Articles Feature

Outpouring for Aretha

by richard13013

Within an Hour, More Than 378,000 Tweets

Blacks Don’t Buy ‘Enemy of the People’ Talk:

More Than 350 News Outlets Challenge Rhetoric

Latinos ‘Know First-Hand’ the Erosion of the Press

Omarosa Still Not Welcome at Black ‘Family Picnic’

Newswomen of Color Commonly Paid the Least

Miami Marlins to Teach Spanish to English Speakers

NAHJ Leader, Washington Post Editor Clash

Support Journal-isms

 

Within an Hour, More Than 378,000 Tweets

The Thursday morning passing of Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul,” led more than 378,000 people to take to Twitter to express their admiration and grief within an hour of the announcement, according to Detroit’s WDIV-TV, which was livestreaming its coverage.

News organizations such as the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press had their obituaries online within minutes, having prepared them after the news surfaced earlier this week that the entertainer had taken a turn for the worse. Franklin died on Thursday at her home in Detroit. She was 76.

Others, such as the New York Times, also followed quickly. However, at 10:20 a.m, the website of the Michigan Chronicle, the black-press weekly, was still carrying a Monday story from the Atlanta Daily World that Franklin was “gravely ill.” Later it ran a relatively brief staff-written story by Branden Hunter, following it with another by Parker Riley, “Aretha Franklin Timeline: Milestones And Achievements By The Queen of Soul.”

Cable news scrambled for talking heads such as NPR’s Eric Deggans, the Wall Street Journal’s Christopher John Farley and cultural critic Michael Eric Dyson of Georgetown University, a Detroiter. NPR’s “Fresh Air” rebroadcast a 1999 interview with the superstar after she published her autobiography. The African American critic Thulani Davis appeared on the same network’s “All Things Considered.”

CNN provided this list of its commentators on Franklin:

Don Lemon, CNN anchor; Roger Friedman, Showbiz411; Elahe Izadi, pop culture writer, Washington Post; Ryan Young, national correspondent for CNN;

Linda Solomon, personal friend of Franklin; Rev. Robert Smith Jr., New Bethel Baptist Church, Detroit; Nischelle Turner, host “Entertainment Tonight”; Van Jones, CNN political commentator;

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.; entertainer Dionne Warwick; Marc Lamont Hill, host, BET News; Chris Richards, pop music critic, Washington Post; Robin Terry, chairwoman and CEO, Motown Museum.

There was the inevitable gaffe: ” ‘We sincerely apologize to Aretha Franklin’s family and friends,’ Jessica Santostefano, Vice President, Media Desk at Fox News told TheWrap in a statement,” Itay Hod reported. “ ‘Our intention was to honor the icon using a secondary image of her performing with Patti LaBelle in the full screen graphic, but the image of Ms. Franklin was obscured in that process, which we deeply regret.’

“The image featured Franklin in the foreground and LaBelle in the background. . . .”

The three major broadcast networks opened and closed their evening newscasts with Franklin. On CBS, anchor Jeff Glor interviewed Sam Moore of Sam and Dave; Lester Holt of NBC, who is also a musician, said he leafed through his collection of Aretha music and found that “Angel” “especially touched me.”

The pieces ran long. ABC’s “World News Tonight” opener was just under six minutes.  The close, with archival footage of Aretha, came in at about 1.5 minutes.

TV One announced two shows featuring Frankin.

On Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/7 CT: “Join Urban One Founder Cathy Hughes as she talks with ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin about her life and journey throughout her amazing career.” Repeated at 11 a.m. ET Saturday.

“Aretha: Frankly Speaking” (9 p.m. ET/8 CT). “Chronicles the professional and personal life of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The one-hour special also features exclusive behind-the-scenes stories of iconic songs like ‘Respect,’ ‘Natural Woman,’ ‘Precious Lord’ and ‘Pink Cadillac’ as told through Franklin’s trusted inner circle, her musical team, and her very own words.” Repeated at noon ET on Saturday.

The cause of death was advanced pancreatic cancer, Franklin’s publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn, said.

Franklin “passed away on Thursday morning, August 16 at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit, MI, surrounded by family and loved ones. Franklin’s official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type,” according to the family statement.

“She was a friend to so many of us in the media,” WDIV co-anchor Sandra Ali told viewers as the station played clips of Franklin being interviewed over the years. In one, Franklin sang happy birthday to WDIV morning anchor Evrod Cassimy, who said that he could not believe what he was seeing.

The headlines told the story. Differences in emphasis can be detected between African American and other writers.

