Articles Feature

T.J. Holmes, Amy Robach Out at ABC News

by richard03079

Updated Jan. 28

Conclusion of ‘Nearly Two-Month Tabloid Spectacle’

Hannah-Jones Receiving $35,350 for Library Talk
‘Local Taxpayers Are Raising Issues,’ Story Says
What to Consider Before Airing Memphis Video
. . . No Editorials in Commercial Appeal on Crisis
PBS’ Bennett, Ford Foundation Among J-Donors
Response to ‘Monday Night Football’ Gig Hurt
Storyteller Marilyn Ajavanada Dies at 57
Korie Rose, 37, Active in D.C. NABJ Chapter

Short Takes: Deadly year for the press worldwide; Sports Journalism Institute; mental health for AAPI journalists; NBCU Academy; electronic tablets for inmates; video series from the formerly incarcerated; collaboration between BET and CBS News; journalist groups, including NAHJ, support “citizen journalist”; standing up for “Black queer reporter”; Politico names fellows; dual-language podcast on the Puerto Rican experience; show on Black representation in classical music;

Soledad O’Brien; technology and design support for Black publishers; Utrice Leid; murder-for-hire plot against Iranian-American journalist; Twitter, Facebook’s censorship of documentary on India’s prime minister; Guardian accused of institutional racism; Brazil investigates violence against journalists; layoffs of Meta/Facebook’s African content moderators.

Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes have been grist for the gossip journals for weeks. (Credit: ABC)

Conclusion of ‘Nearly Two-Month Tabloid Spectacle’

T.J. Homes and Amy Robach are out at ABC News, the network announced late Friday, after months of speculation about the co-hosts’ off-stage romance.

“After several productive conversations with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes about different options, we all agreed it’s best for everyone that they move on from ABC News. We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions,” an ABC News spokesperson said.

DeMarco Morgan, who had just joined ABC News after working at CBS since 2015, started last month as fill-in replacement for Holmes on ABC’s “GMA3” after Holmes and co-host Robach were taken off the air “just days after their romantic relationship became public and turned into a tabloid sensation,” as John Koblin and Michael M. Grynbaum phrased it in the New York Times at the time.

Morgan is paired with Rhiannon Ally. They will continue as co-hosts for the time being, the ABC spokesperson told Journal-isms.

Writing in the New York Times, Grynbaum and Koblin said Friday’s development concludes “a nearly two-month tabloid spectacle sparked by revelations that the co-hosts were romantically involved.

“The network did not elaborate on the conditions and the specific circumstances of the anchors’ exit. Representatives of the anchors and the network had entered mediation on Thursday, and negotiations continued into Friday. . . .

“A representative for Ms. Robach and Mr. Holmes declined to comment.

“The departure of the anchors — who until recently had been considered rising stars with the potential to take over the network’s flagship show, ‘Good Morning America’ — is another tough moment for ABC News. Last week, Cecilia Vega, the network’s chief White House correspondent, announced that she was leaving for a correspondent role at “60 Minutes” on CBS.

“The on-air charisma between Mr. Holmes and Ms. Robach had been a staple of their early-afternoon talk show. But their careers were upended in late November when The Daily Mail reported that the anchors, both of whom were married, had been having an affair. . . .”

Hannah-Jones Receiving $35,350 for Library Talk

Nikole Hannah-Jones is narrator and an onscreen presence as an interviewer in “The 1619 Project,” a Hulu six-part documentary series. (Credit: Malcolm Jackson/Hulu)

‘Local Taxpayers Are Raising Issues,’ Story Says

“Fairfax County Public Library officials are paying controversial writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the ‘1619 Project’ $35,350 for a one-hour lecture on Feb. 19 at the McLean Community Center, with a price tag that amounts to $589 per minute, according to a copy of the contract obtained by the Fairfax County [Va.] Times,” Asra Q. Nomani wrote Wednesday, updated Thursday, for the suburban Washington news organization.

“Local taxpayers are raising issues with the expenditure, coupled with the $22,500 that the Fairfax County Library paid for divisive author Ibram X. Kendi for a 60-minute virtual discussion last month. The combined amount to both speakers equals $57,850, or about the annual starting salary of about $54,421 for a librarian in Fairfax County. This past August, library officials announced they were curtailing operating hours because of ‘ongoing staff recruitment challenges’. “

Hannah-Jones declined to comment on the record. The story was picked up Friday by the New York Post.

While the amount of the speaking fee might raise some eyebrows, other prominent journalists, especially those in television with high name recognition, charge similarly or more. Yet the Fairfax County Times and New York Post quote residents who question the use of taxpayer funds for what one called a “misuse of public funds for propaganda programming.”

