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From the President
 Anita K. Parran
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Between attending seminar sessions, seeing film previews and scoping the myriad exhibits, those of us who attended this year's National Association of Black Journalists annual convention chilled in the Pabst Room -- the KCABJ hospitality space -- at the Hilton Hotel.
This was my first convention event, and there were just too many professional development workshops and sessions of interest to attend! That's not a bad thing ... better to have too many choices than not enough to whet the learning appetite! And what was so great about this convention (compared with others I have attended) was the great wealth of black minds under one roof. I was overwhelmed!
"Our crowd" (KCABJ members) had the opportunity to renew friendships, make new connections, and shake our booties at the numerous evening events. It was an honor to pay tribute to winners of the media awards and applaud those featured during the Special Honors Banquet. Both events injected my creative juices with ideas as we plan our event schedule for November!
It was good to talk with former KCABJ members Carlton Houston, Darryl Fortune, Kathy Times, April McClellan-Copeland, Gromer Jeffers as well as an old running buddy from St. Louis, Fred Sweets of the Associated Press. It was also an experience that allowed me to bond more closely with KCABJ members Tanyanika Samuels, Glenn Rice, Benita Williams, Lewis Diuguid and Steve Penn.
I'm looking forward to Dallas next year -- and I hope that many of you will consider making the trek. It's an awesome feeling to knock around with so many people of color and learn a few things in the process.
Attendance soars at NABJ Convention
The 27th Annual National Association of Black Journalists convention began in Milwaukee with dire predictions of a record low attendance. Only 1,200 people were expected. However, late registrations boosted turnout to 2,100 before the convention was over on Aug. 4.
People attended for the workshops, panel discussions, jobs fair, networking opportunities and a chance to renew ties with colleagues in the industry. Some things to note from the convention included membership in NABJ dipping to 3,000 from 3,300, and one Chicago chapter of the organization being decertified over membership issues only to have a second chapter in Chicago emerge.
The good news in addition to turnout far surpassing expectations is NABJ under KCABJ member Glenn Rice's leadership as treasurer is again in the black and showing a surplus. Anyone interested in news from the convention can contact KCABJ Treasurer Lewis Diuguid at (816) 234-4723 to borrow copies of the newspapers from the conference.
The Kansas City Association of Black Journalists was well represented at the NABJ convention. In addition to Rice, KCABJ members in Milwaukee included President Anita Parran, Vice President/Print Tanyanika Samuels, Treasurer Lewis Diuguid, Benita Williams, Kia Breaux, Stan Austin, Laurie Scott Austin, Yvette Walker and Steve Penn. Former KCABJ members at the convention included Gromer Jeffers Jr., Kathy Times, Darryl Fortune, Sandy Ross, Pam Davis, Carlton Houston, Mark Holland, Harry Walker, Andre Jackson, April McClellan, Terry Collins, Jeanne Fox, Gerald Jordan, Eddie Williams and Ken Houston.
Media Awards Date Set
The 11th Annual KCABJ Media Awards program will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center.
KCABJ will present honors for the Kansas City area's best enterprise journalism during the last year about African-Americans and other people of color. It also will present its Thumbs Down Award to the person or media entity that has done the most to set back the image of African Americans and other people of color.
Entries have been received in daily newspaper, weekly newspaper, magazine, television newscast, television talk show, diversity corporate newsletter, marketing, talk show and book categories. Judges have received the material and will release the names of the winners at the Watkins Center program.
The recipients of scholarships will be named at the awards event. Those will be the top students from the 2002 KCABJ Urban Student Journalism Workshop. KCABJ members Malecia El-Amin and Glenn Rice are doing the final edit and layout of the stories, which will fill the student newspaper, The 2002 KCABJ Journal. That will be distributed during the media awards program.
The student's TV newscast also will be shown. Unlike past years, several students during the summer got to sit in the anchor chairs. KCABJ members and some of the students and their parents previewed the broadcast at the August meeting. Amie Hudspeth, associate producer with KSHB-TV, Channel 41 explained to the students that even the professionals struggle with the job and sometimes find themselves laughing on camera.
During the meeting, KCABJ Vice President/Print Tanyanika Samuels and KCABJ Vice President/Broadcast Crystal Lumpkins presented reports on the 2002 student workshop. Glenn, who also served as a coordinator of the workshop with Tanyanika and Crystal, suggested that a workshop committee review how best to structure the program for 2003. KCABJ annually holds the student journalism workshops during the summer at Rockhurst University to help train young people for jobs in print and broadcast journalism.