“REST IN POWER: Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin dies at 76,” Cortney Wills, thegrio.com

“The Queen is dead,” BlackmansStreet.Today

“Aretha Franklin — Musical Genius, Truth Teller, Freedom Fighter,” Farah Jasmine Griffin, the Nation

“Aretha Franklin, who defined an era as the Queen of Soul, dies at 76,” Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times

“Aretha Franklin Was America’s Truest Voice,” Ann Powers, NPR

“Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, Has Died at 76,” Rashod Ollison, the Root.

” ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin Passes Away at 76,“ Teddy Grant, Ebony

“Aretha Franklin taught us what it means to be a Detroiter,” Hank Winchester, WDIV-TV, Detroit

“Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin Dies at 76, National Newspaper Publishers Association (links to videos)

Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, Dead at 76, Douglas Wolk and David Browne, Rolling Stone, with sidebars on tributes by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Dionne Warwick, Annie Lennox

The queen, Aretha Franklin, is dead, Armstong Williams, the Hill

Before and After Aretha, Matt Thompson, the Atlantic

Aretha Franklin’s Revolution, Vann R. Newkirk II, the Atlantic

Frederick Lowe, author of the BlackmansStreet.Today piece, noted, “Incidences of pancreatic cancer are higher among blacks compared to whites, but the cancer is misunderstood because of its high death rates, according to the book ‘Minorities and Cancer.’ ”

Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley, who wrote about Franklin over the years, told readers on Wednesday, updated Thursday, “many folks might not know that Aretha Franklin has persevered, survived and stayed, because she also was needed in a civil rights struggle that her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, helped lead, that his fellow soldiers like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy knew would last longer than their lives — and that she quietly and anonymously helped fund for decades.

“ ‘When Dr. King was alive, several times she helped us make payroll,’ said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, her friend of more than 60 years, who planned to visit her Wednesday. ‘On one occasion, we took an 11-city tour with her as Aretha Franklin and Harry Belafonte … and they put gas in the vans. She did 11 concerts for free and hosted us at her home and did a fundraiser for my campaign.

“Aretha has always been a very socially conscious artist, an inspiration, not just an entertainer.

“ ‘She has shared her points of view from the stage for challenged people, to register to vote, to stand up for decency,’ said Jackson, who said he has visited with her nearly a dozen times in the past ‘two or three years during the course of her illness. . . .’ ”

In February 2017, Riley wrote “Thank you, Ms. Aretha Franklin, for changing my life,” a column that Franklin later said “had me in tears.”

Brian Stelter, host of CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” wrote Tuesday that many had started a “pre-mourning” period once the news broke of Franklin’s illness. “Are some sketchy websites seizing on concern about Franklin to grab some cheap page views? For sure,” Stelter wrote. “That’s the web at its worst. But at its best, the content connects people and helps them feel a little less alone while pre-mourning the loss of a giant…”

Rolling Stone reported Tuesday that a tribute concert was already being planned for the fall.

Ben Sisario wrote Tuesday for the New York Times, “Since the news of Ms. Franklin’s illness emerged on Sunday, on the celebrity news site Showbiz411, fans, celebrities and world leaders have offered signs of support. By Monday her name was a trending topic on Twitter.

“Beyoncé, performing with Jay-Z at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, dedicated their concert to Ms. Franklin. ‘We love you and thank you,’ she said.

“Also on Monday, former president Bill Clinton posted on Twitter that ‘Hillary and I are thinking about Aretha Franklin tonight & listening to her music that has been such an important part of our lives the last 50 years.’ Ms. Franklin sang at Mr. Clinton’s first inauguration, in 1993.”

Others have recalled how then-President Barack Obama wiped away tears at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors when Franklin sang Carole King’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman.”

Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama issued this statement Thursday:

“America has no royalty. But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring. Born in Memphis and raised in Detroit, Aretha Franklin grew up performing gospel songs in her father’s congregation. For more than six decades since, every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine.

“Through her compositions and unmatched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade — our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance.

“Aretha may have passed on to a better place, but the gift of her music remains to inspire us all. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace. Michelle and I send our prayers and warmest sympathies to her family and all those moved by her song.”

Blacks Don’t Buy ‘Enemy of the People’ Talk:

NAACP graphic on trump attitudes-2
In an NAACP poll released this month, President Trump’s approval numbers are underwater for all voters of color, and for no racial/ethnic group of voters surveyed does he have majority approval.

