11:30 NAHJ gets the next question

Wonder did UNITY plan the questions so that each of the four groups gets a chance to ask a question, in rotation. THe first question came from a NAJA member. The second from the an NAHJ member.

NAHJ member asks about immigration.

11:25 Should U.S. apologize to Native Americans?

Wisconsin Public Radio journalist gets the first question. The question of apologies for past wrongdoings to minorities starts things off?

This questioner asked about apologies to Native Americans. This is particularly interesting given the ongoing debate about reparations for African-Americans.

Obama wants to meet regularly with tribal leaders. Obama throws in a statement about Native Americans -- for action, deeds.

"I'm more concerned about concerned about delivering a better life"

Suzanne takes a step further and brings in the reparations discussion.

Obama says schools in inner city and jobs for the poor is best reparations.

Obama: "Dealing with the legacy of discrimination will cost millions of dollars." All Americans need to be invested. How do we get every child to learn (applause)

11:20-- the first segment

Looks like the moderators (not sure who the male co-moderator is) have focused primary attention on the foreign trip. They're planning to take questions from the audience now. IT will be interesting to see where the first audience (of journalists) questions fall in terms of topics.

11:18 a.m. CDT

First commercial break-- We have the live feed-- on CNN.com, let's see what happens off-air.

11:16 a.m. Double Standard?

OK-- from the first few answers, I hear a theme-- something that has come up twice in his answers. Obama's responding to questions about his foreign trip, questions about his remaining steadfast in his position on Iraq-- Why were those same questions asked of Obama? (on position on Iraq) McCain visited the same places after securing the GOP nomination. Obama acknowledges that he did his trip WELL. Audience applause.

11:10 Foreign policy credibility

The ultimate question from the week-- does this trip make an impact on the perceptions of Obama's foreign policy expertise. It seems that's taken the focus in these first few minutes. Obama's statement that he knows what he's doing draws applause.

11:07 LONG Answer

He's been speaking for almost 10 minutes just to answer the first question. Perhaps this long-form type of q-and-a is the way things will go.

11:05 What he's wearing

Is it me, or have Obama moved away from the dark suit and red or blue tie with his appearances? I have seen more and more video of him wearing different colored suits this summer. During the debates (in the primary campaign), he used to wear the same colored suits.

A superficial question, perhaps, but one worth noting. He's wearing a tan suit and burgundy tie today.

11:02 Polite applause, a few cheers

At least from the way he was received when he took the stage, it doesn't look like this is a pep rally. The first question is asking Obama to reflect on the trip.

10:59 a.m. CDT Malveaux to moderate

We're minutes away from the start of the forum at UNITY. A familiar face in the presidential campaign, Suzanne MAlveaux (formerly of NBC) will be moderating the forum. She's doing a microphone check even as she hits air.

Obama Speaks At Unity- a Live Blogging Event

The Timing of today's forum at the UNITY Convention presents an opportunity for storytelling in a format that is more and more common in Web journalism.

It's called live blogging. Instead of waiting until after an event has concluded, the blogger provides commentary as the event is happening.

The goal is not to digest it all, think and then post. Instead, the immediate reactions are sent like text messages. The short entries include time stamps and can provide an interesting reading experience after-the-fact for those who attended the event or those who missed it.

Today we will be live blogging as a viewer of the Obama event at the UNITY Convention.

You will be able to follow the postings as they will have the graphic that appears in this posting.

As the UNITY Journalists' media release indicated, this is one of the first national appearances Obama is making following his whirlwind trip to Europe and Middle East last week.

Obama as Jackie Robinson of our era?

It's an Unusual Sunday morning for me. I'm on vacation and not in church as I would normally be heading at this hour-- Sunday School to be exact.

But today I will be watching the live transmission of Barack Obama's forum at the UNITY Journalists convention. What was originally billed as a forum with both presidential candidates has turned out to be an appearance by one of the candidates as the one of the culminating events of the convention.

I commented earlier on the concept of having a live televised forum versus an off-the-record session with minority journalists.

Now, the Associated Press this morning has moved an interesting advancer on the ethical dilemma facing minority journalists-- do we cheer or remain dispassionate, objective observers?

The article posted on Editor & Publisher's Web site quotes Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts (who was honored this week by the National Association of Black Journalists) as saying the following in the A.P. story:

"Barack Obama is the Jackie Robinson of our era," said Pitts, the columnist. "There's no getting around that, there's no asking people not to respond to that. ... Journalists are recruited from the human race. And as long as they're recruited from the human race they're going to have emotions, and they're going to have feelings."

Yes, I know who Jackie Robinson- the baseball player is. But, does the fact that an African-American making history allow us as journalists to step out of our role as reporters and writers, fair and balanced as we cover one of the biggest stories of 2008 or our lifetime?

I say NO, even for those of us who are not working in daily journalists. While some of my professor colleagues- at the university have actively campaigned for one of the presidential candidates, as a journalist teaching students how to objectively cover the news, I can't afford to be a groupie or a political advocate.

I would suggest my colleagues at the UNITY convention, even if they are not turning (or publishing) a story on today's Obama forum, will be wearing their professional journalists hats at today's forum. It's not a pep rally for Obama.

But the issue of race once again has introduced an interesting dilemma for journalists of color-- who might personally carry some pride in seeing a black candidate make it this far while at the same time recognizing the candidate deserves the same objective vetting as any political candidate to be the leader of the free world.

We'll see what happens today.

What We Saw About Blacks in America

Part 2 of the CNN landmark documentary, Blacks in America, took a different approach than part 1. But, the end result was same-- a more complete picture of an aspect of society that often is uncovered.

Almost the entire first hour of tonight's installment focused on two African-American men who were attending Little Rock Arkansas' Central High at the same time as the school was being integrated.

For those of who did not live during the Civil Rights era, we often think of those figures from that era as being mythic and near-perfect because of their place in history.

