Irate White House Reporters Focus on Daniels

Frustration as Trump Seeks to Neutralize Regulars
Averi Harper Named ABC News Political Director
. . . Taylor to lead ABC News’ Talent Department
Wesley Lowery Out at American University

Michelle Obama Launches Video Podcast
Attacks on Harris’ Race Backfired With Blacks
K.W. Lee Dies, Legend Among AAPI Journalists
Chad Journalists Accused of Colluding With Russia
Irate White House Reporters Focus on Daniels (con’t)

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Frustration as Trump Seeks to Neutralize Regulars

- One by One, the News People Said ‘Resist’

“On Monday morning, dozens of White House Correspondents’ Association members gathered for a virtual meeting to address an urgent issue,” Oliver Darcy reported Monday evening for his Status website.

“Eugene Daniels, the WHCA president, opened with an acknowledgment of the uncomfortable truth: the White House has seized control of the press pool, sidelining the association and leaving it in a precarious position. Daniels assured members that the board was doing everything possible to navigate the crisis. But the underlying frustration was impossible to ignore.

“ ‘There were a lot of pointed questions,’ one person familiar with the contentious meeting told me. ‘You could tell there was a lot of frustration with Eugene and the board.’

“Daniels is well-liked in Washington, but his leadership at the WHCA is now facing scrutiny. Since Donald Trump blocked the Associated Press from official events and took control of the press pool — banning both AP and HuffPost from their rotations — some members have criticized the WHCA for its tepid response. While Daniels has released forceful statements, many members want the organization — which is to a large degree hamstrung by a collective action problem — to respond more aggressively. That frustration boiled over in the meeting.

“The first question Daniels faced was from The Washington Examiner’s Christian Datoc: Would Daniels serve out his full term as WHCA president now that he was leaving his correspondent role at POLITICO for an MSNBC hosting gig? It was likely not the opening question that Daniels had hoped for, given that it put his future in the position under scrutiny. Nevertheless, Daniels explained that he would continue covering the White House at MSNBC and that he had no intention of stepping down.

“The tone grew more combative from there. For the next hour or so, Daniels fielded a barrage of tough questions as members pressed the board on its handling of the crisis and demanded to know what concrete steps it planned to take in response to Trump’s power play. Some argued that the WHCA had all but surrendered, failing to mount a meaningful response to an unprecedented assault on the press.

“Andrew Feinberg, a White House reporter for The Independent who has been critical of the WHCA, was particularly blunt. “It does seem like y’all were caught with your pants down,” he said. ‘This was entirely predictable.’ He then raised questions about Axios filling HuffPost’s vacant press pool slot after the White House blocked the progressive outlet. Axios co-founder Mike Allen spoke afterward, insisting the site hadn’t known about the situation with HuffPost and believed it was being granted an additional slot, perhaps as a so-called ‘new media’ outlet.

“Later in the meeting, April Ryan, White House correspondent for Black Press USA, pressed Daniels on the WHCA’s response. When Daniels offered a diplomatic answer, Ryan fired back: ‘I do not need a blowoff,’ she said. ‘I want to hear your answers.’

“As tensions escalated, WHCA Executive Director Steve Thomma came to Daniels’ defense, telling members that the board had been working hard behind the scenes. From the WHCA’s perspective, there is little it can do when Trump holds the power and its own members remain divided. Critics, however, have argued that it is precisely the WHCA’s job to unify a response — and that it has not delivered on that front.”

Ryan told Journal-isms on Tuesday that “I don’t find any discrepancies” in Darcy’s report. “It’s about access. Once we lose it, we never get it back. People are upset. This is about access to do our job. It’s about the information. . . . We need help.”

Ryan, is the longest-serving Black person in the history of the White House press corps. She said there are journalists who remember the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. “If something were to happen,” there need to be real journalists there to chronicle it,” not right-wing “influencers” who are being courted under Trump.

Daniels told Journal-isms he stood behind a statement he gave Darcy: “We welcome hearing from the people we serve — even if it’s pointed — so that we can always understand what’s on the minds of our members. That’s how we are calibrating our approach. All our members are navigating how best to respond and we are committed to hearing from everyone as we chart our strategy going forward. I left today’s meetings with a better sense of where our many constituencies stand, and I’m looking forward to our board meeting later this week, where we can continue these conversations.”

Darcy’s item is continued at the end of this posting.

Averi Harper on election night 2024. (Credit: YouTube)

Averi Harper Named ABC News Political Director

Averi Harper has been promoted to ABC News’ political director, Washington D.C., Bureau Chief Rick Klein announced Monday, while Audrey Taylor, like Harper a Black woman, was promoted from D.C. bureau director of planning and strategy to vice president of talent strategy and development.

