NABJ Responds to Geraldine Ferraro's Comments on Black Journalist 'Bias'

May 23, 2008

National Association of Black Journalists

NABJ: Ferraro Comments Shows Unapologetic Bigotry

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) voices a strong rebuke to the remarks made by former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro.

In an on-air interview with Fox News Channel's Shepard Smith, Ferraro, the 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate, implied Saturday that all black journalists were surrogates for the Barack Obama campaign.

"if you have conference calls with these people every week and you give them your message and they put your message in the paper, that to me is a campaign," said the country's first female vice presidential nominee.

Ferraro cited The New York Times columnist Bob Herbert as an example of black journalists as the arbiters of misogynist attacks against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"Have you read Bob Herbert recently in the past six months? There wasn't one column that had anything decent to say about Hillary," Ferraro said.

"NABJ is outraged that a former vice presidential candidate would suggest that all black reporters are mouthpieces for the Obama campaign. To suggest this shows not only a stunning lack of judgment but also her unapologetic bigotry," said Barbara Ciara, president of the nation's largest minority journalism organization. "Ms. Ferraro used her appearance on Fox News to reinforce stereotypes that suggest that black reporters can't be trusted to cover another person of color without bias and favoritism."

"To suggest that black journalists have done anything less than cover this campaign fair and objectively is a direct attack on not only their integrity, but the integrity of all journalists who work every day to provide good, honest journalism," said Ernie Suggs, vice president of print.

"African Americans make up a tiny fraction of journalists covering this historic campaign. We are more than qualified to handle the job objectively," said Kathy Times, vice president of broadcast.

The Democratic and Republican nominees for president will have an audience with journalists of color this summer at the UNITY: Journalists of Color Convention and Career Expo, July 23-27 in Chicago, Ill. Senators Clinton and Obama both spoke at NABJ's convention last fall. Sen. John McCain turned down the invitation due to a scheduling conflict.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with nearly 4,000 members, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.

Watch Video of Ferraro on Fox News by clicking here.

RSVP for May 17 Meeting

Come network with your fellow journalists and learn more about CAABJ's upcoming events and programs at our next General Body meeting. We hope to see many old and new faces there. Here are the details:

May General Body Meeting
Saturday, May 17, 1 p.m.
Jillian's
200 E. Bland St. (South End)

If you plan to attend this meeting, we're asking that you RSVP (so we can give an accurate count to the restaurant). RSVP by emailing us at charlotteaabj@gmail.com by Friday please.

Upcoming Events!
Stay tuned for details for our 2nd Annual Summer Kickoff Cookout coming in June. This event will be for CAABJ members and invited guests only. Another reason to join our great organization!

Ready to Join CAABJ?
Email us at charlotteaabj@gmail.com to request a membership application. You can mail the completed application and dues to the address listed or bring it to the May 17 meeting.

In Case You Missed It!
Click here to watch a video recap of our Secrets to Accessing the Media Workshop held last month. (Video courtesy of Eastonsweb Multimedia.)

We hope to see you on Saturday.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists (CAABJ)
Email: charlotteaabj@gmail.com

Media Access Workshop a Success/May GB Meeting

Thank you to everyone who helped make last Saturday’s Accessing the Media workshop a success. And a special thank you to our volunteers and panelists: Joy Scott, Managing and Interactive Editor for the Shelby Star; Steve Crump, Reporter for WBTV; and Hope Paasch, Regional Editor for The Charlotte Observer.

Many of the workshop’s attendees thanked us for providing them with valuable tips and information, and for hosting this community event. Here’s a quote from an email we received from workshop participant Pamela Mahoney, PR Manager for the Charlotte Film Festival:

“Thank you for alerting me about the CAABJ Media Workshop. It was definitely a good event for me to attend. I gleaned useful information, and also met a number of helpful people.”

Read more about the workshop and watch a video of the workshop here (Courtesy of Eastonsweb Multimedia).

Also, if you have not been receiving our emails, we truly apologize. We are now using an email program that should solve the problem. If you or someone you know is still having trouble, please email us with their name and email address. Please make sure you add charlotteaabj@gmail.com to your address book, and make sure our emails are not going to your SPAM or Trash folders.

Next up:
May General Body Meeting
Saturday, May 17, 1 p.m.
Jillian’s
200 E. Bland St. (South End)

We hope to see many old and new faces there.

Stay tuned for details on our 2nd Annual Summer Kickoff Cookout coming in June!

Sincerely,

Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists (CAABJ)

Email: charlotteaabj@gmail.com

CAABJ Shares Media Secrets with the Charlotte Community

Members of the Charlotte community discovered accessing the media may not be as hard as it seems during the CAABJ annual Accessing the Media workshop.

On April 19, small business owners, public relations specialists and members of local organizations engaged in a lively discussion with area journalists, and learned how they can get their stories told.

CAABJ President Jarvis Holliday guided the two-hour discussion with topics that ranged from building relationships with reporters, to story pitching, to the opportunities online newsrooms and new media offer community members looking to engage the media and the greater Charlotte community.

Panelists included Steve Crump (Reporter, WBTV), Hope Paasch (Regional Editor, The Charlotte Observer), and Joy Scott (New Media Editor, The Shelby Star).

In addition to exclusive tips offered during the session, participants were also given a personal Accessing the Media toolkit that included tips on writing press releases, media management advice, and a media list.

CAABJ would like to thank our panelists, volunteers, the Freedom Regional Library, Harris Teeter, and all participants for making "Secrets to Accessing the Media: How to Get Your Stories Told" a success.

We want to hear from you! Please share with us how the information you received during the "Secrets to Accessing the Media: How to Get Your Stories Told" will benefit you, your organization or your business by leaving a comment on our blog.

"Secrets to Accessing the Media: How to Get Your Stories Told"