What we saw in part two were two men who had the greatest intentions of achieving in spite of the color of the skin. Both eventually have achieved great things, but they are not without their imperfections.

Sometimes in television news, we want to focus on the extremes-- all good or all bad. In these brothers' stories on CNN's "Black in America" documentary we saw the good can also be sprinkled with the bad when the reality of raising a family in an imperfect world hits.

I could see myself in so many of the stories in this second installment. I vividly remember having a very heated discussion with my sisters at Howard University about the possibility of marrying outside of one's race. That issue came front-and-center in the experiences of one of the families features in the second installment.

Multimedia Journalism Milestone on CNN

Those of us who research, teach, follow closely the area of media diversity have been eagerly awaiting what happened Wednesday night on CNN.

Black in America,a two-part documentary hit the airwaves and broadcast journalism with a slam.

I'm not usually one to lavish a media outlet with praise. But I think CNN's producers and photographers, the entire documentary staff deserve the pat on the back when you look at the breadth and depth reflected in Part I of this journalism effort.

According to Soledad O'Brien (who was interviewed on My Urban Report), the idea for the documentary was the brainchild of her bosses, Mark Nelson (Vice President and Senior Executive Producer of CNN Productions) and Jon Klein (CNN President).




I show those guys pictures because an important ingredient in a major effort like this is the commitment of management of staffing resources, man (or to be more politically correct "person" (hours) for months of reporting.

According to O'Brien the CNN Management felt that African-Americans were featured in coverage that was too shallow.

I agree. That's a problem with coverage of most racial minorities in this country.

The important thing to recognize, as it was indicated in CNN's promotions, this was not a show for African-Americans to see themselves.

It was a production for ALL Americans to see what their fellow citizens experience every day.

The sheer number of stories that were told in the two hours was unprecedented. And, the tensions and troubles that were unearthed in the interviews was exactly what was needed to tell the "full story."

My favorite story was one about the biracial couple-- The Rasmussens (I'm not sure I spelled their name correctly) who had a biracial son who identified with his white father, who told him he is actually both black and white.

The Rasmussens' struggle over the racial identity question is one that our entire nation will struggle with if, in fact, a man from biracial parents is elected to the White House.

While the over-the-air documentary was GREAT journalism-- the multimedia presentation of this story on CNN's Web site is worthy of note. The entire series of iReports from several historically black colleges is worth looking at.

After the special aired on Wednesday, I must have spent a couple of hours looking at the Web-only reports, extended interviews and the feedback.

That's after I watched the preview for the two-day documentary on iTunes last (Tuesday) night.

CNN has set the bar pretty high for part two.

We'll see what happens.

RTNDA: More Minority TV News Managers

In what's become a mid-summer tradition for those of us concerned about diversity in the electronic news arena, RTNDA is out today with the latest snapshot of racial minorities in our nation's television and radio newsrooms.

The news looks pretty good-- 23.6 percent of local television news staffs are classified as "minority." That's up from just 21.5 percent in 2006.

Last year, African-Americans were the only racial group that saw an increase.

This year, the other racial minority groups showed progress with increases among Asian American, Native American and Hispanic Journalist in the electronic media.

The 2008 RTNDA/Hofstra University Annual Survey also showed the percentage of minority television news directors reached an all-time high of 15.5 percent, up from 10.9 percent in 2006.

This news is exemplified by several high-profile promotions for African-American news managers in major markets.

In Washington, DC, Camille Edwards, an African-American, was recently named VP/News at NBC owned-and-operated station, WRC-TV. She succeeds another African-American,
Vickie Burns (shown at the right), who moved to the nation's number-one Television Mrrket.

Burns is now Vice President of News & Content for WNBC as of March 2008. Burns leads the station's news initiatives and manages the distribution of that content across multiple platforms.

While I don't know either of these sisters. I have to give them props for making their way to top of the decision-making ladder in local news in their top-rated stations.

One African-American woman television manager I do know-- from a previous life as a news producer, Allison Hunter, has recently moved to the nation's number-two media market (from the number-three market, Chicago at WGN-TV) as the interim news director at KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.

Individual accomplishments aside, these recent managerial appointments demonstrate that NBC-Universal (owner of WRC and WNBC) and Tribune (owner of KTLA and WGN) have a pipeline going -- where they are able to maintain diversity in their top level newsroom management.

This is NOT to say that all newsrooms should have minority news directors. But, when you look around the table at that morning meeting-- you should see a diversity of faces that reflects the diversity of those whose stories will be told in the stations' newscasts.

Today's release of the latest RTNDA data suggests great progress. But, there's still a lot more to make.

Hate to See Brothers Acting Like This

What a sad day for African-American men all over-- to see one of our leaders all over the airwaves having to apologize for disparaging remarks made about another brother.

Yes, I'm casting this in terms of race and gender.



Rev. "Keep Hope Alive" " I Am Somebody" Jesse Louis Jackson (I learned his full name in elementary school) apparently was caught talking privately about Senator Barack Obama when he thought his microphone at Fox News Channel was off, he reportedly made references to wanting to cut off part of the Senator's anatomy.

Conservatives bloggers like Ken Shepherd at NewsBusters have had a field day with this -- as have many of the tabloids.


I watched with interest as NBC first reported this story last night as a developing story (with NO VIDEO) on Nightly News. By the time the Today Show hit the air this morning, they had the sub-titled video so we could hear the remarks for ourselves.

Yes, it is a good story and had I been producing the morning news (as I did for more than five years) I would have prominently played it in my newscast as well. But, that's beside the point. The media are simply doing their job.

This report by Lee Cowan, updates the controversy.




Strictly from the perspective of another black man-- I'm just of the opinion that you don't talk about another brother -- who you supposedly support-- behind his back.

As men, we have to be willing to confront our brothers when we think he's/they're wrong-- and deal with the issue.

