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Gay Man Says Orlando Killer Sought Revenge

by richard02403

‘Miguel’ Tells Univision of Grudge Against Latinos

C-SPAN Outwits Ryan, Shows Democrats’ Sit-In

Don King, in Call & Post, Endorses Trump

Sanders Says ‘Corporate Media’ Missed the Story

Cavs’ Victory Perfectly Timed for LeBron TV Show

Holt Accepts NABJ’s ‘Journalist of Year’ at 30 Rock

Ex-Fox News Apprentice Now a Full-Time Reporter

Not Surprised by Fired White Anchor’s Lawsuit

Coates: Some Detractors Seek ‘Gaze of White Folks’

Short Takes

A man using the name "Miguel" told Univision Noticias anchor Maria Elena Salinas he was Omar Mateen's lover for two months. (Credit: Univision)
A man using the name “Miguel” told Univision Noticias anchor Maria Elena Salinas that he was Omar Mateen’s lover for two months. (Credit: Univision)

‘Miguel’ Tells Univision of Grudge Against Latinos

“Omar Mateen, the Muslim gunman who committed the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, was ‘100 percent’ gay and bore a grudge against Latino men because he felt used by them, according to a man who says he was his lover for two months,” Univision reported Tuesday.

“ ‘I’ve cried like you have no idea. But the thing that makes me want to tell the truth is that he didn’t do it for terrorism. In my opinion he did it for revenge,’ he told Univision Noticias anchor Maria Elena Salinas in an exclusive interview in English and Spanish on Tuesday.

“He said Mateen was angry and upset after a man he had sex with later revealed he was infected with the HIV virus.

“Asked why he decided to come forward with his story, he said: ‘It’s my responsibility as a citizen of the United States and a gay man.’ . . .”

The report also said, “The man, who did not want his true identity revealed, agreed to an interview wearing a disguise and calling himself Miguel. Speaking in fluent Spanish and accented English, he said he met Mateen last year through a gay dating site and began a relationship soon after. He and Mateen were ‘friends with benefits,’ he said. . . .”

The full interview is to air at 10 p.m. ET Friday, to be called “El Omar que yo conocí” (The Omar I Knew).”

Jose Zamora, Univision’s vice president, strategic communications, news, told Journal-isms by email Wednesday that the man “contacted Univision. We interviewed him and starting fact-checking and confirming everything he told us. We continue to investigate.”

He added, “We were able to confirm that he was interviewed by the FBI. There other things he told us. We have been fact-checking all of them and so far all of them check out.”

Since Mateen shot and killed 49 people at Pulse in the early hours of June 12, some critics have accused the news media of downplaying at various time gay and Latino identities of the victims, in favor of casting Mateen as a Muslim who stated allegiance to the Islamic State.

In his blog Wednesday, Allen Johnson, editorial page editor of the Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record, referred to the Univision interview and a report from CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton, who quoted an FBI agent saying that Mateen frequently used online dating sites to seek relationships with men and women.

“Some people have criticized Attorney General Loretta Lynch for saying we may never know for certain what motivated Mateen,” Johnson wrote.

“He mentioned ISIS, her critics say. So obviously it’s Islamic terrorism. Stop hedging.

“But it is not that simple.

“And I’m not sure ISIS now would want to take credit for his actions, given its neanderthal views of gay people.

“The Washington Post reports:

” ‘In a single day in September, the Islamic State killed nine men and a 15-year-old boy in a Syrian town who had been accused of sodomy. In January 2015, a media wing of the extremist group released images that appeared to show fighters pushing men accused of homosexuality off a building in the Iraqi city of Mosul. In July, two men suffered the same fate in the Syrian city of Palmyra, then controlled by the Islamic State. They were shoved off the roof of a hotel after an Islamic State official ruled that they must die.’ “

(Credit: PoliticusUSA)
(Credit: PoliticusUSA)

C-SPAN Outwits Ryan, Shows Democrats’ Sit-In

“C-SPAN turned to Periscope and Facebook Live on Wednesday for coverage of Democrats staging a sit-in on gun control on the House floor after GOP leadership cut off the chamber’s cameras,” Paulina Firozi reported Wednesday for the Hill.

