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Biden Talks to NABJ and NAHJ

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Outlines Plan to Dismantle Trump Agenda
Fox Viewers Tuned Out Lewis Funeral:
‘Talk About a Polarized America’
AP: Protesters Don’t Fit Trump’s Description
ProPublica Tracks Outcomes in Police Abuse
Joyner Cruise Cancellation Hurts Revenue
Washington Post, AP Differ on ‘W’ for ‘White’
Philly Inquirer Curbs Use of Mugshots
Dallas Morning News Partners With Black Paper
Addressing Racism in Food, Travel Writing
Industry Group Aids Makeover of Black Papers
A Grim Anniversary Marred by COVID-19 Limits
Imogene Harris, Gary Publisher, Dies at 88
Journal-isms Fund Drive Continues

Short Takes

Homepage photo: Former vice president Joe Biden holds holds a community event in February in Georgetown, S.C. (Credit: Matt Burkhartt/USAToday)

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Outlines Plan to Dismantle Trump Agenda

Joe Biden was interviewed Tuesday for an appearance at the “virtual” joint convention of the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists to be streamed Thursday, with two of the participating journalists posting about the interview Wednesday morning.

CBS Correspondent Errol Barnett tweeted these comments from the former vice president and all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee:

“Why the hell would I take a test?”

@JoeBiden scoffs at idea of taking a cognitive test.

Suggests @realDonaldTrump “can’t figure out the difference between an elephant and a lion.”

NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro tweeted, “A lot of news there but my takeaway was the specific outline of his plan to dismantle the Trump agenda. More soon on the wall, [tariffs] and if he took THAT test.”

She reported on NPR that Biden said, “There will not be another foot of wall in my administration,” referring to the U.S.-Mexico border. Biden also said, “We’re not going to confiscate” any more land and would focus instead on high-tech solutions to illegal immigration.

The other interviewers were Alfredo Corchado of the Dallas Morning News and Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and chair of the NABJ Political Task Force. NABJ and NAHJ were each represented by two questioners. The session is to be available to all for viewing Thursday at 8 a.m. ET at nabj.org.

The last Republican presidential candidate to accept NABJ’s invitation to speak was George W. Bush, who addressed the Unity: Journalists of Color convention in 2004.

The “virtual” convention gets under way Wednesday with about 3,713 people registered and 3,119 interviews scheduled in the online career fair, according to Drew Berry, NABJ executive director.

This convention “will become the sixth highest-attended event in our convention history,” Berry said in an email blast Monday.

The demand was such that the convention planners had to add interview slots, Berry said. There will be 160 booths and the organizations are still getting requests, Berry told Journal-isms Tuesday.

He said in a second email blast Monday, “Because of new financial strategies, a plethora of new and existing partners, sponsors, and donors, we are officially going to exceed our revenue goals and will have far fewer expenses this year.”

In addition to Biden, celebrities Jenifer Lewis and Chance the Rapper are scheduled.. The joint conventions had been scheduled for Washington during presidential election years to take advantage of candidate campaigning. In 2016, Hillary Clinton spoke; Biden, then vice president seeking re-election with Barack Obama, addressed the NABJ convention in New Orleans in 2012.

The opening ceremony Wednesday at 6 p.m. Eastern, the W.E.B. DuBois plenary session and Biden’s appearance can be viewed on nabj.org by those who are not registered for the convention, Berry said. The DuBois panel is to be moderated by “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt and “Latino USA” host Maria Hinojosa. The topic is “Progress Before, Progress After: The Criminal Justice System and COVID-19,” with 16 participants listed.

The executive directors of the two associations said they were not ready to provide a breakdown of attendees between the two groups, but in 2016, NAHJ said it had “nearly 700” of the total 3,890 in attendance.

Fox Viewers Tuned Out Lewis Funeral

‘Talk About a Polarized America’

Fox News joined other networks in broadcasting live the services Thursday for civil rights hero John Lewis, but ratings for the right-wing network took a steep dive during the service, only to return once the event was over.

“This is what we’re dealing with,”  New York commentator Errol Louis said on Sunday’s “Reliable Sources” media show on CNN, responding to a display of the ratings figures by host Brian Stelter.

“Talk about a polarized America. This is something we should be teaching in journalism school,” Louis said.

Stelter showed viewers the normal Wednesday Nielsen ratings for Fox, CNN and MSNBC during the funeral’s time period. At 3 p.m. Fox had about 2 million, CNN, more than 1.6 million and MSNBC, 1.6 million.

