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COVID Hovers Over Holiday Parties

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COVID Hovers Over Holiday Parties:
3 BuzzFeed Staffers Test Positive
BNC Gains a Carrier but Announces Layoffs
Where Are the Native Journalists on Network News?

Anger Over Border Agent’s Spying on Journalists
Sister Writers Say bell hooks Inspired Them
They’re ‘Unseen’: Sexually Exploited Boys of Color
More Prominence in White House Briefing Room
N.Y. Times Homes In on Motive for Moise Killing

Short Takes: Scholarship for Afro-Latino students; Andrea Valdez; David Plazas; Byron Allen; Jourdan Bennett-Begaye and Indian Country Today; influence of political commercials; Philadelphia photographers; Ebony Reed; PBS “Washington Week” diversity; Essex Porter; Art Franklin; Janet Rodríguez; Kendra Andrews; Rosetta Miller-Perry; protecting Latin American journalists; Sierra Leonean rapper’s insult; Indian government’s online censorship; Ethiopia’s arrests of journalists.

Homepage photo credit:  Farland Chang.

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At the outdoor holiday party of the Asian American Journalists Association – Los Angeles. (Credit: Farland Chang)

3 BuzzFeed Staffers Test Positive

At 2:27 p.m. Eastern time Thursday, the South Asian Journalists Association sent out this message from New York: “It’s a bit sad to report, but the Board decided a few days ago to hold our annual members meeting and holiday party virtually this year due to the omicron variant and uptick in positive cases. But, we hope that means more of you can join us online TONIGHT at 6:30 PM!”

In Washington, however, the Washington Association of Black Journalists was preparing for its in-person holiday party, its promotional drumbeat successful — it sold out. “We sold more than 100 tickets and about 70-80 people attended,” WABJ President Khorri Atkinson (pictured) told Journal-isms.

Simultaneously, “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell included holiday parties among activities being revised as the omicron variant gained traction.

And The Insider was readying a report by staffer Steven Perlberg that “A number of BuzzFeed Inc. staffers have tested positive for COVID-19 following the digital media company’s holiday party last week, according to three employees who tested positive and contact tracing outreach obtained by Insider.

“The outbreak comes as COVID-19 cases surge across New York City, sparking concerns about the highly infectious Omicron variant leading to breakthrough cases among the vaccinated. The three positive employees told Insider they were vaccinated, had received their booster shots, and said they were experiencing mild symptoms.”

If journalists were modeling a response to the COVID pandemic that their readers, viewers and listeners could emulate, they were doing so inconsistently.

Experts such as Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, were on the nightly news programs that night warning about omicron. Topol said on the “PBS NewsHour,” “This is a virus strain that’s doubling just over two days, which we have never seen anything like that. We’re seeing it light up in the U.K., in Norway, in Denmark. And it really is exponential growth, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the pandemic started.

“So it’s inevitable that it’s going to hit the United States, and it already is rising very quickly. And, unfortunately, a lot of people haven’t appreciated that this is something we can’t avoid right now in terms of this very — it has to be seen as an onslaught of Omicron new cases.”

The media cases prompted dark humor from New York magazine, writing about parties in that city. “Everyone seemed to know someone who’d tested positive that very morning,” Shawn McCreesh wrote Thursday. “Suddenly, it all spilled on to Twitter. ‘we’re calling the wave of COVID currently ravaging Brooklyn “The Media Variant,” ‘ tweeted BuzzFeed’s Julia Reinstein. Business Insider’s Jake Swearingen wrote: ‘you have about 12 hours left to get covid if you want to stay on trend.’ The writer Jamie Lauren Keiles: ‘everyone who is anyone has covid right now.’ ”

A random sampling of journalists of color organizations around the country found differing approaches to COVID, just as with the different states around the country.

