Articles Feature

Banned: Books in U.S. and Human Rights in Cuba

by richard0798

As Visitors Score U.S., Dictatorship Reverts to Form
Kristen Welker Gets Kudos for Trump Interview
Martin, Winfrey Push Back on Pay-to-Play Claims
Thank USA Today: A Revisit by Descendant of First Enslaved

Now It Will Be Easier to Animate Afro-Textured Hair
L.A. Times to Put ‘Bias Meter’ on News Stories
Israeli Strike Killing 3 Journalists Likely ‘Deliberate’
Robin Ayers, Entertainment Journalist, Dies at 44i

Short Takes: How next Trump administration might treat the press; Jenice Armstrong; Carlos Watson and Ozy; freed inmate/podcaster Earlonne Woods; Derek Medina; Byron Allen; Howard University; City Limits internships in N.Y.; Hannah Allam; Sports Journalism Institute and NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign; Washington’s WUSA-TV; Hollywood Reporter;

Sheila Poole; NBC News and Latin America; Liberia’s Young Journalist Award 2024; Nigerian journalist detained; Mali’s army cuts broadcast signal.

Homepage photo: Members of Morgan State University delegation in Cuba, via Facebook.

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As Visitors Score U.S., Dictatorship Reverts to Form

For an “Extraordinary history-making visit to Havana, Cuba,” a delegation from historically Black Morgan State University and guests such as Pulitzer Prize-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones staged a “first-ever Morgan State University School of Global Journalism and Communication Symposium: ‘Banning Black Books, Silencing Black Voices: America’s Apartheid.’ ”

How’s this for irony: Three days before the symposium, Cuban activist Yoan Ricardo Llerena was arrested after State Security searched his home and found copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which apparently is considered subversive in the communist country.

Dec. 10 is International Human Rights Day, commemorating that declaration.

“According to his wife, Disnelbys Vidal, a forensic expert, State Security agents, the local sector chief, and two witnesses arrived at their home with a search warrant,” Alberto de la Cruz wrote Thursday for the Babalú Blog, 21-year old brainchild of Cuban-American Valentín Prieto and one of at least three independent outlets, including Cuba Decide and ADN Cuba, reporting the news about Llerena.

“Her husband is accused of the alleged crimes of enemy propaganda and assault.

“ ‘They seized books from the independent library, a memory stick, and his cellphone,’ Vidal added.

“The activist was transferred to the Penal Investigation Center in Las Tunas, and his wife was told she needed to hire a lawyer for him. . . .”

Roberto Jesus Quiñones Haces wrote for CubaNet in 2017, “The Havana International Book fair and its provincial offshoots would be more important events if there were debates where all Cuban intellectuals could participate without exclusions. But they are walled prosceniums where there is only room for writers who never raise their voices against any internal injustices. The discriminated and persecuted find solidarity in other parts of the world; here, no.”

“Where Are Books Banned? All Across the Globe,” ran a headline from 2019 in Publisher’s Weekly.

Michael Cottman, assistant to Dean Jackie Jones at Morgan State, wrote Saturday on Facebook, “Extraordinary history-making visit to Havana, Cuba with an outstanding group of folks including Dean Jackie Jones, Dean Emeritus DeWayne Wickham and Alison LaVigne for a first-ever Morgan State University School of Global Journalism and Communication Symposium: ‘Banning Black Books, Silencing Black Voices: America’s Apartheid.’

“I was interviewed by Morgan State University’s Randall Pinkston and discussed my book, ‘The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie: An African American’s Spiritual Journey to Uncover A Sunken Slave Ship’s Past,’ which has been rejected by libraries in about 10 states across the country and Canada.

“Illuminating presentations by author [Nikole] Hannah-Jones (1619) and noted historians Dr. Molefi Asante, Dr. Lisa Brock, brilliant Cuban poet [Nancy Morejon] and discussion leader Dr. Jason Johnson from Morgan State University and MSNBC. Plenty of enlightening discussions. Telling our stories and having some fun, too…..(Many thanks to DeWayne for planning and facilitating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our entire US delegation.)”