Harper is to relocate to Washington from New York to take the role vacated by Klein, who became D.C. bureau chief and to whom Harper will continue to report.

“Harper will help lead the news division’s political coverage and editorial content across all ABC News programs, platforms, special events and breaking news coverage,” the announcement said. “She will also manage the political unit, as well as collaborate with colleagues from across the organization and coordinate with ABC News’ polling partners, Decision Desk operations and ABC Owned Television Stations on political coverage. She will continue to provide on- and off-air analysis for the network.”

“Averi (pictured) is a trusted journalist and leader whose integrity and rigor elevate ABC News’ political coverage and analysis every day. She has been a valuable partner, and I know her nuanced perspective will serve our audience well as we continue to cover the most important political stories of our time,” said Klein.

Harper and another student, Claudie Balthazar, shared student journalist of the year honors for the National Association of Black Journalists in 2014.

In 2021, Harper was profiled by Columbia Journalism Review in a Q-and-A headlined, “‘Everything in My Life Is About Politics’.

Harper added, “I am very proud that ABC News had one of the most diverse broadcast teams covering the last presidential election,” Harper said. She had recently been named ABC News deputy political director.

“And because of that,” Harper told CJR’s Alexandria Neason, “we were able to kind of pool our ideas and figure out: What are the questions that I should be asking, that I know that my colleagues at the other large networks are not going to be doing?

“For me specifically, in the coverage of Kamala Harris — Kamala Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant. I am from the West Indies. My mother is from Jamaica. My father is from Trinidad and Tobago. And so I leaned into that specialized knowledge that I knew that no one else who was covering her had, to generate stories, to generate content, and to put out some understanding about where she comes from and why she might appeal to different segments of the electorate. . . .”

Later that year, The New York Times covered Harper’s wedding to Kenneth Robinson.

“Since 2021, Harper has served as deputy political director for ABC News,” Monday’s news release said. “She joined ABC in 2019 as a campaign reporter and producer, reporting from across the country on the 2020 presidential election and covering the primary and general election campaigns. Prior to joining ABC News, Harper was a general assignment reporter at News 12 New York, a morning reporter for KRON-TV in San Francisco, and a bureau reporter and fill-in anchor at WCTI-TV in Greenville, North Carolina.”

- - - Highlight reel from 2015 (video)

. . . Taylor to lead ABC News’ Talent Department

In her new role, Audrey Taylor (pictured) “will help lead ABC News’ talent department, partnering with key stakeholders, including executive producers and business leaders from Talent Acquisition, Human Resources and Business Affairs,” the network said.

“She will also work closely with on- and off-air talent across ABC News programs and platforms to support their needs and growth and in collaboration with other flagship networks at The Walt Disney Company.

“Audrey has an extensive history working closely with and nurturing talent in our Washington D.C. bureau, and she has long demonstrated the highest level of dedication and commitment to ABC News’ journalistic integrity,” said ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic. “That winning combination, along with her keen intuition for spotting and developing the best new talent, makes her the perfect person to fulfill this role.” . . .

“Throughout her career, Taylor has contributed to every ABC News program and platform as an accomplished field and breaking news producer, covering major Washington beats, including foreign affairs, politics, the U.S. Supreme Court and national security. . . .”

Wesley Lowery Out at American University

Wesley Lowery (pictured), described as “widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading journalists covering issues of law enforcement, race and justice” when he joined American University in 2023, has left the institution, the university’s communications office confirmed Tuesday in a terse message.

“Wesley Lowery is no longer at AU,” it said.

Lowery was named “an associate professor of investigative journalism, teaching courses in AU’s School of Communication, and executive editor at the Investigative Reporting Workshop, the nonprofit, editorially independent newsroom based in the school,” according to the 2023 announcement.

“Wesley Lowery is one of the most consequential journalism innovators and educators of our time. His work follows a long tradition of groundbreaking social justice journalism,” said Leena Jayaswal, interim dean of the School of Communications, in that release. “His investigations have reshaped practices in newsrooms across the nation and influenced national conversations on the Black Lives Matter movement, civil rights, and race relations. We’re delighted to welcome Professor Lowery to the School of Communication and the Investigative Reporting Workshop.”

Lowery won a Pulitzer Prize in 2016 as part of a Washington Post team that was honored “For its revelatory initiative in creating and using a national database to illustrate how often and why the police shoot to kill and who the victims are most likely to be.”

Dean Marnel Niles Goins, Ph.D,, appointed Lynne Perri interim executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workship, effective immediately. Perri was among the founders of the workshop, for which she served as managing editor.

