NABJ Hero Lacy J. Banks

The Sun-Times sports veteran and a founding member of this chapter opened countless doors for many of us in this industry. News of his passing is attracting national tributes from colleagues, and even Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who remembers him as a “trailblazer” in his field who built bridges between diverse communities.

His longtime employer, the Sun-Times, details the important legacy of one of our most beloved storytellers: Here

Jean-Claude Brizard visits NABJ

When: Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Where: Columbia College, 33 E. Congress Pkwy. (corner of Wabash and Congress), 1st floor
Time: 5:30 pm networking, 6 pm forum begins

Facilitator: Richard Steele, WBEZ  Radio

You’ve seen the statistics: There are currently 123,000 Chicago Public Schools students who attend what have been characterized as underperforming schools-schools that are not preparing them for the world of work or college. Most of these schools are on our city’s South and West Sides.

Many schools may soon be closed, which has angered neighborhood residents. But if changes are not made, how can we expect better results? How is CPS dealing with the educational inequities impacting black children in our city? What happens next?

Join NABJ-Chicago and the Columbia College Radio Department on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 for a frank discussion with Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard about his vision for delivering opportunities for quality education to every neighborhood in the city. Also hear from school reform advocates who are playing a major role in that transformation. See you there!

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Place: M Lounge at 1520 S. Wabash Avenue (Metered parking, CTA-accessible)

Cost: Free for NABJ-Chicago Members, $5 donation for all other guests

If you want to meet the influencers, movers-and-shakers within NABJ-Chicago, make sure to save the date of July 28 for “Minute-2-Win-It II.”  A pre-selected group of 20 attendees will get exactly one minute to take the stage and talk about themselves and their projects.  The response to our last crop of speakers was fantastic.  Interested in being one of the 20 to address an audience of influential journalists, communicators and corporate guests? Send an e-mail with the subject “Minute to Win It II” along with your full name, title, organization and what you want to talk about to nabjccsecretary@nabjchicago.org.

Last time our members and guests gathered at M Lounge, we were joined by soul star Rahsaan Patterson, talkshow host Garrard McClendon and Walter Payton’s son, Jarrett Payton. More special guests – including Val Warner of Windy City LIVE!, NABJ presidential candidate Gregory Lee, Ebony Magazine’s Adrienne Samuels, Jet Magazine’s Mitzi Miller, Press Secretary for Chicago Public Schools Marielle Sainvilus, and CBS-2’s brand new traffic reporter Derrick Young — are expected this time around, so stay tuned to updates via our e-blasts, www.nabjchicago.org and the “NABJ-Chicago” Facebook page.  There will be appetizers available on a first-come, first-serve basis and a cash bar is available.  See you there!

Interested students should contact NABJ-Chicago Scholarship Chair, Maudlyne Ihejirika, at mihejirika@suntimes.com Requirements are a transcript showing a 3.0 or better GPA, and an essay answering the following three questions:

 ”How has digital media impacted journalism?”

 ”How do I see myself adjusting to meet that impact?”

 ”Where do I see myself in 10 years?”

Deadline is May 13.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is dismayed by the profound failure of media organizations in their rush to report on the allegedly racist remarks of former U.S. Department of Agriculture staffer Shirley Sherrod.

Because of the activist propaganda of conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart and the subsequent lack of due diligence on the part of pundits on the FOX News Channel and others to verify the authenticity of a tape with  Sherrod’s remarks on race, this veteran public servant was unjustly castigated and convicted as an unrepentant racist in the court of public opinion.

We expect better, and so do the millions of readers and viewers who rely on news organizations for accuracy before airing or publishing any material, especially those with potential negative consequences. This didn’t happen and, as a result, Sherrod’s decades-long reputation as a champion of equity and justice was tarnished in mere hours. The swift, decisive echo chamber of bad judgment from all involved, from cable networks to the White House, should be a lesson learned for us all.

To be sure, the 24/7 news cycle now requires all of us to sometimes move at a dizzying pace to report news, even when the circumstances are still developing. But those demands do not negate our responsibility as a public trust to get it right, each and every time.

Breitbart and those who went with the tape’s content without first checking its authenticity owe Sherrod – and America – an apology for creating yet another sad chapter in the long history of the explosive mix of media, race and politics in this country.

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An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with nearly 3,000 members, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.

Thanks to all NABJ-Chicago members and guests who joined us at our Annual Membership Meeting 2010, followed by our “Death and the Deadline” panel discussion on May 19 at Red Kiva lounge in the West Loop.  We participated in a vigorous, and insightful conversation about the reality of community violence and what the media could do to improve its coverage of that violence.

Special thanks to our moderator, Allison Hunter, as well as outstanding panelists: TRUTH Magazine founder and community activist, Carl West; rapper Hassahn Phenomenon; rapper Precise, President and CEO of the Community Mental Health Council Dr. Carl Bell and 18-year-old Crishinda Wade from Teen Englewood.

PANELIST QUOTABLES:
“If I lived in L.A. and watched Chicago news, you would think Chicago is a war zone.”—HASSAHN PHENOMENON, RAPPER, CYPHER LOUNGE RADIO SHOW HOST

“The decisions (about media coverage) are made behind the camera. … Producing is about judgment, what stories go where.”—MODERATOR, ALLISON HUNTER, LONG-TIME EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

“We had great programming, but we gave up control. It’s not what people want to see, it’s what they’re used to seeing. These minstrel shows we tune into, we give our power to that.”—PRECISE, RAPPER

“If you’re not mentoring … you ain’t doing nothing.”—CARL WEST, TRUTH MAGAZINE FOUNDER AND COMMUNITY ACTIVIST

“We (teens) don’t want to know just one perspective of the story.”—CRISHINDA WADE, TEEN, TEAM EANGLEWOOD

“When the programs go away, the problems come back. You don’t talk about … ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ you rebuild the village. … We must teach youth social and emotional skills; you check people’s behavior.”– DR. BELL

We also thank members of the Pain to Power Foundationand  Derrion Albert’s grandfather for coming out to meet with members of the media and attend the panel.

CALL FOR COMMITTEES:

If you didn’t get a chance to attend our meeting, we are also asking more of our members to volunteer for NABJ-Chicago committees: Events/Programming; Technology/Social Media; Mentorship; Media Advocacy; Fundraising and Publicity.  If you are interested in using your talents and working with our dynamic, award-winning board, please send an e-mail to nabjccsecretary@nabjchicago.org.