Articles Feature

Trump Threatened Walkout Over Fact Checking

by richard0919

NABJ Stood Its Ground, Says Leader Ken Lemon

Saturday update on NABJ membership meeting

Sunday update: NFL Receives NABJ’s Thumbs Down Award

Sunday update: Board Member Vents Frustration With Leadership

DuBois to Co-Anchor Revamped ‘CBS Evening News’
Don Lemon Says Elon Musk Didn’t Pay Up, Sues

Homepage photo: Protesters gather along Michigan Avenue across from the Hilton Chicago, where Donald Trump was to address the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention. (Credit: Manuel Martinez/WBEZ Chicago)

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Journalists waiting outside the room at the Hilton Chicago where Donald Trump was scheduled to appear at noon Wednesday for a question-and-answer session. (Credit: Chicago Sun-Times staff)

NABJ Stood Its Ground, Says Leader Ken Lemon

Donald Trump and his team refused to take the stage Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention if NABJ conducted live fact-checking, NABJ President Ken Lemon told the NABJ Monitor, the student convention newspaper, Damenica Ellis reported Friday for the Monitor.

“ ‘Behind the scenes, there was a fight on,’ Lemon said. ‘There was a fight on to not have us fact-check him in real-time. I went backstage, and we stood our ground. I went back and I talked to the women who were going to be on that stage, and I said, ‘I’m going to protect you.’

“Lemon (pictured, by Joe Thompson/NABJ Monitor) said the audio issues were part of the delay, but it wasn’t the whole reason, as Trump claimed on stage. ‘[Trump’s team] said, “He won’t take the stage if you’re going to fact check.” I said, ‘Well, then he won’t take the stage.’ ”

“Lemon added that it is important to NABJ to hold people accountable.

“ I said no to this team over and over and over again about the conditions for which he would take that stage, and we control a narrative because the people listening to what he says in that moment, they’re counting on us to set this thing up so that we present the truth’,’ he said. ‘That matters.’ “

Delano  Massey, Sophia Cai, and Russell Contreras added for Axios: “The stalemate was so prolonged that NABJ leaders were prepared to explain to the audience of nearly 2,000 people why Trump would not appear.

  ” ‘I was prepared to go on stage to craft a statement, saying he decided not to go on stage because of fact-checking… we couldn’t compromise on that.’

“As Lemon was preparing that statement, Trump walked onto the stage.

“The other side: The Trump campaign disputes NABJ’s account. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Axios on Friday that they waited ‘for close to 40 minutes while audio/technical issues were fixed by NABJ.’

 “Audio issues were apparent during the event.

“Zoom in: Lemon says Trump’s team eventually asked NABJ not to post the fact-checking on its social media platforms or allow the moderator to disclose that there would be fact-checking.

 “ABC’s Rachel Scott discussed the fact-checking on stage, and NABJ publicized ahead of the event that there would be fact-checking.”

The live fact-checking was available online.

Trump’s appearance continued to be an item of debate at the convention, which has set a record for convention attendance, Lemon told an opening reception Thursday. The count of 4,283 tops the previous record of 4,105 in Miami in 2019.

“We are not the National Action Network,” Vanessa Williams said in accepting Hall of Fame honors. “We are the National Association of Black Journalists.” (Credit: DeWayne Wickham/Facebook)

Vanessa Williams, a former Washington Post reporter and editor and a former NABJ president, raised the controversy as she accepted induction, along with others, into the NABJ Hall of Fame at a Friday luncheon. “Ignoring him will not make him go away,” Williams said of Trump. She also said, “As my friend Betty Baye says, we are not the National Action Network,” which might have similar interests but different strategies. “We are the National Association of Black Journalists.”

One can argue about the process, Williams continued, but journalists have an obligation to hold public figures accountable. Williams urged those who want to discuss the issue further to show up at the association’s 8 a.m. business meeting on Saturday.

Ellis also said in the NABJ Monitor: “Lemon added that it is important to NABJ to hold people accountable.

“ ‘I said no to this team over and over and over again about the conditions for which he would take that stage, and we control a narrative because the people listening to what he says in that moment, they’re counting on us to set this thing up so that we present the truth,’ he said. ‘That matters.’