Stelter explained later in his “Reliable Sources” newsletter, “Fox had nearly 1.9 million viewers in the 9am hour, but once the funeral began, viewership dropped precipitously… 825,000 viewers in the 11am hour, 540,000 viewers in the [1pm] hour. A dramatic decline… during a big news event… is astonishing to see.

“After Barack Obama’s eulogy for Lewis, Fox viewers started to come back… The network averaged 595,000 viewers in the 2pm hour and 1.1 million in the 3pm hour. CNN and MSNBC had far bigger audiences.”

“This is stunning,” Steltert said. “Have Democrats been so damaged by Fox News that even the the celebration of a civil rights hero is something they didn’t want to watch?” 

An Associated Press analysis “reveals a group whose motives are as varied as the acts leading to their arrests.” (Credit: Oregonian) (video)

AP: Protesters Don’t Fit Trump’s Description

An Associated Press analysis of more than 200 arrests in Portland Ore., where President Trump deployed more than 100 federal law enforcement agents, saying the agents were there to protect federal property, has found that “even those accused of breaking the law during the liberal city’s nightly rallies don’t neatly fit into President Donald Trump’s depiction of protesters as ‘anarchists and agitators,’ ” Suman Naishadham and Jake Bleiberg reported Thursday for the AP.

The AP report continued, “A review of court documents, social media posts and other public records from people arrested by federal and local authorities since mid-June reveals a group whose motives are as varied as the acts leading to their arrests.

“They’re Black Lives Matter activists who have been in the streets since George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, groups of self-proclaimed parents using leaf blowers to drive away tear gas and black-clad provocateurs taking advantage of the nightly chaos that’s gripped downtown Portland for over two months and led Trump to deploy federal agents in early July.

“The AP found that 95% of those arrested by police and federal agents were local. The vast majority have no criminal record in Oregon. Many appear to be college students. Their average age was 28, court records show. . . .”

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker reported Wednesday, “We have now surpassed 600 reports of aggressions against journalists while covering Black Lives Matter protests over the past two months.” (Credit: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker)

ProPublica Tracks Outcomes in Police Abuse

​”As protests erupted around the country in late May in response to the killing in police custody of George Floyd, police departments seemed to respond with more violence,” Zipporah Osei, Mollie Simon, Moiz Syed and Lucas Waldron reported Wednesday for ProPublica.

“In the ensuing weeks, hundreds of videos of police interactions with protesters surfaced on Twitter and other social media sites, often drawing outrage and, in some cases, swift disciplinary and legal action.

“ProPublica wanted to find out what happens after these moments are caught on tape. We culled hundreds of videos to find those with the clearest examples of officers apparently using a disproportionate level of force against protesters and reached out to 40 law enforcement agencies about the 68 incidents below.

“For each incident, we inquired about any disciplinary action, investigations and whether the department would disclose the officer or officers involved. While some departments provided details or relevant public records, others leaned on state laws to withhold information. Here’s what we learned about each case. . . .”

Separately, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker tweeted Wednesday, “We have now surpassed *600* reports of aggressions against journalists while covering Black Lives Matter protests over the past two months.”

Tom Joyner’s “Fantastic Voyage” (Credit: Rance Elgin)

Joyner Cruise Cancellation Hurts Revenue

The cancellation of the sold-out Tom Joyner cruise — the “Party with a Purpose” — caused revenue for the parent Reach Media to be off 66 percent and contributed to “shocking” losses for Reach Media’s parent Urban One, Inc., Radio Ink reported Friday.

“While the Q2 revenue numbers presented by Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins Thursday were expected, they were still shocking to hear. An overall revenue decline of 37.5%, local radio down 61.2%, national down 49%. The days of grumbling over a 1% increase or decrease in revenue seem so far away,” the publication said.

“CFO Peter Thompson dug deeper into the quarter and shared the damage COVID-19 did to some of the categories. Entertainment was down 90%, Food & Beverage dropped 83%, Auto was off 71% and Telecom dropped 68%.”

Joyner’s “Fantastic Voyage” was created as a fundraiser to support students at historically Black colleges and universities.

” ‘Because of COVID-19, the Joyner organization decided to postpone this year’s Fantastic Voyage, scheduled to sail aboard Carnival Magic,” Vance Gulliksen, Carnival Cruise Line’s spokesman told NBC News, Karen Robinson-Jacobs reported June 11 for NBC News. “That decision came March 12, the day before Carnival announced its voluntary suspension of operations. . . .”

