1,000 Hear Raspberry Eulogized for Traditional Values

More than 1,000 friends, colleagues and admirers came to Washington's stately National Cathedral Thursday to honor William J. Raspberry, the retired Washington Post columnist who died at 76 of prostate cancer on July 17.

They heard him eulogized as a pundit who liked to defy expectations, an upholder of traditional values, a wise dad and a newsroom resource who at the Post complemented Robert C. Maynard, a co-founder of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education who was a reporter and later ombudsman at the Post.

"Like his contemporary, the late Robert C. Maynard," said Dorothy Gilliam, a Post veteran and board member of the Maynard Institute, "Bill was dedicated to improving the quality of journalism. Bill's approach was to improve the presentation and the representation of diverse ideas. Bob impacted the media industry directly, training journalists and managers of color and also trying to improve coverage of minorities in media.

"But it was really because both Bob and Bill were so extraordinarily good at what they did that they paved the way for a large community of minority journalists who applauded their brilliance and their fearlessness."

Donald E. Graham, chairman and CEO of the Washington Post Co., and Vernon E. Jordan Jr., a former president of the National Urban League, mentioned Raspberry's independence of thought.

"He toed no one's party line," Graham said. "No one ever told Bill Raspberry what to say. He never modified an opinion to please a boss, to sell a column or to become a TV star. He was a leader of no group whatsoever. He was happiest rowing against the current of everyone else's opinion."

Jordan, who said he and Raspberry were the same age and met 46 years ago, said the columnist "told some unpleasant truths" and "had a way of telling you to go to hell and look forward to the trip."

Raspberry's conservative streak was a good thing, the Rev. Canon John T.W. Harmon said in his homily. "Reading Raspberry is very much like listening to your mother and father, your Sunday School teacher and pastor all at the same time. . . . He would write often about the value of the good old days. He was writing and speaking of the old-time religion . . . teaching ethical pride" as well as ethnic pride.

Raspberry's column ran in the Post for nearly 40 years before he retired in 2005. More than 200 newspapers carried his syndicated columns. "I was in awe of Bill's prowess as a writer," Gilliam said. "He was a master of precision with prose and always to the point. His readers quickly knew how he felt."

"If we are very fortunate," Graham said, "we learned from him. We learned how to think, we learned how to write, we learned how to listen, and above all, perhaps, we learned that you can stand up for your views and still respect the views of others and respect the people who disagree with you."

The Post sponsored a reception at the Post building attended by nearly 600 past and present employees, other journalists, community members and politicians. It did the same exactly a month ago, on June 26, for a roast and tribute that raised more than $40,000 for Raspberry's BabySteps foundation, which teaches parenting skills in Raspberry's hometown of Okolona, Miss. "He always said, 'Where are all the fathers?' Raspberry's son Reginald Harrison said at the service. "Keep donating to BabySteps. Donate until it hurts."

John DeLashmutt, head usher for the 2½-hour Episcopal service, counted the attendees at 1,019. [Added July 26]

• Joel Dreyfuss, theRoot.com: We Need You Now, Bill Raspberry!
  
  
• Gwen Ifill blog, "Washington Week": Bill Raspberry, 1935-2012
  
  
• Robert Fleming, Black Star News: William Raspberry: Maverick of The Black Press
  
  
• Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe: The rush to politicize a tragedy
  
  
• Erica Taylor, The Tom Joyner Morning Show: Little Known Black History Fact: William Raspberry
  
  

"This is Digital First, Fool"

Martin G. Reynolds, former editor of the Oakland Tribune and now engagement editor in the Digital First West Region, delivered a comedy rap at a ceremony for winners of the Bay Area News Group's quarterly awards. It was posted online Tuesday. Reynolds also owns Bop City Pacific, whose mission is "to capture life, politics, passion, angst, joy, pain, love and family [within] the lyrics we write, the songs we produce and the performances we present." Reynolds has told the Los Angeles Times, "Being a journalist has helped me become a better songwriter, and being a lyricist has helped me become a better journalist." (Video)

22% Take Advantage of Early Voting in AAJA Race

Some 248 members of the Asian American Journalists Association — about 22 percent of the 1,138 who are eligible — have cast absentee ballots in the AAJA's national elections, Executive Director Kathy Chow told Journal-isms on Wednesday. Early voting closed July 16; voting reopens on-site next week at the Unity Journalists convention Aug. 1-3 in Las Vegas.

Paul Cheung and Janet Cho are running for national president in a replay of the 2009 contest for vice president-print. Cho beat Cheung then by one vote, 165 to 164. AAJA has 1,675 members.

Although their contest is not as contentious as that taking place in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists — on Wednesday, one campaign accused the other of tweeting false statements at #electNAHJ12 — there are clear differences between Cheung and Cho.

For example, Cho, as an AAJA representative to Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc., voted against changing its name to Unity Journalists, a request successfully made by the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the coalition's newest member.

Asked his position on the name change and the admission of NLGJA to Unity, Cheung, global interactive editor for the Associated Press, told Journal-isms by email in May, "Since NLGJA's admission to UNITY and the name change are decided already, it's vital for me to focus on the goals of my presidency: how to include more minorities and journalism leaders in shaping the future of our industry."

Cheung's supporters include George Kiriyama, national vice president for broadcast; Sharon Chan, Unity vice president and former AAJA national president; Russell Contreras, NAHJ presidential candidate, NAHJ vice president/print and NAHJ chief financial officer; and Virgil Smith, vice president, talent acquisition and diversity at Gannett Co. Inc.

Cho's supporters include Peter Ortiz, NAHJ representative to the Unity Journalists, who hailed her vote to keep "Journalists of Color"; Esther Wu, former AAJA national president; Rene Astudillo, AAJA national treasurer and former executive director; and Corky Lee, "undisputed, unofficial Asian American photographer laureate."

Asked why Journal-isms readers should care about the outcome, Cheung replied with this message:

"My goals for AAJA are based on cumulative conversation and feedback from AAJA members as well as my personal observations since I have played a very active role in many of AAJA's signature programs.

