Maynard Institute archives

Why Is Donald Trump Hosting “SNL”?

by richard0516

Returning Oct. 26, barring breaking news

Latinos See Invitation as “A Big ‘[Expletive] You’ “

Black Lives Matter Gets OK for Candidate “Town Hall”

The Root to Produce Content for Fusion Cable Network

Obama, Marshall Project to Discuss Criminal Justice

. . . Why So Much Indian-on-Indian Violence?

BuzzFeed’s Nonwhite Staff Rises from 25% to 31% in Year

Canadian Vote Holds Lessons for U.S. Native Americans

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Disappointed in Ebony Cover

Louie Robinson Dies at 88, Spent 30 Years at Ebony

Short Takes

Latinos See Invitation as “A Big ‘[Expletive] You’ “

Latino groups are voicing outrage at NBC for asking Donald Trump to host “Saturday Night Live” on Nov. 7, saying that if he had insulted other groups as he has Mexicans, no such invitation would be extended.

“What if all of the Latino cast members all walked off the job at ‘Saturday Night Live’? Oh wait, you don’t have any Latino cast members,” Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez, D-Ill., said Wednesday on the House floor, Cristina Marcos reported for the Hill.

Esther J. Cepeda, a syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group, wrote Wednesday, “Whether Trump reprises his hateful rhetoric on the comedy show or harmlessly buffoons his egomaniacal persona in an effort to burnish his ‘straight-talking’ brand matters little. What’s at issue is that unless ‘SNL’ disinvites him, it is effectively giving a stamp of approval to his hateful views . . . .”

Cepeda also wrote, “If ‘SNL’ and NBC choose to continue their plan to have Trump host SNL we should see the gesture for what it is: A big ‘[expletive] you’ to the overwhelming majority of a 55 million-strong community who have clearly articulated their disgust with The Donald.”

NBC’s decision to invite the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination had already raised fairness questions.

“You might be wondering, like we did, if the government’s ‘equal time’ rule means Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and the rest of the Republican presidential field will each get a shot at hosting the show,” Katie Sanders wrote Wednesday for PunditFact, part of the PolitiFact fact-checking operation run by the Tampa Bay Times.

“The answer, PunditFact found, is no. But candidates could score some free air time in certain markets if they ask for it. . . .”

NBC has steadfastly refused to comment on the furor.

Jeremy Diamond recalled Monday for CNN, “Trump this summer called undocumented Mexican immigrants ‘rapists’ and ‘killers’ as he launched his presidential bid, quickly drawing a mixture of ire and support as he pushed on with his presidential campaign.

” ‘These groups are out for themselves,’ Trump said Monday morning on Fox News, before adding that he is ‘leading in the polls with Hispanics’ and has ‘thousands of Hispanics who work for me.’

On the House floor, Gutiérrez wondered if “Saturday Night Live” would give Trump airtime if he had targeted other minority groups, Marcos reported for the Hill.

“If Donald Trump had said gays and lesbians were murderers and raping Americans, would he get to host the show? It is every bit as much a fiction and a lie,” Gutiérrez said.

” ‘ Donald Trump has said some pretty awful things about women individually and collectively. But what if he said most women were criminals? Would the writers be thinking up sketches for Trump if he had slandered an entire gender rather than an entire ethnic group?’ . . .”

Cepeda added, “A MoveOn.org petition sponsored by the immigration reform group America’s Voice is asking NBC to dump Trump. . . .

“The National Council of La Raza’s Janet Murguia called ‘SNL’s’ Trump invitation a ‘slap in the face’ to the Latino community, but that’s not quite right.

“A slap in the face could be seen as a passionate outburst — an intimate gesture implying an affront within a relationship.

” ‘SNL’s’ paltriness in the Hispanic ensemble member department — two Latino males in 40 years — and a complete dismissal of Hispanics’ complaints over an offensive 2014 skit featuring a white comedienne portraying a ditzy, overly accented Latina sexpot tell you all you need to know about ‘SNL’s’ relationship with Hispanic audiences. . . .”

Black Lives Matter Gets OK for Candidate “Town Hall”

“The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday gave its blessing to two of the most prominent activist groups associated with the Black Lives Matter protest movement — the #BlackLivesMatter network and Campaign Zero — to host a presidential town hall focused on issues of racial justice, but stood firm in its stance that there will be no additional debates on the 2016 campaign schedule,” Wesley Lowery reported Wednesday for the Washington Post.

“In letters addressed to leaders of the #BlackLivesMatter network and prominent activist DeRay Mckesson, the DNC invited the activist groups to coordinate and host a presidential town hall similar to those currently being planned by some state-level Democratic parties and some liberal groups including MoveOn.org. . . .”

Lowery also wrote, “The letters come one day after organizers with the #BlackLivesMatter network — an activist collective with the same name often applied to the broader protest movement — called on the DNC to sanction an additional debate themed around issues of racial justice, which was only referenced once during the CNN presidential debate in Las Vegas earlier this month.

