Reporter Poses Question After H.S. Incident

What the ‘Hamilton’ Musical Can Teach Editors

Called ‘Robbers,’ Siblings Claim Defamation

Black Former Exec Blasts CBS’ ‘White Problem’

Police Shoot, Kill Native Man During Church Service

4 Agencies Sued Over Database on Journalists

Sharpton to Host Special on Race and 2020 Election

Fire Sanders? Few Neutral on Ryan’s Suggestion

Philly Inquirer Backs Removal of Kate Smith Statue

Short Takes

The red locator on a student-made map read “Negro Hill.” The image was created by two white Chaska High School students in Minnesota. Sophomore Darius Stewart, in video, was one of the 25 pictured. He told reporter Adrienne Broaddus that the act of racism cuts deep. (Credit: KARE-TV)

Reporter Poses Question After H.S. Incident

“What was your first experience with racism?” Adrienne Broaddus a reporter at KARE-TV in Minneapolis, asked this week on Facebook.

She received a multicultural response.

“17 years old… I was sitting in my car at a traffic light when a white woman told me I look like a stupid nigger,” wrote one.

From another:

” In high school, we were supposed to write a paragraph on our definition of love.

“was having a problem writing it down, so I went to the teacher for help.

“He said, you can love a lot things; like food. You know like watermelon or fried chicken.”

Another:

“As a toddler getting in a community swimming pool in Tulsa Oklahoma and having the white ppl get out.”

Another:

“Working in North Minneapolis being called a cracker.”

Another:

“Most blatant:

“I was a freshman in college. I walked across the courtyard . . . to the main entrance to my dorms to pick up food that was being delivered.

“I was approached by a police officer who asked me where I was going and why I was out. When I asked why he questioned me, he stated that I ‘can’t be walking around with a hooded sweatshirt with sweatpants, because I looked like a suspect that they had received complaints about.’

“When asked of the suspect’s description, I was told that it was a black male between the ages of 18 and 32, between the height of 5 7 and 6 ft 3, and between 160 and 215 lb.”

Another:

“College. I did a study away trip my first year and this girl said to me that every year for her birthday she asked her parents to put a nigger on top of her birthday cake.”

And another:

” I was in English 100 course in delta BV location. I was the only white person in the class[.] the teacher asked us to say one thing we liked and the one thing we didn’t like. As the students told there likes and dislikes everyone of them said in there dislikes they hated racism and looked at me like i was a racist. Made me feel very uncomfortable because i love everyone.”

Broaddus messaged Journal-isms that she decided to ask the question after covering an incident at Chaska High School in the Eastern Carver County Public Schools in Minnesota.

“This time, an image of a Google map, with 25 black students, was circulating on social media,” Broaddus reported for the station.

“The red locator on the map reads Negro Hill. The image . . . was created by two white Chaska High School students. Sophomore Darius Stewart, a black male, is one of the 25 pictured. He said the blatant act of racism cuts deep. . . .

“Parents say the escalation of incidents is alarming. The district, who learned about the image last week, mentioned nothing about it to parents at an Equity meeting they hosted this week. Parents say the district leaders also didn’t allow time for comments at the meeting. The district has repeatedly said, and proudly [boasts] on its website, it is a caring and compassionate school community that embraces diversity and inclusivity. Students like Stewart feel differently.

“ ‘They don’t like black people,’ he said. ‘They want us gone. I mean, I am hopeful but I don’t think racism is going to stop.’ . . .”

In a follow-up story on Wednesday, the station’s Danny Spewak wrote, “As parents described harrowing examples of racist incidents in the Eastern Carver County Schools during a meeting earlier this week, Chaska Mayor Mark Windschitl sat appalled in the audience.

” ‘It was eye-opening,’ Windschitl said. ‘I went to that meeting and I was like, “holy cow. This is ‘happening.” ’

“Windschitl announced the city would meet with the district next week, facilitate a listening session with leaders in the community and bring an implicit bias workshop to Chaska for diversity training. . . .”

Broaddus told Journal-isms that the Facebook answers will be material for a paper she is writing for Ball State University, where she is pursuing a master’s degree, and for an op-ed that will likely be on her station’s website.