Lowery is still listed as co-chair of the board of directors of the financially troubled Center for Public Integrity; a senior adviser for the Center for Just Journalism, and in 2022, was elected board chair of the Prison Journalism Project. He is also an author.

Lowery could not be reached for comment.

The podcast was announced on Monday by Higher Ground, the media company founded in 2018 by former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. (Credit: Higher Ground)

Michelle Obama Launches Video Podcast

“Ask any prominent podcast host for a list of dream interview guests, and it is quite likely that Michelle Obama’s name would be on it,” Jessica Testa wrote Monday for The New York Times.

“That is why the former first lady shouldn’t have much trouble booking whomever she likes on her new show, ‘IMO,’ short for ‘in my opinion,’ which she will host with her older brother, the basketball executive Craig Robinson.

“The podcast was announced on Monday by Higher Ground, the media company founded in 2018 by former President Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama. . . .

“The Times was provided with the first two episodes of ‘IMO,’ which were both about an hour long. The hosts mainly offered advice based on their life experiences, and refrained from addressing current events or politics.

“In the premiere, Mr. Robinson, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, spoke of the contrast between the well-appointed rental where they were filming the episode and the small apartment in Chicago where they were raised and shared a bedroom. Their parents have both since passed away — their father, Fraser Robinson III, died in 1991, and their mother, Marian Robinson, who lived with the Obamas in the White House, died last May.

“The siblings discussed trying times they endured, like Mr. Robinson’s divorce and Mrs. Obama’s initial reluctance to support her husband’s presidential run.

“By the second episode, the show’s format becomes clearer. Mrs. Obama and Mr. Robinson are joined by a celebrity guest — the writer, actress and producer Issa Rae — who discusses a single topic, maintaining adult friendships, based on a listener’s question. . . .”

Attacks on Harris’ Race Backfired With Blacks

“Ahead of the November 2024 presidential election, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace examined Black American voting preferences and their views on the key foreign policy challenges of the election cycle,” Christopher Shell, a fellow at the organization, wrote Tuesday.

“While foreign policy remained a key issue, the election was also marked by unprecedented attacks on [Vice President Kamala] Harris’ racial identity, in an attempt to weaken Harris’ attraction to the Black electorate.”

The study reported, “Among 1,100 Black registered voters, we found that public attacks on the authenticity of Harris’s racial identity had minimal overall impact on support for her candidacy. In fact, respondents who were aware of the attacks questioning the authenticity of her Blackness were more inclined to support her candidacy. Race-based identity attacks only resonated with a small group of respondents who already had a predisposition to vote against her.”

Also, “A plurality of respondents (47 percent) identified Harris as solely Black or African American, followed by 29 percent who identified her as multiracial (Black and South Asian), and 23 percent who selected ‘other.’ (Photo: Kamala Harris in 2017 with fellow members of the Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. Credit: Twitter)

“The finding that nearly half of respondents considered Harris exclusively Black aligns with recent research by Good Authority showing that people’s own racial identities shape how they see her. That is to say that compared to other racial groups, Blacks are most likely to perceive Harris as being Black only, as compared to being mixed-race or South Asian only. The same holds true for South Asian people, who are more likely to view her as being South Asian only compared to Whites and Blacks.”

Additionally, the report advised, “if political parties wish to effectively connect with Black voters by leveraging candidates’ race, they should proactively address the evolving definition of Blackness in America. As the demographic makeup of Black America continues to diversify — encompassing individuals of mixed race or those born to immigrant parents — it is essential for political parties to acknowledge that being Black can mean different things to different voters.

“This could involve tailoring outreach strategies to resonate with those diverse experiences, such as highlighting candidates’ understanding of intersectional identities or focusing on policies that reflect the evolving priorities of Black communities, including those related to class, ethnicity, and national origin.”

K.W. Lee stands outside a Sacramento theater before seeing Free Chol Soo Lee in 2022. (Courtesy of the Lee Family)

K.W. Lee Dies, Legend Among AAPI Journalists

“Pioneer Asian American investigative journalist K,W, Lee died peacefully at the age of 96 Saturday March 8 with his family by his side at his Sacramento, CA home,” Randall Yip reported Monday for AsAmNews.

“Lee stood for truth and challenged injustice throughout his career as a journalist at the Sacramento Union, The Korea Times English Edition, the Koreatown Weekly in Los Angeles, The Charleston Gazette in West Virginia and the Kingsport Times-News in Virginia.

“He is best known for publishing some 120 articles on Chol Soo Lee, a fellow Korean American wrongfully convicted of a 1973 Chinatown murder in San Francisco.

“The series of articles inspired a national Free Chol Soo Lee movement that united both college students and senior citizens in the Asian American and Korean American community. The protests and advocacy eventually led to his freedom from prison in 1983, 10 years after his conviction. . . .