“Regarding Vice President Kamala Harris not speaking at the NABJ Convention, Lemon understands she is busy with campaigning and had prior engagements, including Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s funeral. After negotiating, he said, Harris’ team provided an offer. ‘That offer is to do an interview with her, either virtual or in-person, in September.’ . . . ”

Journalists Roland Martin and April Ryan each reported that the Harris campaign “offered for her to take questions virtually, but was turned down by NABJ,” as Martin wrote on social media.

NABJ has not responded to a question as to whether the account from Martin, a former NABJ board member, is correct.

Ryan reported Wednesday, “Multiple sources told theGrio that NABJ leadership feverishly asked the vice president’s team to consider a virtual town hall following the report that NABJ initially declined their suggestion for a virtual panel. TheGrio was told that Harris’s team had moved on after being told ‘no’ by NABJ leadership. NABJ leadership also requested a VP surrogate in her absence.”

Separately, the American Press Institute advised Friday in its email newsletter, “Trump’s appearance at the NABJ conference brings up questions that journalists have been dealing with for years: whose voices should be highlighted whether your platform is the right one for those voices, and issues of racism and misogyny that women and journalists of color face every day.

“Talk to your team about how you should approach platforming people with polarizing views and how your outlet’s values drive coverage using these Trusting News resources. It’s also never too early to plan ahead for how to address misinformation when it comes up in interviews.”

In addition, the Democratic National Committee issued this news release Friday:

“Yesterday, the Democratic National Convention hosted a fireside chat with members of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference in Chicago. Choose Chicago Board Chair Glenn Eden moderated a conversation with:

“– Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison

“– Convention Chair Minyon Moore

” — Chicago 2024 Host Committee Executive Director Christy George

” — Chicago 2024 Host Committee Senior Advisor Keiana Barrett

“Speakers discussed how the Democratic National Convention has engaged Black communities in Chicago and nationwide, highlighted the crucial role Black media plays in reaching Americans, and shared how Black media can cover the convention in person and remotely. . . “

Tia Mitchell, who chairs the NABJ Political Journalism Task Force, explains the timeline for the decisions on the convention forum featuring Donald Trump as Glenn Rice looks on. (Credit: Richard Prince)

Saturday update on NABJ membership meeting:

About 100 members attended the 8 a.m. NABJ business meeting, where leaders acknowledged that they could have done things differently, but stood firm on their decision to invite Trump as part of its tradition of requesting the presence of presidential nominees.

NABJ veteran and new Hall of Famer Paula Madison, who is also working with the Harris campaign, added details to Lemon’s account of negotiating with the Trump and Harris campaign teams, describing the yelling backstage by a Trump representative after NABJ’s decision to fact-check Trump’s statements. Madison said NABJ was in fact ready to announce that Trump had pulled out of the session over the issue.

In response to a question, the NABJ leaders acknowledged that panelist Harris Faulkner of Fox News was not an NABJ member, but Lemon denied that her participation was requested by the Trump team or that Trump had veto power over the panelists. Faulkner later criticized ABC’s Rachel Scott for causing an “emotional” start to the interview with Trump.

Members such as Yamiche Alcindor of NBC News and former NABJ president Vanessa Williams questioned Lemon sharply, with Alcindor, who was berated by Trump during his term as president, asking why White House correspondents who are NABJ members were not consulted.

Lemon and Tia Mitchell, chair of NABJ’s Political Journalism Task Force, said NABJ did not have much time to put the panel together and offered various reasons for the lack of representation from male journalists and the Black press. The planners showed a timeline of the negotiations.

Others backed the board’s decision to invite public figures at odds with the views of most members. Another veteran, Betty Baye, said she would like to see Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas so he can be interrogated by Black journalists..

To a question about whether NABJ accepted contributions from political campaigns, as the National Newspaper Publishers Association reported it had done from the Biden-Harris effort, Executive Director Drew Berry said that would be a violation of NABJ’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. NNPA condemned NABJ for including Trump in the convention.