“Yes, AAJA-LA held our first in-person holiday party in two years on Saturday, 12/11,” messaged Teresa Watanabe (pictured), president of the Asian American Journalists Association’s Los Angeles chapter. “We held it in an outdoor patio space at Far Bar, a restaurant in Little Tokyo. They fixed up the space really nicely, with trellises, planters, space heaters and tables. Because it was outdoors, Far Bar did not have any Covid protocols (e.g. vax cards etc) and some people masked while others did not.

“We featured light appetizers of California rolls/veggie rolls; chicken/tofu skewers; wasabi fries and edamame. The attendees got their own drinks. More than 40 people came out from all kinds of outlets – LA Times, NY Times, Southern Cal News Group, CNN, AP, the Rafu Shimpo, several universities (journalism instructors and student chapter members) etc. Although it was supposed to run from 5-8 p.m. people mingled until past 9 p.m. We had a great time and it was terrific to be able to hang out in person again!”

In Washington, Atkinson had responded to an inquiry nine days before the party began. “We shared our COVID safety guidelines with members for the holiday party,” he said. He added that “WABJ has quadrupled its membership this year (200 members and counting). A significant portion of our membership is made up of young journalists/PR professionals.” That’s a group less likely than veterans to contract the virus, but not exempt from it.

Joe Davidson, a Washington Post columnist and co-founder of the National Association of Black Journalists, messaged Friday, “I stopped by the WABJ party last night, but left after a few minutes. They had a good crowd and that was the problem — too many people in the space for me to feel comfortable.”

Valerie Boey (pictured), AAJA Florida chapter president, messaged, “We’ve cancelled all events since the pandemic started. We have tried gathering via zoom. We will most likely start up events in 2022.”

Similarly, Amir Vera, president of the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, said, “The current board did not want to run the risk of being a super spreader event and putting our members in harm’s way, so we thought the safest option was to not have a Christmas party.”

Cindy E. Rodríguez (pictured), president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists New England chapter, responded, “We had a virtual cafecito via Zoom Wednesday with 24 members in attendance.

“It’s more convenient for people to join a Zoom meeting from wherever they are and this is the easiest way to get people together from places as far away as Hartford, Providence, Boston and Manchester.

“Yes, COVID weighed heavily in our decision to meet virtually, especially with cases rising.”

[Same with the NAHJ chapters in Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. No holiday party for 2021, chapter presidents Carly Luque and Pablo Gaviria, respectively, messaged in January. “Covid,” said Luque.]

In Detroit, Vincent McCraw (pictured), president of the NABJ chapter there, said, “Detroit NABJ didn’t have a holiday party this year. Instead on the date that likely would have been our holiday party — Dec. 4 — the chapter held an in-person watch party for the induction of our member Rochelle Riley into the NABJ Hall of Fame.

“Of the 80 people who RSVPd to attend, about 50-60 attended. All attendees were required to wear a face mask during the event except when eating or drinking. Each person also had their temperature taken before they were allowed to enter the event space.

“We held it at Shops on Top, a men’s and women’s clothing store owned by a Black husband and wife team, and located in Detroit’s Eastern Market. The spot includes an event space.”

New York magazine’s dark humor about media members’ parties and COVID ended wryly. You’ll have to read the piece to find out how.

Black News Channel anchors Mike Hill and Sharon Reed are shown with CEO Princell Hair, at right. (Credit: BNC)

BNC Gains a Carrier but Announces Layoffs

On Thursday, Black News Channel announced a major boost in gaining access to millions of viewers via Cox Communications. On Friday, the channel announced layoffs, just days before the Christmas holiday.

“ ‘I am reaching out to you today with some very unfortunate news about a reduction in our workforce,’ said President and CEO Princell Hair in an internal memo obtained by TheWrap,” Lindsey Ellefson of TheWrap reported Friday.

“ ‘As you know, throughout the course of this year, we have been expanding at a rapid rate. At the same time, the U.S. economy is facing some tough challenges, several of which are heavily impacting the media industry and the revenue streams that fuel our emerging enterprise. I am incredibly proud of this team and all that we have built and accomplished. Your work has been outstanding, but we have reached a point where a considerable adjustment is needed in order to protect the health of our business and keep BNC moving forward.’