I think Rev. Jackson handled this the wrong way-- choosing to gossip about it with yet another man of color in a public place.

I'm all for free speech. But, if you have a beef with a brother confront him on it-- debate him on it-- publicly, even. Then, let it go.

There's a policy difference here between Rev. Jackson and Senator Obama on individual responsibility vs. government accountability.

Should the government (i.e. through faith-based initiatives) be pouring money into churches to solve problems or should be problems be settled from within the communities where they occur?

His political motives aside, Obama's call on Father's day for men to be better fathers was a timely message. His acknowledgement at a predominantly black church that too many fathers are AWOL is the truth. Just look at the number of single moms in our churches today.

But, that's old news. Obama's speech is old news. Even the reactions to his Father's Day speech by people like Dr. Marc Lamont Hill (Temple University American Studies professor)are old news.

"What I don't want Barack to do is let the government off the hook." Hill said in an appearance on The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel.

Hill tried to articulate the position that Jackson has -- noting the "structural and societal issues" and "draconian child support policies" that might explain absentee fathers.

I applaud him for bringing out those issues while trying to see Obama's points about individual responsibility.

This is the way that black men ought to be handling their business. Use the public square-- bring the issues front-and-center.

Don't relegate them to disparaging remarks in private.

I understand why Rev Jackson had to apologize. I'm glad Obama's campaign accepted the apology.

What happened this week reflects poorly on all African-American men. Yes, I know those from other races also bad-mouth, demean and criticize others behind their back.

But, when there are so few of us out here in the spotlight, it behooves us to take the higher road.

CNN a Hindrance at UNITY?

Just read that CNN is going to broadcast the Presidential Candidates' session at the UNITY Journalists gathering in Chicago this month live.

No, it's not breaking news! That information was provided in a June 4th press release. But, what happens if we take time to think about this for a moment.


For those who don't know, every four years, the National Association of Black Journalists (of which I'm a member), the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Native American Journalists Association and the Asian American Journalists Association meet simultaneously. That allows them to hold some "joint sessions" at times during their respective annual conventions.

Each of the four journalist groups has its own schedule for the week of July 23-27.

This will be the four such gathering of the alliance callled UNITY Journalists, Inc. The practice began in 1994. The organization's Web site has more about previous UNITY gatherings.

In the past, the presidential candidates or sitting presidents have made it point to address these groups of journalists.

But, 2008 is different. We've never had so many presidential debates during a primary season. The candidates ran the risk of "overexposure," if that was possible during that period this past spring.

After watching (and often videotaping for personal playback later) 80% of the debates during Democratic and Republican Party nomination processes -- the primary season-- I'm just wondering how productive an exchange journalists will have if it's a "made for TV event."

While we may not see CNN's Wolf Blitzer moderating, and pauses for photojournalists to get their photos, bringing in the live cameras for wall-to-wall coverage introduces a dynamic that may not allow for the most frank exchange with the two men who want to succeed G.W. Bush in the White House.

The presence of live cameras totally changes the environment for how reporters relate to high-profile sources like presidential candidates.

It would be naive of me to think that an "off-the-record" session with journalists would be useful or even possible at this stage of the presidential race.

The candidates probably only agreed knowing that there would be an audience of millions watching and that they would be in the presence of a highly-intelligent, keen mostly minority group.

I suppose there is benefit in showcasing UNITY to millions of Americans.

But, I'm a big fan of journalists being able to get insights on "background only" sessions. Is that even feasible with such a large group of journalists at once?

So, is CNN a hindrance or a help to what UNITY is trying to accomplish?

The Black Blogger's Manifesto

Accepting the fact that web logs (e.g. blogz) are not a passing fad but a viable medium for the exchange of ideas, where does the element of race or ethnicity play in these exchanges?

Ever since the early 1800s, the black press has been portraying alternative images of African American life, setting the issues of African Americans on the public's agenda and operating as a catalyst for change. These news outlets were the medium of exchange of ideas.

Even as hundreds of these newspapers still play this role today, the World Wide Web is a 21st century medium of exchange of ideas. Free of charge and easy to launch, Web logs have become one of the most democratic means of exchange on the World WIde Web.

Often these exchanges are over ideas that directly involve, impact or influence African-Americans. What, then, does the African-American participant in these exchanges offer that is DIFFERENT from what might be found elsewhere.

I suggest TEN (10) such things that black bloggers can and should bring to the table in their involvement in the blogosphere:


1. Black Bloggers bring a perspective colored by their own experience as a member of a historically under-represented group.


2. Black Bloggers challenge the stereotypes about the "black" point of view.


3. Black Bloggers set the stage for a rational exchange of ideas.


4. Black Bloggers promote the under-promoted within our communities.

5. Black Bloggers position the issues of the day in the context of history and offer depth where it might not otherwise exist.

6. Black Bloggers strive for the utmost in accuracy in anything they post.

7. Black Bloggers reflect the fairness of those who acknowledge multiple sides of an issue or experience while championing their own posittion.


8. Black Bloggers exercise restraint when passing along information not properly vetted or verified for its legitimacy.

9. Black Bloggers carry the spirit of black Press whenever they post.

10. Black Bloggers see the educational role they play as paramount to their practice.

DEVELOPED by Dr. George L. Daniels
July 5, 2008

Premature Panic on Minority Jobs?

This week the National Association of Black Journalists, of which I am a member, issued a strongly worded statement -- an open letter to those in the newspaper industry.

"Let this serve as an open letter to the entire industry: NABJ will hold you accountable if you do not consider diversity in your hiring and, particularly, firing practices," the statement read.

Issued the day before the 4th of July holiday, the statement probably has yet to be read by many who have been away for the holiday.

But, will it make a REAL difference? So what the NABJ will hold you accountable.

What about my fellow colleagues in the electronic media? Any day now, the Radio-Television News Directors Association will release its annual diversity census.