More Than 350 News Outlets Challenge Rhetoric

Black people are the racial group least likely to consider the news media “the enemy of the people” and the most likely to be concerned “that President Trump’s criticism of the news media will lead to violence against people who work in the news media,” according to a national poll released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University.

The survey results were published as more than 350 news organizations were preparing to publish editorials on Thursday pushing back against Trump’s attacks on the media and defending freedom of the press.

“The publications are participating in a push organized by the Boston Globe to run coordinated editorials denouncing what the paper called a ‘dirty war against the free press, ” as Erin Durkin reported from New York Wednesday for the Guardian.

Those editorials began appearing online Wednesday. The Globe published an interactive national map showing where the editorials appeared and put the count at more than 350 news outlets. “Scroll below to read them,” the Globe urged. Similarly, under its own editorial, the New York Times allowed readers to search for others on the subject by state. “These editorials, some of which we’ve excerpted, together affirm a fundamental American institution,” it said.

The Quinnipiac poll asked, “Which comes closer to your point of view: the news media is the enemy of the people, or the news media is an important part of democracy?”

Only 13 percent of black people said “enemy of the people,” compared with 27 percent of whites and 28 percent of Hispanics. Asian American and Native American responses were not reported.

Seventy-five percent of blacks considered the media “an important part of democracy,” compared with 63 percent of whites and 68 percent of Hispanics.

The survey also asked, “Are you concerned that President Trump’s criticism of the news media will lead to violence against people who work in the news media, or aren’t you concerned about that?”

Sixty-one percent of blacks said they were concerned, compared with 41 percent of whites and 50 percent of Hispanics.

The telephone survey was conducted from Aug. 9 to 13, with responses reported for 1,175 self-identified registered voters. “The overall adult sample is weighted to recent Census data using a sample balancing procedure to match the demographic makeup of the population by region, gender, age, education and race,” the survey authors said. The margin of sampling error was +/- 3.4 percentage points.

The African American response is noteworthy considering the historic distrust of the “white media” by many.

Fifty years ago, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission reported, “Most Negroes distrust what they refer to as the ‘white press.‘ As one interviewer reported, ‘[t]he average black person couldn’t give less of a damn about what the media say. The intelligent black person is resentful at what he considers to be a totally false portrayal of what goes on in the ghetto. Most black people see the newspapers as mouthpieces of the ‘power structure.’ ”

It’s not uncommon to hear variations of such complaints today.

In February, Cliff Kuang reported for Fast Company on “a surprising new study” of Twitter usage sponsored by the Knight Foundation that concluded that “when media outlets do try to cover minority groups, they actually drive up disdain on the platform. Not only is hate-tweeting articles a real thing, it may be the dominant mode for how minorities talk about media coverage about their communities. . . .”

However, antipathy toward Trump might be greater. On Aug. 7, the NAACP released results from a new poll, conducted by the African American Research Collaborative and Latino Decisions, pulling data from voters in 61 of the nation’s most competitive midterm races.

The poll showed that Trump’s approval rating among blacks has reached 21 percent, but that his “approval numbers are underwater for all voters of color, and for no racial/ethnic group of voters surveyed does he have majority approval.”

"The newspapers of the Impremedia chain join the Boston Globe campaign to make clear that the independent press is vital."
“The newspapers of the ImpreMedia chain join the Boston Globe campaign to make clear that the independent press is vital.”

Latinos ‘Know First-Hand’ the Erosion of the Press

The Spanish-language ImpreMedia chain was among the more than 350 news outlets writing editorials in support of freedom of the press Wednesday and Thursday.

“Latin Americans know first-hand what the erosion of journalism means, the intimidation of reporters, self-censorship, the excessive ambition of the presidential house,” the editorial said, according to a Google Translate translation. “It is said that in the United States ‘these things do not happen’, although it is easy to identify that the problem is serious when the President declares that the media are the ‘enemy of the people’.

“The immigrants are the scapegoats of a part of the misinformation. The answer is to become a citizen, register to vote and go to the ballot box. Access to information is essential for political participation.

“It is ironic that in the moments when information is most needed to understand reality, the situation of the media is more precarious. . . .

“Journalism is called the Fourth Estate because its mission is to ensure that the Executive does not abuse power, that vested interests do not dominate the Legislature and denounce the injustices decided by the Judicial.

“The journalism is a resource of the common individual to be able to understand how his chosen ones act.”

As for the black press, Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, which represents the black-press publishers, said by email, “Many NNPA newspapers have been running editorials and Op Eds many times during the past several months challenging Trump’s attacks on freedom of the press. It is our editorial position that there is no such thing as ‘fake news’ and we are careful in our editorials not to give any credibility to such inaccuracies or mischaracterizations.”