“It was not immediately clear how many staffers will be impacted by the cuts, but BNC employs roughly 300 people.”

Ellefson also wrote, “In a ratings ranking of all 124 cable channels in 2021, BNC tied with Comedy.tv for second-to-last place with an average of 4,000 viewers throughout the year, beating only BeIN Sports. In comparison, the highest-rated cable channel out of all 124 is Fox News, which averaged 2.36 million primetime viewers each evening in 2021. . . .”

Meanwhile, the network announced Thursday that Cox video customers now have the option to watch BNC on Contour and find the network by speaking “BNC” into their Contour voice remote, TVNewsCheck reported.

“With the addition of Cox Communications’ millions of subscribers that are located in 18 states, BNC’s linear distribution in North America continues to expand following its launch in 2020. Cox’s Contour TV product operates within several key markets, including New Orleans, San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas. . . .”

Where Are the Native Journalists on Network News?

When Aliyah Chavez, an anchor for Indian Country Today, accepted her “Exceptional Journalism Award” Thursday from the Women’s Media Center, she spoke an uncomfortable truth.

Chavez, from Kewa Pueblo, formerly known as Santo Domingo Pueblo, noted that there were no Native American anchors at any major television network.

It wasn’t a subject that the networks were eager to discuss. CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN did not respond on the record to an inquiry from Journal-isms about Chavez’s concern.

The “American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination” population comprised 9.7 million people (2.9 percent of the total population) in 2020, according to the U.S. Census.

But with protests over pipelines and the first Native American Cabinet officer, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, undertaking such actions as striking derogatory place names from federal property, Native Americans make news.

In fact, Circe Sturm, professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote Wednesday that a “staggering” 86.5 percent increase in the Native population from 2010 to 2020 can best be explained as more non-Natives claiming to be Native Americans. “This growing movement has been captured by terms like ‘pretendian’ and ‘wannabe,’ ” Sturm wrote for the Conversation.

In 2016 and 2017, non-Native journalists labeled violence in Las Vegas, Orlando and elsewhere the “nation’s deadliest mass shooting.” Natives called out the inaccuracy.

Staff writers at Native Sun News produced a list of massacres they said shouldn’t be forgotten, such as the Wounded Knee tragedy of Dec. 29, 1890, when the U.S. Army 7th Cavalry Regiment killed as many as 300 Native Americans — men, women and children. More accurately, that “deadliest” phrase should have added “in modern history.”

Last month, referring to arrests during police raids at a pipeline protest in Canada, the Native American Journalists Association complained, “In recent days we saw more media attention dedicated to the arrests of non-Indigenous journalists than the sovereignty story they are there to tell.”

Rebecca Nagle, citizen of the Cherokee Nation and host and writer of the “This Land” podcast, was another of the Women’s Media Center’s diverse awardees. Noting that less than 1 percent of newsroom professionals are filled by Native Americans, Nagle said, “That’s just not a journalism problem; it’s an accuracy problem.” (video of the program)

Dan Shelley (pictured), executive director of the Radio Television Digital News Association, did respond to a request for comment. “First, I congratulate Aliyah on her award,” Shelley messaged.

“Honestly, I don’t know whether there are any Native American anchors on network news. We measure diversity in local newsrooms each year, not at the network level. So I have no ability either to verify or to dispute Aliyah’s assertion.

“Nor do I have any substantive thoughts as to why it would be that network news operations may not have any Native American anchors. I would, however, say this:

“Native Americans should not, and cannot, be left out in the current, unprecedented effort underway in most television newsrooms across the country – network and local – to have more diversity among their employees, so that their coverage can better reflect the wide spectrum of the public they serve.”

Jeffrey Rambo still works at Customs and Border Protection and runs a coffee shop in San Diego, Calif. (Credit: Instagram)

Anger Over Border Agent’s Spying on Journalists

An African American Customs and Border Protection agent is at the heart of outrage that the agency “routinely used the country’s most sensitive databases to obtain the travel records and financial and personal information of journalists, government officials, congressional members and their staff, NGO workers and others,” in the words of Jana Winter of Yahoo News.

