Haiti relief efforts make it easy for all to give … now, in future
By Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig
The Western Edition
It’s been almost a month since Haiti was hit with a massive earthquake – knocking a country that was already on its knees, flat on its back.
The outpour of donations, support and more from people from around the globe has been nonstop and has included individual donations, corporate philanthropy, governmental assistance and even drew assistance from the entertainment world, which thanks to the recent “Hope for Haiti” Telethon – organized by George Clooney and Haiti-born rapper Wyclef Jean – raised more than $61 million for the residents of the poverty-ravaged country during the live, two-hour Jan. 22 event.
Some of those residents are relatives of San Francisco’s Mckenzy Germain. The second-generation Haitian was visiting with his mother in New York, making plans to visit his country this summer, when the quake occurred. Now, their trip is up in the air.
Germain, 27, who lived in Haiti from the time he was 5 months old to age 7, has heard from several family members – two uncles, their wives, their children and a few others – but received word that two cousins and their children, seven total, are among the dead, and numerous others are unaccounted for. His 21-year-old sister is part of an envoy to Port-au-Prince, but because the group’s clothes, food and assistance is still sitting on a plane in Atlanta, they are being forced into the same situation as many of those who are seeking help from them.
Germain said he wants to return home to Haiti, but “I don’t have a home to go to.
Commentary by Bob Butler
VP Broadcast, National Association of Black Journalists
At church on Sunday, my pastor spent about seven minutes talking about the situation in Haiti.
He opened his comments by shaking his head and saying Pat Robertson had spouted “the most ridiculous rubbish he had ever heard” when he said that Haiti was paying for a pact it signed with the devil resulting in a curse that led to the destruction from Tuesday’s earthquake. He then explained why Robertson was incorrect and urged us to donate to a second collection next Sunday for Haitian relief.
I was struck that my pastor spent about as much time talking about Haiti as the big three on Fox News – Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck – did on Wednesday night.
Fox repeatedly ran promos touting its coverage of the “Horror in Haiti.” And they did plenty of stories during the day.
But, according to Media Matters, the hosts of the shows with the most viewers covered the crisis in Haiti for a total of six minutes and 47 seconds. Beck spent 37 seconds talking about Haiti; he had an hour-long interview with Sarah Palin. O’Reilly talked about Haiti for just under three minutes and devoted much of his time to Bo Derek and the plight of wild horses in the West. And Hannity gave the earthquake three minutes and eight seconds when he wasn’t discussing “the culture of corruption” in the Obama Administration with Michelle Malkin.
As a journalist for 30 years, I know a little about what is news. What happened, and continues to happen, in Haiti is news. It will be news for the foreseeable future. This is the kind of story that defines us as journalists. We ache to collect the information and present it quickly and accurately to our viewers/readers/listeners.
I understand that Beck, Hannity and O’Reilly are not reporters. But I find it hard to believe that the managers at Fox decided they did not want to inform their hundreds of thousands of viewers about the breaking news in Haiti. There must have been something else at play here.
Did the hosts decide that their viewers didn’t care about the plight of a black nation? I’ve seen some comments on blogs suggesting Haiti is so corrupt that it would be better to just let everyone die … and there is resentment that American tax dollars are being used for Haitian relief. Maybe those people are responding to the de facto voice of the conservative movement, Rush Limbaugh, who suggested Americans withhold charitable donations to Haiti relief because, “we’ve already donated to Haiti. It’s called the U-S income tax.”
Critics calls FOX the propaganda arm of the Republican Party. By all-but ignoring the Haiti story Wednesday night, the network gave its detractors more ammunition and missed a chance to at least act like a legitimate news organization.
All you can do is shake your head. Butler also is a reporter with KCBS Radio and a Vice President to the board of American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Pictured: (seated) Bob Butler, Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig; (standing) NABJ Region VI Director Mark S. Luckie, Aqueila Lewis,
Marcus Osborne, John W. Ellis IV, Ellison Horne, Kim Bardakian, Theresa Willis and chapter photographer Z'ma Wyatt.
On Tuesday, the Bay Area Black Journalists Association elected its new officers for the 2009-11 term.
New officers include Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig, President; Terry Collins, VP Print; Theresa Willis, VP Broadcast; and Aqueila Lewis, Secretary. John W. Ellis IV retained his position as board Treasurer.
At-large board members and committee chairs – all returning – are Membership Chair Marcus Osborne, PR/Outreach Chair Kim Bardakian, Fundraising Chair Netta Conyers-Haynes and Scholarship Chair Ellison Horne.
“I want to offer my congratulations to the new officers of the Bay Area Black Journalists Association,” outgoing board President Bob Butler said Thursday. “I'm confident the new and returning board members will continue the advocacy, training and networking opportunities that have characterized BABJA since 1982. I urge all BABJA members to give new President Michelle Fitzhugh Craig the same support they showed me over the past five years.”