Separately, NABJ announced the launch of a four-year commitment from Disney and ABC News Group to invest in and partner with its NABJ Leadership Academy.

Meanwhile, Brandon Benavedes, president of the Washington chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, offered a firm “no comment” when Journal-isms asked whether the reaction to Trump’s NABJ appearance would affect the planned September Presidential Candidate Forum hosted by the George Washington University School of Media & Public Affairs and touted by an array of participating journalism groups, including the D.C. NABJ chapter.

Also, Gram Slattery, Timothy Gardner and Surbhi Misra reported for Reuters that “Trump proposed to debate Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News on Sept. 4, and the Harris campaign said Trump is trying to back out of a debate that had been set to run on ABC.

“Trump and [President] Biden had agreed to a second debate on Sept. 10 on ABC News which the former president had suggested should be moved to Fox, the most popular network with his followers.

“Harris, who on Friday secured the delegate votes needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for the Nov. 5 election, said on Saturday that she plans to participate in the originally planned debate. . . . “

Rodney Carmichael accepts NABJ’s “Journalist of the Year” award along with Sidney Madden, at right, and the rest of the “Louder Than a Riot” team. (Credit: Richard Prince)

NFL Receives NABJ’s Thumbs Down Award

The National Football League was awarded the “Thumbs Down” award from the National Association of Black Journalists Saturday night at NABJ’s “Salute to Excellence” gala.

The event, at NABJ’s convention in Chicago, also saw the two winners of “Journalist of the Year,” from the NPR podcast “Louder than a Riot,” herald hip-hop values as more relevant and authentic than those of “objective” journalism.

Attendees additionally heard award-winning photographer Michelle V. Agins, winner of NABJ’s Chuck Stone Lifetime Achievement Award, recall being told by a potential employer that as a woman, she would do better to just get married and have children; and Roberson Alphonse, a Haitian exile given the Percy Qoboza Award honoring a foreign journalist, describe being shot and wounded in Haiti. However, he “couldn’t let the assassins silence my voice.”

After these special awards and others bestowed for an array of work on nearly all facets of Black life, NABJ President Ken Lemon gave his “President’s Award” to the new NABJ-Philadelphia chapter. That group was approved by the national board in October after the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists disaffiliated from NABJ in December 2022.  NABJ-Philadelphia President Michael Days, a former news executive at the Philadelphia Inquirer, accepted the award (pictured).

The “Thumbs Down” award to the NFL cited the lack of Black managers and full-time Black journalists on staff, and follows the 2023 “Journalist of the Year” designation given Jim Trotter, now with the Athletic, whose contract was not renewed. Trotter had publicly held NFL commissioner Roger Goodell accountable for failures to sufficiently diversify the NFL staff.

In February, before the Super Bowl, NABJ called out the NFL again, saying, ““As the NFL gears up for one of the most watched events in the world, it should not feel comfortable knowing that its news arm does not reflect the diversity of its players, audience and event participants. We are challenging the NFL to make a serious effort to address these inequities now.”

The “Best Practices” award went to Capital B, one of the few Black-oriented websites that takes news seriously, as others seek their path to success by purveying celebrity gossip. Capital B considers itself producing “authentic, community-informed journalism,” and has created local sites in Atlanta and Gary, Ind.

CEO and co-founder Lauren Williams told the audience that the nonprofit’s team of 30 people had produced 1,300 Black stories since its founding in 2022 and was a place where staffers “can bring their full selves to work” and “don’t have to explain why Black stories are important.”

Photographer Agins became emotional as she recounted the kindnesses and setbacks of her professional journey. She eventually shared in a Pulitzer Prize, among other honors, worked at The New York Times and counted legendary photographers Moneta Sleet and Gordon Parks as “big brothers.”

“Louder Than a Riot,” hosted by Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden, was canceled in NPR’s March 2023 layoffs, though its hosts remain on NPR’s staff and the podcasts from its two seasons are still available.

Madden invited five other members of the podcast team to the stage as she explained that the show’s name was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1967 statement that a riot is “the language of the unheard.” If that is true, she said, “then hip-hop is the soundtrack.”

