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Journal-isms June 2

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Ohio Papers Lose Last Black Journalist Covering LeBron

L.A. Times Sports Blog Makes Light of Stabbing

Freed Journalists Providing Accounts of Flotilla Raid

Blacks in Memphis Lose Decades of Economic Gains

Univision Apologizes for Skit With Afro Wigs, Spears

Well, at Least Some Things Digital

Newspaper Vets Finding New Careers in Television

Short Takes

 

LeBron James sits down with Larry King for an interview to air Friday night on CNN, his first since the Cleveland Cavaliers lost in the NBA playoffs. (Photo courtesy of CNN)

Ohio Papers Lose Last Black Journalist Covering LeBron

George Thomas of the Akron (Ohio) Beacon-Journal was taken off the Cleveland Cavaliers beat on Wednesday, he told Journal-isms. That apparently leaves superstar LeBron James without coverage by a journalist of color among major Ohio media outlets.

James is big news because of his impending free agentry. In fact, some think he is too much in the news. "Each day ESPN has something new to report on the biggest NBA revolution since the 24-second clock was instituted in the 1950’s," Dennis Bakay wrote on the website Phily2Philly.¬† "What is Lebron saying? What teams are hot after Lebron? Will Lebron and Dwyane Wade go to Chicago together? Next, ESPN will be reporting on Lebron James’ next gourmet dinner when he’s out on the town,"

In Cleveland, Public Editor Ted Diadiun wrote on Sunday, "The Plain Dealer has never had a story quite like this one to cover,¬†with the eyes of the sports world upon us over such a protracted length of time. For the sports staff, it’s been like fighting a two-front war, with one being the job of reporting the actual news, and the other trying to get a handle on the vast amount of speculation, innuendo and rumor that rumbles around this story 24 hours a day."

The Plain Dealer used to have a black sportswriter covering James, but Branson Wright was reassigned two years ago. He later took a voluntary layoff.

Now it’s James’ turn, but he told Journal-isms he did not know what the paper had in store for him. A former movie critic at the paper, Thomas, 45, saw that position eliminated. "They gave me two years, and they didn’t understand the importance of an African American athlete being able to [relate to] someone who may not have all the same life experiences but can understand where they’re coming from," James said. "Having grown up in a similar fashion, I can understand," he said, citing, for example, his desire to have the items he could not have as a child.

To some the issue is bigger than coverage of James and the Cavs. "The NFL is almost 70 percent black, the NBA is almost 80 percent black. African Americans have put a huge imprint on sports," said Chris Broussard, who started out at the Plain Dealer and went on to the Beacon Journal, the New York Times and ESPN. "Not to have any African Americans is insulting. It’s stereotypical. You’re good enough to play sports, but not good enough to write about it."

He notes that Cleveland is 50 percent black, and said the absence of black sportswriters was brought home when the Plain Dealer had five of its sportswriters commenting on James winning the Most valuable Player award – and all were white. Nor are any black sportswriters on Cleveland or Akron radio, he said.

None of the top editors at the Plain Dealer, the Beacon Journal or the Columbus Dispatch responded Wednesday when asked whether journalists of color were covering any of the major teams in the state.

For all that, Thomas, who has been at the Beacon Journal for 11 years, said covering the Cavs wasn’t his ideal. "My dream job is always going to be a movie critic, but those jobs aren’t available anymore, he said, "and the industry has essentially sold its soul to the bottom line, and that is too bad, because I was a helluva movie critic."

L.A. Times Sports Blog Makes Light of Stabbing

"Ted Green’s post for the Los Angeles Times sports blog called ‘Your Guide to Hating the Celtics’ said of Paul Pierce, "By the way, Pierce’s idea of a fun night is going clubbing and getting stabbed. Good times!" Kevin Roderick noted Monday for LAObserved.

"Well, it used to say that. In 2000 Pierce was stabbed 11 times in the face, neck and back at a Boston club and had surgery on his lungs; his assailants were sent to prison.

" ‘Lakers fans and Celtics fans don’t agree on much, but they’ll all likely find common ground in believing that a Los Angeles Times columnist crossed the line by making jokes about the night Paul Pierce was stabbed,’ says Michael Hurley of New England Sports Network.

"The Times has since removed the line with an editor’s note: ‘That comment should not have been published and has been removed.’ Green, the former LAT columnist, is senior sports producer at KTLA Channel 5. . . .

"* Noted: KTLA is still running Green’s original."

Freed Journalists Providing Accounts of Flotilla Raid

"Firsthand accounts from reporters who were on the flotilla of humanitarian activists raided by Israeli forces on Monday are finally coming out as the journalists are released from custody," Rima Marrouch reported for the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"These early reports indicate that soldiers harassed international journalists  — at least six had either their equipment confiscated or destroyed, according to CPJ interviews and news reports. Media accounts have indicated that 60 journalists or more were aboard the ships; on Tuesday, CPJ independently verified the names and affiliations of 20 journalists who had been taken into custody.