Cuban State Security agents arrested Yoan Ricardo Llerena after they found copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights during a search of his home. The human rights activist was arrested on charges of possession of “enemy propaganda” and “assault.” (Credit: ADN Cuba)

Jones and Wickham , still in Cuba, could not be reached for comment. Wickham, who has led delegations to the island for more than 20 years, met last year with the country’s Vice President of the Republic Salvador Valdés Mesa, bringing along others from the United States. “Valdés Mesa praised the variety of social, civil and racial issues that Mr. Wickham addresses and actively acts upon on a permanent basis and thanked him for his work in favor of Cuba-U.S. relations and against the blockade, ‘the most serious obstacle to Cuban can-do nowaday,’ he stressed,” according to a Cuban government news release.

Wickham was conferred the status of Guest Professor by the University of Havana.

Julio Antonio Rojas (pictured), an independent journalist in Havana, messaged Sunday, “all visits by delegations from the United States are good. Some come with blinders on and when they interact with the population they see the reality of the Cuban people and some of them lose their blinders.

“I think the journalism school symposium is a good idea. The question is who will be invited. If it is with the regime, they will bring their journalists and maybe some opposition journalists will participate, but from the group of those who are less critical of the system.”

However, Rojas said of the visits by Americans with Cuban government leaders, “First of all, it does not benefit the Cuban people, the opposition, or independent journalists in any way. There is a great truth that was said by Salvador Valdés Mesa, the Cuban vice president. The dean of that university has been a critical voice of the lack of some rights that have been denied to the African-American community. Salvador Valdés praises that because in the United States there is freedom of expression and publication.

“However, the subject of independent journalists and human rights activists who are in prison for exercising their freedom of expression and publication was not touched on. I see Salvador Valdes Mesa as a hypocrite and a cynic. He praises the good work of the Americans, but in conversations he does not allow the subject of political prisoners and independent journalists to be touched upon.

“We are increasingly being persecuted, threatened, and imprisoned. I think, sir, and I believe that these organizations come to the island already conditioned and with a governmental agenda that must be followed to the letter. When they leave Cuba and arrive back in their country, they speak wonders of what they have seen, because they are shown around the best places; they never see the reality of the people.

“Another issue, Fidel Castro, since the very triumph of his revolution, knew how to gain the support of the Black community in the United States and in a very subtle and charming way turn them against the administrations in power. Remember when he stayed in Harlem, his charm and spiritual aura has blinded many who gave their support to him and his revolution. Despite all the human rights violations that are committed daily on the island, very few who come on these visits have the courage to tell the truth to the regime’s face.”

  • Human Rights Watch: Cuba

Kristen Welker performed well in her interview with Donald Trump that aired Sunday, “pressing Trump when needed and getting Trump to reveal a lot of his plans for when he becomes president again,” Tom Jones wrote for the Poynter Institute. (Credit: NBC News/YouTube)

Kristen Welker Gets Kudos for Trump Interview

“President-elect Donald Trump’s first network TV interview contained a tremendous amount of news – which is partly a testament to moderator Kristen Welker’s persistence. The NYT even gave the broadcast the live-blog treatment,” Brian Stelter, referring to The New York Times, wrote Monday for his “Reliable Sources” newsletter for CNN. “And CNN’s Daniel Dale fact-checked Trump’s ‘numerous false claims.’

[“Meet the Press” brought in more than 2.9 million viewers, Zachary Leeman reported Tuesday for Mediaite. The Dec. 8 episode was the number one “public affairs show” on Sunday and it earned its largest audience in over a year, as well as its biggest win in the key 25-54 demo in more than two years. . . .” The full interview also nabbed more than 2.3 million views on YouTube.]

“Because NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ did not have time to televise the entire interview, I want to use this space to pull out a few nuggets from the full transcript:

‘”Welker asked, ‘Will you favor Elon Musk over other leaders of’ competitor companies, and Trump said ‘no.’

“When Welker mentioned Jeff Bezos as an example, Trump added: ‘Jeff Bezos called me. We’re having dinner.’

“Trump only resorted to media-bashing at the end of the interview, when Welker asked about Melania Trump’s role as First Lady. Instead of answering, he pivoted to ‘unfair’ treatment. ‘Based on the press I should’ve gotten no votes, none,’ he said. ‘And yet I got the highest number ever.’ Then he called Welker ‘hostile’ and said her questions had been ‘pretty nasty.’ “

Tom Jones quoted Louis Jacobson of PolitiFact for the Poynter Institute:

“Among some of the false statements Trump made include tariffs ‘cost Americans nothing‘; the U.S. is ‘the only country that has’ birthright citizenship; the U.S. let in 13,099 murderers ‘within the three-year period. It’s during the Biden term’; ‘crime is at an all-time high.’