Jessica Hudson, the director of Fairfax County Library, gave a statement to the New York Post that read: “McLean Community Center (MCC) and the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) offer a variety of programs of interest to our diverse community.

“For several years, The Alden [Theater] and FCPL have partnered to present noted authors through MCC’s Perspectives Speaker Series.”

Hudson added: “This year, for Black History Month, we are partnering to bring Pulitzer Prize Winner Nikole Hannah-Jones, who will speak on her work on the 1619 Project.”

“Admission to the event is free (registration is required) as are many MCC and FCPL events,” Hudson said in the statement.

“This facilitates access for patrons who might otherwise be unable to attend due to financial limitations and is in line with Fairfax County’s One Fairfax Policy and the MCC Governing Board’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and access.”

Nomani, author of the Fairfax Times account, is described as “a former Wall Street Journal reporter and a senior fellow in the practice of journalism at Independent Women’s Network.“

Hudson, the library director, could not be reached for comment, nor could county spokesperson Tony Castrilli.

[She replied Jan. 30, “The author fee comes from the Library’s budget, not from the Fairfax Library Foundation. While not every program may be the right fit for every person, FCPL offer a variety of author talks and other events, helping to ensure that these programs are broadly available including to community members who might otherwise be unable to participate.” 

Hulu’s six-part docuseries, “The 1619 Project,” based on Hannah-Jones’ work, debuted Thursday.

A reader of the Fairfax Times story noted that its author, Nomani, charges $10,000 to $20,000 for a speaking engagement, according to the Speaker Booking Agency. (Updated Jan. 29)

“The video . . . certainly will be graphic and sicken every thoughtful and compassionate person. Both publishing and not publishing the video carry consequences,” writes Al Tompkins. (Credit: ABC News)

What to Consider Before Airing Memphis Video

“The body camera video of five Memphis police officers using excessive force to arrest Tyre Nichols will be released Friday afternoon, the Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association said,” Al Tompkins (pictured, below, by Sharon Farmer) wrote Thursday for the Poynter Institute.

“The arrest occurred Jan. 7. Police said they pulled Nichols over on suspicion of reckless driving. Nichols died three days later. Attorneys for Nichols’ family say he died from ‘extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.’ Attorney Ben Crump said the police beating lasted more than three minutes, and that the video shows Nichols was tased, pepper-sprayed and restrained. . . .

“Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis made no excuses for the officers’ actions. ‘This is not just a professional failing,’ she said. ‘This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual. … This incident was heinous, reckless and inhumane. And in the vein of transparency, when the video is released in the coming days, you will see this for yourselves.’

“News organizations will decide what to show and, just as importantly, should explain why they chose to show or withhold the video, which certainly will be graphic and sicken every thoughtful and compassionate person. Both publishing and not publishing the video carry consequences.

“In cases like this — and we have had too much practice at making these decisions — I use a set of questions that my Poynter colleagues and I have developed over the years to guide our decision-making. One question I ask in cases like this is: If the main function of journalism is to ‘seek truth and report it as fully as possible,’ then how would you explain why you withheld the video?

“When the video is released, [news] organizations have a responsibility to know what is in the video before showing it. In some instances, police have released video in news conferences that news organizations broadcast and streamed live without knowing what they were about to show. . . .

  • “What is the journalistic purpose behind broadcasting the graphic content? . . .
  • “Is the use of graphic material the only way to tell the story? . . .
  • “Sometimes showing graphic images and airing disturbing audio is because it would be unfair to the victim and victim’s family not to air it since it tells the public about police misconduct. On the other hand, sometimes the graphic images tell a story that police say the public should know out of fairness to police. . . .
  • “When you mention race, ethnicity, gender, age details of those involved in an incident, how can you make it clear why those identifying details are important? . . .

Tompkins asks 10 other questions.

. . . No Editorials in Commercial Appeal on Crisis

In times of community crisis, such as the fatal Memphis police beating of Tyre Nichols, newspapers have traditionally attempted to be a unifying voice, serving up editorials appealing for calm or making recommendations for moving forward. But the Commercial Appeal, Memphis’ major daily, dropped local editorials in 2019.

It is part of a trend among Gannett newspapers reported last year by the Poynter Institute.

“We have published several editorials on statewide issues, but have not done local editorials since 2020. Our opinion section showcases columnists, including Lynn Norment, op-ed columnists and community contributors,” Executive Editor Mark Russell (pictured) told Journal-isms on Friday.