"I think it's very important for everyone in our industry to care about who is elected president for all the various diversity journalism organizations.

"AAJA is here to provide:

• "A means of association and support among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) journalists
  
  
• "Encouragement, information, advice and scholarship assistance to AAPI students who aspire to professional journalism careers
  
  
• "An awareness of news media and an understanding of how to gain fair access
  
  
• "Guidance to news media organizations that stray from accuracy and fairness in the coverage of AAPIs

"If elected, I will make sure that AAJA plays a leadership role and works hand-in-hand with media companies and entrepreneurs to build a sustainable future for journalism. Supporting AAJA is a smart business solution and not a cost center.

"For more about my goals for AAJA, please visit http://pcheung630.tumblr.com"

Asked the same question, Cho messaged:

"For me, this campaign is very personal. Few people have received as much from AAJA as I have. I truly believe I owe my longevity in journalism to the tremendous colleagues I've met and been inspired by over my 19 years in this wonderful organization. When I've felt like one of the few people in my newsroom speaking out for greater diversity in our coverage, or when I've been on the receiving end of some really hateful backlash, I've always cherished having my AAJA family to turn to and rely on.

"That's why I've dedicated my campaign — and my future presidency — to highlighting our extraordinary members and our amazing organization. The priorities I've outlined in my 31 Ideas for AAJA (http://janetchoaaja.tumblr.com/) are about keeping AAJA financially strong, building on what our founders created, reaching out to other journalists and journalists groups, and preparing our 1,600+ members for the enormous challenges that lie ahead.

"I'm looking forward to next week's UNITY12 Journalists Convention as a chance to celebrate having survived some of the most difficult years the media industry has ever seen. But I'm also mourning the fact that tens of thousands of journalists have lost their jobs since UNITY08 in Chicago, that so many faithful AAJA members couldn't afford to join us this year, and that some NABJ members had to choose between attending their own convention or coming to UNITY."

• AAJA Asia Chapter: Q&A with AAJA National presidential candidates

Guild Concerned About Diversity After Detroit Buyouts

"M.L. Elrick, vice chairman of the Free Press unit of the Detroit Newspaper Guild, says he's worried about the talent the paper will lose after its next round of buyouts," Mallary Jean Tenore wrote Tuesday for the Poynter Institute. "On Monday, management offered buyouts to 155 people at the Free Press, the Detroit News and the Detroit Media Partnership, which oversees their joint business operations."

In an email interview, Elrick wondered how diversity will affect the Free Press.

" '. . . One of the great casualties of the newspaper economic crisis has been staff diversity. We used to hear about it all the time. Now? Never,' Elrick said. 'It is, of course, possible that folks talked about diversity when I was out of earshot, but it's definitely not like it was. It seems these days that bosses mainly care about color when it comes to inks: red, black and green.' "

• Bill Shea, Crain's Detroit Business: Early retirement offer made to 155 News, Free Press, partnership employees

Toronto Star Apologizes for Cartoon of Black Child

"The Toronto Star has issued an apology for a Michael de Adder editorial cartoon that ran last week after a gang related shooting left two dead and over 20 injured — including a toddler," Alan Gardner reported Wednesday for the Daily Cartoonist. "The cartoon depicted a toddler with a captions that read: 'Injuries to expect before they are two: Boo boo from high chair; mark from tricycle; head laceration from a medium caliber bullet.' Readers objected to the use of the word 'they' and the depiction of a black child.

"The Toronto Star wrote:

" 'Quite a few readers found the cartoon, coming right after the Scarborough incident, very upsetting. Some told us in letters to the editor, emails and phone calls that by portraying the child as identifiably black and using the word 'they,' it fed into racial stereotypes at a time when emotions were running particularly high. Some even thought it was making light of the shooting, as though subjecting a 22-month-old child to this kind of violence (as happened in Scarborough) isn't serious.

" 'That was the last thing that de Adder, and the Star, intended to convey. In hindsight, though, we should have been more aware that the cartoon could be read in a way that would reinforce stereotypes.'

"In a blog post on Michael's website, he dissected the creation of the cartoon and his thought process as he drew the cartoon. The original wording said, 'injuries expected before children are two:' but he changed the word 'children' to 'they' because it looked better visually. And also, to me, it fit the flavour of the parenting books 'What To Expect.' "

Detroit's Diana Lewis Retiring After 44 Years

"Diana Lewis, a fixture on WXYZ-Channel 7's evening newscast, will retire in October after 44 years on television, she told Crain's Tuesday afternoon," Bill Shea reported Wednesday for Crain's Detroit Business.

"The Detroit ABC affiliate will announce her decision today.

"Lewis, 69, will co-anchor the station's 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. 'Action News with JoAnne Purtan' for the final time Oct. 4, she said. No replacement has been announced.

"She joined WXYZ on July 4, 1977, and co-anchored the evening news with Bill Bonds. She left the station for a few years in the mid-1980s before returning to Detroit.

" 'I am very excited, very grateful. I thank God I am healthy, I feel good. I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life. I did it my way,' she said. 'I can look in the mirror and say, "I am fulfilled." It's been 44 years. It's time for a new chapter for me. I want to relax and cook and do some things with my husband.'

". . . The Pennsylvania native began her TV career in 1968 as host of the African-American community issues show 'Black Book' on Philadelphia's WPVI-TV — filling in unexpectedly for Maya Angelou, who had become ill. Lewis later worked as a weekend news anchor and consumer reporter at KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

". . . Lewis and her husband, Glenn, have two daughters: Donna, who works at Henry Ford Hospital, and Glenda, a reporter and anchor at WXYZ.

"Diana and Glenda Lewis became the first mother-daughter team to anchor a newscast when they did the 11 p.m. telecast on Mother's Day 2004."

Victor Blackwell to Be CNN Saturday Morning Co-Host

"Victor Blackwell will join CNN as an Atlanta-based anchor and correspondent, co-hosting CNN Newsroom Saturday mornings with Randi Kaye, it was announced today by Ken Jautz, executive vice president of CNN," CNN said on Wednesday.

