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Panel examines impact of Blair case on diversityBy Josef Sawyer NABJ Convention Online Staff When the news about the Jayson Blair scandal first reached the ears of Peter Bhatia, president of the American Association of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), he never thought his private phone conversation with a BBC reporter would end up being discussed at a plenary session on industry issues at an NABJ convention. The session, titled “Ethics, Diversity Initiatives and African Americans in Journalism” focused on the impact of Blair’s actions on the industry. Blair left the New York Times in May after editors found multiple errors in his reporting as well as instances of plagiarism. While the Blair incident was discussed at length, the session focused on wider issues such as the direction of the Times and of diversity in the newsroom. Bhatia was joined on the panel by Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the Times; Paula Madison, president of KNBC in Los Angeles; and Steve Rossi, president of Knight-Ridder’s newspaper division. Jazz critic and noted writer Stanley Crouch, who moderated the panel, questioned whether the Blair incident was an issue of race. Bhatia agreed, saying he was disappointed when hundreds of signed postcards were mailed to the ASNE office blaming the organization for its ongoing diversity initiatives. “Blair was an attack on the credibility of all of us, and it can become routine if we are not careful,” Bhatia said. The panel also discussed the resignations of Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd from the New York Times due to the fallout from the Jayson Blair scandal. “There were tears of joy here when Gerald Boyd got the position because not only was it a seat at the table, but it was our table,” Madison said. “Now we don’t know when it’s going to happen again.” Recently ASNE reported that among journalists, only 12 per cent are minorities, far behind its projected level of 30 per cent by 2025. Sulzberger said the Times was right in line with the projections. “Of the 17 percent of the [minority] professionals at the Times, ten per cent are black and of the last fifteen hires, eight were minorities; so we are making strides but it is and needs to be an ongoing process,” Sulzberger said. Although some on the panel thought Blair’s actions would set back diversity efforts, Rossi said he never thought the story would gain enough momentum to wipe out years of work. |
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