“House Republicans, who have control of the feed, vowed to keep it off until the House was back in session, saying Democrats are holding up normal business.

“Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) began streaming the video from the floor after the cameras were shut off. C-SPAN tweeted multiple times that the cable channel does not have control of the feed.

“In order to circumvent the blackout, C-SPAN began airing live video being streamed by House members. . . .”

Amber Phillips reported for the Washington Post at 1:05 a.m. Thursday, “As news reached Democrats on the House floor that the chamber was about to be gaveled into a last-minute late night session, members began shouting. ‘Are they going to shut us down?‘ one unseen member asked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on a social media feed carried live by C-SPAN.

“Within moments, a C-SPAN anchor informed viewers that the House was coming back into session — and with that, the network’s cameras came alive, bringing anyone watching remotely sounds of chaos and chanting from the House floor . . .”

Don King, in Call & Post, Endorses Trump

Don King, the legendary boxing promoter who is also publisher of the Cleveland Call & Post, endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in his publisher’s column on Tuesday.

It began, “My fellow Americans, WE THE PEOPLE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE have a lot to thank presumptive GOP nominee for president Donald J. Trump for: he has called out the establishment…he has called out the GOP party…he has called out, as he says, ‘the lying politicians,’…he has called out the corrupt — rigged — electoral process…he has called out the omnipotent power of the rigged delegates process — which is an open invitation to temptation, which is also absolutely incredulous.

“The delegates hold the absolute power over the destiny of the American presidential candidate in their hands without any control mechanism, without any consequences for their actions other than their conscience. Donald J. Trump can’t be bought and he’s exposing all of these sinister methods. Donald J. Trump can’t be controlled by anyone except for the American People. . . .”

Bob Velin noted June 11 for USA Today, “Trump was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015. Why? Because, according to the NJHOF, ‘During the 1980s Atlantic City was the capital of the Boxing World and Donald Trump had a lot to do with it, including many of Mike Tyson’s fights.’

“King promoted Tyson for years, for better or worse, and thus has had a long relationship with Trump. . . .”

Sanders Says ‘Corporate Media’ Missed the Story

“Sen. Bernie Sanders says that the media are ‘far removed from the reality of where the American people are,” John Eggerton reported Wednesday for Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News.

Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders

“Sanders said that in an interview on C-SPAN (it will air Sunday, June 26, at 6:35/9:35 p.m. ET) after being asked about early press reports that his campaign was a long shot and could have money problems, and what had changed — he wound up pushing Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail and to the left on some issues, and raised large amounts of case in many small individual donations.

“Sanders suggested that rather than anything changing, the media had gotten it wrong.

“He cited David Brooks of the New York Times talking about how the pundits all got it wrong — Donald Trump’s campaign was also given little chance by those pundits, and he is now the presumptive GOP nominee.

“He said that despite what the establishment thought when talking with each other, it turned out the people wanted real change.

” ‘There is an inside-the Beltway’ bubble in which Congress, the media, the establishment, look at reality in a certain way.

“He said what has saddened him about the corporate media, and he said he used that term ‘Very advisedly because people have to understand that when they look at network television and major media, these are owned by large corporations. They are not some folks coming down from the sky trying to give an independent or objective perspective. They work for large, multinational corporations.’

“He gave the journalists themselves credit for being smart and hard-working, saying he could not believe how much they produced. But, he said, there is a view inside the Beltway that what campaigns are about is about personalities, like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. ‘What about talking about the American people’ But that is not part of what the media discourse is about.’ . . .”

IMG_2466
In Cleveland, as many as three times the city population crammed into approximately 40 blocks for the Cleveland Cavaliers victory parade, the Plain Dealer reported. (Credit: dchrisoh/flickr)

Cavs’ Victory Perfectly Timed for LeBron TV Show

“The glorious city of Cleveland . . . rightfully lost its mind Sunday night when basketball  MVP LeBron James helped lead the Cavaliers to the NBA championship over the Golden State Warriors,” Emily Yahr wrote Monday for the Washington Post. “You know who else is probably pretty excited about the victory? CNBC executives.