“In an interview on Wednesday, Black Lives Matter organizer Elle Hearns said the umbrella group had yet to decide if it would proceed with an attempt to host a town hall, and said that she was still personally disappointed that the DNC will not sanction an additional debate. . . .”

If such a forum took place, it would not be a DNC-sponsored event, and Black Lives Matter would have to negotiate any arrangements for television coverage, a party official told Journal-isms.

The Root to Produce Content for Fusion Cable Network

The Root, the African American-targeted news site bought by owners of the Spanish-language Univision television network in May, is branching into cable television, the parties announced on Wednesday.

The vehicle will be the Fusion cable network, co-owned by Univision and Disney/ABC. Donna Byrd, publisher of The Root, told Journal-isms that while plans are still preliminary for the 2016 launch, it was “highly likely” that the Root’s television presence would include news.

“We see this as a tremendous opportunity for FUSION to provide The Root, a brand known for creating gripping digital content, with a platform to reach a new audience on TV,” Isaac Lee, Fusion CEO, said in a news release. “Bringing their editorial voice to our viewers underscores the importance of serving audiences with content that reflects the interests and passions of a young, multicultural generation.”

When the Root was sold to Univision by Graham Holdings, formerly the Washington Post Co., Byrd told Journal-isms, “Everyone’s looking for how we can grow our business, and they’re looking to do the same thing.” For TheRoot, ownership by Univision means access to Univision’s television, radio, video and digital production facilities. . . .”

On Wednesday, Byrd said by telephone that lifestyle, health, travel and food stories would be among the Root’s contributions, as well as televising the “Root 100” gala, based on the site’s listing of 100 African Americans, ages 25 to 45, “who are responsible for the year’s most significant moments, movements and ideas.”

Awards programs are consistently among the highest-rated on television.

“The Fusion team has produced dynamic content that addresses the issues that matter to America’s diverse population in an informative and entertaining way,” Henry Louis Gates Jr., chairman of The Root and director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University, told Elizabeth Wagmeister, writing Wednesday in Variety. “I am thrilled to be partnering with Fusion to give The Root an opportunity to broaden its reach beyond a highly engaged digital audience and to provide our community with more access to content that is relevant for their advancement.”

Referring to Univision, Byrd told Journal-isms, “It’s been a great relationship to date.” Asked about delays in paying writers as the operation transitions to new owners, she said, “We’re having our growing pains internally” and that The Root has always had a reputation for paying promptly. 

Journal-isms also appears on The Root.

Police in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., said Officer Nouman Raja, 38, spotted what he thought was an abandoned car and parked just behind Corey Jones, above, early Sunday. A confrontation resulted in Raja fatally shooting Jones, police said. (video)

Obama, Marshall Project to Discuss Criminal Justice

“Tomorrow, Thursday, October 22, President Obama will join Bill Keller, Editor-in-Chief of The Marshall Project, for a conversation on criminal justice reform with two law enforcement leaders,” the White House announced Wednesday. “The focus of the discussion will be how to make America’s law enforcement and correctional practices more just and effective. 

“The event is part of the President’s effort to meet with Americans who are working to improve the criminal justice system, from law enforcement officials working to lower the crime and incarceration rates, to former prisoners who are earning their second chance. In addition, on Tuesday, October 27th, the President will address the International Association of Chiefs of Police at the 122nd Annual IACP Conference and Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. . . .”

The panel discussion is to be live streamed at 2:15 p.m. ET at www.whitehouse.gov/live. The Marshall Project, named for the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, launched last November and is devoted to criminal justice issues.

Meanwhile, in Florida, the Palm Beach Post editorialized Wednesday against “gun extremists” in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Corey Jones, 31, a popular church drummer who was stranded off an exit ramp of Interstate 95. Jones, who was black, was shot by plainclothes Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Nouman Raja.

“What’s equally tragic, however, is how some legislators in Tallahassee are doubling down on policies that are transforming Florida into the vigilante state,” the newspaper editorialized. “The new state motto might as well be, ‘Shoot first, ask questions later,’ or ‘The Gunshine State.’  . . .

“This may well turn out to be a case of fears trumping good sense — a plain-clothes police officer in an unmarked car terrifying a stranded motorist, with horrific results. It may be that there is no bad guy here.

“But there are bad laws.

“When it comes to gun laws, there has been a slow erosion of common sense in Florida, accompanied by an erosion of civility and safety, particularly in urban areas.

” ‘Stand your ground’ granted immunity from prosecution in the case of fear of bodily harm in 2005, a huge leap from a self-defense claim.

“Local communities, since 2011, have lost the right to opt out of state gun laws or pass other gun restrictions. . . . Will anyone stand up to the gun extremists? . . .”

. . . Why So Much Indian-on-Indian Violence?

While some bemoan so-called “black-on-black crime,” an editorial from Indian Country gives credence to arguments that crime takes place among people in close proximity, whatever their race.

“Because we are an American Indian publication our staff is often asked, it seems more and more frequently, ‘Why is there so much crime and killing in the Indian community?’ ” Tim Giago, editor emeritus of Native Sun News, wrote for that publication last week.