"Blackwell comes to CNN from WPBF 25 News in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he served as an anchor for the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. He has been honored with an Emmy award, several regional Emmy nominations, two Telly awards, several Associated Press awards and honors from the Society of Professional Journalists.

"He also earned the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award and the UNITY Award, both from the Radio Television Digital News Association, for a special report on the disproportionate [dropout] rate amongst young black men."

Sarah Glover Joins NBC in Social Media Post

"NBC10 Philadelphia announced today that Sarah Glover has joined the station as Social Media Editor effective July 24, 2012," WCAU-TV announced on Tuesday.

"Glover joins NBC10 from the Philadelphia Daily News where she was originally a staff photographer. Her role there grew to include shooting, producing and editing video for the web. In 2010, Glover led the Daily News video team on the 'Tainted Justice' series, which earned the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. Her responsibilities at the Daily News eventually expanded to include developing various social media and multimedia practices for the paper.

" 'NBC10's presence in social media continues to grow,' said Anzio Williams, Vice President of News for NBC10 Philadelphia, 'We’re excited to have Sarah on board and look forward to her creative input as we explore new ways to engage our viewers online.' "

Glover is president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and former secretary of the National Association of Black Journalists. Corey Dade, a current NABJ board member, wrote on Facebook, "She proves that people with strategically important skills that are in demand can withstand the industry churn and emerge on top!"

2 Black Journalists Among Post-Dispatch Layoffs

Two black journalists were among 23 employees laid off Friday at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but the Newspaper Guild said Editor Gilbert Bailón could have saved their jobs by designating them "exempt."

The two are reporter Marlon A. Walker, 31, who had just started a new beat, and photographer Johnny Andrews, 38, a Post-Dispatch staffer for 4½ years. Thirteen people in the newsroom were laid off: four editors, three reporters, three copy editors, a photographer, a web editor and the editorial cartoonist were laid off, according to a Storify post.

"We are a Guild shop so they could be 'saved' if someone with more seniority steps up to leave in the next two weeks," Bailón told Journal-isms by email.

Shannon Duffy, business representative of the United Media Guild, said that the layoffs were imposed according to seniority but that the Post-Dispatch has the option of designating certain employees exempt from layoffs. "They don't have to give us a reason," Duffy said by telephone.

Under an agreement with the Guild, the paper can exempt 20 people in the newsroom: 12 reporters, three copy editors, three photographers and two artists, he said.

One exemption was applied to a recently hired reporter covering the state capital, a beat that was deemed difficult to fill, Duffy said.

Bailón, a former president of the American Society of News Editors as well as the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, moved from editorial page editor to editor in May. He did not respond to an email question about why he did not protect the two black journalists.

Lee Enterprises, owner of the Post-Dispatch, "has eliminated 234 people at the Post-Dispatch since 2008, and 235 at the Suburban Journals in that same span of time," Paul Friswold wrote Friday for the alternative Riverfront Times. "That's 469 people who lost their jobs, or roughly one person per $2,452 of bonus cash given to Lee Enterprises' CEO Mary Junck this year alone."

With the layoffs, Duffy said, "the newsroom just kept getting whiter and whiter." The 2012 ASNE diversity survey shows the Post-Dispatch with 14 percent journalists of color, including 3.5 percent Asian American journalists, 7.6 percent black journalists and 2.9 percent Hispanics.

In January, fellow photographer Corey Woodruff dedicated a blog posting to Andrews and his work.

"Ladies and gents, I present to you an endangered species: a staff newspaper photographer," Woodruff wrote. "The ridiculously talented Mr. Andrews shoots for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and he's not a freelancer. He is part of the dying breed of staff shooters; breathing rarefied air alongside other survivors of the rampant downsizing plaguing the industry."

The Riverfront Times said Andrews was "known best in the St. Louis music community for his invaluable LISTEN video series ." The Post-Dispatch series showcases a range of musical talent in the St. Louis area.

Andrews' departure would leave one black photographer at the paper, Duffy said.

Walker came to the Post-Dispatch in 2010 after having worked at the Telegraph in Macon, Ga., at the Associated Press and at the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. This month, he began covering neighboring Illinois for the St. Louis paper.

Essence Fires Its White Fashion Director

Ellianna Placas, the white fashion director of Essence magazine whose hiring in 2010 sparked controversy over its appropriateness at a black women's magazine, has been let go, Essence spokeswoman Sheila Harris confirmed on Thursday.

"Sources told us her departure had less to do with race and more to do with her butting heads with editor-in-chief Constance White," the New York Post's Page Six reported late Wednesday. " 'They had different visions for fashion coverage,' said one. An Essence spokesperson confirmed to Page Six that Placas has left the company. Placas wasn't available for comment last night, and a search for her replacement is ongoing."

In April, Essence and Michael Bullerdick, its white male managing editor — whom the leading magazine for black women has emphasized had a production, not an editorial role — parted ways after right-wing material on his Facebook page was brought to the editors' attention. His hiring in July 2011 created similar controversy.

Most Say They Know Enough About Obama, Romney

"With more than three months to go before Election Day, most voters already feel that there's little left to learn about the presidential candidates," the Pew Center for the People & the Press reported on Tuesday.

"When it comes to Barack Obama, 90% say they already pretty much know what they need to know about him; just 8% say they need to learn more. A substantial majority (69%) also says they already mostly know what they need to know about Mitt Romney. Only about a quarter (28%) say they need to learn more to get a clear impression of Romney. Combining these two questions, fully two-thirds of voters say they already know as much as they need to about both presidential candidates.

"When it comes to specific details of Romney's background and experience, 41% of voters say they would like to learn more about Romney's record as governor, 36% would like to learn more about his tax returns, while 35% want to know more about his record as chief executive of Bain Capital. Far fewer want to hear more about Romney's wealth (21%), his family and upbringing (19%) or his religious beliefs (16%)."

• Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: Little Voter Discomfort with Romney's Mormon Religion

2 Foreign Journalists Rescued from Extremists in Syria

"Two foreign journalists captured by Islamic extremists in Syria and held for a week were rescued by Syrian opposition fighters, one of them said on Friday," Rod Nordland reported Friday for the New York Times.