A year ago, that census showed overall minority employment in radio and television newsrooms had dropped back to 21.5 percent (from 22.2 percent the year before).

But, the number of black journalists in radio and TV increased.

Will we see the same thing this year? Is the crisis just far worse for newspapers and that's why the NABJ hit the panic button, sounded the alarm or whatever other cliche we want to use?

It seems to me that the NABJ and other sister organizations in the UNITY group-- NAHJ, AAJA and NAJA-- should get a fuller picture of the industry before sounding such an alarm. The strategies used to get the attention of those at the nation's newspapers may have to change. Perhaps this is a topic that will be discussed at the upcomign UNITY Journalists Quadrennial convention in Chicago.

Perhaps it's the organizations' memberships that will have to change. Maybe more of the newspaper/print journalists will have re-tool or re-make themselves to be more multimedia in this multimedia age. I realize this is an ongoing discussion. But, I just have to believe that change from WITHIN may be just as important as change outside of minority journalism groups.

It's a different day, a different time. The tools we use to diversify the media industry have to be different as well.

The Four Pillars of the NAACP

I thought the way the president-elect of the NAACP articulated the organization was particularly interesting.

He says the NAACP is a house with FOUR Pillars-- the Black Church, the Black Press, the Black businss community and the membership of the civil rights group itself.

Himself a black journalist who once headed the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Benjamin Jealous, presented this picture of the NAACP at last month's NNPA Merit Awards dinner in Louisville, KY.

It seems to me that if the Black press are, in fact, collectively acting as a pillar of the NAACP, then these mostly weekly newspapers, radio stations, and a handful of television stations and cable networks won't be going away any time soon.

Can we define "press" as multimedia in 2008? We should. But, I'm sure there are some who see the "black press" as exclusively newspapers, just as it has been in historical terms.

Increasingly, the online dialogue in places like BlackAmericaUSA.com, blackpressusa, blackplanet.com is really an extension of the Black Press.

Many of these black-oriented newspapers have yet to step full force into the World Wide Web. Yet, they are not reach an audience that goes online to debate, dialogue and get up-to-speed on what's happening to others who look like them.

So, we have to define "black press" more broadly-- and if we link that to Mr. Jealous' definition of the NAACP, these outlets are by definition integrated into the civil rights movement of 2008.

As an NAACP member, a black journalist and a Christian very involved in a predominantly black church, I stand on three of the four pillars.

This latest news from Mr. Jealous certainly further explicates a point he made and I commented on in an earlier posting on the day after his appointment to the top job at the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization.

We'll likely hear more from Mr. Jealous later this month as the NAACP starts its own convention in my old stomping ground, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Video embedding- YouTube Style

I've become an instant YouTube fan. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit that I've spent sometimes hours and hours watching one video after another on YouTube.

My most favorite types of videos-- clips of local newscasts around the country.

As we talk about embedding video (via MSNBC's site), YouTube has been promoting this for a while





I've done research and visited WHNT more than any other station in the Tennessee Valley. While not rated number-one in the Huntsville market, this station is one of the best in the state.

Video embedding- MSNBC-style

These days news Web sites-- whether extensions of newspapers or electronic media outlets are increasingly including video as a "MUST-HAVE" on their sites. I'm told by some who run these sites that the availability of video that viewers can click and watch dramatically enhances the viewer experience and increases the number of "hits" on a site. Visitors stay longer when they're watching video instead of just scanning text.

I'm a big ONLINE Video watcher. In fact, this summer, I've developed a habit of watching at least three daily news programs via podcast. Downloading NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, an ABC News Webcast is a routine that gives me about an hour's worth of network news content guaranteed. It's a useful evening supplement (NOT a replacement) to my reading the daily newspapers in the morning (I tend to read at least 3 every morning). And, if I'm home or able to get to a television at 5:30 p.m. Central Time, it allows me to focus on the over-the-air newscasts NOT available online.

Now, tonight during one of those web-only commercials during the Nightly News podcast, I saw the announcement about MSNBC's video embedding tool.

BAM! I'm there-- and here's my first video embedded on my blog. Like any easy tool-- there's a catch, MSNBC includes a quick advertisment for viewers to point BACK to its site at the end of the video. But, if you're not put off by that, the video is one to check out.





This is one of my favorite stories of the day because Wal-mart (A.P. Stylistically correct way to write it) is finally growing on me after all of these years. I've always been a Target (or as they say "Tar--ZAY") kind of guy, preferring the neat, "refined" orderly layout of the big RED DOT stores to the seemingly "zoo-like" atmosphere of a Wal-Mart (Have you ever been in there on the first day of the month?).

OK-- that was a little insensitive, I'll admit. My apologies.

But, on a recent trip, I made a food run from my hotel and Wal-mart was nearby. So, the nation's biggest retailer got my food money for the day-- and I came out with a frozen dinner, munchies and plenty of water with not a lot of money. I was pretty happy and I avoided the stop for unhealthy fast food, to which I often resort when traveling.

Now, the retailer is donning a new look. Will that bring George Daniels back to the store more often? Maybe, it's certainly got my attention.

Today's Decatur Big Photo

When it comes to front page layout, I like the way the editors made use of a really dominant photograph in today's front page layout. It's one example of

What Mark Lent Left Me To Think About

Veteran photojournalist Mark Lent gave a presentation on "Visual Journalism" this week that really made me think about the degree to which photojournalists work to get that perfect photo that we read in the newspaper or see in a magazine.

I thought I as a reporter was busy gathering all the facts and information for the text part of the story.

Looking at some of the photos that Mark Lent, a telecommunication and film student at the University of Alabama, shot, I have a whole new appreciation for the visual side of news gathering.

In checking out some of the Mark's writing on the Popular Photography Web site, I see one of those photos that left an impact.


Mark talked about the importance of capturing emotion. He also talked about the factor of timing. This photo would not have been possible if Mark had not had just the right timing.