The retired radio host posted a statement April 20 in which he said, “It took eighteen months to get all the interlocking pieces together to produce the cruise…it can’t be undone quickly without tremendous financial loss to passengers. The novel coronavirus has surprised our suppliers as much as it’s surprised us, as much as it’s surprised you, our passengers. I wish things were different…I wish we’d spent the first week of April in exotic locales instead of our sofas…but we couldn’t…and it’s no one’s fault. . . .”

“But enough bad news,” Radio Ink continued.

“Liggins said April was the bottom and things are improving heading into Q3. The MGM Grand Casino that Urban One has an investment with is back open, operating at 50%, and the company should see some revenue soon from the Casino. Q4 will see a bit of a lift with 2020 being such a heavy political season. Liggins said the company has had conversations with the Biden camp. He’s very encouraged and hopeful about their need to reach the Urban One audience. . . .”

Urban One, Inc., formerly known as Radio One, Inc. says it is the largest African American-owned multimedia company primarily targeting Black and urban audiences.

Representatives were not available Monday to report whether prospective cruise passengers received refunds.

The immigration center at Ellis Island opened in 1892. During the next 62 years, more than 12 million immigrants would be processed through the new station. Do they have a collective white identity? (Credit: libertycruise.nyc)

Washington Post, AP Differ on ‘W’ for ‘White’

The Washington Post and the Associated Press have decided to lower-case “white” when referring to white people, but the Post joined the AP and a tide of other news organizations in capitalizing “Black.”

“After years of discussion, AP’s leadership determined there was a clear desire and reason to capitalize Black,” Colleen Newvine, product manager for the AP Stylebook, recapped in a July 28 notice. “Most notably, people who are Black have strong historical and cultural commonalities, even if they are from different parts of the world and even if they now live in different parts of the world. That includes the shared experience of discrimination due solely to the color of one’s skin.

“There is, at this time, less support for capitalizing white. White people generally do not share the same history and culture, or the experience of being discriminated against because of skin color.”

The Post said , “The use of Black is a recognition and acknowledgment not only of the cultural bonds and historical experiences shared by people of African heritage, but also the shared struggles of the descendants of enslaved people, families who immigrated generations ago and more recent immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean and other corners of the world.”

However, the Post’s guidelines, issued July 29, are nuanced. They allow for the capitalization of ‘White.”

“Stories involving race show that White also represents a distinct cultural identity in the United States,” they say.

“In American history, many White Europeans who entered the country during times of mass migration were the targets of racial and ethnic discrimination. These diverse ethnicities were eventually assimilated into the collective group that has had its own cultural and historical impact on the nation. As such, White should be represented with a capital W.

“In accordance with our style change, people who do not want to be recognized as a color also have the choice of representing themselves by their cultural background, as they currently do, identifying as German American, Irish American, Italian American or other representations of national heritage.
 
“Separately, we will limit the uppercase version of the racial categorization Brown to direct quotations and use it sparingly in other instances. Although the term has gained general acceptance, the designation is seen by many as a catchall to describe people of color of vastly diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds who are not Black.
 
“In the three above cases [White, Black and brown], our style guidance recognizes these racial demographics have been inexorably linked when analyzing America’s development and treatment of its citizens. As such, they should be treated similarly in terms of capitalization. However, other colors as racial identifiers have not been commonly adopted by members of the ethnic groups they are often used to portray, as many consider the terms insults or slurs. Those identifiers will remain lowercase. . . .”

The Post also clarified its policy on using “American Indian, Native American or Alaska Native”; “Asian American”; “Hispanic or Latino”; “Indigenous or Aboriginal peoples” and “Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.”

Philly Inquirer Curbs Use of Mugshots

“Mugshot photos will no longer be a default or routine option for crime stories,” Philadelphia Inquirer editors told staffers on Monday, joining a growing trend.

“Mugshot photos will only be considered for publication when the story meets one or more of the following criteria: the photo is of a public figure, the crime in question has achieved broad notoriety, or there is a compelling public safety reason to publish the mugshot. Mugshot photos may not be published for any other reason. This standard applies both pre and post-trial.”

The editors also said, “Overuse of mugshots can undermine the presumption of innocence; because of large racial disparities in arrest rates, routine use of mugshots also disproportionately feature Black and Latinx people; “There is limited news value in the physical appearance of alleged criminals with no public profile; and years-old mugshots on news sites can make it difficult or impossible for people to find jobs.”

Dallas Morning News Partners With Black Paper

“In an effort to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas, The Dallas Morning News is partnering with Texas Metro News, a Black-owned publication that covers news and issues in Dallas’ Black community,” Charles Scudder reported July 28 for the Morning News.

