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Organization's Newsletter Revived
To the membership of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists: Please accept this apology for the KCABJ Newsletter not being delivered to you in a timely manner. It is part of the official record of the organization and the key means of keeping KCABJ members informed of the goings-on of African-American journalists in the Kansas City area and nationwide. The newsletter staff and KCABJ's executive board -- all volunteers -- will do a better job now and in the future of maintaining this monthly publication on our Web site, www.kcabj.org. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Good News... Sort Of
The American Society of Newspaper Editors in April reported that the percentage of journalists of color had increased over last year. The new newsroom census showed that minority journalists held 12.7 percent of the jobs, up from 11.64 in the 2001 survey. The drop last year was the first decline since 1978 when ASNE began keeping numbers. The 2000 survey showed that journalists of color had held 11.85 percent of newsroom jobs.
The reversal this year of that downward trend was largely caused by nearly 2,000 journalists overall leaving the newspaper industry in the last year. ASNE reported that it was the largest loss in 25 years. Most of the loss was in the ranks of reporters at medium size newspapers. Some journalists took buyouts. Others were offered early retirements, and some were laid off as newspapers strugged through the recession and huge advertising losses.
Also worth noting with this downward trend of journalism jobs overall and upward minority census, is that black journalists did not come out well either way. The National Association of Black Journalists in April renewed its call on the newspaper industry to reverse the continuing decline in the number of black journalists employed at U.S. newspapers. For the third year in a row, fewer African Americans are working in America's newsrooms.
NABJ President Condace Pressley said: ''We are deeply concerned by this pattern. For blacks, things are still headed in the wrong direction.''
This year's ASNE census showed that of the newsroom jobs, African Americans held 5.29 percent, or 2,879 of the positions; Asian Americans had 2.36 percent, or 1,283 of the jobs; Hispanics held 3.86 percent, or 2,098 of the positions; and Native Americans had 0.56 percent or 307 of the jobs. The 2001 numbers were as follows: 5.23 percent, or 2,951 for African Americans; 2.3 percent, or 1,299 for Asian Americans; 3.66 percent, or 2,064 for Hispanics; and 0.44 percent, or 249 for Native Americans. In 2000, the numbers were 5.31 percent, or 2,984 for African Americans; 2.35 percent, or 1,321 for Asian Americans; 3.68 percent, or 2,068 for Hispanics; and 0.52 percent, or 292 for Native Americans.
What follows are some other trends noted in the ASNE report:
-- The number of newspapers with no minorities increased. Last year 422 newspapers responded that they had no minority journalists. This year the number grew to 431 newspapers, or 45 percent. In 2000, 368, or 39 percent, of U.S. newspapers reported having no journalists of color.
These numbers matter considering that ASNE in 1978 set a goal to have the percentage of journalists of color in professional newsroom jobs at U.S. daily newspapers equal the percentage of minorities in the U.S. population by the year 2000. In 1978, minority journalists held only 3.95 percent of professional jobs in newsrooms nationwide. The minority population then was about 20 percent. Since 1978, the minority population has grown to about 30 percent of the U.S. population of 281 million people. ASNE about three years ago pushed back to 2025 its goal of having newsroom jobs held by minority journalists being at parity with the population.
It's also important to note that having representative numbers of journalists of color increases the likelihood that newspapers will include stories, photographs and artwork about minorities. It results in communities of color's needs being addressed, prejudice, bigotry and discrimination being reduced, and people in communities nationwide seeing the contributions that people of color continue to make to this country. Having more journalists of color working in the news industry was a strong recommendation of the Kerner Commission report after riots tore through many cities in the United States more than 30 years ago -- including Kansas City.
In the Kansas City area, the ASNE 2002 report showed that journalists of color at The Kansas City Star held 15.8 percent of the newsroom jobs, down from 17.8 percent in 2001. Other area newspapers listed in the 2002 report were The Examiner of Independence, 0.0 percent; The Daily Star-Journal of Warrensburg, 0.0 percent; The Examiner of Blue Springs, 14.3 percent; The Olathe News, 0.0 percent; and The Ottawa Herald, 0.0 percent. The Kansas City Kansan was not listed. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had a minority journalists staff of 13.4 percent.
KCABJ Member Bumped From Anchor Chair
 Dee Griffin
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Dee Griffin, news anchor at KCTV-5 was moved out of her 6 and 10 p.m. anchor spot and shifted to the less visible weekend anchor position. Griffin had replaced Tracy Townsend, a KCABJ member, who in the 1990s became the first black weekday news anchor at the station. The KCABJ membership voted in April to take action against the move, saying it represented a disturbing backward trend in the industry.
The membership also voted to take part in the American Society of Newspaper Editor's Time Out for Diversity Week. KCABJ planned to partner with the newsroom diversity committee at The Kansas City Star to promote diversity during the national observance. Retention was the theme this year. The Star's efforts included having reporters speak at the University of Missouri-Kansas City on their coverage of the war in Afghanistan and newsroom diversity taking over the microphone during KCUR-FM's ''Under the Clock'' broadcast at Union Station.
KCABJ planned to have a panel discussion at the Kansas City Public Library branch on the West Side, featuring the Urban League of Greater Kansas City's new book ''The State of Black Kansas City 2002.'' The chapter to be discussed -- written by KCABJ Secretary Joi Preciphs -- focuses on the media.
KC People
KCABJ's membership grew to 30 with the addition of J.W. Edwards and Edwin Birch.
2002 Kansas City Association of Black Journalists
P.O. Box 32744, Kansas City, Mo. 64111