What is striking about the incidents reported on Facebook is that no matter how shocking, the actions themselves were carried out with a routineness that was even more alarming.

What would the responses be if such a question were asked in your community — or in your newsroom?

What the ‘Hamilton’ Musical Can Teach Editors

“Let me tell you what I wish I’d known
“When I was young and dreamed of glory
“You have no control
“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story” (video)

Those lyrics sung by the George Washington character in “Hamilton: An American Musical” opened a column Sunday from Michael Kilian, executive editor of the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y.

“Many an essay has been written about the literary themes running through ‘Hamilton,’ ” Kilian wrote. “As a journalist, the theme I continue to ponder involves historical narrative and who is (or isn’t) telling it. Why? Because it gets at the heart of the work journalists do and its relevance in our ever-more-diverse society.”

Kilian also wrote, “Journalists for most of American history were almost exclusively men. And they tended to be men writing about men in the 18th, 19th and much of the 20th century. When Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other courageous women drafted the Declaration of Sentiments at Seneca Falls in 1848, countless newspapers openly mocked their work in articles that are cringeworthy to read today. . . .

“Even today, more than a half-century after the civil rights movement, most newsrooms fail to reflect fully the diversity of our communities and nation. The factors are many, including the loss of substantial amounts of revenue over the past 15 years that have limited hiring at a time when college graduating classes are more diverse than ever. Still, we must do better, and much better.

“Here’s why: Countless women and people of color have and do ask the question ‘Who tells your story?’ and conclude it’s not the local newspaper, or television station, or national cable network. This has serious implications for our democracy, for how well different groups understand each other and for the business bottom line of the news industry.

“So the question I ask myself is how and in what instances do the D&C and the press in general make courageous or influential or oppressed figures or groups of today feel like the women in Seneca Falls were made to feel 170 years ago? Whose stories are we telling, and telling well, and whose stories are we telling poorly, or not at all?

“I’ll be writing more about this in coming months. For now, please know we are putting steps in place so we can better reach the emerging audiences in Greater Rochester we need to survive and thrive into the 2020s and beyond. . . .”

• Andrea Bian, Daily Northwestern, Northwestern University: Medill faculty seriously lacking women of color
• Cierra Cubero, Temple University: Klein College’s Celebration of Equity and Diversity
• Karina Sturm, Columbia Journalism Review: Why disabled journalists should report on disability
• John Tetpon, “Native Nation,” Anchorage Daily News: A stinging indictment against the Fourth Estate and its decades old exclusion of minorities in the newsroom

Called ‘Robbers,’ Siblings Claim Defamation

A case now before the Ohio Supreme Court illustrates how important it is for news organizations not to convict suspects by the wording they choose.

Oral arguments in a defamation lawsuit were heard Wednesday, in which WBNS-TV in Columbus is alleged to have falsely labeled three siblings — African American, it turns out — as “robbers,” though race is not listed as a factor in the case.

“The lawsuit said one sibling was taunted by classmates after the WBNS story ran and another was taunted and threatened,” the Associated Press reported. “The lawsuit said the third sibling fled the city and lost job opportunities.”

In a “there but for the grace of God” defense, national news organizations are lining up behind the television station.

As summarized by Brian Haytcher of the Star Beacon in Ashtabula, Ohio, “Aaron Anderson et. al, v. WBNS-TV, involves a news station accused of defaming a family based on a police report that called the family ‘suspects.’ The suit claims WBNS called the family ‘robbers’ in [its] reporting, and the family was later cleared.”

The court says these questions are on the table:

• “Is the standard set by the Ohio Supreme Court in a 1987 case for what constitutes defamation of a private figure by a media company still applicable? Or has it been changed by the advent of online news reporting?
• “Must a news organization demonstrate it used ‘reasonable care’ in reporting information about a private figure that turned out to be incorrect, or does a news organization now have a ‘stronger duty’ to ensure accuracy because false statements may remain public forever on the internet?
• “Is a news organization acting negligently when it changes words provided by public officials, which are later is found to be incorrect, without further investigation of the information?”