Carmichael said, “I was elated and I was shocked” when NABJ’s award was announced in May and added, “hip-hop’s heyday came and went before NABJ took us seriously.”

But just as hip-hop was outside the mainstream, so is hop-hop journalism, he said. Traditional notions of journalistic objectivity require any journalist from a marginalized group “to operate in a state of suspended disbelief,” he said. The “Louder Than a Riot” team refuses to do that, he added.

When the series debuted in 2020, NPR Public Editor Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute called the show “a significant piece of journalism, told in the language and culture of those affected by the story. And it’s amazing.”

Christopher A. Daniel wrote in June for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The podcast was lauded for its journalistic integrity, and its ability to drive conversation and create actual change.

“Examples include the first season of ‘Louder Than A Riot,’ which featured the story of McKinley ‘Mac’ Phipps, a New Orleans rapper signed to Percy ‘Master P’ Miller’s famous No Limit Records label. Phipps served 21 years in prison for murder he says he didn’t commit, and ‘Louder Than A Riot’ is credited with finding evidence, shared in a three-part series of episodes, that helped the Louisiana rapper get released from incarceration in 2021. . . .”

The Journalist of Distinction Award went to Gary Lee (pictured), who has written about the cultures of more than 40 states and 90 countries, including for Time magazine and The Washington Post, but has returned to his roots in Tulsa, Okla., to work at the Oklahoma Eagle, where he is managing editor.

Domonique Tolliver, a recent graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, was student journalist of the year. “Lack of transparency is a reason for the distrust in the media,” she said.

The NABJ board meeting followed the organization’s traditional “Gospel Brunch.” Gospel artist Yolanda Adams sang “Open My Heart” and “The Battle Is the Lord’s.”

Board Member Vents Frustration With Leadership

As the NABJ board of directors held its final meeting of the convention Sunday — at which Executive Director Drew Berry announced a record, though unaudited attendance figure of 4,364, board member Amir Vera vented his frustration with the board leadership when the agenda called for “new business.”

It was a highly unusual move. Vera, vice president/digital and a Los Angeles-based writer-editor for CNN, singled out what he called a lack of preparation for Donald Trump’s visit, lack of transparency toward members and “the dismissal of membership concerns,” saying at another point, “for me and to the outside public, it seems this organization is being run” by Berry and President Ken Lemon.

Vera said:

“This was not the best convention I’ve been to. Typically, leading up [to] the convention I am excited, but this time I found myself anxious. Typically after the convention, I feel rejuvenated and ready to face the world, but this time I feel drained and let down by the organization.

“And while there were some very high highs — breaking attendance records, Stephen A [Smith] glowing about us on [ESPN’s] ‘First Take’ and some of the extracurricular activities put on by the Chicago chapter — I do not believe they make up for the low lows like our overall preparation for Trump’s visit, the lack of transparency toward our members, the dismissal of membership concerns and pinning it on ‘being a minority or nonmembers,’ the spotlight that was put on NABJ from national/international outlets that basically said we are not a unified organization and the lack of and excess capacity issues — this was the least attended opening ceremony I’ve ever attended, there were multiple empty tables at the HOF [Hall of Fame] luncheon and clearly the location for our big money-making party was too small to hold our members, so much so that a task force has to issue thousands of dollars in refunds. Additionally, I feel the hotel staff was not too welcoming or knowledgeable and at times outright rude to myself or members. A staff member even threatened to call security on me after lying to me about the location of and attendance at the pool toward closing.

“Lastly, the cohesion and unity between the board and president were not there, and quite honestly, hasn’t been there for quite some time. For me and to the outside public, it seems this organization is being run by the ED [executive director] and president, as they were both seemingly in constant communication whilst a majority of the board — including executive members — were left annoyingly confused and in the dark about what was happening in an organization we give so much time and energy to. It was unfair to the board as a whole, but especially first time board members who are attending their first convention.

“I attended my first NABJ in 2016, and I remember the elation and excitement I felt then and for each one thereafter, even the virtual ones. I didn’t feel that before or after this convention, and as we welcome new members to the board and begin this year anew and go into our 50th anniversary, I’m hoping we can be more transparent, seriously listen to our members and bring back the joy in being on a board whose purpose is to serve Black journalists.”