Russell wrote readers in 2019, “By tradition, opinion has long been the section where readers found the institutional view of The Commercial Appeal. It is also where you read guest commentaries, local and syndicated columnists, letters to the editor, editorial cartoons and, of course, the daily Bible verse.

“Starting this week, we are moving away from that approach to one that showcases more community voices, puts an emphasis on analysis and an expanded newsroom engagement with Memphis through community events we sponsor.

“Readers have repeatedly told us that they want to see more locally produced guest commentaries and letters to the editor. And we want to deliver more of what you want. . . .”

“Of course, we’ll still occasionally do editorials under the banner of The Commercial Appeal Editorial Board. . . .”

Meanwhile, one leading community voice has taken issue with the framing of media coverage.

The Rev. Earle Fisher (pictured), senior pastor of Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church, told Geoff Bennett on the “PBS NewsHour” Friday, “I would say I think the air of the city has been impacted by the way mainstream media has couched the developments. I would have loved to see mainstream media outlets say stuff like, ‘Memphis plans for a peaceful protest,’ as opposed to ‘Memphis is on edge.’

“When they started reporting at the beginning of the week, I was looking around, because I felt like I missed something. That hadn’t been what was in the air. That hadn’t been what I had felt. That hadn’t been what my colleagues had felt.

“But now we have to brace for it and prepare for it. And so, again, we’re preparing for the worst and praying for the best.”

PBS’ Bennett, Ford Foundation Among J-Donors

“MLK50: Justice Through Journalism announced today that it has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Ford Foundation’s Creativity and Free Expression team,” the Memphis-based organization said Thursday.

“The investment will be used to strengthen the digital news operation’s fundraising capacity and to ensure that even more community-focused, investigative reporting is available to residents for free. The grant award is the largest philanthropic gift to MLK50 since it was founded five years ago. . . . “

Last year, reporter Carrington J. Tatum wrote that he had to leave MLK50 “because of student debt and the rent going up. . . . I realized that if I’m going to stay ahead of student loans and survive, I need to make a lot more money.”

Wendi C. Thomas, founding editor, replied in her own piece, “Not all problems can be solved with money, but this problem could be.”

Separately, Geoff Bennett (pictured), newly appointed “PBS NewsHour” co-host, has established a scholarship program at Morehouse College, his alma mater, that benefits English and journalism majors.

He messaged Journal-isms Friday, “It’s a total $50K commitment that benefits 4 students each year.”

Bennett told Savannah Taylor of Ebony Monday, “I feel like a well-informed society is a prerequisite for a functioning democracy. That is why journalism is so important. It’s vital for news organizations to look like the communities they serve.”

He added, “We need more Black journalists. We need more Black men who are committed to reporting political news, hard news and who are in this work of being dedicated truth-tellers and having a fidelity to the facts. There needs to be more of us doing this work. Starting this scholarship for English majors and for journalism majors at Morehouse is my way of trying to pay it forward.”

In other grantmaking, the American Journalism Project Tuesday announced its first three new grants of 2023 to nonprofit news organizations that aim to reach new audiences and cover critical issues concerning communities in North Carolina, Fort Worth, Texas and Nebraska.

One, Enlace Latino NC, describes itself as “North Carolina’s first nonprofit digital news organization in Spanish. The organization was founded in 2018 to empower the diverse community of Latinx immigrants in the state to become more involved in the social, political and economic changes that affect them. . . .”

Meanwhile, the National Association of Black Journalists said Wednesday, “Black freelancers and producers, as well as Black-owned print, broadcast and digital outlets, received fast grants up to $10,000 from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to support original and innovative coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coronavirus vaccine, and how these topics intersect with the nation’s K-12 education system.

“Since launching a second round of grants in April 2022, 43 journalists and/or outlets have been awarded a total of $250,000. Applications were reviewed on a rolling basis until the funds were exhausted. The application process is now closed for the 2022-2023 cycle. . . .”

” ‘Monday Night Football’ was both a dream job and a complete nightmare.”

Response to ‘Monday Night Football’ Gig Hurt

“I recently rummaged around through some old boxes and found my VHS tapes from the year I worked as a sideline reporter on Monday Night Football, in 2003,” Lisa Guerrero wrote Wednesday for Sports Illustrated. “I debated whether I should look at them. Would they confirm that I was as horrible as the media had said for the last 20 years? As I had come to believe myself?

“I finally caved. I had the video transferred to digital, queued it up and then waited nervously for that moment when I sucked. But I waited and waited … and it didn’t come. Instead, I thought: I was good at that job! What was the media talking about?