In his article, he talks about the three key elements to getting photos like this: focus, exposure and timing.

But, the big thing he revealed is that he practiced. He didn't just accidentally stumble into this shot. He pratices shooting children playing -- a way to see if you get just the right shot.

"Shooting sports well means that you can regularly anticipate what's going to happen, " Lent wrote in an article from Popular Photography nearly two years ago.


If nothing else, I realize that to get really good with my digital camera, I had to be willing commit time to practice-- with the focus, exposure and timing in mind.

Scenes from Cedar Rapids

The experience of the people of Cedar Rapids, Iowa is almost unbelievable. The Des Moines Register captured the experience with many, many images.


In this photo, Des Moines Register photojournalist Harry Baumert Brandon Smith, 23, carries Bender, right, and Fry, his fiance's cats, this morning in southwest Cedar Rapids. His neighbor, Tyrone
Pierce, 49, follows. Smith said there was no flooding in sight when they
evacuated the neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.

While the neighbor appears in this image, the cats -- their unassuming nature -- ones that might otherwise be left behind-- really help tell the story.

My favorite news source

My favorite news Web site is CNN's new website.

New Day, New Leader for NAACP in New Era

The big news out of Baltimore today -- the selection of a new President and CEO for the NAACP, the nation's largest civil rights organization of which I am a subscribing life member.

I read about the announcement today on the NAACP's Web site and thought-- wow! Someone different. But, then I just read the Washington Post story and learned Benjamin Jealous is younger than I.

I'm like-- "wait a minute" the leader of the NAACP is only 35 years ago? Now that is a switch.

At 38, I feel like I can identify with the Gen-Xer who will lead the nation's largest civil rights organization starting September 1. Hey-- he's a journalist. And, not just any journalist-- a journalist who has worked for a black newspaper.

The Jackson Advocate in Jackson, Mississippi is among the organizations on Jealous' resume.

Jealous' hire is exactly the direction that we (since I'm a member I can say that) need to go as we look at the freedom fighters of the 21st century.

Apparently, he wasn't the only 30-something who was a finalist for the position. According to a report in today's Baltimore Sun, a 37-year-old adviser for former president Bill Clinton was also among the finalists.


Having worked in the NAACP as a youngster serving on the local and regional level of the NAACP Youth and College Division, I know what an interesting animal we have here-- in 99 years-- the organization has single-handedly opened doors for people who look like me.

I wouldn't have the great job I have today as a journalism professor were it not for the NAACP.

But at the same time, the NAACP has members who have worked for civil rights all their lives and local branches that are suffering from a lack of enthusiasm and younger leadership.

As its centennial celebration is less than a year away (Feb. 12, 2009), the NAACP sits as an interesting crossroads.

The organization today is choosing to go with younger leadership seasoned with the experience in advocating for black newspapers as head of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and, most recently, immigrants and working class families as head of the Rosenberg Foundation.

An interesting to know that Jealous is the product of interracial marriage where his white father and black mother both participated in the civil rights movement. The NAACP has never been just a black organization. It's future will be dependent on a realization that civil rights issues must be fought be those of all races, colors and creeds.

Jealous certainly can attest to this based on who he is and what his parents did even before he was born.

As I noted in a posting late last year, Freedom is Not Free, and that's something to which Jealous is committing himself at a level that his predecesoor apparently was not as succesful.

According to the Baltimore Sun report, Jealous said he will also focus on supporting the NAACP's nearly 2,000 local units across the country and on using technology more effectively to "pull people into this movement."

Now you're talking my language.

The strength of the NAACP is in its local branches. To the extent that those branches are supported, the organization is positioned for the next 100 years.

And, as someone who knows a little bit about technology, I second the motion to use it to attract more people to the fight for civil rights.

Communication Scholar Named New Howard President

This is the first day after the spring semester and I finally have time to update my blog with thoughts about one of the biggest stories of the week for me-- the appointment of a new president at Howard University.

It was announced yesterday that Dr. Sidney Ribeau, the president of Bowling Green State University in Ohio will become the 16th president of my beloved alma mater.

It was exciting to see this news, in particular, because Ribeau is a interpersonal communications scholar. While I'm not in communication studies, the field of journalism and mass communication is closely aligned with our brethren in rhetoric and communications.

Based on the the write-ups I've read, it looks as if his 13 years at the northwest Ohio school have been good ones.

I visited there a couple of years ago and was impressed.

Right now, I'm excited about what's to come as Ribeau takes up where Dr. Swygert leaves off to lead the world's premiere HBCU.

Ribeau is described as a "facilitator of change" and "collegial leader." We'll see how that plays out as he takes the helm August 1.

Jeremiah Wright and Dangers of Soundbite Journalism

I've just finished watching the much-talked-about interview with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the now retired pastor of United Church of Christ in Chicago.

For those who don't know him, Rev. Wright was Sen. Barack Obama's pastor before he retired. His controversial sermons prompted Obama to make a major speech

Not only did I learn that this renown minister is a fellow Howard University graduate, but that he also spent some time in my hometown of Richmond, Va. at Virginia Union University.

These connections aside, what the story involving Rev. Wright shows us is the dangers of using soundbites to tell a story.

As a television producer, I've written thousands of news stories (VO-SOTS of PACKAGES for those of you who know the TV news jargon) where snippets or soundbites were used to extend what was conveyed in the news copy.

Whenever we excerpt an interview or a speech with a soundbite, we always have to be concerned about what part is being left out.

Tonight, Bill Moyers provided the context needed for viewers to understand the Rev. Wright soundbites that have been circulated over and over and over via video Web sites such as YouTube and played on cable and broadcast news.

While the Web site even minutes after the hourlong broadcast ended already has dozens of comments from viewers, millions more didn't watch tonight's broadcast and will only judge Rev. Wright by those soundbites, either from his sermon or from news broadcasts that reported on his interview.

