b'COMMUNITYNAACP Black Media Forum Excludes Black NewspapersNNPA President and Black Publishers Call for Clarification and InclusionBy Hazel Trice Edney, TriceEdneyWire.com Chavisreflectedonthe videotapedforum."Itwas like our epitaph. They were ANAACP"BlackMediaSpeaks"forumhaving the funeral, the eulo-recent plummetedintoaconversationinwhichthegy, and the final rites." But, futureofhard-copyBlack-ownednewspaperswashe noted, this is historically all but pronounced dead.To the shock of some ofhowtheBlackPresshas the members of the National Newspaper Publishersbeen treated.Association (NNPA), A federation of more than 200"For 193 years, the Black-Black-owned newspapers, there was not one Blackowned press, since the days newspaper journalist or publisher on the panel. ofFreedom\'sJournal,has "In 2020, for there to be a virtual panel on Blackfaced the negative specula-MediaandnotinviteorinvolvetheNNPAoranytive and false analysis - not of our member publishers to be on the panel goesjustfromWhitesuprema-beyond a mere oversight," said NNPA President/CEOcists about the value of the Benjamin Chavis in an interview about the May 20Black Press - but sometimes forum. "We\'re certainly going to meet about it as partthe history will show that at of our ongoing strategic alliance between the NAACPone point some of our own and the NNPA." peoplealsoattemptedtoundervaluethepurpose,partnership with the NNPA is important to us. We Hosted by NAACP President/CEO Derrick Johnsonthemission,andthesustainabilityoftheBlackvalueoursharedengagementsandtakepridein andmoderatedbyjournalistEdGordonofEdPress. By analogy, this is the same argument thatsharing articles from the Washington Informer, Afro, Gordon Media, formerly of BET, the forum had beenpeoplehavesaidaboutHBCUs(HistoricallyBlackDefender and others in the weekly news recaps dis-widely promoted by the NAACP as a discussion onColleges and Universities) and the same questionstributed to our networks. While it was not our intent theneedforBlackmediaduringthecoronavirusabout the need for the continuation of the historicto exclude you, I recognize that was the impact."pandemic and continued physical attacks on BlackBlack church. If there\'s any person of African dissent people by police and others. But those topics werewhodoesnotknowthevalueoftheBlack-ownedBlankson said the Black Media Speaks forum was barely mentioned during the entire hour. church, Black-owned HBCUs; Black-owned newspa- one of several events planned for this year. "In addi-pers; then that person or group of people of Africantion to NNPA, there are other voices we must include Chavis was particularly taken-aback by remarksdescent needs to re-immerse themselves in the his- infutureconversations,especiallythoseabout from panelists who painted a grim picture about thetory and the long struggle of African people to buildmedia. I want to use this moment to strengthen our future of Black newspapers. Perhaps most notablyour own institutions, to build our own businesses,relationship."were comments by Earl "Butch" Graves, president/ and to have our own voice in all of the media plat- She offered to "work together to plan an NNPA /CEO of Black Enterprise Magazine. forms - print, digital, online and social media." NAACP specific event in the coming weeks."Graves was responding to a caller who identifiedChavis was not alone in articulating the views ofBlankson did not explain how or why members of herselfasasecond-generationpublisheramongthe NNPA. Denise Rolark Barnes, normally a mild- NNPA or other reporters for Black newspapers were those still "on the front line". She asked how mem- mannered NNPA publisher and former NNPA chair,not invited to the "Black Media Speaks" panel in the bers of the panel would use their positions to sup- emailed a letter expressing "disgust" about the forumfirstplace.NeitherdidNAACPPresidentJohnson port Black print publications. toNAACPSeniorVicePresidentofMarketingandrespond to repeated requests for an interview about Atfirst,Gordonrespondedbriefly:"ThisisallCommunications Aba Blankson. Barnes sent the let- the matter.aboutsurvivalatthispoint."Gordonmentionedter after listening to her staff at the Washington (DC) how he\'d worked closely with Real Times Media CEOInformer Newspaper express strong concerns aboutHowever, the NAACP\'s Crisis Magazine, a quarterly Hiram Jackson to assure the survival of several ofthe omission of Black newspaper representatives. print publication, was not spared amidst the criti-his Black-owned newspapers - such as the MichiganBarnes wrote, "I am sure by now you and Presidentcism as NAACP President Johnson took it to task.ChronicleandtheChicagoDefender-nowfullyJohnson have heard from some of our Black Press"We run the Crisis Magazine. It\'s been in continu-online. Then Graves weighed in heavily. publishers around the country expressing their