“The agreement will allow Texas Metro News to publish articles from The Dallas Morning News at no charge, while The Morning News will pay a consulting fee for Texas Metro News journalists to help with sourcing, story idea generation and more.

“ ‘They don’t and won’t ever pay us anything,’ said Mike Wilson (pictured), editor of The Dallas Morning News. . . .

“Wilson and North Texas editor Jamie Hancock, who oversees the local initiative at The Dallas Morning News, said they recognized that coverage from the newspaper had not been as strong in some of those communities, which is why they reached out to Texas Metro News.

“ ‘We came to that with a full awareness that we haven’t been around those communities as well as we could have through the years,’ Wilson said. ‘We’re coming into it humbly.’

“Cheryl Smith (pictured), the editor and publisher of Texas Metro News, said she appreciated that editors from The Dallas Morning News approached the relationship as an opportunity for both publications to improve their journalism. It would not be just about checking a box for diversity, she said.

“ ‘Our team knew it wasn’t a light decision; it wasn’t tokenism,’ Smith said. ‘The Morning News wanted journalism.’ . . .”

Sarah Khan, shown on a train in Sri Lanka, wrote, “Travel media has been dominated by white voices for far too long, despite the fact that travel storytelling relies on perspectives.” (Courtesy Sarah Khan)

Addressing Racism in Food, Travel Writing

The nation’s reckoning with racism “has also had ramifications in the food world, from the resignation of Bon Appétit’s editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport after a photo of him in brown-face surfaced, to decisions to discontinue racist branding of food products,” Crystal Ligori and Jenn Chavez wrote Saturday for OPB, public broadcasting in Oregon.

“But the problems with the food industry go deeper than recent incidents. White chefs have long gained prestige through culturally appropriated cuisines. Even how the food media covers everything from restaurants to recipes is often skewed through a white lens. . . .”

Separately, Sarah Khan, writing July 6 in Conde Nast Traveler, said much the same about travel writing.

“When you come across a travel story that takes place in India,” she wrote, “consider playing a round of Bingo:

“Goats. Cows. Traffic jams. Colors. People. Poverty. Bingo!

“Stories set in India frequently read like this, riddled with one-note musings on traffic, noises, crowds, slums, and colors. I’ve lived in and traveled extensively throughout India, and it’s disappointing to find the same narratives over and over. That’s not to say traffic, noise, crowds, slums, and colors don’t exist in India, or that [they] can’t be described evocatively. But what if every story about New York contained a lyrical ode to taxis — would you learn much about the city, its people, or what there is to do? . . .”

Khan also wrote, “Travel media has been dominated by white voices for far too long, despite the fact that travel storytelling relies on perspectives. A travel-writing utopia would be one that’s full of nuance and expertise, but also more representative of the way we travel: Korean-American writers covering Argentina, Black writers reporting on India, Puerto Rican writers visiting Kenya — because their perspectives will broaden the way we come to view these countries. . . .”

Industry Group Aids Makeover of Black Papers

The Black-owned Atlanta Voice is transforming itself into a multimedia operation, including converting its printing press facility into a digital video production studio.

 

The change is part of a digital transformation lab for African American newspapers sponsored by the Local Media Association, an industry group that serves more than 3,000 newspapers, TV stations, digital news sites, radio stations, directories and research and development partners.

Its Accelerate Local initiative is designed to reinvent business models for news, with The Atlanta Voice, The Dallas Weekly, New York Amsterdam News, Houston Defender and The Washington Informer as pilot partners.

“According to a recent Local Media Association survey, African-American newspaper owners, like many other media outlets, are concerned about the future of their publications and struggle with digital transformation — only 9.5% of their revenue comes from digital,” the association said in September, when the pilot program was announced. “The five pilot partners have been in business an average of 75-plus years and have strong ties to their communities.”

Joe Lanane wrote for the association that the Voice was participating in programs focusing on its content management system and customizing its web pages, thanks to grants from the Knight Foundation, Google and Facebook.  

“It’s our own digital fun factory,” said Marshall A. Latimore, editor in chief and chief content officer, of the Facebook Video Accelerator program, “listing podcasts, small concerts, TED talks, talk shows and documentaries as potential future content that can be done inside the new space. They have even considered renting out the space to other small community businesses and organizations once it’s completed,” Lanane wrote.

“Other initiatives include live streams with reporters, particularly sports reporters who are limited on coverage opportunities during quarantine, so audiences can engage with staff directly. The ideas are still in [their] early stages and are yet to gain enough traction to be monetized. . . .”