During the interview Rev. Wright addressed the motives of those who selected the sound bites that have been played this spring:

“When something is taken like a sound bite for a political purpose and put constantly over and over again, looped in the face of the public, that's not a failure to communicate. Those who are doing that are communicating exactly what they wanna do, which is to paint me as some sort of fanatic or as the learned journalist from the New York Times called me, a "wackadoodle".

It will be interesting to see what news reporters who write stories about Moyers' interview tonight decide to use as "quotes" in their reports.

We shall see. For now, there's a big lesson to be learned about soundbites in our journalism.

NAB Conference Web Sites

There are many Web Sites that relate to the recent gathering of the National Association of Broadcasters, which I attended in Las Vegas last week.

NAB Home Page
The the largest advocacy group for radio and television licensees of the Federal Communication Commission. The organization's Web site talks about what happens the other 51 weeks when this group is not meeting in Vegas.

RTNDA Home Page
Last week's gathering was not only the meeting of the National Association of Broadcasters, but also the largest group of electronic journalists, the Radio Television News Directors Association. RTNDA, of which I am a member, recently upgraded its Web site.

Las Vegas Convention Center Home Page
The home base for the tens of thousands of electronic technicians and managers was the Las Vegas Convention Center, which has three halls. This Web Site includes a number of floor plans and other resources to help visitors like myself negotiate the huge convention venue.

Las Vegas Monorail
Since my hotel was located on the opposite end of the famous Las Vegas Strip, I had to catch the Monorail to and from the Convention Center each day. This Web site gives you information on how to purchase tickets.

It's not about Palm Sunday, It's About God's Plan

Charlotte, NC-- It's Palm Sunday and we begin week two of this road trip in Charlotte, NC where I was fortunate enough to worship with the folks at New Birth Charlotte this morning.

It's hard to believe this church is already five years old. I remember visiting only three weeks after Pastor Terrell Murphy founded the church in 2003, right after I had moved from New Birth in Atlanta to Alabama.

I was eager to check out this first church that was planted outside of our Lithonia, Ga- based New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. I remember when Pastor Murphy was Elder Murphy and dynamically leading our college campus ministry. He's still as dynamic as ever and allowing God to use him in a mighty way.

He has the heart of our Bishop Eddie L. Long and it just flows right through the way that New Birth Charlotte has grown to several thousand members in the last half-decade.

Picked up a copy of Pastor Murphy's first book, It Had Already Happened. Can't wait to dive into it this week in between stops on this trip.

I was challenged today to remember that I am part of God's plan-- and everything I do should tie directly back to his larger plan.

The church has moved to a larger facility where it now holds three services at 7 am, 9:15am and noon. It started with services at a high school in Huntersville.

Having been back once since that initial visit, I was coming today for the first time to the facility in University Place-- but it definitely won't be my last. I'll have schedule a Sunday here in Charlotte again so that I can worship here another Sunday.

Reflections on a week in East Alabama

It's rare to spend six days away from campus and yet remain in Alabama. But, that's been the case this last week-- the first of two on the road. While three of those were spent on the road in Anniston-Jacksonville area, the last three were spent in Auburn.

On this Sunday-- as week two begins, it's worth pausing to reflect on the significance, the memorable moments of the road trip that registered several hundreds miles on my odometer.

Tuesday, March 11- Letterwriters Banquet, Anniston, Ala.

While I have written more extensively about this event on my other web log, the reunion with one of my former students, who now is in the Knight Fellows Program in Anniston was perhaps most memorable about this event at the Anniston Natural History Museum.

Wednesday, March 12- Ayers Lecture, Jacksonville, Ala.



Seeing my students all dressed up as they reported on New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger's visit to Jacksonville State was definitely the highlight of this stop. I even got a chance to introduce them as I commented during a question-and-answer session. It's always exciting to visit the picturesque Jacksonville State campus.

Thursday, March 13- Dedication of the Cole Campbell Collection Anniston, Ala.

The late Cole Campbell, a former editor of the Virginian Pilot and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was remembered as thousands of his books have made their way to Alabama from his most recent home in Reno, NV. Present and former deans of our College as well as present and former journalism department heads were on hand for the dedication of the Cole Campbell Collection. I certainly enjoyed speaking at this particular event.

Friday, March 14- Auburn University

The editor of the student newspaper at our cross-state rival institution-- Auburn University-- reflected on how well his staff handled the recent murder of a student near the campus. David Ingram,editor of the Auburn Plainsman, was quite clear in his belief that his staff was prepared as it found itself cast into the national spotlight with the murder of Lauren Burk.

Just hours after hearing from Ingram, I was able to catch up with one of my former students, who is covering the Burk murder for the Opelika-Auburn News. Katie Stallcup was always very outstanding. She's recently signed on the Media General-owned paper where she covers crime and courts.

Saturday, March 15- Meeting Editor of Auburn Magazine

Not only did my visit to the Auburn campus for the 2008 AEJMC Southeast Colloquium allow me to meet the editor of the Auburn Plainsman, but also the editor of the Auburn Magazine, the alumni publication which is similar to Alabama Alumni Magazine, on whose advisory board I served. It's exciting to hear that the editor is a journalism graduate from the University of Georgia.

Rivalries aside, the Auburn campus was certainly nice to visit and I look forward sharing with the folks there again soon.

PolitiBits Launches, Looks to be Top Political Site

First POLITICO.. now PolitiBits.

The Tuscaloosa News's new political blog went live this week, just in time for the hype and excitement surrounding the Alabama Presidential Primary, which is just a week away.


As the candidates make their last-minute swings through the state, we now have a place to vent, rant and reflect about what the locals are saying about the candidates.

The TNews folks there have high hopes for the site becoming a "one-stop-shopping website for political news in Alabama."