“About Trump’s crime claim, Jacobson wrote it was ‘far off base,’ adding, ‘The violent crime rate, as measured by the FBI, is about half as high as it was in the early 1990s.’ ”

Welker had a lot to squeeze into her allotted time. There were no questions about diversity, equity and inclusion, about which Trump and his acolytes are promising a crackdown.

“Welker performed well, pressing Trump when needed and getting Trump to reveal a lot of his plans for when he becomes president again,” Jones wrote.

Roland Martin questions why white-owned stations who received advertising money from the Kamala Harris campaign were not questioned in the same way the Black outlets were, and why the Black outlets did not receive more. (Credit: YouTube)

Martin, Winfrey Push Back on Pay-to-Play Claims

Roland Martin and Oprah Winfrey are pushing back over media suggestions that Vice President Kamala Harris‘ unsuccessful presidential campaign paid them as well as Al Sharpton for their support.

“Kamala Harris interviewers received large campaign donations to their groups ahead of sit-downs,” read a headline on the Fox News website on Nov. 18.

“Harris’ campaign reportedly gave large amounts of money to organizations run by media figures in the weeks before sitting down for interviews with them,” Fox’s Kristine Parks wrote.

“FEC filings, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, show the Harris campaign gave two $250,000 donations to Rev. Al Sharpton’s nonprofit organization in September and October.

“Harris sat down for a friendly interview with the MSNBC host on October 20, in which he asked her what she wanted her legacy to be, 50 years from now. . . . “

The Fox story followed one Nov. 17 by Shane Goldmacher in The New York Times headlined, “How Kamala Harris Burned Through $1.5 Billion in 15 Weeks.”

“Roland Martin, who hosts his own streaming programming and runs a media company called Nu Vision Media, received $350,000 in September for a ‘media buy’ that he said was for advertising.

“ ‘It should have been a hell of a lot more,’ Mr. Martin said in a brief interview. ‘More should have been spent on Black-owned media.’ Mr. Martin interviewed Ms. Harris in October.

“Ms. Harris’s campaign also made two $250,000 donations to National Action Network, the organization led by the Rev. Al Sharpton. Mr. Sharpton interviewed Ms. Harris on MSNBC in October.

“As Ms. Harris faced questions about relative weakness among Black voters, her campaign gave $2 million in late September to the National Urban League. . . .”

On Saturday, Karissa Waddick reported for USA Today, “As Democrats reel over how Vice President Kamala Harris’ losing campaign spent more than $1 billion, a new campaign finance report confirms that the Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign paid Oprah Winfrey’s production company $1 million.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Rev. Al Sharpton (@real_sharpton)

“The records put an end to a monthslong controversy over whether Winfrey was paid for endorsing the former Democratic presidential nominee.”

However, Waddick added, “The company, Winfrey said, was asked to provide set design, lights, cameras, microphones, crew and producers, among other items for the event.  Winfrey added that she did not receive a cut of the money.”

Martin took to his own digital show to point out that the money his company received was indeed for advertising, and showed excerpts from the 16 ads to prove it. Then he asked, “Where did the other $10 billion go?” and said Black-owned operations such as his should have received much more of that ad spending.

Fox News called the money given Sharpton a “growing scandal” and added, ” ‘MSNBC was unaware of the donations made to the National Action Network,’ an MSNBC spokesperson told the Washington Free Beacon, which first broke the story.”

MSNBC told Journal-isms it had no further comment, and Sharpton’s National Action Network did not respond to an inquiry. The network has reportedly indicated the donations were made to organizations for nonpartisan, get-out-the-vote efforts.

Deborah Barfield Berry in Angola for USA Today in 2019. While in Angola reporting on the family who believe they are descendants of the first Africans brought to the English colonies in 1619, she learned that she held roots there — and with the Tucker family (Credit: Jarrad Henderson/USA Today)

Thank USA Today: A Revisit by Descendant of First Enslaved

“Angola was barely mentioned in the history of the slave trade. USA TODAY invited Wanda Tucker there to search for her roots,” Jarrad Henderson wrote in 2019 for USA Today.