Publisher Janice Ware added, “When I listen to these stories about COVID, African Americans are suffering disproportionately more, but there’s no magazine speaking to that segment of society.”

“The new publication will be called Health Plus, Ware said, and it’s expected to debut in October during breast cancer awareness month,” Lanane wrote.

“If it’s successful, Health Plus could someday expand beyond Atlanta, she said.”

Lanane also wrote, “The Atlanta Voice is one of ten founding publishers of the Fund for Black Journalism.

“The first project, focused on K-12 education and the impact of COVID, launches in August. The ten publishers will produce local stories with a special emphasis on disparities that Black students and parents face as they return to school, whether in-person or online. A national journalist will then roll the ten stories up into a national story for distribution in other media outlets.”

The Accelerate Local Initiative was originally planned for six months, but has been extended until the end of the year, Nancy Lane, CEO of the Local Media Association, messaged Journal-isms. The association has also issued reports on the New York Amsterdam News and Real Times.

Tito Anchondo last week at the El Paso Strong mural off of Cotton Street in El Paso. Anchondo lost his brother Andre and his sister-in-law Jordan Anchondo on Aug. 3, 2019, when a gunman opened fire at a Walmart. The mural was created in central El Paso by Gabe Vasquez and co-created by Justin Martinez. (Credit: Briana Sanchez, Mark Lambie and Albert Silva/ El Paso Times)

A Grim Anniversary Marred by COVID-19 Limits

“El Paso now faces the first anniversary of the deadliest attack on Hispanics in modern U.S. history amid a pandemic that has made such physical solidarity impossible,” Lauren Villagran wrote Thursday for the El Paso Times, commemorating the shooting of 23 people by an alleged white supremacist on Aug. 3, 2019.

“What should be a time for collective healing is, for many, marred by the divisions forced by the coronavirus — restrictions on gatherings of friends and family, a border largely closed to binational traditions. . . .”

Villagran added, “El Paso now faces the first anniversary of the deadliest attack on Hispanics in modern U.S. history amid a pandemic that has made such physical solidarity impossible. What should be a time for collective healing is, for many, marred by the divisions forced by the coronavirus — restrictions on gatherings of friends and family, a border largely closed to binational traditions.”

Villagran also wrote, “The hate-fueled attack scarred the community on both sides of the border. Yet the year has been marked not by calls for vengeance but by acts of kindness. Even under the gray cloud of coronavirus, the focus is squarely on community healing. . . .”

Alfredo Corchado of the Dallas Morning News produced an interactive El Paso story that the News put behind a paywall as “premium content.”

​Imogene Harris, Gary Publisher, Dies at 88

“Imogene Harris, (pictured), who founded Gary’s INFO Newspaper has died, family members announced July 22,” the 411 Weekly News Magazine in Gary, Ind., reported last week. “She was 88. Harris and her late husband James Templeton Harris published INFO, a weekly, from 1963 until 2006.

“With its motto of ‘Eye on the Community,’ INFO filled the bill of a community newspaper in every sense.

“Passionate about publishing, J.T. and Imogene were eager to showcase their community’s citizens, activities, and issues. They recruited and trained several generations of journalists, photographers, secretaries, accountants, bookkeepers, and printers.

“Vernon Williams, IUPUI Communications and Community Engagement Strategist, was a student at Roosevelt High in the 60s and was among the early INFO Teen Scene reporters Imogene encouraged. After college and more work for INFO, he became a Gary Post Tribune reporter and columnist.

“Williams remembers other journalists who got their start at INFO – Cynthia Minor, Craig Marberry, Al Boswell, Chuck Deggans, Tommy Williams, Ana McCune, Paula Wilson, Robin Marcus, Carmen Wray, Carmen McCullom, and Donna Britt – and went on to continue their work for other media outlets. . . .”

. .

Short Takes

Errin Haines, center, left the Associated Press to become editor-at-large at the 19th*. It was Haines’ idea for the asterisk. The publication is named after the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote 100 years ago, but the asterisk acknowledges that in practice, this privilege extended mostly to white women.
“I think about Breonna Taylor often,” Oprah WInfrey writes in O: The Oprah Magazine. “She was the same age as the two daughter-girls from my school in South Africa who’ve been quarantining with Stedman and me since March. In all their conversations I feel the promise of possibilities. . . . What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O magazine.”
Conexión Migrante answers such reader questions as how a Mexican national can get a job in Canada. (Credit: Conexión Migrante)

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