“Lee is often referred to as the ‘Godfather of Asian American Journalism.’ He is the first Korean immigrant to work as a mainstream reporter in the lower 48 states. The Asian American Journalists Association awarded him its first Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. He is also the first Asian American journalist to be recognized by the Freedom Forum in 1994 with its Free Spirit Award.

“He’s won more than four dozen journalism awards in his lifetime, including the National Headliners Award in 1974 and 1983. . . .”

Chad Journalists Accused of Colluding With Russia

“Three journalists have been remanded in custody pending trial in Chad after being accused of colluding with the Russian paramilitary Wagner group, the public prosecutor and one of their lawyers said Monday,” Agence France-Press reported.

“One of their lawyers, Allahtaroum Amos, said the journalists had been ‘charged with espionage for the enemy, attacking institutions and conspiracy’.

“The public prosecutor said the journalists were Olivier Mbaindinguim Monodji, director of the weekly newspaper ‘Le Pays’ and Chadian correspondent for Radio France Internationale (RFI), and another editor from ‘Le Pays’, Ndilyam Guekidata.

“The third was a journalist from Tele Tchad, Mahamat Saleh Alhissein. (Locator map credit: Operation World)

“He said they had been arrested following an ‘allegation’ supported by documents which showed the journalists ‘provide information related to the security and economy of our country’, with their actions ‘constituting intelligence offences likely to harm Chad’s military or diplomatic situation or its economic interests’.

“Tele Tchad’s management told AFP Sunday that its reporter had been accused of translating documents supplied by Russia, on the topic of the operations of its auxiliaries in Mali and on the economic situation in the Sahel. . . .

“In recent months, journalists, politicians and opposition figures have been arrested or kidnapped in a bid to suppress voices critical of Chad’s military leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno. . . .

“Like other military leaders in the Sahel, he has moved the country away from former colonial ruler France and instead forged ties with Russia, which has been expanding its influence in Africa.

“Moscow has sent mercenaries from the Wagner group to several countries in the jihadist-beset Sahel region, including Mali and the Central African Republic bordering Chad. . . .”

Irate White House Reporters Focus on Daniels (con’t)

From Oliver Darcy’s paywalled “Status” report:

“Ashley Parker, the well-respected White House reporter who recently left The Washington Post for The Atlantic, pressed on that point. She asked where the television networks — the most influential players in the pool — stood on the issue. It goes without saying that Trump craves media attention, particularly live coverage, meaning that if major networks backed the AP and HuffPost, it could make a difference. Daniels indicated that the conversations with the networks are ongoing.

“In a Monday evening statement to me, Daniels said, ‘We welcome hearing from the people we serve — even if it’s pointed — so that we can always understand what’s on the minds of our members. That’s how we are calibrating our approach. All our members are navigating how best to respond and we are committed to hearing from everyone as we chart our strategy going forward. I left today’s meetings with a better sense of where our many constituencies stand, and I’m looking forward to our board meeting later this week, where we can continue these conversations.’

“Trump’s control of the pool is no small thing, of course, and represents an escalation in his long-running war against the press. By dictating which outlets have access to the White House press pool — a system designed to ensure fair and broad representation — Trump is effectively punishing independent journalism while rewarding those willing to toe the line. The fact that the press has, so far, largely complied with this arrangement raises uncomfortable questions about how much influence the White House can exert over coverage simply by leveraging access.

“Since Trump took control of the pool, news organizations have, in practice, gone along with the new system. Pool duty has continued as scheduled, even though the AP and HuffPost remain locked out. I’m told that the White House appears to be operating off the WHCA’s pre-planned rotation list, just with those two outlets removed. The result is that, whether intentionally or not, the press corps has participated in Trump’s power grab by continuing to show up.

“Weija Jiang, a CBS News White House correspondent and WHCA board member, told members on the call that she did not believe the Trump administration would reverse course over control of the pool — at least, not anytime soon. But she stressed that the WHCA will continue to fight for independent control over it.

“In any case, the deeper issue is one of collective action. If the entire press corps refused to participate in the pool, they could perhaps have a chance at forcing Trump’s hand. It’s hard to imagine he’d tolerate a world in which his Oval Office remarks weren’t carried live or his movements were covered only by sycophantic outlets like OAN —especially if the mainstream networks refused to air footage recorded by Trump’s propaganda arms. Trump thrives on conflict and revels in using the press as a foil.

“Which is all to say that if news organizations presented a united front, they would certainly increase their leverage with the White House. But they haven’t — and likely never will. That leaves Daniels and the WHCA in a weak position. Or, as Trump might say, in a position where they simply don’t have the cards.”

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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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