Last week, Tucker (pictured, by William Tucker 1624 Society) was part of President Biden’s delegation to Angola. “Here with us today are three Americans who are direct descendants of Anthony and Isabella, those first enslaved Americans — Afri- — Africans in America,” Biden said Tuesday. “Wanda Tucker of [Hampton], Virginia. Wanda, are you there? There you are, Wanda. God love you. (Applause.) Her brother Vincent and Carolita as well. Thank you for being here. We’re going to write history, not erase history.

“The Tuckers learned their family history around the dinner table. That history led Wanda here in Angola a few years ago. She did not know how to speak the language, but that didn’t matter. When she arrived, Wanda said she felt something profound, like she’d come home. That was her comment to me. She called it the ‘connection without words.’ ”

“Without our work, it would not have happened,” said Nichelle Smith, who went to Angola in 2019 as then-editor of USA Today’s Black History Month publication. She added that Berry also returned to Angola with the Biden entourage to report for the news organization. Tucker capped off the experience with an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.”

The researchers’ new algorithm can digitally generate a variety of Black hair textures and looks. (Credit: Yale Daily News, courtesy Haomiao Wu, Alvin Shi, A.M. Darke, and Theodore Kim)

Now It Will Be Easier to Animate Afro-Textured Hair

“Researchers developed new algorithms for animating coiled hair, enabling more realistic and diverse depictions of Afro-textured hair that could greatly advance the animation of Black characters in film,” Lizette Ortega reported Nov. 30 for The Washington Post.

“ ‘If you do a deep dive into the technical literature … you see that all of the supposedly foundational papers on this topic … feature just straight hair,’ said Theodore Kim, an author on the study and professor of computer science at Yale University. Kim previously worked for Pixar Research and has received screen credits in several animated films, including ‘Coco,’ ‘Incredibles 2’ and ‘Toy Story 4.’ . . .”

Last year, Kim (pictured) told Yale President Peter Salovey, “I turn on a video game and there are Black characters in video games, so obviously the algorithms don’t fall down entirely. Yes, who looks the most realistic? It is the Caucasian characters [PDF]. And also just from a representation perspective, who is the easiest to make if you’re just starting out with these packages for how to generate virtual humans, the example is always a white person and the algorithms are geared towards generating a European person. So this directly influences who will then appear in the movies and in the video games because it comes down to money.

“What is easy to actually generate? It is what the algorithms actually support. And this extends not just to skin but to hair.

“So extremely straight hair is sort of a signifier of status. So the algorithms, they followed suit. Everything is designed for very, very straight hair. In fact, a bunch of the mathematical formulations, they start from [the assumption] that hair is an infinitely straight rod, whereas there are lots of types of hair, right? And we have never seen a paper dealing with How do you depict a human with extremely curly hair? Again, you can do it. The algorithms don’t entirely fall down when you try to depict a human this way. But it takes a lot of skill because it’s just not designed to do that.”

The Post’s Ortega also quoted Vegalia Jean-Pierre, an artist who created digital brushes to help artists quickly draw various Black hair textures and hairstyles on platforms such as Procreate and Photoshop.

“She saw the need for tools that make it easier for artists to draw Black characters. Jean-Pierre said these tools encourage illustrators to depict more people of color in their work by removing the time-consuming task of drawing hair from scratch. Similar tools have long existed for straight and wavy hair.

“ ‘Media can influence culture as a whole, and if you have a lot of positive representation, a lot of diverse characters, you can see the world in a new way and … combat biases you might have,’ Jean-Pierre said. ‘It’s more than just hair.’ ”

Kim messaged Journal-isms Friday, “I agree with Ms. Jean-Pierre’s sentiment.

“What we’re doing is just a start of course. Diversity & inclusion is only a success if it drives people to actively work towards a more equitable world. I’m sure this is not news to you.”

L.A. Times to Put ‘Bias Meter’ on News Stories

“Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong (pictured), who blocked the newspaper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris and plans to overhaul its editorial board, says he will implement an artificial intelligence-powered ‘bias meter’ on the paper’s news articles to provide readers with ‘both sides” of a story,’ ” Liam Reilly and Jon Passantino reported Thursday for CNN.

“Soon-Shiong, the biotech billionaire who acquired the Times in 2018, told CNN political commentator Scott Jennings — who will join the Times’ editorial board — that he’s been ‘quietly building’ an AI meter ‘behind the scenes.’ The meter, slated to be released in January, is powered by the same augmented intelligence technology that he’s been building since 2010 for health care purposes, Soon-Shiong said.