"A Dutch freelance photographer, Jeroen Oerlemans, contacted by telephone in Turkey, described a harrowing ordeal during which he and his captured colleague, a British photographer, John Cantlie, were held at a camp in Syria by a group of several dozen foreign jihadists, who kept them hooded and blindfolded and repeatedly threatened to kill them.

"Mr. Oerlemans said their captors apparently included no Syrian fighters, but instead jihadists from Bangladesh, Britain, Chechnya and Pakistan. The photographers were seized on July 19 shortly after they entered Syria at Bab al-Hawa, a border crossing with Turkey that has been reported under control of a jihadi group."

• Reporters Without Borders: Number of citizen journalists killed and arrested rises daily

Nonprofit News Site to Launch in New Orleans

"The New Orleans media market is about to get more crowded," Michaelle Bond wrote Friday for American Journalism Review.

"Two months after the city's daily paper, the Times-Picayune, announced it would cut print publication to three days a week and focus on its digital product, it appears that residents will soon have a couple of new avenues to get their news.

"Today, the University of New Orleans and its NPR affiliate, WWNO-FM, announced that they will launch NewOrleansReporter.org as a nonprofit news site by the end of the year. Other news organizations will be welcome to use the site's online, mobile and radio content for free.

". . . The launch of NewOrleansReporter.org is not a direct response to the changes at the Times-Picayune, says Adam Norris, director of public relations at the University of New Orleans. It's a response to a thirst in the community for more high quality journalism – a thirst that has been evident to WWNO for years, he says.

". . . Earlier this week, the Advocate, the daily paper in Baton Rouge, announced that it will print a New Orleans edition, starting when the Times-Picayune stops daily printing in early October. 'This has to have significant news in it,' Richard Manship, president and CEO of Advocate owner Capital City Press, told his paper. 'This is not just an attempt to sell more papers. We will be trying to cover the news in New Orleans.' "

• Mike Hoss and Dominic Massa, WWL-TV: [Saints and Hornets owner] Benson offers to buy Times-Picayune; paper not for sale, say Advance officials
  
  
• Times-Picayune, New Orleans: The Times-Picayune will print and deliver New Orleans Saints coverage after every game this year
  
  

U.S. Journalism Students in London for Olympics

"July 27 marks the opening ceremonies, and official launch, of the 2012 Olympic games in London, which runs until August 12," Marisa Treviño wrote Thursday for her Latina Lista site.

"On hand to witness the festivities, soak up the international cultures, and watch the athletes in action are two young Latinas from Phoenix, Arizona for whom this trip of a lifetime is much more than just pleasure — it's school work.

"Maritsa Granillo and Lisa Blanco graduated in May from Arizona State University's (ASU) broadcast journalism track in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Their accomplishments qualified them to be part of the university's first-ever student journalists delegation covering the three-week international sporting event.

" 'We're always looking for great real-life experiences to not only help our students but help them produce great journalism content for Arizona and the region,' Dean Christopher Callahan, founding dean of the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication department, said about the reason for sending students to the Olympics.

"It was also an increase interest in sports journalism by his students and having Greg Boeck, a former sports writer for USA Today, who covered nine Olympics, on his faculty that Dean Callahan said made the decision easy that it was a worthwhile pursuit by the university on behalf of its students. . . ."

• Jackson DeMos, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism: NBC Sports hires 21 USC Annenberg students for Summer Olympics Internship

Robin Roberts to Take Medical Leave for Transplant

" 'Good Morning America' anchor Robin Roberts is planning to take a medical leave around the end of August for her bone marrow transplant," the Associated Press reported on Thursday.

"But during her absence from the ABC morning show, she'll be getting a little help from her friends, she said Thursday.

"Roberts listed Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric among her 'wonderful, wonderful friends at ABC News' who will be subbing for her. . . .

"Roberts announced last month that she has MDS, a blood and bone marrow disease once known as prelukemia."

Camille Edwards Named News V.P. of WABC

"Camille Edwards, vice president of news at WRC Washington, has been named vice president of news at WABC New York," Michael Malone reported Monday for Broadcasting & Cable. "Edwards has been at WRC since 2008, following a news director stint at WMAQ Chicago from 2003 to 2008.

"It's a return to ABC for Edwards, who was assistant news director at WPVI Philadelphia from 1997 to 2003, and executive producer at WLS Chicago from 1993 to 1997.

"Camille Edwards's proven commitment to excellence in local TV news, along with her innovative work expanding news content to new-media platforms, made her the ideal choice for the top news post at WABC,' said Dave Davis, WABC-TV president and general manager. . . ."

New York is the nation's largest television market; Washington ranks eighth.

Lori Waldon Appointed News Director in Sacramento

Lori Waldon, news director at WISN-TV in Milwaukee, has been appointed news director at two Hearst stations in Sacramento, Calif., Duane Dudek reported Tuesday for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She succeeds Anzio Williams, newly named vice president of news at NBC-owned WCAU-TV in Philadelphia.

"According to a release from the station 'Waldon's promotion is a result of her outstanding job performance leading the news team during her tenure' at WISN-TV. While here she oversaw the station's news coverage . . . of some of biggest local stories including the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl run, the budget battle in Madison and the recall election," Dudek wrote.

"WISN-TV is locked in a [pitched] battle for news ratings supremacy with WTMJ-TV (Channel 4). . . . A national search will be conducted to find her replacement. Whoever they hire could have his or her hands full. The station's 10 p.m. newscasts lost about 50,000 viewers during its week long blackout on Time Warner Cable . . ."

Mark Glover added Monday in the Sacramento Bee, "Waldon previously served as assistant news director at Sacramento stations Channel 13 (KOVR) and Channel 31 (KMAX). She also spent 13 years in news management at KPIX-TV in San Francisco, serving as managing editor, executive producer and news producer."

The Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto television market is ranked No. 20 in size; Milwaukee is No. 34.

Sending Staffers to Olympics No Longer Automatic

"Staffing the Olympics used to be a no-brainer for major newspapers. The Games are a major worldwide event and you air-mail as many reporters as possible," Ed Sherman wrote Monday for the Sherman Report.

