates can be identified in many ways: as a national correspondent for The Atlantic, as an author and, as of this month, as a nominee for the National Book Award’s nonfiction prize,” George Gene Gustines reported Tuesday for the New York Times. “But Mr. Coates also has a not-so-secret identity, as evidenced by some of his Atlantic blog posts and his Twitter feed: Marvel Comics superfan.

“So it seems only natural that Marvel has asked Mr. Coates to take on a new Black Panther series set to begin next spring. Writing for that comics publisher is a childhood dream that, despite the seeming incongruity, came about thanks to his day job. ‘The Atlantic is a pretty diverse place in terms of interest, but there are no comics nerds,’ besides himself, Mr. Coates said in an interview.

“His passions intersected in May, during the magazine’s New York Ideas seminar, when he interviewed Sana Amanat, a Marvel editor, about diversity and inclusion in comic books. . . . .”

Egyptian President Pardons, Frees Al Jazeera Reporters

“Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed walked free from an Egyptian jail on Wednesday after being pardoned along with scores of other prisoners by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,” Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.

” ‘I’m feeling ecstatic knowing that I don’t have to worry about lawyers, police officers following me all over the place and knowing that I’m going to share my apartment tonight with my beloved wife,’ Fahmy said.

” ‘We’re very, very happy. But we’re a bit surprised about how it was done,’ Mohamed added.

“Al Jazeera’s acting director general Dr. Mostefa Souag, also released a statement Wednesday, welcoming the release of the two men.

” ‘We’re delighted for them both and their families,’ the statement said, while adding that it was ‘hard to celebrate’ because ‘this whole episode should not have happened in the first ‘

” ‘They’ve lost nearly two years of their lives when they were guilty of nothing except journalism,’ Souag said.

“He added the network would continue to call on Egyptian authorities to drop convictions against seven of its journalists tried in absentia, including Australian reporter Peter Greste, who was arrested alongside Fahmy and Mohamed. . . .”

“Carson’s beliefs that being Muslim bars Americans from being civically engaged, upholding our nation’s laws or serving in elected positions of leadership comes from a place of bigotry,” Robert McCaw, government-affairs manager at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The”(Video)

Carson, Condemned for Muslim Comment, Sees Donations Rise

“The super PAC supporting neurosurgeon Ben Carson for GOP president has seen a surge of donations since his appearance Sunday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ where Mr. Carson said he wouldn’t advocate for a Muslim to be president of the United States,” Kelly Riddell reported Tuesday for the Washington Times.

“ ‘We sent out an email to Carson supporters, and we’ve never had an email raise so much money so quickly — it’s unbelievable,’ said John Philip Sousa IV, who chairs the 2016 Committee super PAC. ‘My phone has exploded over the last 48 hours — of people wanting me to pass on to Dr. Carson how much they respect his truthfulness and believe in the American system, and how absolutely not should anyone who believes in Sharia law come close to the White House. The people are on Dr. Carson’s side on this one — sorry NBC you lose.’ . . .”

However, Carson’s comments were roundly condemned elsewhere, with many pointing out the Constitution’s provision that religion should not be a litmus test in running for office.

Clinton Talks Black Colleges, Birthers on Joyner Show

“CNN’s Don Lemon asked Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton during a radio interview Wednesday morning whether she started ‘birther’ rumors about President Barack Obama during their bitter 2008 election battle,” Catherine Thompson wrote Wednesday for Talking Points Memo.

“Speculation about Clinton’s role in the debunked conspiracy theory began anew after an incident involving Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump on Thursday at a town hall event in New Hampshire. Trump was roundly criticized for failing to correct a supporter who said Obama was a Muslim and not an American.

“Trump attributed the start of the ‘birther’ movement to Clinton Tuesday night on Twitter:

“In an interview on “The Tom Joyner Morning Show,’ Lemon asked Clinton whether she started the rumors and whether Obama confronted her about them.

” ‘People have been saying on-air here, and I’ve been reporting it on CNN and I’ve been reporting it here, that you were the person behind the whole birther thing and that the senator at the time, the President-elect, actually confronted you about that. Do you care to respond?’ Lemon asked, according to audio posted by Mediaite. ‘Did you or your campaign start the whole birther thing? And did you have a confrontation with the President?’

“ ‘That is so—no,’ Clinton responded. ‘That is so ludicrous, Don. You know, honestly, I just believe that—first of all, it’s totally untrue. Secondly, the President and I have never had any kind of confrontation like that.’ . . . “

Joyner’s BlackAmericaWeb.com posted audio and the complete transcript of the interview.

Short Takes

  • Terrance Harris, a sports reporter with NOLA Media Group, which includes NOLA.com and the Times-Picayune, confirmed Wednesday that he was among the 21 percent of the company’s full-time employees who were cut. “They eliminated my sports enterprise role, largely because NOLA.COM has become far more interested in the metrics than doing good journalism,” Harris messaged Journal-isms. “The proof is in the aggregation posts. I have returned to my Houston home. I am currently looking for opportunities in sports journalism in Houston or that will allow me to remain anchored in Houston. I am also launching my own writing and editing business called Wording It Right. The website is www.wordingitright.com. So anyone needing help can hit me up.”
  • “The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) will be launching its first annual Spanish-language conference in 2016 and it will do so in conjunction with Hispanicize 2016 at the annual Latino trendsetters and newsmakers event,” Hispanicize announced on Tuesday. “The industry first, weeklong track of NAHJ-produced Spanish-language journalism sessions will be held within Hispanicize 2016, scheduled for April 4-8 in Miami’s InterContinental Hotel. . . .”
  • “A gunman shoots his way into a radio station and goes undetected by New Orleans police. That’s what some employees at WBOK are saying happened Friday night in a series of events they describe as terrifying,” Meg Gatto reported Sunday for WVUE-TV in New Orleans. “Friday around 9:30 p.m., WBOK board operator Kendall ‘Jazz’ Williams says he heard a popping noise while working at the radio station. Next, he saw a gunman standing in his doorway. Williams recalls, ‘He says I had to shoot the glass to get in, I’m running from somebody outside.’ . . .” Rance Dunbar, 33, was to appear Tuesday in Orleans Parish Magistrate Court, Ken Daley reported Tuesday for NOLA.com | the Times-Picayune.
  • “Of all the terms used to describe Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour — ice queen, icon, the devil in Prada — warrior for racial equality is typically not one of them,” David Kaufman reported Tuesday for the New York Post. “Yet Tuesday, when Vogue’s October issue debuts with actress Lupita Nyong’o on the cover, it will mark the second time in as many months that a black woman has fronted America’s leading style bible. . . .”
  • “Are the problems plaguing black men due to systemic wrongs or a lack of personal responsibility and self-governance in the black community?,” Jonnelle Davis wrote Wednesday for the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C.. “It’s both, according to the speakers at Wednesday’s PNC Bank/[News] & Record forum on the untapped potential of young black males. The forum, held at the Carolina Theatre, drew a packed house of more than 1,000. . . .” Star Parker, columnist, author and conservative activist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. of the Miami Herald, spoke.
  • “NBC-owned WCAU in Philadelphia has added Aundrea Cline-Thomas as a reporter,” Mark Joyella reported Wednesday for TVSpy. “She starts at the station on Monday.” Anzio Williams, WCAU vice president of news, said, “She’s warm, engaging and passionate about storytelling, and we know she’ll be a great fit with our viewers.”

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