Documents “obtained by Yahoo News, including an inspector general report that spans more than 500 pages — and includes transcripts of interviews that investigators conducted with those involved, emails and other records — reveal a far more disturbing story than the targeting of a single journalist,” Winter wrote Dec. 11. “The man, whose real name is Jeffrey Rambo, worked at a secretive Customs and Border Protection division. The division, which still operates today, had few rules. . . .

“As many as 20 journalists were investigated as part of the division’s work, which eventually led to referrals for criminal prosecution against Rambo, his boss and a co-worker. None were charged, however.”

The questionable leak investigation Rambo undertook in 2017 has been reported at least since that year, alarming such organizations as the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Committee to Protect Journalists, which filed Freedom of Information act requests seeking “audits, logs or records” related to Rambo’s actions.

The new outrage — from Capitol Hill as well as from news organizations such as the Associated Press and The New York Times — was prompted by the 7,000-word story by Winter published Dec. 11. Her piece followed a report from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.

Rambo believes he was unfairly vilified for seeking out Ali Watkins, a national security reporter who broke big stories about the investigation into then-President Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, invasively tracking her personal life, Winter wrote. Rambo “said in a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Yahoo News that he acted legally and appropriately. He agreed to speak amid what he describes as escalating threats against him in San Diego, where he now lives, and after Yahoo News obtained a copy of the inspector general investigation into Rambo and his colleagues,” Winter wrote.

“ ‘I’m being accused of blackmailing a journalist and trying to sign her up as an FBI informant, which is what’s being plastered all around San Diego at the moment because of misinformation reported by the news media,’ ” Rambo said in the interview. It was conducted in the coffee shop Rambo owns in a tight-knit Latino community, where he says he indulges his passion for coffee roasting.

Winter also wrote, “The news stories follow him everywhere. Recently, he had a date planned with a woman, but she canceled after reading articles about him. . . . “

In late September, “he arrived one morning and found a photo of himself plastered to a telephone pole outside, identifying him as a Border Patrol agent. It called him a racist who tried to blackmail a journalist. Some posters had a QR code that linked to a list of articles about Rambo. The posters were also plastered around the neighborhood . . . .”

Correspondent Amna Nawaz and Princeton University scholar Imani Perry discuss bell hooks’ work and legacy Wednesday on the “PBS NewsHour.” (Credit: YouTube)

Sister Writers Say bell hooks Inspired Them

“bell hooks was a radical feminist, a scholar and author who spent the ‘90s publishing about a book a year,” documentarian dream hampton wrote Wednesday in Time. “She was a poet, a mentor, a professor and an icon whose influence is immeasurable. When I was 19 and began talking back to hip-hop in my own essays and articles, I’d cite her again and again. I fought to have my name published in lowercase letters like hers. I wanted to be incisive and battle-ready when I wrote.

“Like a lot of young Black women I knew, I thought of myself as part of her army. Daughters of her thought, ready to integrate her text and thinking into our public and personal lives. Her seminal Ain’t I A Woman was a field guide toward a liberation that not only considered gender but centered it. . . .”

Jose Alfaro, at his home in Boston in March, won a $1.43 million court judgment against his sex trafficker in 2019. (Credit: Meredith Nierman/GBH News)

They’re ‘Unseen’: Sexually Exploited Boys of Color

Too often, “male victims of sexual exploitation go unseen and unhelped, specialists say, their stories stifled by personal shame, stigma and a world that has trouble seeing boys and young men as victims at all, especially gay and trans youth and boys of color,” Jenifer B. McKim and Phillip Martin wrote in April in the opening story in their “Unseen: The Boy Victims of the Sex Trade” series for WGBH Boston.

In the series, which Monday produced Part 5, they detailed how many are Black and brown male victims, and added that colorism plays a role in their victimization.