"I was among 15 staffers for the Chicago Tribune during the 2000 Games in Sydney.

"Obviously, times, priorities, and most importantly, economics have changed. It's no longer automatic to send an army of staffers to cover an Olympics.

"In fact, the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer initially decided skip the trip to London. They returned the five credentials issued to the papers. However, at the last minute, the editors decided to send Phil Sheridan.

". . . On the other side of the spectrum, there's the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. The Times isn't cutting back. It has 13 staffers in London. Times isn't cutting back. It has 13 staffers in London. Dave Morgan, senior VP for content and editor in chief for the USA Today sports media group, noted the staffing breakdown: 'We have about 48 reporters/editors, about 20 photographers, 11 attached to video and 5 for office administration and support (which includes circulation of our International edition). . . ."

• Philip Hersh, Los Angeles Times: Greatest Olympian? Sorry Michael Phelps, it's still Carl Lewis
  
  
• HuffPost LatinoVoices: 13 Latinos To Look For In The London Olympics (PHOTOS)
  
  
• TheRoot.com: The Root's London 2012 Black-Olympian Watch

Denver Stations Pool Interviews of Aurora Victims

"Kevin Torres is a multimedia journalist for KUSA-TV, the NBC station in Denver," Al Tompkins wrote Friday for the Poynter Institute. "Usually he shoots, writes and edits his own stories.

"On Tuesday, the key interview in his story was shot by the ABC station in town. On Wednesday, the Fox affiliate shot the interview for his story.

"What began as a routine way for Denver stations to share the most mundane coverage of everyday press conferences and staged events has turned into a way for victims of last week's theater shooting, and their families, to do one TV interview rather than dozens.

" 'The rules that we operate under are that a station can't even look over what they shot until they feed it out to everybody,' Torres told me by email. 'You can't post it online, you can't write about it until everybody in the pool has it.'

"The stations started pooling coverage in 2009 when KUSA and KMGH agreed to share a news helicopter.

"While journalists, of course, would like to do their own interviewing, Torres said the pool system is easier on the families."

• Derrick Z. Jackson, Boston Globe: Start the conversation on guns
  
  
• John McWhorter, Daily News, New York: The bizarre right to bear arms 
  
  
• Pew Research Center for the People & the Press: Views on Gun Laws Unchanged After Aurora Shooting
  
  
• Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald: The real heroes in Aurora
  
  
• Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Focus on keeping assault weapons off America's streets
  
  
• Ruben Rosario, Pioneer-Press, St. Paul, Minn.: Stillwater mom has unique perspective on Colorado tragedy
  
  
• Gregory Stanford blog: Martyrs to the Second Amendment Deserve Monument

Will Reinvented Unity Address Affirmative Action?

"Like the Olympics, it happens every four years. But you won't see a lot of spandex at the convention of minority journalists called Unity, happening this week in Las Vegas," Emil Guillermo wrote Monday in his blog for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

"You won't see a lot of black journalists either.

"Unless they're gay.

". . . For the first time, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), will not be at Unity. It chose to pull out of the major confab and stage its own convention earlier this year. It leaves just the Asian, Hispanic, and Native American journalists of color to unify in the desert with their new full partner, the gay, lesbian, transgender journalists of the National Lesbian [&] Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA).

". . . Considering the Supreme Court in October will take up the biggest threat to affirmative action in years, I'm surprised I'm hearing little discussion about that issue in the pre-convention buzz.

". . . more than ever before, we really need unity, especially on an issue like affirmative action. This time around, anti-affirmative action forces are using Asian Americans as a wedge to end the policy. Even without real advocacy on the issue, more stories about this would surely help inform the public prior to the Supreme Court argument on October 10.

"But if the NABJ/Unity split is a harbinger, it seems like we're all intent on dividing and conquering ourselves."

• Tracie Powell, Poynter Institute: Factors to consider when choosing a journalism association

David Squires Joining Sporting News Digital Efforts

David Squires, a veteran of several news organizations, including the New York Times and the Black Voices website, which he edited, is joining the Sporting News as an assistant managing editor who will work on the publication's digital efforts, Editor in Chief Garry D. Howard told Journal-isms on Tuesday.

"We're trying to take it to the digital world," Howard said of the Sporting News. But the digital space also needs experienced journalists, "and David has experience like no other." The publication has developed an iPad app that is "a daily sports section on your iPad," linking to non-Sporting News content as well, and Squires will be working with that, Howard said. It publishes at 5 a.m., and Squires will be working at night, based in Charlotte, N.C.

Squires is a columnist at the Daily Press in Newport News, Va., and was previously a sports columnist and then an urban affairs reporter there. He was laid off in 2008, leaving the Daily Press with no black reporters. He was soon brought back as a news columnist working as a part-time employee. Squires is also a middle-school English teacher in Norfolk and owns a time-share business. 

He has also worked at the Plain Dealer in Cleveland; the Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, Texas; Newsday; the Detroit Free Press; the Telegraph in Macon, Ga.; and the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, now the Tampa Bay Times.

Michael Triplett to Head Lesbian, Gay Journalists

Michael Triplett, assistant managing editor for Bloomberg BNA, Inc., and vice president for print/new media of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, was elected president of NLGJA on Tuesday, NLGJA announced.

Triplett, who also writes for the NLGJA blog Re:Act, had run against Steve Pride, an NLGJA board member from the Los Angeles chapter. It was NLGJA's first contested election in years.

In the student Unity News, Stephanie Snyder reported that Triplett won two-thirds of 142 member votes cast in the 613-member organization.

"According to NLGJA's bylaws, board elections are advisory. The board of directors legally retains the ability to name its members; to date, the board has never failed to follow the election results," an announcement said.

"I am honored to have been elected president of NLGJA," Triplett said in a news release. "This is an organization with an amazing future ahead of it and I look forward to being part of that future. Thanks to David Steinberg, our outgoing president, who guided us through some of our most challenging years and put us on our positive path."