dis- ous publication," he said. "But it\'s not timely. And we"We can\'t be tone deaf though," Graves said. "Theappointment with the NAACP\'s participation in lasthave to recognize that until we can develop the pub-reality is it\'s like those that are in retail that thoughtevening\'s Black Media Speaks event hosted [by] Edlication to where people can consume it in this new that retail would always survive.Print is not goingGordon. She wrote that the Informer staff felt "con- media reality - that they see the value in it - I can\'t to survive. It will not be here five years from now.sistentdisrespectbytheNAACPandNABJ.Theyfault others for not investing in Crisis when we have That\'s a hard pill to swallow but it is a reality. So,sharedtheirobservationsabouthowoftenBlacknot kept up with the times. That\'s the reality across either you reinvent or you die. And the reality is thatjournalists are featured in discussions about Blackthe board when we\'re talking about Black media."now Black-owned media companies need to acceptMedia, who have never worked for the Black Press." JohnsonsaidtheCrisishassurvivedmainly that cold hard fact." Barnescontinued,"Understandably,weareallbecause it\'s been underwritten. "Because if it had to DorothyTucker,presidentoftheNationalbewildered about why the nation\'s oldest civil rightsstand up on its own, it would have been out of busi-Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and a longorganization would allow a discussion [about] Blackness 50 years ago. So, we have to figure out a new time reporter for CBS, Channel 2 in Chicago, hadmedia ownership without having someone from thebusiness model to keep it moving."stated earlier that there are "170 African-Americannation\'s oldest black media ownership organizationLikewise, Graves said his late father, Earl Graves newspapersthatstillexist."And,shesaid,"Itis- the NNPA - at the table. This happens all too often,Sr., would not understand the decision he has now critical that we as African-Americans support Black- and I join my colleagues in expressing my disgust." made to move Black Enterprise almost completely owned media," including historic Black newspapersTheletterconcluded,"Whatourreadersknow,online. But, he said, it has been done with great that fought for the freedom of Black people and con- andtheNAACPisignorantof,ishowtheBlacksuccessandanastronomicalincreaseinreader-tinue to do so. Press is growing more robust even in the midst ofship.UnderscoringtheneedforaBlacknewspaperCOVID-19. We are the ones on the ground, bringingOther members of the Black Media Speaks panel representativeonthepanel,ChavissaidTucker\'sto life the stories of how COVID-19 is affecting Blackwere Jeff Johnson, formerly of BET and currently number, 170, was inaccurate. Based on the NNPAcommunities across the country. We are telling theoftheRickeySmileyMorningShow;AprilRyan, memberpapersreceivedattheD.C.-basedNNPAunder-reportedstoriesofoursurvivaldespiteanWhite House Correspondent, American Urban Radio headquarters,hesaid,thereare220NNPAnews- administration that has abandoned us, and organi- Network, and CNN political analyst; and Jemele Hill, papers in print and 10 online publications that arezations - including the NAACP - that ignores us. Inwriter for the Atlantic and host of her own podcast, Black-owned. print, we report these stories weekly, but online, weJemele Hill Unbothered.publish them every day."FollowinguponTucker\'spoint,Gravescontin- Blanksonrespondedthenextday,directingaNear the close of the discussion, Gordon told the ued, "We probably don\'t need 176 - or whatever thelettertoBarnes,Chavis,NNPASeniorNationalpanel that he had an idea that he would be float-number is exactly, Dorothy.We will probably needCorrespondent Stacy Brown, and the "NNPA Family."ing with each of them soon and he hopes at least a less than that. But those will have to survive doingBothletterswerecopiedtotheTriceEdneyNewscouple of them would agree. He did not say publicly it a different way. You cannot continue to print andWire. what the idea is. survive.Wecanseethisrightnow.PrintwillnotChavis concluded, "I am a loyal and life-member survive. Therefore, we will have to do something in aStarting with how she appreciates "the direct feed- oftheNAACPandIknowwewillworkthismat-different capacity to make this work." back and your candor", Blankson continued, "Ourter out. Both the NNPA and the NAACP need to be made stronger together by working together to help improve the overall quality of life of Black Americans and all others who cry out for freedom, justice and It is critical that we support Black-owned media that fought forequality. Thus, the NNPA does not accept the eulogy, thefinalritesortheepitaphsthatarenowbeing the freedom of Black people and continue to do so. untimelyarticulatedbypeoplewhoshouldknow better."6 JUNE 2020 BOCNEWS.com'