“That’s because the financial-themed network is the lucky owner of ‘Cleveland Hustles,’ a new business reality show that debuts in August and is produced by SpringHill Entertainment, the production company that James owns with his childhood friend Maverick Carter. . . .

“On ‘Cleveland Hustles,’ according to CNBC press materials, James and Carter ‘will give four up-and-coming local entrepreneurs the chance to realize their own dreams while also helping to revitalize a neighborhood in Cleveland.’ The entrepreneurs will receive money, a storefront and guidance from a group of business experts. . . .”

Yahr also wrote, “Although going Hollywood has been a popular move in the sports world for many decades, James has taken it to another level, as he has ambitiously (yet carefully) looked to build his own entertainment empire, developing multiple TV projects. . . .”

Lester Holt, seond from right, was joined at NABJ's "Journalist of the Year" ceremony Tuesday by his wife, Carol Hagen,center, and sons Cameron, right, and Stefan, second from left, and Stefan's wife, Morgan, at left. (Credit: NBC News)
Lester Holt, second from right, was joined at NABJ’s “Journalist of the Year” ceremony Tuesday by his wife, Carol Hagen, center, and sons Cameron, right, and Stefan, second from left, and Stefan’s wife, Morgan, at left. (Credit: NBC News)

Holt Accepts NABJ’s ‘Journalist of Year’ at 30 Rock

“Lester Holt, the first solo African American evening anchor on a weekday network newscast, accepted the 2016 NABJ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) at an NBC reception at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City last night,” NABJ announced on Wednesday.

“The award recognizes a black journalist who has distinguished himself or herself with a body of work that has extraordinary depth, scope and significance to people in the African Diaspora. After Holt accepted the award, he applauded NABJ for its commitment to diversity and inclusion over the past four decades and spoke of NBC News’ newsgathering process.

” ‘Our diversity in newsrooms simply makes us better,’ said Holt. ‘When we sit in our editorial meetings every afternoon at “Nightly News,” that diversity of race, culture and sexual identity — all of those things come into place when we start discussing news of the day and everybody can bring something to the table. That just simply makes us better journalists. So, I want to applaud NABJ for what the organization continues to do, it’s incredibly vital.’

“Holt also discussed the people who came before him. He gave praise to Max Robinson, Carole Simpson, Bryant Gumbel and Bernard Shaw — African American news anchors [who] broke color barriers at a time when it was uncommon to see broadcast journalists of color anchoring the news. ‘These are people that opened the doors for people like me to walk through’ said Holt, ‘and therefore it’s incumbent on all of us to remember that many of us are the products of great mentors. . . .”

NBC added that “the night ended with a performance by Lester’s NBC band, the 30 Rockers, with Holt on bass. Their set list included ‘Gimme Shelter’ by the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison’s ‘Wild Night,’ ‘Lonely [Is] the Night’ by Billy Squier and ‘Jane’ by Jefferson Starship.”

NABJ’s “Journalist of the Year” award is usually presented at its annual convention, to be held this year in Washington on Aug. 3-7 as a joint meeting with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. However, Holt is scheduled to be in Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympics then, an NBC spokesman said.

Bryan Llenas
Bryan Llenas is to cover the Republican and Democratic conventions in July.

Ex-Fox News Apprentice Now a Full-Time Reporter

“Bryan Llenas has parlayed his Ailes Apprenticeship into a full-time gig at Fox News Channel,” Chris Ariens reported Tuesday for TVNewser.

“Llenas, who joined Fox News as an intern in 2009, and who most recently was a weekend reporter for the network, has been named a full-time correspondent for FNC.

“ ‘Bryan was a standout apprentice,’ said FNC CEO Roger Ailes, who announced the promotion today. ‘His dedication has been a key attribute to his impressive growth within the network. We look forward to watching him expand his career on a larger platform.’

“In October, 2010 Llenas was selected as an Ailes Apprentice. Upon his graduation in 2011, he was named reporter for Fox News Latino. Based in New York, Llenas will cover both the RNC and DNC in July.

“Llenas was also part of the launch team of FOXNewsLatino.com.”

Ailes founded the 12-month apprenticeship program in 2003 to promote diversity within broadcast and cable journalism.

It includes a full time job, competitive salary and full benefits.