N.Y. Times Cuts Back on Student Journalism Institute

The New York Times Student Journalism Institute, in which African American and Latino students have been trained by reporters and editors from the New York Times, the Boston Globe and regional newspapers of the Times Co., is cutting back from twice a year to annually, Times spokeswoman Eileen Murphy told Journal-isms on Wednesday.

"Beginning in 2013, The New York Times Student Journalism Institute will return to the once-a-year frequency under which it operated when it launched 10 years ago," Murphy said by email.

"In 2013, the Institute will be offered to 24 student members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists at the University of Arizona in Tucson. In 2014, it will be held at Dillard University in New Orleans and open to 24 total students, either members of the National Association of Black Journalists or those attending historically black colleges and universities. Moving forward, the Institute will be offered to these groups at these Universities in alternate years during the last two weeks in May."

"The New York Times Company remains steadfast in its support of assuring diversity in the newsroom and to providing resources and a supportive environment to train aspiring student journalists. Reducing the frequency of the Institutes is a result of a reduction in both available resources as well as potential employment opportunities inside The Company following this year's sale of the Regional Newspaper Group."

NABJ President Gregory H. Lee Jr. said the Times informed Michele Salcedo, president of NAHJ, and Lee of the change. "What can you do? It is what it is," Lee told Journal-isms at the Unity convention in Las Vegas. "At least they kept the program. It's a loss for our students that they're part of that" cutback. "We look forward to NABJ students being in the program for 2014."

NAHJ Evicts Student Reporter From Board Meeting

"Student Project Reporter Nadia Khan was asked to leave a conference room while attempting to cover and live tweet, a National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Board meeting during the 2012 UNITY convention in Las Vegas," Unity News, the student project at the Unity convention, reported on YouTube Wednesday.

"The President of NAHJ, Michele Salcedo, also ordered Student Projects mentor Joe Vazquez to stop shooting video."

Asked about the Tuesday incident, Salcedo told Journal-isms, "I have nothing to say." But others in the meeting said Salcedo cited board policy.

Khan reported for the Thursday edition of Unity News, "Members were welcome to observe the board meeting, Salcedo said, but the board in October 2010 banned credentialed press coverage — including Twitter and Facebook use during proceedings.

"UNITY News video mentor Joe Vazquez recorded a portion of the meeting before Salcedo asked him to leave the room.

" 'It (the policy) followed board training by our attorney and also by a consultant that we brought in to talk about best practices for board members and board governance, and that was the recommendation that he gave to us,' Salcedo told UNITY News.

"However, when asked for documentation, she could not produce a written record of the policy, 'because it doesn't exist,' Salcedo said."

Khan tweeted, "What is @NAHJSouthFL hiding? Why did they make me leave the so called 'open meeting'? We'll [hear] from the board soon."

Also, "They made me leave right when started talking about elections...I wonder why..."

Khan later said she meant NAHJ, not NAHJ South Florida.

NAHJ members posted video of Salcedo asking Vazquez to leave.

Board member Rebecca Aguilar wrote on Facebook, ". . . It's sad that we are a board of journalists and are trying to control information. What's also sad is that less than a handful of board members defended the student. For the record, the NAHJ board meeting for the most was positive and productive."

Juan Gonzalez to Abstain in NAHJ Presidential Vote

On July 21, Juan Gonzalez, columnist for the Daily News in New York and president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists from 2002 to 2004, joined with other journalists with a history in the association — three of them members of NAHJ's Hall of Fame — to send all NAHJ candidates a list of nine questions seeking their views on such issues as media consolidation, the state of Spanish-language media, NAHJ's advocacy role, whether broadcasters should be required to place their political files online and the concept of Network Neutrality, or "open Internet."

This week, Gonzalez wrote NAHJ members that he had evaluated the answers from presidential candidates Hugo Balta and Russell Contreras and decided to abstain from voting.

Polls opened on July 16 and close on Friday at 5 p.m. Pacific time. NAHJ voting is done electronically. The association's membership stands at 1,259, and it has 614 eligible voters, Anna Lopez Buck, interim executive director, told Journal-isms last week.

"Here are my views on the NAHJ presidential race," Gonzalez wrote. "Please feel free to forward them to whatever NAHJ member sites are following the candidate debates.

"Dear Russell and Hugo:

"Thank you for explaining the plans and policies you would pursue if elected NAHJ's next president. Your responses have helped elevate the level of the campaign debate, as have those of other candidates.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you and my fellow NAHJ members at UNITY, since last-minute health problems have forced me to cancel my trip to the convention. But I want you to know that I will not be voting for a candidate for president, and to explain why.

"You both seem to agree on many 'big picture' media policy issues, the impact of ownership concentration and FCC policies on our members, the importance of net neutrality, of preserving and expanding minority ownership of media companies, of maintaining NAHJ's independence from corporate sponsors, etc. So I am heartened that NAHJ will continue to be a leading voice on these critical issues, no matter who wins the race.

"Your individual recovery plans to lift NAHJ out of its current crisis do not inspire the same kind of confidence. Nor does the kind of divisive election campaign you have both waged the past few months.

"Russell certainly deserves the recognition and the thanks of all members for ending years of unsustainable financial losses. The staff cutbacks, even if they came at a huge reduction of NAHJ's of organizational capacity, saved the organization from total collapse. And his proposal to explore a small, low budget, partnered convention next year in a place like Albuquerque seems far more grounded in reality than Hugo's Los Angeles alternative.

"Russell also appears to understand more the 'social mission' of NAHJ, seeing it not just as an organization that seeks better jobs and training for its members, but one that advocates for fair representation of the entire Latino community — as a true 'watchdog' for better coverage.

"Hugo, though, is an extremely capable and serious leader, one who displays much maturity. You have a wide range of experience in both Spanish and English-language media, and have invaluable knowledge of how management structures respond within news organizations. You prefer to emphasize building 'partnerships' with media companies rather than the 'watchdog' role, but you nonetheless understand that NAHJ must speak out when necessary.