The board was silent after Vera’s address, but he had a conversation with Lemon, who was seated next to him, after the meeting was adjourned shortly afterward.

[Asked for comment, Berry said Monday, “I’m proud of what the staff, the Chicago chapter and others did to make the Chicago convention a huge success, knowing that when you put on a convention you always have the glitches.”]

Students in the Black Male Journalists Workshop (scroll down) visit WCBS-TV in New York this summer. Maurice DuBois, WCBS-TV anchor, center, in open-necked shirt, was one of the mentoring journalists who welcomed the students to their workplaces.(Credit: Jason Samuels)

DuBois to Co-Anchor Revamped ‘CBS Evening News’

“After the presidential election, award-winning journalists John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois will anchor the ‘‘CBS Evening News‘ as the show returns to the CBS Broadcast Center in New York,” CBS News announced Thursday.

“Margaret Brennan, CBS News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent and moderator of ‘Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,’ will regularly lead coverage from Washington, D.C., when news breaks on the political and foreign affairs fronts. Lonnie Quinn is being named chief weathercaster for the show and will deliver the latest weather reporting and forecasts from the new AR/VR studio in New York. . . . “

DuBois will retain some anchoring duties at WCBS.

He joined CBS New York in September 2004, according to a network bio, which adds, “At CBS News, he substitutes as anchor of the ‘CBS Evening News,’ has reported for ’60 Minutes Sports’ and ‘CBS Sunday Morning,’ and has hosted ‘CBS Mornings’ (formerly ‘CBS This Morning’), ’48 Hours’ and CBS News’ streaming network.”

And DuBois has been careful about word choices. In 2019, filling in as anchor on the “CBS Evening News,” DuBois reported the story of a House hearing on the proposal for a study of reparations. (scroll down) But instead of calling those who endured slavery “slaves,” he said “enslaved people,” emphasizing their humanity.

“You noticed. Words are everything!” DuBois messaged Journal-isms then. “That’s why saying ‘people of color’ and not ‘minorities’ matters. (there’s nothing minor about the majority of the people in the world). And ‘racial preferences’ is a head fake to take the focus off the need to fix the horrors Black people live with. And when the Philadelphia police punish 72 officers for racist social media posts, it’s not simply ‘offensive’. I could go on and on….”

In June, DuBois and CBS News’ Jericka Duncan co-hosted the New York Association of Black Journalists 3rd annual Juneteenth Gala & Awards.

Brian Steinberg wrote for Variety, “The use of DuBois and Quinn, both longtime presences at New York’s WCBS, is telling.” The team led by Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS news, stations and syndication businesses, “recently launched a new ‘whip-around’ streaming newscast that relies on two co-anchors – Vladimir Duthiers from CBS News and Reed Cowan, from San Francisco’s KPIX — who steer viewers to breaking news and accounts from reporters on the ground at the CBS stations.”

“The network plans to rebuild its long-running ‘CBS Evening News,’ retooling anchors, format and segments in a bid to make the half-hour once led by Walter Cronkite more valuable for modern news viewers who don’t recognize the show as the cultural touchstone it was in the 1960s and 70s.

“After the 2024 election, with current anchor Norah O’Donnell stepping away for a new senior correspondent role at CBS News, executives at the Paramount Global news operation will put the show under the aegis of Bill Owens, the executive producer of ’60 Minutes.’ . . .

” ‘We are removing the clutter,’ says Owens, during an interview. ‘We are not going to be dealing with the things we think people might want to see, and we are going to be about real serious reporting. We are getting back to our beats, listening to our reporters in the field about what they have, not worrying about the headlines online or in the newspapers.”

“Correspondents from ’60 Minutes’ will appear frequently to break news they have discovered or tease some of the work they are preparing for the Sunday newsmagazine, and the anchors will get more than 90 seconds or so to delve into an important story or relay on-the-ground reportage. The program will once again be based in New York City, after moving with O’Donnell to Washington, D.C. for the past few years.