I'm looking forward to seeing the active conversation on Politics on the blog, which is under the direction of newly-appointed online editor Tommy Stevenson.

In case you didn't know what POLITICO was, it's the political newspaper that launched a year ago as the new Democratic-controlled Congress began its term and President Bush was preparing to make his State of the Union address.

Alabama has a new local newscast

For those like me who love to follow the happenings in the broadcast news world, you'll be excited to know that Huntsville is the latest Alabama market to add a local program.

You may have read my posting on the COM-J blog last year where I talked about Montgomery added a local newscast on its CW affiliate. The newscasts was actually produced by WAKA-TV, the CBS affiliate.

In a an earlier experiment that failed, WAAY produced a primetime product for WZDX. Now, the FOX affiliate is going on its own with an interesting relationship with Independent Network News(INN), which is based in Iowa.

The INN product used to air here in Tuscaloosa on our University-owned station, WVUA.

The story about WZDX's new 9pm news was first reported in The Huntsville Times last week.

This week, Huntsville became the latest market to add an early evening newscast with FOX affiliate WZDX-TV joining the news competition where WHNT, WAAY, and WAFF have been for years with a 10pm product.

No doubt, with the Super Bowl in two weeks and American Idol starting, this was the perfect time to try a local news product.

It will be interesting to see if the station eventually adopts the "MY FOX" concept that has been happening at many affiliates-- even those not owned by the network.

I hope to check out the new broadcast in a few weeks when I'm up in the Tennessee Valley/Shoals area this winter.

CNN Documentary on MLK Papers Fascinating

It you have not seen it, CNN Soledad O'Brien's hourlong documentary on Dr. King's papers is worth an hour of your time.

CNN re-aired the program, "Martin Luther King: Words That Changed a Nation" tonight, two days before the 22nd observance of the King National Holiday.

When King's papers were purchased and brought back to Atlanta last year, CNN took a crew back to some of the places connected to the papers and made the writings of the Dr. King come alive.

Many of us have heard of the "Letter from the Birmingham Jail." But, to see Dr. King's actual handwriting and hear the stories surrounding that writing is a whole other thing.

CNN has created a companion Web site with teaching guides and PDF files of some of the documents referenced in the documentary.

Civil rights warriors like Andrew Young, Wyatt Tee Walker, Congressman John Lewis and Fred Gray all appear in the program.

There are very few documentary works on civil rights movement that can compare to the award-winning Eyes on the Prize series, which first aired more than 20 years ago.

But, this CNN special comes very close.

Snowman pictures carry the day

Perhaps my earlier critique of the Alabama media in "getting up" their coverage of the snowstorm on their Web sites was a bit premature. Almost everybody has updated their sites now with some elements from today's snowstorm.

Now that the storm has passed through the Atlanta market, we can see the breadth of the coverage across the Southeast-- in multiple markets. From the (Jackson, MS) Clarion-Ledger's online reporting to the "Snow is Falling, but not accumulating" coverage on Raleigh's WRAL-TV Web site, journalists across the region are making use of the World Web Wide as the medium to tell this story.

Ironically, The Tuscaloosa News, which was quick to post this morning has not yet updated -- other than a new picture-- its site throughout the afternoon.

The "serve it while it's hot" philosophy is clearly playing out on the Atlanta Journal Constitution's web site.

The splash page depicts at least ten elements including a main story, which NOW has shifted from the snowstorm to the icy roads expected with the extreme cold (for the south). Also there are links to numerous reader photos, a story about flight cancellations, tips for driving and links to places to monitor flight arrivals and departures. At the top of their coverage box, they include links to a listing of cancellations.


But, the art-- the reader-submitted photos are what carry this Web presentation

Even more user-generated content on the AJC's sister Cox Enterprises-owned TV station, WSB-TV, which has some 25 slideshows.
posted.

I could not help but check out what my former TV station, WXIA-TV does.

An "auto-start" clip from either their 6 p.m. newscast or a web-only visit for the NBC Weather Plus (can't tell from the video) provides an update from the Weather Anchor Paul Ossmann and meteorologists Chris Holcomb and Steve Adamson (both of whom I worked with more than seven years ago).

Like many NBC affiliates, which mostly all run the continuous digital weather feed, Weather Plus, the forecast maps and digital feed with video inserts can be brought front and center on the Web site. Crawls with National WEather Service alerts and links to closings are also on the home page. It's all under the banner: Winter Watch 2008.

Despite all of these elements on 11ALIve's site, they have a link to a web log that stopped being updated at 9:43 this morning. So, how useful is this link?

They have a Web story along with a TV package by my former co-worker Donna Lowry. This is a great example of how the TV newscast content could be repurposed for the Web.

Another piece-- Elaine Reyes' live report (And insert) from Piedmont Park, which she says was "the hottest spot" in Atlanta.


Back here in Alabama, the Montgomery Advertiser (another Gannett-owned property) also included some citizen-submitted photos. But, they also included citizen-generated videos.

Alvin Benn's story has a fresh lead advancing the story to focus on the freezing temperatures expected this evening and comments from the local emergency management officials and the Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright.

The professional, news product is accompanied by the citizen-submitted content-- two short videos from citizens experiencing their first snows.

The youngster in one of the videos can't be more than three years ago. He asks his parents "what happened to our car?"

He clearly hasn't experienced snow. The fact is it's more than three years since Montgomery has had snow.

Alongside the citizen video, there was a video produced by the Montgomery Advertiser staffer Shannon Heupel.



The Advertiser's own weather picture from the city skyline is not nearly as exciting as the citizen photos.

ABC 33/40 Gets Snow Coverage Award!

They may not have been the only ones on, but the folks at WBMA-TV ABC 33/40 seem to have done the best job all-around with the coverage of the breaking news on the winter weather.

Why are they the winner?

It's the cross-media coverage plan that seems to have executed well. At this hour, as the snow has tapered off in our West Alabama area-- the TV stations have also ended their continuous over-the-air coverage.