"A major difference between the two of you is that Hugo appears more willing to open NAHJ to regular membership from media professionals and public relations workers, while Russell would keep regular membership to working journalists, though the definition of working journalist he favors would be altered to take into account the industry's changing nature. On this, I tend to agree more with Russell than with Hugo, and believe that opening NAHJ to full membership by media professionals will transform the organization within a few years into something that is wholly unrecognizable from its origins.

"Russell, however, has exhibited major failings in leadership style, even publicly insulting on several occasions some members who have questioned or criticized him. In times of crisis, leaders must seek common ground with those who have divergent views. While you have acknowledged your faults, Russell, it is not at all clear you have brought them under control.

"Both of you are highly responsible, smart and committed to NAHJ. Nonetheless, I'm afraid that neither of you has fully grasped the severity of the long-term crisis facing NAHJ. It is my firm belief that unless major changes are adopted soon in the vision and operation of our association (and of the other minority journalism groups, as well), we are headed toward complete fragmentation or even irrelevance in a very short time.

"Joe Torres and I amply documented in the book we issued late last year, News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media, why achieving racial fairness in news coverage has been so difficult throughout American history. I hope the members of UNITY and NAHJ actually take the time to read the book and digest its lessons, especially chapter 16, which covers the period from the 1960s to the 2003. If you do, you will realize that minority journalists made significant progress only in periods when they enjoyed close ties with their communities in confronting the media companies.

"Notwithstanding all the great work of scholarships, training and advocacy we have produced for our members over several decades, our professional journalism organizations have grown too distant from our own communities in recent years. As a result, we have become less effective and less respected by the media industry than we used to be.

"In times of financial crisis, our groups can become easy prey for non-media corporations – especially those with checkered histories in minority communities – that suddenly step forward to offer us much-needed financial support. Just look at the sudden interest by energy companies like Exxon, Chevron and BP this year in sponsoring and controlling the message at national energy panels at our conventions, to see what I mean.

"But the simple fact is that NAHJ can't begin to devise a viable plan for its future without first having a clear sense of how it got to where it is today.

"Given all of this, I have decided to abstain from voting for either you. Rest assured, however, that whoever does win the presidency will have my support in his efforts to rebuild NAHJ. Good luck with the convention, and please think longer and harder about a long-range plan.

"Un abrazo,
"Juan Gonzalez"

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CEO Gary Knell visits NPR's offices after his hiring in October. "I made diversity a key part of my pitch to the NPR board," he said then. (Video)

NPR Gets $1.5 Million for Journalism Initiative on Race

Saying he is "delivering on our promise for NPR to look and sound like America," Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of NPR since December, announced Thursday a $1.5 million, two-year grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting "to launch a major journalism initiative to deepen coverage of race, ethnicity and culture."

A six-person team will "deliver a steady flow of distinctive coverage on every platform. Reporting will magnify the range of existing efforts across NPR and its Member Stations to cover and discuss race, ethnicity and culture. NPR will also create a new, branded space within NPR.org," NPR said in an announcement at the Unity '12 convention in Las Vegas.

"This is really important," Knell said at a reception at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the convention headquarters. "We want to make a statement about the changing demographics in this country, and we need to be better at what we do so this is everyone's public media."

Knell has said he made diversity a key part of his pitch to the NPR board when he was hired. Joseph Tovares, senior vice president for diversity and innovation at CPB, told Journal-isms at the reception, "When Gary came in, he announced that his No. 1 priority was going to be diversity." He called Knell "a breath of fresh air" and said Knell had approached CPB about the project.

Hiring is under way for the six-member team. Matt Thompson, an editorial product manager at NPR, will supervise the team, working with Ellen McDonnell, executive editor of NPR News programming. Luis Clemens, NPR's senior editor for diversity, will be senior editor, and Karen Grigsby Bates, Los Angeles-based correspondent, will also be part of the team.

Still to be hired are a blogger on race, ethnicity and culture; a digital journalist; and two reporters. NPR's diversity issues stretch back more than 20 years, with the NPR corporate culture seen as a chief impediment to greater diversity. But also important, Knell has said, is diversity at the independent, NPR member stations. Keith Woods, NPR's vice president for diversity, has been working with the local stations as part of his portfolio.

Gregory H. Lee Jr., president of the National Association of Black Journalists, told Journal-isms he met with Knell about diversity. Lee "said he recognizes it takes time to change a culture," Suzanne Gamboa reported for the Associated Press. "The grant will be a chance for NPR to hire journalists capable of working on the stories that will reach more diverse audiences. . . .

" 'I hope this project serves as an example that these issues should be discussed and covered,' Lee said. He added that he hopes to see the journalists and content integrated within the organization's overall coverage, not pushed to a corner."

Because African Americans and Latinos disproportionately use mobile devices, Knell said the initiative will take advantage of mobile platforms to reach these audiences, similar to the apps developed for "Planet Money," a multimedia show about the economy that has its own podcast.

As Gamboa noted, "NPR does not receive direct federal funding but it competes for grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and from federal agencies, which annually total about $2 million to $3 million." Knell said the CPB grant was only "to get us going," that the project would exceed two years.

In another development, NPR officials said that "Tell Me More," the multiculturally oriented show hosted by Michel Martin, had grown to 132 from the 100 stations that carried it when Knell arrived. Recent additions include Miami, Boston, Atlanta, New Orleans and Savannah, Ga.

Unity Executive Director Resigns for Africa Post

Onica Makwakwa, executive director of the Unity Journalists alliance, is leaving after six years to return to her native South Africa, where she plans to develop consumer advocacy on the African continent for the Pretoria-based Consumers International, she told Journal-isms on Friday.

"It’s the right time," she said. The new opportunity "is exciting, personally and professionally." Makwakwa said she had worked longer at Unity than at any other organization. 

As Unity's executive director, Makwakwa was responsible for coordinating the activities of the coalition while board members held their full-time jobs as journalists. But she also bore the brunt of criticism for any administrative shortcomings, which became a factor in the pullout of the National Association of Black Journalists last year.

NABJ officials cited lack of timely information as one of the reasons for their decision to leave. Makwakwa disputed NABJ's statements.