 “ ‘I believe we can resurrect it, do it a bit better and make people feel smarter,’ Owens adds.. . .”

During a heated interview with former CNN host Don Lemon in March, Elon Musk denied that he abused ketamine and was under the influence when he posted controversial material on X. (Credit: YouTube)

Don Lemon Says Elon Musk Didn’t Pay Up, Sues

“Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, sued Elon Musk and X on Thursday, arguing that the billionaire refused to pay him after a content deal with the social media platform fell apart,” Kate Conger reported for The New York Times.

“Mr. Lemon agreed in January to take his new show to X, which Mr. Musk owns, as part of the platform’s effort to create premium content to attract advertisers. Mr. Musk agreed to pay Mr. Lemon $1.5 million annually to produce videos exclusively on X, to give him a share of the advertising revenue from his videos and to award Mr. Lemon additional cash incentives as his account gained followers, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco.

“Mr. Musk also agreed to be Mr. Lemon’s first guest on the show. But the March interview quickly devolved as Mr. Lemon asked the billionaire about his drug use and politics. Shortly after, Mr. Musk canceled the deal.

“Mr. Lemon did not sign a contract cementing the agreement, which he believed would be a launchpad for his new show after CNN fired him last year, the lawsuit said. Mr. Musk told him during a phone call that there was no need to ‘fill out paperwork’ and reassured Mr. Lemon that X would financially support the show even if he did not like the views Mr. Lemon espoused, according to the court filing.

“ ‘X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud,’ Carney Shegerian, a lawyer for Mr. Lemon, said in a statement.

“X and Mr. Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment. . . .”

Yes, Trump Was Crass and Insulting, but Why?

July 31, 2024

Two Ideas: Part of a Strategy, Just the Way He Is
Finance Chair: DEI Should Be NABJ’s Big Concern

Homepage photo: Former President Donald Trump with, from left, ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News host Harris Faulkner and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba. (Credit: Damaso Reyes/New York Amsterdam News)

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Two Ideas: Part of a Strategy, Just the Way He Is

Even Black Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton, a pundit on CNN, felt compelled to say of Donald Trump, “You just don’t go there. . . . There were a lot of moments he could have used to his advantage. . . . This could have been such an opportunity.”

Shortly afterward, CNN reporter Sara Sidner, in the ballroom of the Hilton Chicago, where Trump was interviewed by three journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, reported “gasps, then laughter” from the audience. “I don’t think train wreck is too far to go” to describe what happened, she told viewers.

Phil Lewis, deputy editor of HuffPost, later described the laughter as an expression “of disbelief.”

They were speaking of the incident described in these headlines: “Trump Says Harris ‘Happened to Turn Black’ in Stunning Slur” (Daily Beast); “Trump insults moderator, questions if Harris is Black in contentious Q&A with Black journalists in Chicago” (Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ); “Combative Trump Falsely Questions Kamala Harris’ Identity at Black Journalists’ Convention (CNN); ” ‘I Didn’t Know She Was Black’: Donald Trump Questions Kamala Harris’ Race at NABJ Event” (Hollywood Reporter).

At the late-starting midday forum, Trump responded to a question about Vice President Kamala Harris, his presumptive Democratic rival for the presidency, by claiming Harris “used to only promote her Indian heritage — even though, as a moderator pointed out, she was part of a historically Black sorority and embraced her Black identity in many ways,” as Brianna Tucker and Hannah Knowles reported for The Washington Post.

“ ‘I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?’ Later he said ‘she was Indian all the way’ but then ‘became a Black person.’ ”    

Journalists file stories during Trump’s appearance at the NABJ convention. (Credit: Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Over on MSNBC, the Rev. Al Sharpton, host of “PoliticsNation,” responded to a “why” — why Trump would be so crass and ignorant.

“Everything he said was to use that platform to play to the MAGA crowd,” Sharpton said. Trump could say he could go to a room full of Black journalists “and almost call her the N word. . . . and they won’t do anything about it.”

It’s an old playbook that Trump considers tried and true, Sharpton and others said. After all, Trump’s entry into national politics started with questioning Barack Obama’s citizenship.