Omarosa Still Not Welcome at Black ‘Family Picnic’

Released on Tuesday
Released on Tuesday

“For years, Omarosa Manigault Newman stood at Donald Trump’s side, making her deeply unpopular with African-Americans who see her as a sellout for aligning herself with a president who has hurled one insult after another at black people,” Jesse J. Holland reported Wednesday for the Associated Press.

“Her falling out with Trump and her decision to call him a racist as she sells her new book — and in turn, his calling her a ‘dog’ — have not been enough for many African-Americans to invite her back to the family picnic.

“Too little, too late, many said.

“ ‘Her tell-all mea culpa won’t win her any brownie points with most blacks,’ said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, author of the book ‘Why Black Lives Do Matter.’ ‘Their loathing of Omarosa is virtually frozen in stone. She’s still roundly lambasted as a two-bit opportunist, a racial sellout and an ego driven hustler.’ . . .”

Meanwhile, Michael Schaub wrote Wednesday for the Los Angeles Times, “Reality television star and former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman’s ‘Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House’ finally hit bookstore shelves on Tuesday, and judging by critics’ reactions, they’re not here to make friends. . . .”

Schaub also wrote, “Bad reviews haven’t seemed to dampen sales for the tell-all book, though, which has dominated headlines this week, thanks to several allegations she has lobbed against the Trump administration. Manigault Newman served as an assistant to Trump before being fired last December.

“As of Wednesday morning, the book was the No. 2 bestselling title at Amazon, second only to Rachel Hollis’ self-help book ‘Girl,Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be.’ Manigault Newman’s book is the No. 1 bestseller on the Barnes and Noble website. . . .”

Newswomen of Color Commonly Paid the Least

“We reviewed pay studies commissioned by unions at the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle, in addition to the [Wall Street] Journal, and we spoke with 29 journalists across the country to find out what they thought,” Elaine Chen, Cecilia Lei, Annie Ma and Jonathan Ng, students with the AAJA Voices, the student project of the Asian American Journalists Association, reported on Aug. 8.

“All seven studies alleged that men made more than women and that whites made more than people of color.

“Some newsroom executives we spoke to called the studies flawed and attributed the differences in pay to differences such as experience.

“As unions increasingly call attention to their studies, journalists — who have long been the watchdogs reporting on pay disparity in other industries — are contending that their own workplaces are no better than those they investigate for paying women and minorities less than men and whites.

“The union studies generally found that white men earned the most of any demographic and held most senior high-paying positions in the newsroom. Women of color commonly made the least.

“The studies were difficult to compare directly. Some unions, such as the Associated Press, declined to share full salary figures, but did provide other measures including percentage differences. Others, like the Washington Post’s union, provided average salaries for each job category by race and gender, but did not provide salary averages by race for the newsroom as a whole. And still others, like the Star Tribune’s union, declined to share detailed study data, citing a confidentiality agreement with management. Instead, it offered a handful of topline findings from their study. Of the seven studies we looked at, all were released in 2016, except the Los Angeles Times’s guild, which was published in April 2018. . . .”

They also wrote, “In many newsrooms, a lack of diversity in top positions can contribute to persistent pay gaps.

“At the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where minorities made up only two of the top 20 highest-paying positions in 2016, the issue is retaining young employees of color in the Twin Cities, since they tend to leave for more diverse cities, said Neal Justin, columnist and co-chair of the paper’s union.

“ ‘They’re not here long enough to establish a career that may lead to a management or high-profile position that would pay better,’ he said of minorities.

“Management should make it straightforward for journalists of color to envision the next phase of their career at the Star Tribune, suggests Nicole Norfleet, a 31-year-old business reporter. . . .”

Miami Marlins to Teach Spanish to English Speakers

“The Miami Marlins are starting several initiatives in player development,” Emily Himes reported July 26 for the Miami Herald.

“Among the changes: a new education program and a new leader, Emily Glass.

“ ‘We aren’t just creating baseball players,’ Glass said. ‘We’re creating citizens.’ . . .

“A high percentage of players come from Spanish-speaking countries, and often have limited English skills, Glass said. Coaches and player development employees often participate in the language program as well. In the future, Glass hopes to begin teaching American players Spanish so that the team is fully bilingual.

“ ‘We are a diverse organization, so it’s a priority to make sure our clubhouse is bilingual,’ Glass said. ‘It’s imperative that our catchers can communicate with staff, pitchers, and others.’