“When I finished watching, I broke down. I cried for my younger self, who had nearly been destroyed by that narrative about me. I cried, too, for the person who still carries around the humiliation of that experience.

“Monday Night Football was both a dream job and a complete nightmare. But it didn’t start out that way. My role would be a new take on conventional sideline reporting. That’s what Freddie Gaudelli, the show’s executive producer, said when I interviewed for the position. . . .”

Guerrero concludes, “later, as the plane ascended into the clouds, I thought about all I’d lost on those sidelines — my dignity, my courage, and now my pregnancy. There was nothing left to take. At that moment, I vowed to stop letting Freddie have so much control over me. Nothing he could do or say could be worse than what I’d just experienced, alone on the sidelines in front of millions of people.

“The football season was coming to a close. During the last few games, I stopped memorizing Freddie’s notes. I spoke in my own voice. I pulled out my earpiece during my reports. That way, if Freddie was screaming at me, I would never know.”

Storyteller Marilyn Ajavanada Dies at 57

“Marilyn Ajavananda (pictured), a longtime journalist at the Democrat and Chronicle and a tireless storyteller within the local Asian American and Pacific Islander community, died Jan. 17,” Justin Murphy reported Wednesday for the Rochester, N.Y., news operation.

“The cause of death was a heart attack, according to her family. She was 59 years old.

“Ajavananda’s career at the D&C began in the sales department in 1988. After 10 years she switched to the newsroom, serving as a copy editor and then a newsroom producer until her departure in 2019.

“More recently she was the emerging audiences editor with the New York and Michigan Solutions Journalism Collaborative, where one of her focus areas was caregivers of older adults. . . .”

Calling hours are tentatively set for 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 17 at Paul Harris Funeral Home, 570 Kings Highway South, Rochester, with a funeral the following morning at Saint Margaret Mary Church, 401 Rogers Parkway, also in Rochester.

Korie Rose, 37, Active in D.C. NABJ Chapter

Digital journalist Korie D. Rose, (pictured) a video editor at WJLA-TV in Washington, was found dead in his Hyattsville, Md., home on Jan. 20, a family member said. He was 37.

The Maryland Department of Health is investigating the death, a spokesperson said, but a relative told Journal-isms that Rose had undergone two kidney transplants and bought a COVID-19 test two days before the body was found.

Rose “was an alumnus of our Urban Journalism Workshop (UJW), an annual program for D.C. area high school students. He returned to UJW each year during his professional career in D.C. to mentor students,” the Washington Association of Black Journalists said in a statement Tuesday.

“He held various positions in TV news production at stations including Nexstar Media Group’s DC News Now, Newsy and ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Among his family and friends, he was known for his zeal for journalism, shopping/couponing, cooking, and Starbucks Coffee.”

“The WABJ community is saddened by Korie’s passing. He’s been an active member for years, and UJW was his biggest passion throughout his yearslong service,” WABJ President Khorri Atkinson said.

Services are scheduled for Tuesday at the Eloquent Touch Ballroom, 3914 Bexley Place, Hillcrest Heights, Md. 20748, with viewing at 11 a.m. and the service at noon.

Short Takes

  • “The year 2022 was deadly for members of the press. At least 67 journalists and media workers were killed during the year – the highest number since 2018 and an almost 50% increase from 2021,” the Committee to Protect Journalists reported Tuesday. “The rise was driven by a high number of journalist deaths covering the Ukraine war and a sharp rise in killings in Latin America. . . . “

  • “On the heels of NBCU Academy’s second anniversary, Cesar Conde, NBCUniversal News Group Chairman, announced today that NBCU Academy had increased its membership by 50 percent, with 15 new schools joining the 30 colleges and universities that have been part of the award-winning program,” the network said Thursday. “NBCU Academy provides tools, resources, and platforms for underrepresented voices in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, STEM Programs, and colleges with significant Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous and tribal populations. . . .”

  • “The Marshall Project and Vice News plan to launch an ‘Inside Story’ video series,” the project said Friday. “Developed by formerly incarcerated people, the first-of-its-kind video series will bring critical accountability and investigative journalism on the criminal justice system to incarcerated people and those beyond bars, too. Hosted and co-created by TMP’s Lawrence Bartley, the show is a collaboration with the Emmy-winning VICE News team. Each episode will be available online at noon EST every Thursday, beginning Feb. 2.” “Inside Story” is described as a “video series designed to educate audiences inside and outside of prison walls.”