Branding their coverage under the banner of the "Alabama Freeze," the meteorologists are clearly having fun as they provide the latest information.

At 6 a.m., WBMA, the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, WVTM, the NBC affiliate and WBRC, the FOX affiliate were all on with special editions of their morning shows. (Some of the stations were on-the-air with updates overnight)

Now, as it approaches noon, ABC 33/40 staff are still doing a live web-only program.

They had a special Webcast last night.


The station's chief meteorologist, James Spann, the most well-known weather personality in the state, and his staff have been providing a live stream wall-to-wall all morning.

ABC 33/40 have been taking in photos using a Flickr Web site and showing that online

"Seeing the faces of the children is what this is all about," said Spann, who putting a number of the kids and snow photos in the live Web stream.

Using their network of skycams and their web log, the staff members there have been able to add a whole different aspect to the coverage that can be dcne over-the-air.

This is a story where the newspapers (and their Web sites) just could not compete. But, they didn't cede the BREAKING NEWS territory to the TV folks entirely.

It is interesting that al.com, the state's biggest news WEb site streams ABC 33/40's signal. But, apparently the newsroom chose not to do a great deal of aggressive updating on the winter weather today.

Among the state's largest newspapers, The Tuscaloosa News was among the first to post a fresh story on today's winter weather. Anna Maria Della Costa, the assistant managing editor for content, wrote an update, acknowledging that it ( the snowy weather) was "short-lived" and no major cancellations had been reported.

The photo here was taken by The Tuscaloosa News Photo Editor Robert Sutton. He interviewed the student, Thomas Harrison, a sophomore at the University of Alabama from Mobile.

"It's awesome," said Harrison, "Something I have not seen in about 12 years."

According to Sutton's cutline, dozens of students went to the quad to play in the snow.




Not to be outdone by their similar-sized rival newspaper on the West Side of the state, the Anniston Star ALSO posted a fresh story this story.

My colleague, Andy Johns (who I worked with as a part of the Knight Fellows in Community Journals Program) , had a new story posted at 11:11 a.m.

Anniston Star Metro Editor Ben Cunningham, another colleague, took this photo in Jacksonville this morning. (Looks similar to the photo I took here in Tuscaloosa)






By the way, even while I was writing this blog update-- the SNOW on my front lawn-- and the roofs of houses in my neighborhood (see pictures in earlier post) has MELTED.

So, at least for now, this morning's snow in Tuscaloosa is HISTORY!

A Snowy Day in Tuscaloosa--FINALLY!

It's been a L---O---N--G time coming for me-- five years and one month to be exact.

That's how long I've been in Tuscaloosa and never seen it snow here.

This morning, I awakened to flakes falling with a little accumulation on shrubbery and grassy areas in the front yard. While it's been waiting to be put in service-- my snow shovel will not be needed today. And, the bag of rock salt will remain in the garage.

Both of those items I brought from Cincinnati to Smyrna, Ga. in 1995 to Athens, Ga. where they were used ONCE in five years in 2002.



Now, today in January 2008, I thought I'd better take some shots of the frozen precipitation before it melts.


Up until now, I've had to travel elsewhere-- Estes Park, Colorado and Reno, Nevada-- to see the white stuff.

Of course, there's a chance another wave of winter weather will move through before the season is over.

But, at least I can now say that it DOES snow in Alabama.

R-Braves, Don't Go!

It's a sad day for baseball fans in my hometown of Richmond, Va. This afternoon, it was announced that the Richmond Braves are leaving Richmond for greener pastures in Gwinnett County, Ga.

While the International League farm team for the Atlanta franchise is probably not the first thing that baseball fans think of when they think of America's greatest pasttime, it is OUR hometeam.

That's why I just had to stop what I was doing on a busy Tuesday afternoon and reflect on the news that the first baseball team I ever knew will soon not be there when I go home.

The story is still developing as of this writing-- at least the reaction to it.

I will be interested to see what Mayor Doug Wilder and other officials have to say.

Much of this is related to the venue for the Braves. When I was kid, the old Parker Field (previous stadium for the Braves) was demolished and The Diamond was built as the new home for the team. I can remember getting excited about going to the Diamond.

We used to have Boy Scout's night at The Diamond.

Having visited other baseball venues in my adult life-- including the homes of the Atlanta Braves, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox, I can see how The Diamond has become relic of yesteryear.

So, we can't really blame the team for moving if they couldn't get a nicer place to call home.

But, I will CERTAINLY be making my way to the Diamond at least once or twice this summer-- if for no other reason-- for old time's sake.

The Diamond is just 5 or 10 minutes from my house, down the street from my old elementary school on the Boulevard.

Well, that's all I'll say for now. But, I'm just so saddened by this news.

The Digital Yearbook Provides Path to the Past

These days yearbooks are often not the first publication outlet one gravitates toward when deciding where to work.

In fact, some college yearbooks have gone out of service after years of poor sales and low interest.

In the last few years, the University of Alabama Libraries has been augmenting its digital collection.

One of the items in the digital collection is a set of old copies of the UA Yearbook, The Corolla. In thumbing through the 1969 Corolla, I stumbled upon a familiar face.



Professor Dan Meissner has been teaching in our journalism department for years. But, I didn't realize that he worked as a staff photographer for The Crimson White.

Today, I know him as the chairman of the Tuscaloosa City School Board.


My point-- you never know what or who'll you'll find in the digital yearbook.

The UA Digital Library is a great resource for news reporters and editors trying to expand or deepen their coverage.

New Day, New Year from Florida

ST PETERSBURG, Fla.-- The first post on this blog of 2008 comes from Tampa's twin city where we're about to board a plane headed to Atlanta.

Gotta go! Will report more on what happened here at the AEJMC Scholastic Journalism Midwinter Meeting later.