• American Society of News Editors: ASNE, APME join amicus brief is support of Ohio TV station
• Brian Haytcher, Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio: Ohio Supreme Court to visit Geneva High School
• WBNS-TV, Columbus, Ohio: Robbers Put Gun To Child’s Head And Steal Hoverboard (Jan. 20, 2016, updated Jan. 21)

Black Former Exec Blasts CBS’ ‘White Problem’

“In February, I decided to part ways with CBS, the corporation where I began my media career and most recently served as director of entertainment diversity and inclusion,” Whitney Davis wrote Tuesday for Variety under the headline, ” ‘CBS Has a White Problem’: Executive Blasts Toxic Culture at Network in Explosive Letter.”

“Last fall, when sexual-misconduct allegations against then-CEO Leslie Moonves prompted an outside investigation into the CBS workplace culture, I assumed that all forms of discrimination would be delved into. The attorneys I spoke with did not lead me to believe otherwise.

“I was eager to tell my story and grateful that two independent law firms were brought in to conduct interviews with several hundred employees. By sharing my experience, I hoped to shed desperately needed light on the truth that CBS, sadly, doesn’t value a diverse workplace. . . .

“The company has a white problem across the board. Did you know that there’s not one black creative executive working at CBS Television Network or CBS Television Studios? Of the network’s 36 creative executives — all upper management roles that deal with content development, casting, current production, daytime and alternative programming — there are only three women of color, none black. There is not one executive of color working in casting at CBS. The one Latinx executive hired in casting last year lasted eight months. He works at Netflix now. . . .”

While Davis started her CBS career at CBS News, most of her examples involve CBS Entertainment.

In a statement Wednesday, the National Association of Black Journalists noted that it “has had recent and productive meetings with executives at CBS News regarding their diversity and inclusion efforts.

“Earlier this year, CBS News promoted Kim Godwin to executive vice president of news. NABJ recognizes her as the current highest-ranking black network news executive. NABJ applauds the network for the work being done at CBS News to further improve efforts around diversity and inclusion. [Also promoted  was Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, who is Latina.]

“We encourage the CBS Corporation to continue examining how evolving CBS News’ diversity and inclusion practices can be utilized across the board including in its entertainment division,” the NABJ statement said. “We also encourage the corporation to continue to work toward providing mechanisms that allow all voices who may have been impacted by alleged discriminatory practices to tell their stories. . . .”

Police Shoot, Kill Native Man During Church Service

In 2014, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice reported that “The racial group most likely to be killed by law enforcement is Native Americans, followed by African Americans, Latinos, Whites, and Asian Americans.”

Native Americans complained that few of their fellow Americans knew that fact, and that the national news media paid these killings little attention.

Now they have another example.

“Peaceful Palm Sunday services were interrupted at Rushville’s Immaculate Conception Catholic Church when law enforcement shot a suspect who entered the church,” Kerri Rempp reported April 17 for the Rapid City (S.D.) Journal, referring to Rushville, Neb.

“ ‘It was all of a sudden,’ said Father Joseph K. Joseph, who was leading services Sunday. ‘There was a noise in the back of the church.’

“Clarence Leading Fighter, 32, was shot by Sheridan County Sheriff’s Deputies who were attempting to apprehend him in connection with an alleged assault. Deputies responded to 303 Chamberlain Street in Rushville at just before 10:30 a.m. that morning and discovered a victim with a broken arm, [according] to a Nebraska State Patrol press release. The investigation led authorities to Leading Fighter, who was shot just after 11 a.m. after entering the church.

“ ‘I was reading the Gospel,’ said Father Joseph. ‘I heard a commotion and the sound of people falling.’ . . .”

The State Patrol is investigating the shooting, and Nebraska law requires a grand jury to convene.

• Kevin Abourezk, indianz.com: Lakota man shot and killed by police officer inside a church
• Kevin Abourezk, indianz.com: Native man shot by police officer drops lawsuit in plea deal with prosecutors

Catherine Garcia of KNSD-TV, known as NBC 7, reports March 22 on the Department of Homeland Security’s failure to respond to inquires about a secret database reportedly to track those involved with or following a migrant caravan. On March 27, the station held a community forum on the issue.