"Othman Battiri, a senior producer at Al-Jazeera who was on board the Mavi Marmara and released on Tuesday, told CPJ that soldiers confiscated Al-Jazeera’s cameras, tapes, satellite phones, and mobile phones. Battiri and his colleagues ‚Äî Mohamed Vall, Jamal Elshayyal, and Andre Abou Khalil‚Äîidentified themselves as press, and had their wrists tied with PlastiCuffs. They were also pushed and searched ‘in a humiliating way,’ Battiri said.

‚Äú ‘For sure, there is a psychological aftermath because of the way people were treated, especially journalists,’ he said. ‘We were supposed to cover this and it is not right that we were treated in this way.’ Battiri added that they were released ‘only in T-shirts and trousers’ and without their equipment."

Memphis’ changing circumstances contrast with the images of downtown put forth by Memphis tourism agencies. (Credit: DowntownMemphis.com)

"Blacks in Memphis Lose Decades of Economic Gains"

"Not so long ago, Memphis, a city where a majority of the residents are black, was a symbol of a South where racial history no longer tightly constrained the choices of a rising black working and middle class," Michael Powell wrote Sunday as part of the New York Times’ series on "the New Poor."

"Now this city epitomizes something more grim: How rising unemployment and growing foreclosures in the recession have combined to destroy black wealth and income and erase two decades of slow progress.

"The median income of black homeowners in Memphis rose steadily until five or six years ago. Now it has receded to a level below that of 1990 — and roughly half that of white Memphis homeowners, according to an analysis conducted by Queens College Sociology Department for The New York Times.

"Black middle-class neighborhoods are hollowed out, with prices plummeting and homes standing vacant in places like Orange Mound, Whitehaven and Cordova. As job losses mount — black unemployment here, mirroring national trends, has risen to 16.9 percent from 9 percent two years ago; it stands at 5.3 percent for whites — many blacks speak of draining savings and retirement accounts in an effort to hold onto their homes. The overall local foreclosure rate is roughly twice the national average.

"The repercussions will be long-lasting, in Memphis and nationwide."

In the Columbia Journalism Review approved. Holly Yeager wrote Tuesday, "Powell’s latest piece has plenty of good on-the-ground reporting, lots of data, and disturbing details about lawsuits around the country against big mortgage lenders that the business press should be tracking carefully. But the story’s biggest strength is the way it pushes past the now-routine stats about foreclosure rates and unemployment trends to get to an under-told story of the crisis."

Univision Apologizes for Skit With Afro Wigs, Spears

"Univision, the premier Spanish-language media network in the United States, apologized Saturday to Los Angeles civil rights leaders for a skit that was aired on the popular morning show ‘Despierta America’ (‘Wake Up America’)," Ruben Vives reported Saturday in the Los Angeles Times.

"In the skit that aired Friday, hosts of the TV show wear big black Afro wigs and hold small spears. They dance to music and sometimes aim their spears at the cameras while confetti falls.

"In a company statement released Saturday afternoon, Univision said it was already taking action: "It is completely unacceptable and against our policies, standards and practices. We sincerely apologize to our viewers and all who were offended."

Well, at Least Some Things Digital

"Since its debut in 2003, The Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference has been breaking news, highlighting innovation, and bringing you straight-up conversations with the most influential figures in media and technology," the Journal writes about its conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. It is sold out.

"From June 1-3, 2010, creators and executive producers Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher will put the industry‚Äôs top players to the test at D8, our eighth annual conference." The "industry’s top players" apparently, are not very diverse.

Newspaper Vets Finding New Careers in Television

"When it came time to find a new manager to oversee the vast Hawaii News Now newsroom, which represents Honolulu stations KGMB, KHNL and KFVE, the best candidate turned out to be the one with the least television experience. Mark Platte started as news director May 10 — leaving his position as editor of the Honolulu Advertiser daily newspaper," Mike Malone wrote Monday for Broadcasting & Cable.

"Honolulu is, of course, a unique market, and deep knowledge of the local manner is essential for any media manager in the 50th State. KGMB General Manager Rick Blangiardi acknowledged Platte‚Äôs ‘great understanding of how Hawaii works’ at the time of the hiring, and it was also a plus that Platte knew how to run a massive newsroom.

"As television enjoys an economic rebound, a number of newspaper veterans are likely to follow Platte into TV news. . . . with papers reeling, print vets appear to be finding new careers in TV, from former Kansas City Star reporter DeAnn Smith now at KMBC Kansas City, to New York Times reporter Louise Story taking a contributing editor role at Bloomberg TV, to Allbritton tapping a pair of D.C. newspaper-business vets, Jim Brady and Erik Wemple, for top jobs at the WJLA Washington/News Channel 8 Website, TBD.com.

"California’s Comcast SportsNet Bay Area added three former newspaper columnists and an editor in the last six months to provide insider scoops, online and on air.

‚Äú ‘As stations add new content creators to their newsroom, these are the kinds of folks who can create great content for the Web,’ says Mark Toney, senior VP at consulting firm SmithGeiger, ‘and who can extend that to the linear product on TV.’‚Äù

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