“We suppose more frequently because that appears to be the reality right now. Every time we turn on the television news or read a local newspaper there seems to be an episode of an Indian killing an Indian or an Indian charged an armed robbery or spousal or child abuse. How do we answer that question?”

Giago also wrote, “We at Native Sun News have advertised for employees and why we get so few applicants for those jobs when unemployment is rampant in our communities also puzzles us. We are an Indian owned business and the last time we advertised a job for a correspondent on Pine Ridge or Rosebud we got zero applicants.

“Have many of our people become so dependent on welfare or government assistance that they are no longer looking for jobs?

“We are killing each other at an unprecedented rate. We are robbing businesses on and off of the reservation, and the suicide rate among our teens and young people continues to grow. . . .

“There is something dreadfully wrong in the Indian community. It is manifesting itself in acts of violence and murder. Have we fallen so far away from our culture, our traditions and our spirituality that we have become numb to these acts of crime and abuse? . . .”

BuzzFeed’s Nonwhite Staff Rises from 25% to 31% in Year

“BuzzFeed posted new internal statistics Tuesday on its racial and gender diversity, celebrating that the company has hired on more women and made significant gains in bringing on more nonwhite staffers over the course of the last year,” Brendan James reported Tuesday for International Business Times.

” ‘Transparency of diversity numbers is becoming more common among tech companies, an encouraging trend, and we are happy to be among the companies publicly disclosing these numbers,’ founder and CEO Jonah Peretti said in a statement accompanying the figures.

“The gains on BuzzFeed’s US editorial side are significant: Since last year, the newsroom has gone from 74 percent white down to nearly 68 percent white after the company hired on more black, Asian and biracial staffers. The only decline was among Hispanic employees. The editorial side also saw women, already a majority of staffers globally, go from 52 percent of the newsroom to 58 percent.

“The diversification was companywide: Including its business and administrative sides, the size of the company’s nonwhite staff has gone from 25 percent of employees to 31 percent.

“An International Business Times investigation of diversity in new media earlier this year showed that, based off its 2014 numbers, BuzzFeed already had a leg up on other digital newsrooms as well as national legacy publications such as the New York Times, USA Today and Newsday, according to the 2015 census taken by the American Society of News Editors.

“But at that point, BuzzFeed still lagged behind the Washington Post, far and ahead the most diverse of any publication with a nonwhite contingent of 31 percent.

“BuzzFeed can now claim to have caught up to WaPo, with nonwhite staff making up 32 percent of its newsroom. . . .”

BuzzFeed was honored this year for its diversity efforts by the National Association of Black Journalists and last year by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Disappointed in Ebony Cover

“Ebony’s November cover, which depicts a shattered image of the iconic Huxtable family from ‘The Cosby Show,’ unleashed a wave of controversy when it debuted earlier this month,” Rahel Gebreyes, editor of HuffPost Live, wrote on Tuesday. “While some applauded Ebony for taking a brave stance on tackling the rape allegations against Bill Cosby and its impact on the show’s legacy, Malcolm-Jamal Warner is not among those outspoken supporters.

“Warner, who stopped by HuffPost Live on Tuesday to discuss his new album ‘Selfless,’ said he was disappointed by the provocative cover. The actor said he was sad to see Ebony, ‘one of the voices of the black community,’ take down the esteemed Huxtable clan.

” ‘[The cover is] contributing to the stereotypical image that society has of the broken black family and the shattered black family,’ Warner told host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani. ‘And to take something that … for 20 [or] 30 years has been what we have held up as the black family that we all want to aspire to, in terms of the love that we don’t see when we see black families in the media — to take that image and to shatter it, it’s disappointing to a lot of us.’ “

Warner played Theo, the son of Cosby’s character Cliff Huxtable.

Louie Robinson Dies at 88, Spent 30 Years at Ebony

“People trusted Louie Robinson,” Maureen O’Donnell reported Saturday for the Chicago Sun-Times.

“When actor Sidney Poitier and tennis great Arthur Ashe wanted to write books, they sought Mr. Robinson’s help. ‘Never in my life have I known a better man,’ Poitier said.

“When Elvis Presley was rumored to have uttered a racist remark, Jet magazine sent Mr. Robinson to see him on the set of ‘Jailhouse Rock.’ He got him to open up, investigated and deemed the chatter false — a finding cited nearly half a century later by the rumor-debunking website Snopes.com.

“During a 30-year career with Ebony, Jet and Negro Digest magazines, Mr. Robinson wrote about the Watts riots and trailblazing African-American engineers, surgeons, sports figures, pilots and politicians.

“The stars he profiled respected him for his focus on facts instead of gossip. Sammy Davis Jr. told him that when he was selling out shows in Las Vegas, his Caucasian valet had to place his bets. The entertainer became godfather to Mr. Robinson’s daughter, broadcast anchor Robin Robinson, now of Chicago’s WBBM NewsRadio.

“Mr. Robinson, 88, died of heart failure Oct. 2 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. . . .”

Short Takes

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