4 Agencies Sued Over Database on Journalists

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, KNSD-TV in San Diego and KNSD reporter Tom Jones have filed a federal lawsuit against four government agencies for refusing to turn over records about a secret government database of journalists, activists and social media influencers, the committee said Wednesday.

The database was complied in connection with asylum and immigration issues at the U.S.-Mexico border. The committee said the refusal violates the Freedom of Information Act.

“In the complaint, filed on April 22, Reporters [Committee] attorneys state the United States Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Citizenship and Immigration Services have ‘improperly withheld’ information responsive to FOIA requests submitted by NBC 7 and the Reporters Committee in March.

“After NBC 7 reported that the U.S. government created a secret database of journalists, activists, and social media influencers in connection . . . with asylum and immigration issues at the U.S./Mexico border, NBC 7 investigative reporter Tom Jones submitted a FOIA request to CBP seeking a variety of records. He requested information related to Operation Secure Line — the initiative created to monitor migrant caravans — along with emails and memos related to the government database. . . .”

• Krishnadev Calamur, the Atlantic: The Real Illegal Immigration Crisis Isn’t on the Southern Border
• James Goodman, the Progressive: Putting the Freeze on ICE (April 1)
• EJ Montini, Arizona Republic: Is Donald Trump OK with armed border vigilantes? Thank Joe Arpaio and Arizona
• KNSD San Diego: NBC 7, Telemundo 20 Lead Panel on Gov’s Database on Journalists & Caravan Advocates
• Gabby Orr and Andrew Restuccia, Politico: How Stephen Miller made immigration personal

Sharpton to Host Special on Race and 2020 Election

MSNBC is presenting “Not Just Black and White: Race and the 2020 Election,” a one-hour special featuring leading 2020 candidates focused on topics of racial equality, the network announced Wednesday. “The program is hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton, host of MSNBC’s PoliticsNation, and airs Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on MSNBC.

“ ‘Not Just Black and White’ offers an intimate look at the important topics of the upcoming 2020 election including social and economic inequality, identity politics, and more. The special features an in-depth conversation with Stacey Abrams and one-on-one interviews” with Democratic candidates:

Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), Pete Buttigieg (Ind.), Julián Castro (Texas), John Delaney (Md.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), John Hickenlooper (Colo.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.).

Also, Beto O’Rourke (Texas) Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Andrew Yang (N.Y.)

“During the special, Rev. Sharpton will break down where the election stands and where we go next along with a roundtable of experts including Donny Deutsch, Anand Giridharadas, Alexi McCammond and Sophia Nelson.”

• Deborah Barfield Berry, Barbara Leader and Bracey Harris, USA Today: Black students say they want 2020 candidates’ issues, not pandering, ahead of She the People forum
• Dahleen Glanton, Chicago Tribune: A dishonorable man like Donald Trump cannot remain at the helm of an honorable nation
• Colbert King, Washington Post: This country is in need of a miracle
• Julianne Malveaux, National Newspaper Publishers Association: Who Gains When Democracy is Destroyed?
• Aidan McLaughlin, Mediaite: 5 Takeaways From CNN’s 5 Hours of Town Halls With 2020 Democrats
• New York Times: New Additions to Politics
• Terrell Jermaine Starr, the Root: Cory Booker Shares Frustrations Over Presidential Candidates’ Focus on Race When Talking to Black Voters (April 11)
• Terrell Jermaine Starr, the Root: Cory Booker Addresses Whether Democratic Leadership Is Supporting Progressive Congresswomen Enough (April 12) (video)
  
• Terrell Jermaine Starr, the Root: Stacey Abrams Says There Was ‘Incompetence’ in Media Coverage of Her Campaign, Will Announce Her Future Political Plans in the Coming Weeks (April 15) (video)
  
• Juana Summers and Errin Haines Whack, Associated Press: Some women of color frustrated by Biden’s presidential bid
• Josh Wood, Nieman Lab: Andrew Yang, the most meme-able 2020 candidate, also wants to save journalism

Fire Sanders? Few Neutral on Ryan’s Suggestion

“While the right-wing messaging machine is trying to make it sound like a personality spat, April Ryan’s call for White House press secretary Sarah Sanders to be fired is a righteous and important one bigger than either of the people involved,” television columnist David Zurawik wrote April 19 for the Baltimore Sun.