Former Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., now an MSNBC pundit, differed. Maybe, after a week of enduring Kamala Harris headlines, “he wanted to be so outrageous that we would be talking about him today.”

Whatever the reason, Trump had those who thought it was a bad idea for NABJ to invite him in the first place saying “I told you so” or “it was worse than I thought.”

Karen Attiah of The Washington Post, who resigned as a convention co-chair after the Trump forum was announced, tweeted on X, “Room is boiling with anger and disappointment right now.”

Those who criticized the choice of Harris Faulkner of Fox News as one of the three questioners, saying she was too much of a Trump supporter, found vindication in their position, too, given her softball questions.

Trump reserved his harshest words for lead questioner Rachel Scott.

“Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, rattled off a series of Trump’s inflammatory comments — including the claim that former President Obama was not born in the U.S. — and asked why Black voters should trust him,” James Rainey and Angel Jennings reported for the Los Angeles Times.

“ ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner, first question,’ Trump retorted. ‘You don’t even say “Hello, how are you?” Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network and terrible, by the way. I think it’s disgraceful.’

“Trump then said he had started ‘the greatest programs ever for Black workers and Black entrepreneurs,’ referring to opportunity zones for Black businesses, and to his work to help ‘save’ historically Black colleges and universities when they were ‘stone cold broke.’ “

Reacting to criticism that Trump would continue a stream of lies without being held accountable, NABJ had partnered with Politifact for live fact-checking.

Kamala Harris reacts to Trump’s attacks at Black journalists convention (Credit: YouTube)

Politifact said of that last Trump point, “Trump signed legislation to establish opportunity zones, which offer tax incentives to long-lasting investments in designated low-income areas in the United States.

“Trump doesn’t get sole credit for passage. Opportunity zones were enacted as a small part of a Republican-backed tax bill, which was universally opposed by Democrats for other reasons. A more complete gauge of support for the specific opportunity zone idea is the original bill promoting the concept. That bill attracted co-sponsorship from 36 Democrats and 45 Republicans.”

The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler noted earlier this year that funding for historically Black colleges and universities is a congressional initiative, not an executive branch one.

NABJ’s fact-check connection also reached these conclusions:

      • “Trump’s statement that ‘nobody died’ on Jan. 6, 2021, overlooks investigative findings about the incident’s toll”

      • “Trump makes unsupported claim that migrants are ‘taking Black jobs’ ”

      • “Vice President Kamala Harris passed her bar exam, but not on the first try”

      • “Trump mischaracterizes Robert Hur’s report saying Hur called Biden ‘incompetent’

      • “No evidence Capitol police were ‘ushering everybody’ into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021”

As might be expected, there were varying opinions on the success of the forum.

On CNN, NPR television critic Eric Deggans said of Trump’s team, “Whatever strategy they had didn’t go to what needed to happen . . . We didn’t learn as much as we hoped we might learn. He would answer the questions he wanted to answer.”

Michael Tyler, Harris for President communications director, issued a statement that “The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people.

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us. . . .”

A contrasting tweet from the account of Dr. Ben Carson, Trump’s secretary of housing and urban development, said, “I commend my friend
@realdonaldtrump
for going into a hostile environment at
@NABJ
today and answering tough questions. What time does VP Harris get to Chicago? That’s right, she didn’t show up because most of the ‘journalists’ in that room already do her bidding for her.”

Natasha Alford, senior correspondent and host of “TheGrio Weekly with Natasha Alford,” wrote on X, “As people whose professional work is grounded in truth-seeking, I hope this NABJ controversy inspires more [revelation], soul-searching, and change in leadership. Whatever needs to come out for a deep reset and rebuilding, I hope it happens. Because this community is too important, especially to young Black journalists trying to find their way, to let it be ripped apart and reduced to entertainment for people who could care less.”

Poet and novelist Ishmael Reed messaged Journal-isms, “NABJ should censor the three interviewers for their incompetence and poor preparation. They let Trump get away and provided him with a Sista Souljah moment (video), which played to his base. Sad.” Reed recalled that in 1992, “President Clinton pointed to what he considered the anti-white lyrics of rapper Sista Souljah to show that he could be tough on Blacks. He made the speech at a Jesse Jackson gathering.”