The Ailes Apprentice Program “provides its members with unique networking opportunities, shadowing experiences, and comprehensive mentorships with key Fox executives,” according to Fox. “This is the only news organization to have a program like this.”

Not Surprised by Fired White Anchor’s Lawsuit

“Ladies and gentlemen, Wendy Bell is back!” columnist Tony Norman wrote Tuesday for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“In a civil complaint filed against WTAE-TV, the former anchor who was fired earlier this year for speculating about the racial and family backgrounds of two as-yet unidentified shooters in a Wilkinsburg massacre in March, lobbed what will probably be the first of many legal hand grenades into the vestibule of her former employer.

Wendy Bell
Bell is called ‘obtuse at times, maybe, but not dumb’

“Is there anyone on Earth who didn’t see this coming? Did anyone really think Wendy Bell, a veteran of nearly two decades in Pittsburgh’s insular media environment as a reporter and anchor, would simply sashay into the sunset without a fight?

“As I wrote in a previous column, WTAE-TV made a big mistake firing the winner of, for crying out loud, 21 regional Emmys for what looks like pretty spurious reasons.

“Yes, Wendy Bell’s Facebook post on the Wilkinsburg shootings revealed a fundamental confusion about her role as WTAE’s top female anchor versus that of a commentator or a blogger. Despite being ladled with heavy dollops of white privilege and cluelessness, the post, though patronizing, did not rise to a fireable offense, as far as I was concerned.

“If WTAE was so worried about one post compromising its journalistic mission, and if there was some question about whether Ms. Bell had the discipline to stop speculating on Facebook about things she doesn’t really know about, simply asking her to refrain from engaging in all social media probably would’ve done the trick.

“Despite her terminally perky persona, Wendy Bell has never provided evidence that she’s a dumb woman. Obtuse at times, maybe, but not dumb and not racist. . . .”

Coates: Some Detractors Seek ‘Gaze of White Folks’

In a wide-ranging Playboy interview that also includes his evaluation of President Obama and his defense of the N-word, Atlantic journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates says criticism of his best-selling “Between the World and Me” by some prominent blacks can be traced to their “aiming at the gaze of white folks.”

In the interview, published online Wednesday and conducted in Paris, Bomani Jones asks, “Since the book has come out, what’s the biggest change you’ve noticed?

Coates replies, “The book has given me and my family a level of financial security I never thought we would have and thus the freedom to go out and think, Okay, how are we really going to go out here and do this now? At the same time, I didn’t realize how much heat there was.

Jones: Some of that heat came from Cornel West, who basically said you were a neoliberal darling who wouldn’t criticize Obama. Others, including author bell hooks, suggested the book was written more for white people than for your son.

Coates: The book couldn’t have been out more than three days, and I saw this note. “Look, Cornel West is going after him.” It was on a Facebook post, and it was clear it had almost nothing to do with the book. Then bell hooks and Kevin Powell got together and went after the book with some bullshit. It was like all the people I was reading in the 1990s were attacking the book. I was like, Damn, what the fuck is this?

Jones: You had become a figure.

Coates: Right. And so you lose yourself. They really are not talking about you. Glenn Loury was talking like, “Yeah, I only flipped through the first few pages, but this dude was bragging to his son about how he can find a gun.” I wrote to him and was like, “Dude, you need to read the book. I didn’t say none of that shit.” My elders got their knives out. I don’t want to say everybody, but people I’d really studied and learned from. It’s like, That’s what it is now?

Jones: Did any of the criticism hurt?

Coates: All of it hurt. I had criticized Cornel for going after Obama, but not in that sort of personal way. The bell hooks shit hurt because she was talking about my son. The Loury shit, that hurt. Eventually I figured out that they were aiming at the gaze of white folks. I didn’t account for how much that shit controls everything.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone somewhere and the question has been “What’s up with white people reading your book?” It alters everything. You’re talking about money right there. But I think on top of that it’s the prestige part. “Oh, you’re a MacArthur genius now?” Now people have to look at you a certain way and talk to you a certain way, and that has nothing to do with what you’re actually saying. People start shouting out your name and they ain’t even talking about you. . . .”

Short Takes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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