“What Ryan’s call highlights is the way lying, smearing and slander have been institutionalized by the Trump White House to an extent not even done in Washington by the senator infamous for slander and lies, the late Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin, whose career and life ended in disgrace. . . .”

• Mary C. Curtis, Roll Call: It’s called accountability, but only for some
• Joe DePaolo, Mediaite: Juan Williams Battles Five Colleagues in Fiery Debate on Impeachment: ‘All You Can Do is Shout’
• Paul Farhi, Washington Post: What to do about Sarah Sanders? White House reporters have a few ideas.
• Kambree Nelson, Conservative Opinion: Thousands Sign Petition to Revoke April Ryan’s White House Press Pass
• Adam K. Raymond, New York: Sarah Sanders Lies About Reporter Who Called for Her to Be Fired for Lying

Philly Inquirer Backs Removal of Kate Smith Statue

“Kate Smith evolved from patriotic symbol to pariah seemingly overnight after egregiously racist songs she originally performed in the 1930s made fresh headlines,” the Philadelphia Inquirer editorialized on Monday.

“The Flyers organization took about 48 hours to condemn, cover up, and cart away the statue it erected in 1987 to honor Smith, historically the team’s good luck charm, from its pedestal outside XFinity Live! in South Philadelphia.

“The controversy about a patriotic popular singer who died in 1986 adds fresh fire to the painful but necessary national conversation about confronting racism’s stubbornly enduring legacy. Those who say it’s unfair to judge a historical figure — especially someone who was otherwise admirable — by what we hope are more enlightened contemporary standards are protesting the move as political correctness run amok.

“Much also has been made of the fact that no less a social justice warrior than Paul Robeson performed one of these same songs. But the notion that the songs themselves, or Smith’s renditions, were intended as satire is wishful thinking. And those rushing to defend Smith ought to give a listen to these examples of the pervasive racism that was standard in popular entertainment during the first half of the 20th century, and beyond. No wonder the wounds are so deep, and lasting. . . .”

• Stefan Bondy, Daily News, New York: Yankees dump Kate Smith’s ‘God Bless America’ from rotation over singer’s racist songs (April 18)
• Andrew Bucholtz, Awful Announcing: Will Cain is bringing “balance” to ESPN again, this time with a controversial take in defense of Kate Smith
• Sam Carchidi, Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘Knee-jerk reaction’ put Flyers in a corner, triggering removal of Kate Smith statue, former club VP says
• Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer: What’s the story behind those Kate Smith songs with racist lyrics?
• Michael A. Fletcher, the Undefeated: Kate Smith’s racist songs aren’t surprising, but we can do more than cover up a statue
• Sherry Howard, myauctionfinds.com: Song does not intertwine Paul Robeson & Kate Smith
• Carol Kuruvilla, HuffPost: Yankees, Flyers Drop Kate Smith’s ‘God Bless America’ After Hearing Singer’s Racist Lyrics (April 19)
• Letters, Philadelphia Inquirer: Kate Smith a casualty like Joe Paterno, Frank Rizzo | Readers Respond
• Anne Midgette, Washington Post: Her ‘God Bless America’ is a classic. Her two racist songs, a scandal. Should Kate Smith be banned from the ballpark?
• David Marcus, the Federalist: If We Cancel Kate Smith, We Must Cancel The New York Yankees
• Jeremy Schneider, NJ Advance Media For NJ.com: Who is Kate Smith? Why did the Yankees stop playing her ‘God Bless America’? What happened to her Flyers statue? What racist songs did she sing, and what are the lyrics?
• Gene Seymour, CNN: Silencing Kate Smith is not the answer
• Jason Whitlock, Twitter: The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Flyers decision to eliminate Kate Smith’s rendition of ‘God Bless America’ doesn’t improve race relations (video)