Bob Butler, a former NABJ president who vigorously defended the Trump invitation, messaged about the event, “I thought it went off the rails from the very beginning when Rachel Scott detailed some of Trump’s past racist comments and he responded by attacking her and ABC News.

“I wished there could have been more pushback on his many lies but he did what he always does and bulldozed the panelists.”

Surprises came from two white Washington Post columnists, media writer Erik Wemple

and Karen Tumulty, associate editor on the editorial pages:

(Credit: Chronicle of Higher Education)

Finance Chair: DEI Should Be NABJ’s Big Concern

The attack on diversity, equity and inclusion is “My biggest concern, which is also NABJ’s biggest concern,” according to Rodney Brooks (pictured), who chairs the Finance Committee of the National Association of Black Journalists. “And how far we go back will also depend on the election.”

Brooks, a retirement columnist, author and former NABJ treasurer, reported to the NABJ board of directors Tuesday that there will be further setbacks if Donald Trump is elected in November. “They’ve been scared off,” Brooks said of corporations watching the anti-DEI movement spread, particularly in red states.

Corporate donations are a source of revenue for nonprofit journalism organizations such as NABJ, Brooks told Journal-isms. “The future is scary because the funders are being threatened,” he said. “Major funders are threatened.” Brooks named two companies that ended their diversity programs because of the current climate, although they are not funders of NABJ.

The Chronicle of Higher Education is tracking changes that public colleges have made to offices, jobs, training, diversity statements and other DEI-related activities as the result of bills, executive orders, system mandates, and other state-level actions since January 2023. “The Chronicle has tracked changes at 185 college campuses in 25 states,” the publication said in an update Friday.

In May, CBS filed a motion to throw out a lawsuit by a white male employee challenging its diversity hiring practices for writers on the show “SEAL Team,” arguing that it has a First Amendment right to hire who it wants.

Steven Bradley, a white male journalist from Rochester, N.Y., is making a similar claim against the Gannett Co. in a proposed class-action case proceeding in the U.S. District Court’s Eastern District of Virginia.

The journalist of color associations were founded with diversity as their mission, yet they have not aggressively challenged these moves or other parts of the anti-DEI movement.

NABJ President Ken Lemon, for instance, told the NABJ board of directors Feb. 3 that he was creating a “diversity audit,” in which NABJ members could report, even anonymously, “anything that limits Black folks.” He said NPR television critic Eric Deggans and Madison Carter, NABJ secretary and an anchor and investigative journalist at WSOC-TV in Charlotte, N.C., would do the monitoring. Carter has since left the board, and there were no questions for Brooks after he sounded the alarm at the board meeting.

Nor was the subject broached at the July convention board meeting of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, though student representative Edward Franco said a University of Texas student chapter was unable to attend because of anti-DEI efforts in the state.

NABJ treasurer Jasmine Styles did say at Friday’s membership meeting, however, that budget projections were conservative because of possibilities that anti-DEI forces would threaten contributions. “We keep our numbers low,” Styles told Journal-isms.

Brooks told the NABJ board, “On the corporate side most companies claim that their commitment to DEI has
stayed the same and that they are not backtracking. I don’t believe them for a minute. Every week you see companies like Tractor Supply and John Deere essentially ending their diversity programs.

“We know there have major cutbacks on the state level — especially in states like Florida and Texas. And we know Trump and [GOP vice presidential candidate J.D.] Vance, and their supporters like Elon Musk, will do anything they can do reduce the impact of DEI on the national level.

“So, there is a lot at stake for this upcoming election.

“During his presidency, Trump issued an executive order prohibiting DEI training by the federal government and contractors. [President] Biden rescinded it, but it did have a chilling effect, which led to a number of red-state legislators to introduce dozens of bills restricting DEI in state government, state colleges and even contractors.

“So, again, Trump and Vance have made their feelings known. There is a lot riding on the election. We should know where the nation is headed going into the 2025 budget year. So, again, we’ll have to take all of this into consideration when we put together that budget.”

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