  • BET and CBS News announced Friday a new monthly primetime newsmagazine show, “America in Black,” starting Feb. 19 and “featuring a mix of original longform investigative reports, one-on-one newsmaker interviews, human interest stories and exclusive in-depth celebrity profiles.” Participating are Gayle King, Vladimir Duthiers, Marc Lamont Hill, James Brown; Michelle Miller; Jericka Duncan, Adriana Diaz; Errol Barnett, Skyler Henry, Danya Bacchus, Wesley Lowery and Ed Gordon (pictured), who is returning to the network after an 18-year hiatus and is to be a featured correspondent. “America In Black” is executive produced by Jason Samuels for BET and Alvin Patrick for CBS News.

  • “This moment calls for a serious, rigorous exploration of the nature of antisemitism and how to fight it — and yet mainstream media coverage of antisemitism regularly fails to rise to the occasion,” Mari Cohen wrote Jan. 19 for Jewish Currents. “Articles about spiking antisemitism often contribute to an ahistorical fearmongering that is likely to only deepen Jewish communities’ anxiety and make it harder to accurately assess antisemitic threats. They tend to flatten a rich academic debate about the historical nature of anti-Jewish activity into clichéd descriptions of antisemitism as the ‘oldest hatred.’ Differences between state-sponsored antisemitic policy and individual antisemitic actions are rarely elucidated. The most egregious coverage conflates Palestinian solidarity activism with antisemitism, equating, for example, politicians who have courted antisemitic white nationalists with those who have sought to restrict US funding for Israeli human rights abuses. . . .”

  • In New York, WQXR announced Wednesday that “Every Voice with Terrance McKnight” (pictured), “a new 16-episode podcast series spotlighting marginalized voices, histories and perspectives in the Western classical music tradition,” would debut Feb. 16. The debut season “explores Black representation in opera through interviews with performers and educators, historical documents, archival performance recordings, and McKnight’s signature style of personal storytelling, honed through his work as a classical music performer, teacher, presenter, producer and host. Every Voice builds on McKnight’s extensive work in radio to elevate Black luminaries and perspectives in classical music, including audio documentaries of Florence Price, Harry Belafonte, Hazel Scott, and Langston Hughes. . . .”

  • Utrice Leid’s (pictured) “career included co-founding New York City’s weekly The City Sun that covered African American issues and working as a journalist, television commentator, and as a show host for over 25 years on WBAI in New York City and 17 years on the Progressive Radio Network,” Leid says on her GoFundMe page. “For many years I have struggled with hypertension, diabetes and arthritic pain. However, six years ago I was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 lung cancer. Fortunately, I was graciously provided with the opportunity to follow a multi-faceted alternative health protocol. Four months later my hypertension, diabetes and arthritis significantly reduced and my cancer went into remission. However, due to the loss of income during my bouts of illness and recovery, I was made homeless. My health has declined and the cancer has returned. Once again I am fighting for my life. . . .” Leid says all donations will go toward her medical care.

  • “The Justice Department has charged three men in a murder-for-hire-plot hatched by officials from Iran who targeted Masih Alinejad, an American human-rights activist in Brooklyn who has criticized the country’s repression of women, according to an indictment unsealed on Friday,” Benjamin Weiser and Glenn Thrush reported Friday for The New York Times. “The men, Rafat Amirov, of Iran, Polad Omarov, of the Czech Republic, and Khalid Mehdiyev, an Azerbaijani man living in Yonkers, were charged with murder-for-hire and money-laundering conspiracy counts, according to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan. The three men are members of an Eastern European criminal organization, known by its members as Thieves-in-Law, which has ties to Iran and last year was tasked with carrying out Ms. Alinejad’s killing, the indictment says. . . .”

  • “About 200 African content moderators are being laid off by Sama, Meta’s Kenyan subcontractor,” Lydia Namubiru reported Tuesday for South Africa’s Mail & Guardian. “This comes after Facebook’s parent company Meta declined to renew Sama’s contract, which expires at the end of March. Moderators — who have been exposed to the very worst content on Facebook, including graphic violence, suicide and child pornography — will each receive 15 days of pay for each year they worked with Sama. . . . They had feared for their jobs since May last year, when both Sama and Meta were sued by former moderator-turned whistleblower Daniel Motaung, who accused the companies of labour rights violations, including union busting and exploitation. . . .” Facebook has been accused of having blood on its hands because of the disinformation spread on its platform, particularly in the conflict areas of Myanmar and Ethiopia, where thousands have died.

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Richard Prince’s Journal-isms originates from Washington. It began in print before most of us knew what the internet was, and it would like to be referred to as a “column.” Any views expressed in the column are those of the person or organization quoted and not those of any other entity. Send tips, comments and concerns to Richard Prince at journal-isms+owner@groups.io

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