Butler continues to serve as the VP Broadcast for the National Association of Black Journalists, as well as a vice president for American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. BABJA is an affiliate chapter (in good standing) of NABJ.
The new board, prior to adjourning Tuesday’s general membership meeting, promised to continue its unrelenting work in increasing local membership and promoting the organization as a moving force when it comes to elevating young journalists of color. BABJA’s mission/goal includes serving as an advocate for Bay Area Journalists and as a beneficial network for journalists, students and media-related professionals.
Veteran journalist Belva Davis honored at Sixth Annual Young Journalists Scholarship Gala
Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Belva Davis
and BABJA President Bob Butler -- Photos by Z'ma Wyatt
By Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig
Globe Newspapers
This past weekend is definitely one I won’t soon forget.
Not because I did anything illegal and/or immoral. It was about an “older soul” who taught this old soul the true meaning of “passing the torch.”
On Saturday night, the Bay Area Black Journalists Association hosted its sixth annual Young Journalists Scholarship Gala. As vice president of print for the organization, it was a must attend.
More than 200 people from all areas of the Bay Area — journalists and non-journalists — attended the event, the main goal being to raise scholarship monies for student journalists.
TAMPA, FLA. - August 7, 2009 - The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) today announced that Kathy Times has been elected the 18th President of the 3,200-member organization. Also elected to serve for the 2009-11 term are Vice President-Print Deirdre Childress of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Vice President-Broadcast Bob Butler of KCBS Radio in San Francisco.
Times, an anchor for WDBD-TV in Jackson, Miss., won the election with 325 votes or 57 percent of the vote, defeating opponent Angelo Henderson, a Radio One Talk Show Host, writer and president of Angeloink, LLC.
The election results were announced at a 6 p.m. press conference following the closing of the polls at the Tampa Convention Center, site of the 2009 NABJ Annual Convention and Career Fair. More than 1,300 votes were cast by eligible NABJ members in this year's election, conducted online between June 8 and 5 p.m. today.
"This next Board will pick up the gauntlet at a historic moment in journalism's evolution," said Melanie Burney, NABJ Elections Committee Chair. "These individuals will help to lead our organization to the new frontier of journalism."
Times, who completes a term as Vice President- Broadcast, replaces current President Barbara Ciara, managing editor/ anchor for WTKR in Norfolk, Va., whose term in office ends Sunday.
"We have a lot of work to do and I want to say to you that we will hit the ground running," Times told a packed room at the Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina in Tampa where the election results were announced. "Advocacy is part of our mission, it is what we do, it is what we are about."
A total of 12 Board members were chosen by the membership to lead the organization for the next two years. Board members re-elected for a second term in uncontested races include Treasurer Gregory Lee, Parliamentarian Tonju Francois, Region III Director Ken Knight, Region V Director Cindy George, and Associate Representative Aprill O. Turner.
Winning re-election in a contested race was Region I Director Charles Robinson and winning a first term in Region IV was Keith Reed. CNN analyst Roland Martin was elected secretary in another contested race.
Georgia Dawkins, a student at Florida A&M University, was elected Student Representative. No candidates ran for Region VI Director, which will be appointed by the new president upon taking office.
A panel discussion about the many aspects of diversity, from the newsroom to the PR industry. The discussion will share best practices, challenges and offer solutions. REGISTER HERE.
A special thanks to BABJA Treasurer John W. Ellis IV
who hosted this year’s holiday party and created this video for all to enjoy.
He also got a little creative and put together our outtakes, which can be seen here.
Happy New Year!
Event Date: Nov 13, 2009
CDC partners with BABJA
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and BABJA (in part)
present
“HIV/AIDS in the African American Community,”
10:30 a.m. to noon Dec. 5 at the Calvin Simmons Ballroom in the Oakland Marriott. Register online now!
Has your membership lapsed? Are you new to BABJA?
Be sure to pay your dues at any time before
the end of this year and you will remain a current
member through 2010. It's easy! Click here for more information
Posted: Jan 19, 2010
SAVE THE DATES ...
• Next General Membership meeting – Tuesday, Feb. 9 – Alta Alliance Bank, Oakland
• PRSA/BABJA diversity panel – Thursday, Feb. 25 in San Francisco
• NABJ 2010 Annual Convention& Career Fair – July 28 to Aug. 1 in San Diego
Posted: Dec 9, 2008
New Website
BABJA's New and Improved Website is now active. See Bob for more details.
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Did the hosts decide that their viewers didn’t care about the plight of a black nation? I’ve seen some comments on blogs suggesting Haiti is so corrupt that it would be better to just let everyone die … and there is resentment that American tax dollars are being used for Haitian relief. Maybe those people are responding to the de facto voice of the conservative movement, .jpg)
