Black journalists face challenges that stem from systemic racism

The fallout from recent protests over the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor have reignited long-standing concerns on the part of many Black journalists about their roles in the newsrooms they work in, and the value they are given (or not given) by the media companies they work for. In one particularly egregious case, Alexis Johnson, a Black journalist at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was prevented from covering the protests because of a single innocuous, joking tweet. Others have also been silenced in a variety of ways, or had their work tokenized by largely white newsrooms. Journalists at the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and many other leading publications have expressed their experiences of racism in those companies. We brought together a group of Black journalists this week using CJR’s Galley discussion platform to talk about their experiences with systemic racism in the industry, a group that included CBS News reporter and former Washington Post correspondent Wesley Lowery, author of a recent essay in the New York Times entitled “A Reckoning Over Objectivity, Led by Black Journalists” (which sparked a related discussion series on Galley about whether objectivity has outlived its usefulness). Others who have taken part include Errin Haines, editor-at-large for The 19th, a nonprofit focusing on gender-related issues, and a former national correspondent on race for Associated Press; Karen Attiah, global opinion... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-07-09 11:50:34 UTC ]
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News Corp tears down Murdoch’s ‘silos’ – and then harvests journalists’ jobs | Weekly Beast

Scores of jobs lost across Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun and the Australian. Plus, Nine corrects record on slaveryThe Australian had the scoop about a major restructure at News Corp in an exclusive interview on Monday with Peter Blunden, former Herald Sun editor and chairman of the News editorial... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-12 01:17:54 UTC ]
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Black US authors top New York Times bestseller list as protests continue

Michelle Alexander and Ijeoma Oluo among those on list, marking first time top 10 entries are primarily titles on race issuesGeorge Floyd killing – latest US updatesBlack American authors, including Michelle Alexander and Ijeoma Oluo, have surged to the top of the latest New York Times’... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-11 18:10:43 UTC ]
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According to the New York Times bestseller lists, a lot of people are reading about racism.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi pointed out on Twitter last night that books about racism (including two of his own, How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped from the Beginning) are making up a significant portion of the New York Times bestseller lists. “The resistance is from the loudness of demonstrations to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-11 14:11:24 UTC ]
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Publishers want more black authors. Why have they silenced us for so long? | Candice Carty-Williams

As Black Lives Matter protests take place across the world, the publishing world is rushing to support those ‘ignored by the mainstream’. Who is the mainstream, then?The publishing industry is stilted and archaic. I worked in it for seven years, and left due to reasons I can’t legally talk... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-11 09:44:22 UTC ]
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Black British authors top UK book charts in wake of BLM protests

Bernardine Evaristo and Reni Eddo-Lodge take No 1 slots in wake of anti-racist demonstrations, as Waterstones staff ask chain to support causeBernardine Evaristo and Reni Eddo-Lodge have become the first black British women to top the UK’s fiction and nonfiction paperback charts, in a week where... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-10 13:46:40 UTC ]
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Dorothy Koomson: 'publishing is a hostile environment for Black authors'

Author Dorothy Koomson has written an open letter to the publishing industry, in which she describes it as a “hostile environment for Black authors”.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-10 06:37:48 UTC ]
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Amid Protests, Religion Pubs Highlight Anti-Racism Resources

Faith-based houses are working to promote racial reconciliation amid the death of George Floyd and international protests by highlighting anti-racism book titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Asurion creates data-science scholarship at historically black university

One of Nashville’s largest privately owned companies is launching an initiative aimed at bringing more diversity into the tech industry.  Asurion has donated $200,000 to create a new data-science scholarship at historically black Fisk University in Nashville, according to a news release.  The... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2020-06-09 17:16:57 UTC ]
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WATCH: Jericho Brown and Nikky Finney on Black Lives Matter and Bearing Witness

Renowned poets Jericho Brown (2020 Pulitzer Prize winner) and Nikky Finney (2011 National Book Award winner), formerly student and teacher, reunite to address the current moment of uprising and solidarity in the face of anti-Black violence, in a visceral conversation about art, identity, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-09 17:00:01 UTC ]
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We need to call out the lack of support and erasure of Black British voices

Using terms such as BAME and PoC makes it harder to call out the lack of support and erasure of Black British voices (often working class and male) from festivals, prizes, agencies and organisations set up by non-Black PoC in the name of ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-09 05:56:06 UTC ]
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Printers relieved over Covid-19 bounceback but warn of autumn challenge

UK printing firms say the impact of Covid-19 on their business has not been as large as first feared but they have warned of further challenges as publishers gear up for a big autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-08 17:51:52 UTC ]
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Waterstones responds to staffers' call to support Black Lives Matter

Waterstones has said Covid-19 closures means a charitable donation to Black Lives Matter is not currently possible despite a petition set up by booksellers calling for the chain to financially support the cause. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-08 15:36:16 UTC ]
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Facing the ‘Hard Truth’: An Indie Reading List

Here at BookLife, we’ve compiled our own list of titles from self-published authors that address systemic racism and police brutality; explore African American history; or that otherwise reflect the diverse lived experiences of black individuals in America. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Workers Across Book Business Take Collective Action Against Racism

On June 8, a group of more than 1,100 workers across book and media industries, most of them junior staffers, will take a day off from work, donate a day's pay to one of a number of fundraisers, and use their time to engage in acts of service in an effort to protest the killings of George Floyd,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers, agents and authors continue to respond to Black Lives Matter protests

Publishers and authors have continued to share reading lists and offers of help following the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-05 10:41:41 UTC ]
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5 books to start to teach anti-racism to children

A teacher created a reading list for young children to start to understand why there are global protests fighting for racial justice. Who: Brittany Smith, a New Jersey-based pre-kindergarten teacher.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-06-05 10:35:13 UTC ]
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Black-Owned Bookstore Offers “Ally Box” Book Subscription: Critical Linking, June 5, 2020

An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-06-05 10:30:41 UTC ]
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Books about race and racism are dominating bestseller lists

Readers are reaching for “White Fragility” and “How to Be an Antiracist,” among other titles. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-06-04 10:01:51 UTC ]
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Own it! pledges solidarity with Movement for Black Lives

The founders of publishing and lifestyle brand Own It! have announced their active support for a US-based Black communities group, the Movement for Black Lives. It follows the death of George Floyd on 25th May, as protests over police brutality in the US multiply. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-03 14:57:42 UTC ]
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Writers of the past turned suffering into literary masterpieces. They might help us understand how to meet the challenges of our day.

Authors have always tried to turn their sorrow and confusion into enduring monuments of beauty among the ruins. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-06-03 13:00:00 UTC ]
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