Short Takes

• “This week, Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study is hosting Vision & Justice, a two-day conference on the role of the arts in relation to citizenship, race and justice,” James Estrin wrote Thursday for the New York Times “Lens” blog. “Organized by Sarah Lewis, a Harvard professor, participants include Ava DuVernay, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Wynton Marsalis and Carrie Mae Weems. Aperture Magazine has issued a free publication this year, titled ‘Vision & Justice: A Civic Curriculum’ and edited by Ms. Lewis, from which we republish her essay on photography and racial bias. . . .”
• “Nielsen is going public with its concern that if a controversial question about citizenship is added to the U.S. Census, the result would be an undercounting which would affect the media industry and other businesses,” Jon Lafayette reported Monday for Broadcasting & Cable. ” ‘This is something that we think is near and dear to our heart at Nielsen,’ said Christine Pierce, senior VP data science at Nielsen. ‘It’s so important. It’s really critical to our $90 billion advertising and media industry that they understand that what underpins all that commerce and all of those trades is this data and it could be inaccurate for an entire decade if this question were to be added.’ . . .”
• “Prensa Arizona, a new Spanish-language newspaper, will begin publication on Thursday . . . in print and online,” Bill Goodykoontz wrote Tuesday for the Arizona Republic, updated Thursday. “If the name sounds familiar, it may be because it’s reminiscent of Prensa Hispana, which was also a Spanish-language publication. Much of the Prensa Arizona staff, in fact, is comprised of former Prensa Hispana employees. That includes Lety Garcia, the general manager of Prensa Arizona. . . .” Goodykoontz also wrote, “Prensa Arizona begins publication a little more than three weeks after Prensa Hispana ceased publication after 28 years. . . . . ” “One day we will publish the details of its closure,” a statement reads.
• “Religion News Foundation (RNF), Religion News Service (RNS), The Associated Press (AP) and The Conversation announced today the creation of a global religion journalism initiative, an effort to expand religion news reporting in the U.S. and around the world,” the organizations said Wednesday. “This initiative includes the creation of a joint global religion news desk aimed at providing balanced, nuanced coverage of major world religions, with an emphasis on explaining religious practices and principles behind current events and cultural movements. . . .”
• “The Peabody Board of Jurors revealed today winners in News and Radio/Podcast categories,” A.J. Katz wrote Tuesday for TVNewser. “The PBS’ Frontline series . . .  is being honored with a Peabody for its special, Separated: Children at the Border. . . . ” Also winning was Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting. “Both stories focused on the past and present of structural racism in America,” Reveal said. Additional winners included “Buried Truths” from WABE-FM in Atlanta, which followed journalist Hank Klibanoff and his Emory University students’ investigation of  the death of Isaiah Nixon a black man gunned down in 1948 after exercising his right to vote; and BBC Africa Eye’s “Anatomy of a Killing,” which used technology to source a viral video of two women and their children being murdered by Cameroonian men in military fatigues, Danielle Turchiano reported Tuesday for Variety. List of winners
• “The host of Sunday Night Slow Jams is raising money to dig a third water well to bring clean water to families in the Berbérati Village, located deep within the Central African Republic,” Radio Ink reported on Monday. “Slow Jams listeners made the first well happen in 2017 for the Nyakoi Akuoro Village and a second well in 2018 for the Aminit Border Village. The radio host is over halfway to raising the funds to dig the third well. . . .” Stations

• 

  “About a month after longtime executive producer Rob Silverstein was let go at Access and Access Live, anchor Natalie Morales is following him out the door,” Rick Porter reported April 19 for the Hollywood Reporter. “Morales is out at Access, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed, but is staying with NBC News as Today West Coast anchor and Dateline correspondent. . . .”