The CNN report also said, “Soon-Shiong said major publishers have so far failed to adequately separate news and opinion, which he suggested ‘could be the downfall of what now people call mainstream media.’

“The comments prompted a rebuke from the union representing hundreds of the Times’ newsroom staffers, which said Soon-Shiong had ‘publicly suggested his staff harbors bias, without offering evidence or examples.’

“ ‘Our members — and all Times staffers — abide by a strict set of ethics guidelines, which call for fairness, precision, transparency, vigilance against bias, and an earnest search to understand all sides of an issue,’ the Los Angeles Times Guild said in a statement Thursday. ‘Those longstanding principles will continue guiding our work.’

“The contentious moves from the paper’s owner also led to the resignation of Harry Litman (pictured), a senior legal affairs columnist for the Times’ Opinion page.

“ ‘My resignation is a protest and visceral reaction against the conduct of the paper’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Soon-Shiong has made several moves to force the paper, over the forceful objections of his staff, into a posture more sympathetic to Donald Trump,’ Litman wrote Thursday. “Given the existential stakes for our democracy that I believe Trump’s second term poses, and the evidence that Soon-Shiong is currying favor with the President-elect, they are repugnant and dangerous.’

“Litman’s resignation comes days after Kerry Cavanaugh, the Times’ assistant editorial page editor, also announced her exit, Status first reported. . . .”

Cameraman Ghassan Najjar and broadcast engineer Mohammad Reda, both of Al Mayadeen, were killed Oct. 25 when Israeli forces carried out an aerial attack on the place of residence of press crews in Hasbayya, southern Lebanon. (Credit: Al Mayadeen)

Israeli Strike Killing 3 Journalists Likely ‘Deliberate’

“An Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on October 25, 2024, that killed three journalists and injured four others was most likely a deliberate attack on civilians and an apparent war crime,” Human Rights Watch said Nov. 25.

“Human Rights Watch determined that Israeli forces carried out the attack using an air-dropped bomb equipped with a United States-produced Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit. The US government should suspend weapons transfers to Israel because of the military’s repeated, unlawful attacks on civilians, for which US officials may be complicit in war crimes. . . .”

A munition struck the single-story building where the journalists were staying “and detonated upon hitting the floor,” the rights group said. “The blast killed Ghassan Najjar, a journalist and cameraman, and Mohammad Reda, a satellite broadcast engineer, both from Al Mayadeen TV, and Wissam Kassem, a cameraman from the Hezbollah-owned outlet Al Manar TV. Al Mayadeen is a Lebanon-based pan-Arab television station politically allied with Hezbollah and the Syrian government.”

Robin Ayers, Entertainment Journalist, Dies at 44

“Robin Ayers, a respected entertainment news journalist, author and host at KBLA 1580 radio, died Thursday, Dec. 5,” Stephanie Kaloi reported Sunday for The Wrap. “She was 44.”

Caitlin McCormack added for the New York Post, “Though her cause of death wasn’t revealed, Ayers last year said she was battling leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that affects soft tissues, typically in the abdomen or uterus.

“Her listeners have flocked to social media to pour out their grief and support for Ayers’ family, including her husband and twin daughters who had just celebrated their 18th birthday over the Thanksgiving break.

“Ayers’ death was confirmed by Tavis Smiley, a talk show host on the same radio program. . . . ‘Robin was a bright light. You could see her radiant smile through the radio,’ he wrote on X.”

The family also issued a statement.

“Ayers joined KBLA in 2022 as the host of ‘The RA Report with Robin Ayers.’ Prior to joining the station, she worked as a reporter and entertainment news correspondent for EURweb. The outlet’s founder and publisher, Lee Bailey, said in a statement, “Along with the EURweb staff/family, I am deeply saddened by the passing of Robin Ayers. Her passion for storytelling and unwavering commitment to truth brought depth and authenticity to her work.”