Failure to understand Spanish can have consequences on the journalist’s side of the notebook, as the Miami Herald learned in 2008.

Jockey Jose Santos and the Herald reached a settlement then in a libel lawsuit he filed against the newspaper in 2005.

“Santos rode Funny Cide to victories in the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. The suit accused the newspaper of printing an article that falsely ‘accused Jose Santos of carrying an unauthorized and illegal object in his hand during his Kentucky Derby ride of Funny Cide,” the Herald reported at the time.

“Derby racing stewards later concluded Santos was holding only his whip.”

“The settlement terms are confidential, the attorneys said.”

The reporter misunderstood Santos, a Spanish speaker, and the Herald later apologized.

“More than 200 people fulminated about the screwup in letters to the editor ,” Chuck Strouse wrote shortly afterward in Miami’s alternative paper New Times.

“So let me get this straight,” Strouse continued. “In Miami, the most Hispanic city in the country, the newspaper of record screwed up because someone misunderstood a Spanish speaker?”

NAHJ Leader, Washington Post Editor Clash

“NAHJ National President Hugo Balta led a phone call with The Washington Post‘s Executive Editor, Marty Baron, to address the story ‘White, and in the minority’, published on July 31,” the National Association of Hispanic Journalists announced on Thursday. “NAHJ previously expressed concern regarding the ethics of journalism within the story due to an unbalanced viewpoint and lack of context.

Hugo Balta
Hugo Balta

“After releasing the first statement, NAHJ leadership received a response from The Washington Post communications team:

” ‘The Washington Post has a long tradition of narrative reporting on the experiences of immigrants and minorities in America, as recent work by a number of Post reporters vividly demonstrates. Many of their stories recount the experiences of immigrants as they adapt to America and confront discrimination, shifting policies and other challenges.

“Terrence McCoy’s story captured the perspective of those who feel displaced by demographic change, by conveying what it is like for two white Americans who must themselves adapt to a new America. McCoy portrays their fear, resentment and xenophobia — as well as their responses to the attempts of their Latino co-workers to interact with them. McCoy’s work will continue to explore the emergence of a multicultural majority in America.’

“While NAHJ understands the author of the ‘White, and in the minority’ story intended to explore the cultural anxiety experienced by the white couple featured in the piece, mentions of the workers do not translate into a reflection of those voices. It is unethical as journalists to humanize particular individuals, while leaving out context regarding others in an attempt to foster the understanding of one point of view.

“During the exchange, both Balta and Baron took turns explaining their perspectives on the story in question. Marty Baron stated many points in his conversation including, but not limited to:

  • his position that the criticism of the piece is due to a misreading of the story,
  • the clear narrative of the story is about the point of view of a non-Hispanic, white young woman who feels alienated by the demographic change at her workplace, consistent with similar pieces produced by The Washington Post,
  • that the piece went through standard editorial process and was edited by a person of color,
  • and it is unfair that The Washington Post and the writer have been vilified because of a misreading of the story.
Marty Baron
Marty Baron

“Upon Balta’s request for The Washington Post to consider a follow up series on the initial piece, Baron replied he would not assign a reporter to do a follow up of the story.

“The approval and justification of a story such as ‘White, and in the minority,’ reaffirms the mission of NAHJ to advocate for more Latinos in management and the importance of not only diversity, but inclusion in the newsroom.

“To simply have stories edited by a person of color, does not guarantee fair and accurate coverage. Moreover, the dearth of Latino decision makers results in incomplete and tone-deaf journalism; an empowered committee, group or council of diverse individuals on the newsroom floor is an essential element in 2018.

“Story development from concept to completion must not only take into consideration narrative, but fairness and accuracy, which this piece is lacking,” said NAHJ President Hugo Balta. “While I understand that Mr. Baron’s position on the intent of the piece was not to fan flames of division in this country, the necessity of diversity and inclusion is clearly not recognized nor understood in this instance.”

“It has left those applauding this piece shortsighted,” he added.

“The NAHJ leadership thanked Marty Baron for his time to speak about the significance of the industry’s concern and expressed their ongoing commitment to working with the newsroom leaders in the future.”

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1 comment

Greg Thrasher August 17, 2018 at 11:10 am

The Media in America is no ally of Black Americans. American media platforms frequently have mirrored the contempt and disdain for Black America that is present in White America.

Our media outlets have often been disinformation and propaganda vehicles for both government and private industries disparate treatment of Black Americans from employment opportunities to economic development situations.

BLM

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