• “I am the equivalent of a coroner,” Brent Staples, the New York Times editorial writer who won a Pulitzer Prize last week, told Valerie Russ of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday. Russ asked how Staples could manage his emotions when writing about such topics as police shootings of unarmed black people. “It is my job to examine the facts of these grisly cases and deliver a judgment about the lessons that can be drawn from them . . .” Staples continued. “The forensic character of my writing is intentional. One has to be coolly factual — no matter how bloody the topic — to be persuasive.”
• Kathleen McElroy, current director of the University of Texas journalism school, said she was inspired by the accomplishments of Lorraine Branham, the former director of UT’s School of Journalism who died April 2 at age 66. “It meant something to me to see a black woman was running the UT School of Journalism,” McElroy told Graysen Golter of the Daily Texaan on Sunday. “It shows you what the possibilities could be. (Branham) became a mentor and a friend. (She had) quiet power and quiet elegance. (She was) a person who made stuff happen. I was in awe of her abilities to get things done. Every time I walked away from a conversation with her, I felt smarter.”
• “Myanmar’s highest court ruled against two Reuters reporters on Tuesday, upholding their conviction for violating a state secrets law after they uncovered a military massacre,” Richard C. Paddock and Saw Nang reported Tuesday for the New York Times. “The two reporters, U Wa Lone, 33, and U Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, were sentenced in September to seven years in prison under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act for receiving documents from a police officer. They have been imprisoned for 16 months, drawing international condemnation by human rights groups and media organizations. . . .” Meanwhile, according to a report from the Irrawaddy, the Myanmar military is suing the media outlet for its reporting on conflict in Rahkine state, the International Federation of Journalists reported Tuesday.
• “[W]hen the Sri Lankan government temporarily shut down access to American social media services like Facebook and Google’s YouTube after the bombings there on Easter morning, my first thought was ‘good,‘ ” Kara Swisher wrote Monday for the New York Times. “Good, because it could save lives. Good, because the companies that run these platforms seem incapable of controlling the powerful global tools they have built. Good, because the toxic digital waste of misinformation that floods these platforms has overwhelmed what was once so very good about them. . . .” Writing Tuesday on the Verge, Casey Newton disagreed.
• “May 10, 1969, marked 100 years since the golden spike was hammered in at Promontory, Utah, signifying the completion of America’s first transcontinental railroad — a monumental engineering feat that linked together the nation’s coasts,” Chris Fuchs wrote Monday for NBC News. But the Chinese who toiled to accomplish the feat were barely mentioned. “This May, for the 150th anniversary, descendants of the Chinese railroad laborers and other advocates have been working hard to ensure history does not repeat itself,” Fuchs continued in the first of five articles about the Transcontinental Railroad anniversary scheduled for May, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
• “Peruvian authorities should immediately take action to ensure the safety of journalists at news website IDL-Reporteros, and officials should refrain from making inflammatory statements blaming the outlet and its director, Gustavo Gorriti, for the suicide last week of former President Alan García,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. “García, a two-term president of Peru from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011, died in surgery on April 17 after shooting himself when police came to his Lima home to arrest him on corruption allegations, according to news reports. . . .”
• Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday it “is relieved by the release of two journalists who were held for months for covering an Islamist insurrection in Cabo Delgado province, in northeastern Mozambique, but calls for the withdrawal of the spurious charges brought against them. Amade Abubacar and Germano Daniela Adriano, who work for local radio and TV station Nacedje in the town of Macomia, were released today but are charged with ‘spreading messages damaging to the Mozambican Armed Forces.’ . . . ”

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• Book Notes: In-Your-Face Holiday Reads
• Fishbowl Interview With the Fresh Prince of D.C. (Oct. 26, 2012)
• NABJ to Honor Columnist Richard Prince With Ida B. Wells Award (Oct. 11, 2012)
• So What Do You Do, Richard Prince, Columnist for the Maynard Institute? (Richard Horgan, FishbowlLA, Aug. 22, 2012)
• Book Notes: Who Am I? What’s Race Got to Do With It?: Journalists Explore Identity
• Book Notes: Catching Up With Books for the Fall
• Richard Prince Helps Journalists Set High Bar (Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com, 2011)
• Book Notes: 10 Ways to Turn Pages This Summer
• Book Notes: 7 for Serious Spring Reading
• Book Notes: 7 Candidates for the Journalist’s Library
• Book Notes: 9 That Add Heft to the Bookshelf
• Five Minutes With Richard Prince (Newspaper Association of America, 2005)
• ‘Journal-isms’ That Engage and Inform Diverse Audiences (Q&A with Mallary Jean Tenore, Poynter Institute, 2008)