Short Takes

(Credit: Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States/ YouTube)

  • Attacks on the press under the next Trump administration are likely to take “a death by a thousand cuts approach,” Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, told the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States on Wednesday. Speaking in Washington before 250 attendees at the correspondents’ annual Foreign Press Awards, Ginsberg noted that President-elect Donald Trump has already told congressional Republicans to block the passage of a bipartisan federal shield bill known as the PRESS Act, intended to strengthen the ability of reporters to protect confidential sources. Rhetoric from the White House could embolden local officials to further harass journalists, she said. Ginsberg praised initiatives by the National Press Club and others to focus on keeping the press safe. Fox News covered an award given one of its own, Jennifer Griffin. Other winners here.
  • At Columbia Journalism Review, hosts Josh Hersh and Susie Banikarim Monday began a special three-part series of The Kicker: “The Unraveling of Ozy Media.” Carlos Watson (pictured), the face of the company, is facing up to 37 years in prison following his July conviction on fraud charges. The podcast series plans to “explore what Watson’s case says about digital journalism now.”
  • “Derek Medina, a longtime ABC News business executive, will leave the Disney unit at the end of the year after a more than two-decade run,” Brian Steinberg reported Nov. 27 for Variety. “His exit may spur new questions about what plans ABC News has to assign an executive to directly oversee talent relations, something that people familiar with the unit say has been in question for several months. . . .” Oliver Darcy wrote Nov. 28 for Status, “Medina wasn’t a well-known face to the general public, but he did fill an important role at ABC News. As an executive vice president, he managed the network’s business affairs and talent relations departments, among his many responsibilities. In his managerial role, if an anchor, correspondent, top producer, or any other senior staffer was negotiating a contract, he ultimately oversaw the process.”
  • . . . “Allen Media Group is shuttering The Weather Channel en Español at year end, the latest hit in a round of belt-tightening,” Jill Goldsmith reported Nov. 25 for Deadline. ” ‘As part of Allen Media Group’s extensive cost-cutting measures, The Weather Channel en Español will cease operations on December 31, 2024,’ AMG said in a statement to Deadline on Monday. “The move is the latest in a string of measures to cut costs. Earlier this month, the company owned by Byron Allen said Pattrn, a climate-themed FAST channel owned by AMG, will stop programming next month, returning to its social media roots and keeping a weekend TV presence on The Weather Channel. . . .”
  • “City Limits, a nonprofit newsroom covering housing, homelessness and other pressing policy issues in New York City, will launch a paid internship program next year to support the careers of emerging local Hispanic and Latino journalists,” the organization announced Nov. 26. “Grant support from the Scripps Howard Fund will allow City Limits to host interns for three semesters beginning in the summer of 2025, part of the organization’s effort to increase the number of Latino journalists reporting stories on underrepresented communities in New York City.”
  • Hannah Allam (pictured), a national security reporter with The Washington Post, is one of three reporters joining ProPublica. “At the Post, Allam launched a new beat covering violent extremism. In advance of the 2024 election, she joined the Post’s democracy team, where she wrote about threats and political violence,” Managing Editor Ginger Thompson announced Nov.26. Also joining the staff are Christopher Bing, a cybersecurity and intelligence reporter for Reuters, and Avi Asher-Schapiro, a tech correspondent for the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Los Angeles.

  • The general manager of Tenga-owned WUSA, the CBS affiliate in Washington, is denying a story in the Washington City Paper, picked up Tuesday by the national media criticism group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, suggesting that the station pulled a story to please Washington Gas, one of its advertisers. There are two inaccuracies, Richard Dyer (pictured), WUSA senior vice president media operations/president and general manager, messaged Journal-isms Wednesday. “First, no one called us to ask for the story to be removed or modified nor do we believe that a producer stated that to the Beyond Gas Coalition. Second, at no point did any conversations take place regarding when or how the story should run with anyone.” (Scroll down for “Notices” item)
  • “After three-plus decades with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I’m stepping out on faith and opening a new chapter in my career,” Sheila Poole (pictured) announced on social media. “My last day will be Dec. 31. I’ve worked with many wonderful and talented people and I wish you well.”

The USAID Liberia Mission Director Jim Wright congratulated Rachelle Kanneh her story and reiterated the mission’s commitment to supporting Liberia’s media development at all levels, Front Page Africa reported.

    • “The Nigerian Army has confirmed arresting and detaining investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo,” Mohammed Taoheed reported Nov. 29 for the Premium Times in Nigeria. “The Army said in a statement on Friday that Mr Soyombo, the founder of Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was arrested on ‘an illegal oil bunkering site’ in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. . . Ridwan Oke, a Lagos-based lawyer, noted that Mr Fisayo did a fantastic job to reveal the heinous crimes that are being committed by @CustomsNG but the Nigerian government is frustrating this effort with this latest wave of arrest. . . .”


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