KCABJ President Anita K. Parran said the KCABJ membership survey would be completed soon and distributed to members and potential members. KCABJ members also will receive in the mail soon copies of the revised KCABJ Constitution. Members will vote on it at the August meeting.
Parent Praises KCABJ
KCABJ received a letter from a parent of one of the students in the workshop. It leaves no doubt about whether the extra efforts people put in are worth it to ensure that people of color will follow us in the news industry. This is from Debra Neal, Morgan Neal's mom:
This two-week workshop experience, I believe, is unequivocal in its structure, delivery and content. To afford this opportunity at no cost to students of color is impressive.
My daughter shared some of the daily highlights with me. I was then able to have a better feel for what occurred.
Thank you for giving my daughter, Morgan Neal, what I call 'a once in a Lifetime' privilege to be a part of this life-altering experience. Special thanks to those members who took time to dialogue one to one by phone and in person about workshop specifics.''
The thanks doesn't get any better than that.
Where's The Diversity
"Who's Talking?" a recent White House Project study, found that racial, ethnic and gender diversity was missing from television's weekend political talk shows. The study examined "This Week" (ABC), "Face the Nation" (CBS), "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" (CNN), "Fox News Sunday" (Fox) and "Meet the Press" (NBC). "Our comprehensive review of these programs suggests that while the topics and areas of expertise of the guests may differ, one factor remains constant: the vast majority of the guests are white and male,'' the report said. "This lack of gender and racial diversity holds serious implications for the public perception of all women (and people of color) as national leaders and experts."
The lack of representation leaves women and people of color "underrepresented and undervalued as citizens of our democracy."
The study focused mostly on women. It found that women represented only 10 percent of national experts on the shows, and only 6 percent to 7 percent were repeat guests. Women's presence on the Sunday shows further decreased after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. From Sept. 16 to Oct. 28, the percentage of guest appearances by American women across all shows dropped 39 percent. Women guests spoke fewer words than men by 10 percent and were slightly more likely to be less prominent. They are left out as people who should be viewed as "authority figures and national leaders."
News From Elsewhere
The spring 2002 issue of The Children's Beat Journal of Media Coverage reports that diversity should be part of the newsroom culture. It should be as essential as newspapers' drive for accuracy. Newspapers' initiatives based on polls and surveys to tailor content to what readers want in response to declining circulation will tend to ``write off'' many communities of color.
``Coverage of diverse communities may not win you accolades. It will not result in an immediate increase in circulation. It may not funnel torrents of revenue into your advertising departments. You may not see your current readers clamoring for more in their survey responses. It is quite simply our responsibility as journalists,'' the journal reported.
The 2001 Election Reform Report card indicates that a majority of states have delayed election reform because they are waiting for leadership from the federal government.
The NAACP's Legislative Report Card gives nearly half of the members of the 107th Congress an F grade. The grade included their voting records on ``bread and butter'' issues such as civil rights, education, health care, hate crimes, welfare reform, predatory lending and racial profiling.
The Press Club declared McGowan's book the winner in its press criticism book category even though it was the only entry. The NABJ Monitoring Committee argued that the book is shoddy journalism unworthy of the award.
The book received this year's Thumbs Down Award from NABJ.
Insider Information
Want a tip on how to conduct better interviews? Bobbi Bowman, diversity director with the American Society of Newspaper Editors, suggests reporters tape themselves conducting the interview. That tip comes from a sportswriting workshop at the Mid-America Press Institute.
Listen to the questions you ask and listen for ways that you can improve your techniques. Bowman also offers this insight from Eric Nalder on interviewing victims: Always treat them with dignity and respect. Clearly identify yourself. You can say you're sorry for the person's loss, but never say ``I understand'' or ``I know how you feel'' Don't overwhelm them with the hardest questions first. Begin with ``Can you tell me about the person's life'' or ``What was he like?'' or ``What were his favorite hobbies?'' Then listen.
KC People
KCABJ's membership climbed to 44 with the addition of former KCABJ workshop graduate and Central Missouri State University student Kevin Moye', Neil Tucker, April Jackson and three of this year's workshop students, Portia Turner, Kara Edgerson, Morgan Neal and Keana Jarvis.
By the way, Keana reports that she will have a story in the ``TeenStar'' section of The Kansas City Star on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Anita sent letters to the students, to the workshop participants, to the speakers, the managers of newsrooms that permitted KCABJ members to take the time to help out in the workshop and to the media professionals who were actively involved.
Yvette is assistant managing editor for staff development and multimedia at The Kansas City Star, and Andre is assistant managing editor-business at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
2002 Kansas City Association of Black Journalists
P.O. Box 32744, Kansas City, Mo. 64111