Unity President Joanna Hernandez announced Makwakwa’s departure, scheduled for early September, on Friday at the Unity convention in Las Vegas, its fifth and its first without NABJ.

"While we are sad Onica is moving on, she has accomplished much in her six years as UNITY executive director," Hernandez said in a statement.

"She is the only UNITY executive director to have helmed two conventions, both very successful conventions, and she always saw every challenge as an opportunity. Her next employer will be lucky to have her. And we wish Onica the best success. She is the most phenomenal leader and utmost professional. I have learned so much from working with her and will miss her tremendously.

"UNITY will immediately begin work on hiring an interim executive director. Hernandez will appoint a committee to search for a new permanent executive director."

Consumers International announced Makwakwa’s appointment on Wednesday.

"For CI, Onica will lead and support the development of consumer protection and empowerment in Africa by supporting CI members in the region; implement the CI Africa strategy; and enable the Africa consumer movement to further join forces with the worldwide consumer movement to deliver change for consumers,” the group said.

Makwakwa was director of development of the YWCA USA when she joined Unity in 2006.

She worked with the late civil rights leader Dorothy Height in the National Council of Negro Women, working to improve the lives of women and children in Africa. "I credit her as the person who jump-started my career," Makwakwa told Journal-isms.

Before working for YWCA, Makwakwa held director positions at such other organizations as the Black Women's Health Imperative and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Her introduction to the United States came in Iowa. She received a master's degree in education and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Iowa.

While a permanent resident of the United States, Makwakwa retained her South African citizenship. [Added Aug. 3]

Michelle Johnson Wins as J-Educator Aiding Diversity

Michelle Johnson, an associate professor of the practice, journalism at Boston University who has taught multimedia workshops for professional journalists and long conducted student training programs for the journalism associations, has been awarded the Barry Bingham Sr. fellowship of the Association of Opinion Journalists Foundation, the foundation told Johnson on Friday.

The award honors an educator who encourages students of color in the field of journalism.

For more than two decades, Johnson has conducted student training programs for such organizations as the American Society of News Editors, the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and Unity Journalists, formerly known as Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc.

She learned of her selection by email at the Unity '12 convention in Las Vegas, where she was again working with the student news projects. By coincidence, Yvonne Latty of New York University, last year's winner, was also in attendance, about to participate on a panel, and the two took a photo together.

"I'm particularly moved to receive this today because I happen to be at the UNITY conference working with the Student Newsroom," Johnson replied by email to the association foundation. "We have 30 talented minority journalism students here covering the conference in print, video, radio and online (unitynews.org). Encouraging young people of color to enter the profession has been my life's work. I so appreciate the recognition."

Before joining the faculty at Boston University, Johnson was a Journalist-in-Residence at Emerson College where she was a technology manager assisting in renovation of the department into a multimillion-dollar, cross-platform facility, as well as helping to revise the department's curriculum. She also lectured as an adjunct in the journalism department at Boston University from 2003 to 2006.

The award is to be presented at the Association of Opinion Journalists convention Sept. 20-22 in Orlando.

LeValdo to Lead Native Journalists for Another Term

Rhonda LeValdo, chosen by fellow board members two years ago as president of the Native American Journalists Association, will serve a third term in the job, NAJA board members voted on Saturday. LeValdo teaches video production, news production and news writing at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan.

Elected to the board without opposition were Mary Hudetz, west regional desk editor at the Associated Press and a member of the Crow tribe; Mark Dreadfulwater, media specialist at the Cherokee Phoenix in Tulsa, Okla., Cherokee; Rebecca Landsberry, Muscogee Nation news editor in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Communications Department in Okmulgee, Okla., a Muscogee Creek; and Tetona Dunlap, a reporter and photographer at the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, who is Eastern Shoshone.

Hudetz was chosen vice president; Neyom Friday, who covers Native American entertainment from her base in Florida, and who is Arapaho Creek, secretary; and Tristan Ahtone, a host and reporter for Wyoming Public Radio in Laramie, a Kiowa, treasurer.

NAJA is the smallest of the major journalist of color groups, with about 280 members, according to LeValdo. Its membership has declined, and in November Darla Leslie, who had defeated LeValdo for the presidency, resigned, saying on Facebook, "I believe NAJA is on the verge of financial ruin. My resignation is a reflection of the inability, in my opinion, of our Board of Directors to take immediate action to remedy this situation." LeValdo, who was vice president, returned to the presidency.

LeValdo said her priorities for the new term would be to increase membership, improve communication with members, offer more training for tribal newspapers that are not online and fundraising, in part to provide such training.

NAJA chose Phoenix as the site for its 2013 convention, LeValdo said.

Asian American Journalists Seek to Head Off Deficit

The Asian American Journalists Association is hoping to forestall ending 2012 with a $129,991 deficit prompted in part by less-than-anticipated revenue, treasurer Rene Astudillo told the AAJA advisory board on Saturday.

Much depends on how much money the association nets from the Unity conference, Astudillo told Journal-isms. The association, which counts 1,675 members, projected 650 paid AAJA registrants, but there were only a little over 500.

Moreover, Astudillo said, expected levels of sponsorships for two signature AAJA programs, JCamp, which provides journalism training for high school students, and the Executive Leadership Program, which trains professionals, did not materialize.

On the other hand, AAJA raised $12,000 through its Silent Auction at the Unity convention, and its Power of One fundraising campaign, launched in 2008, continues. The association also raised $12,600 through a live auction of dinners donated by guest speaker Suvir Saran, chef and cookbook author, at Friday's awards banquet.

In other business, Tom Huang, Sunday and enterprise editor at the Dallas Morning News, said the model for annual conventions, the chief fund-raising vehicle for most of the journalist of color organizations, needs "reinventing." He is heading a committee that is brainstorming new ideas, such as capping attendance as a way to increase the value for those who register early; partnering with other organizations, including universities; shortening the length of the conference; and reorganizing panels into specialized tracks.

AAJA plans to be in New York for its 2013 convention. National President Doris Truong praised the quality of the Unity convention.

• Asian American Journalists Association: Media Advisory on Coverage of Sikh Temple Shooting [Aug. 5]