“Many young men have traveled the same path to homelessness and then to sexual exploitation — and young Black and brown men are disproportionately at risk,” they wrote in Part 2.

“. . . . In Massachusetts, Black youth are more than 4 times as likely to experience homelessness compared to the overall youth population; Latino youth are nearly three times as likely, according to a 2019 state report.

“A simple search for missing boys in Massachusetts on a website run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, reveals mostly Black and brown faces. . . .

“A 2016 national study by the New York-based Center for Court Innovation found that more than a third of young people who sold sex for something of value were boys and young men, and 85 percent of the youth were Black and brown. Under federal law any youth under the age of 18 involved in the sex trade is considered a trafficking victim.

“Shaplaie Brooks — program director for a Dorchester-based program called BUILD focusing on helping sexually exploited and trafficked males — says she works with many young people who have been kicked out of their homes, finding themselves leaning on predators who push them out on the streets. Most of her clients are youths of color.

“But getting male victims of sexual exploitation to come forward, especially in Latino and Black communities, poses a significant challenge, Brooks said. Very few males who work in the sex trade, or survived it, will admit to having been exploited or trafficked. It’s a hard truth, said Brooks, that is clouded by a fear of facing transphobia and homophobia.

“And Brooks says young males are often seen as troublemakers, not victims. . . .

“Joel Filmore says it’s been decades since he was a victim of sex trafficking in Chicago. He is now a therapist with a doctorate. But the 50-year-old bi-racial therapist says the same racism exists today that helped trap him in the system in the 1990s.

“Filmore’s father was Black and largely not around. His mother was white, he said, and when she was murdered, he was sent to live with her family, in a home plagued with sexual abuse, incest and racism.

“ ‘The color of my skin was the predominant variable in my childhood that led to the abuse — sexual, physical and otherwise,’ he said.”

More Prominence in White House Briefing Room

The White House Correspondents’ Association announced changes Friday in the seating assignments in the White House briefing room that elevate the status of journalists representing underrepresented communities.

“To enhance diversity in the briefing room, assignments have been given to organizations that target Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ audiences, as well as readership and viewership that lies across the ideological spectrum,” Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio, the association president, told members.

“The WHCA has also for the first time granted seat assignments to local television station groups, which reach viewers in markets across America. Additionally, business networks that have covered the White House for years have finally been granted spots on our chart. . . .”

The changes are effective Jan. 3.

​
N.Y. Times Homes In on Motive for Moise Killing

“President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti (pictured) was about to name names,” Maria Abi-Habib reported Dec. 12 for The New York Times.

“Before being assassinated in July, he had been working on a list of powerful politicians and businesspeople involved in Haiti’s drug trade, with the intention of handing over the dossier to the American government, according to four senior Haitian advisers and officials tasked with drafting the document.

“The president had ordered the officials to spare no one, not even the power brokers who had helped propel him into office, they said — one of several moves against suspected drug traffickers that could explain a motive for the assassination. . . .

“In the months before his death, Mr. Moïse took steps to clean up Haiti’s customs department, nationalize a seaport with a history of smuggling, destroy an airstrip used by drug traffickers and investigate the lucrative eel trade, which has recently been identified as a conduit for money laundering.

“The Times interviewed more than 70 people and traveled to eight of Haiti’s 10 departments, or states, to interview politicians, Mr. Moïse’s childhood friends, police officers, fishermen and participants in the drug trade to understand what happened in the last seven months of the president’s life that may have contributed to his death. Many of them now fear for their lives as well. . . .”

Short Takes

Kwan Wilson, of Camden, N.J., rests on his skates during rehearsal for the Thanksgiving Day parade in Philadelphia on Nov. 24. Great on Skates is an all-around skate community in Philadelphia. (Credit: Monica Herndon/Philadelphia Inquirer)
“People would always compliment me for my ties, and I even have given them away sometimes,” Art Franklin said. “When people say, ‘I really like that,’ that means I’ve got to take it off and give it to them.”
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