Homecoming in Las Vegas

ELECTIONS 2022 NAHJ

NABJ

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Candidates for contested elections line up support among board members.

THE MONITOR & LATINO REPORTER

Oncecompetitive races end up uncontested this year.

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FINANCE

NABJ makes more money than expected from 2022 convention

BY CHRISTINA NORRIS

The National Association of Black Journalists is on track to exceed projections for revenue and profit from this year’s joint convention with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Officials say this will put the organization on a solid footing ahead of an expected financial downturn in the U.S. As of June 30, NABJ reported convention revenue of $2.9 million, exceeding predictions by $403,000 despite an increase in expenses due to additional COVID-19 protocols put in place.

Even though the organization spent more than expected, the convention surplus was on track to exceed $234,000 for a total surplus of nearly $1.1 million.

“The recession impacts everybody and investment,” said NABJ Executive Director Drew Berry. “But we are well positioned, whether that storm will come.

We’re going to continue with our training, scholarships and fellowships and those types of things. And we’re going to plan as Jump to page 4

NATALIA FERNANDEZ SANDOVAL / NABJ NAHJ

HOMECOMING IN LAS VEGAS Members renew old friendships in Caesars hallways PAGE 8-9

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THE MONITOR &

THE N A B REPORTER J MONITOR LATINO & T H E L AT I N O R E P O R T E R

2022 S TA F F STUDENTS RAYSHAUN BAKER-LYNCH KARINA BAZARTE YAW BONSU TONI BRYCE KENYA CAPEHART ALEXIS DAVIS AMANDA DEJESUS JUSTIN EVANS NATALIA FERNANDEZ SANDOVAL JASMINE FRANKLIN KAYA FREEMAN DEANNA GILES SHANAÉ HARTE ANNA GUARACAO NICHOLAS HERNANDEZ GRANT HINES NAYELI JARAMILLO-PLATA ZAKIYA JENNINGS BROOKLYN JOYNER IVARELIS LÓPEZ MARTINEZ DEIDRE MONTAGUE WORTHINGTON MOORE ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA CHRISTINA NORRIS HEIDI PEREZ-MORENO HARMONY PORTER CLAUDIA RIVERA COTTO TANYA VELÁZQUEZ DAYANA VILLANUEVA NATASHA WILLIAMS

M E N TO R S CAROL GANTT JUSTIN MADDEN JAYA FRANKLIN ALLISON DAVIS JEAN NORMAN ARLENE WASHINGTON KENNETH MCFARLAND LISA COX ANTHONY WILSON DENISE JAMES STEPHON DINGLE

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NABJ officially launches news service to spotlight Black stories

BY RAYSHAUN BAKER-LYNCH

On the opening night of the NABJ/ NAHJ conference, NABJ President Dorothy Tucker announced the official launch of Black News and Views, their first-ever digital platform that will feature stories concerning the Black community that are not represented in the mainstream media.

“The idea that we will be able to have our own new service, it’s just something that I don’t think we ever thought would be a reality,” Tucker said. “ I know it’s something that we as an organization

have dreamed of.”

BNV had a soft launch June 10 with stories from around the world. The site targets a general audience with a goal of bringing more visibility to storytelling from Black journalists.

One of the first stories to be posted in-

volved 22 teeanagers being found dead in a South African bar under mysterious circumstances.

“We’re trying to produce stories that other news organizations are not likely to have,” BNV Executive Editor Melanie Eversley said. “And in the case of other news organizations, we can run their best work. So, kind of the best of both worlds.”

Founding member and director of content Sandra Dawson Long Weaver added that the website has partnered with news organizations like USA Today to share content.

“If USA Today has a story on the Black community, the service can expand on it, and it benefits both USA Today and BNV,” Weaver said.

Eversley said the start-up has five staffers who must be creative and resourceful.

However, anyone can submit content for BNV through the website.

CO N V E NTI O N H I G H L I G HT S NABJ Business Meeting 9:45 a.m.

Octavius Ballroom 15-18 NABJ/NAHJ 5K Run, Walk & Ride (ticketed event) 9:45 a.m.

Octavius Ballroom 15-18 African-American-Caribbean Connections: Building Bridges for a Post-Pandemic Recovery | powered by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism 1 p.m.

Pompeian Ballroom IV

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever -A Celebration Celebrating Cultural Impact 4 p.m..

Milano IV NAHJ Membership Meeting 4 p.m.

Genoa NABJ Salute to Excellence Gala 7:30 p.m., pre-reception | 8 p.m. gala Octavius Ballroom

Gran Baile Midnight Pompeian Ballroom Gospel Brunch (ticketed event) 10 a.m. Sunday.

Palace Ballroom III

LE T ’S CO N N E C T

NAHJ Hall of Fame Gala 8 p.m., pre-reception | 9 p.m. gala.

Roman I & II | Roman III & IV #NABJ23 Birmingham Kickoff Midnight Palace Ballroom I & II

THE NABJ MONITOR

THE LATINO REPORTER

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NAHJ board members line up behind candidates Emails, statements from high-level supporters build tension

BY AMANDA DEJESUS

Elections for a new National Association of Hispanic Journalists board of directors were intensifying at the organization’s annual conference this week as several board members, some of whom were also seeking reelection, mobilized behind their candidates of choice.

The 2022 election comes as the board is finalizing a five-year strategic plan. NAHJ’s membership has recently surged past 4,400, and candidates walked the halls of the convention this week campaigning in person for the first time in two years. They promised to address issues such as lagging member engagement, student disenfranchisement and programming that includes journalists of all mediums.

Polls, which opened in late July, will close on Saturday.

President Nora Lopez said she hopes members turn out to vote and understand the weight of the tasks ahead.

Members “should want to know who is running and who’s going to be representing them and speaking in their name because NAHJ does try to speak as a whole for our members,” Lopez said.

TENSIONS BUILD IN RACES

The races for vice president of broadcast and financial officer have become some of the most contested.

Broadcast Vice President Julio-Cesar Chavez, the incumbent, is challenged by Daniela Ibarra, former student representative and Student Project alum.

Chavez has said he wants to create group chats to connect broadcast members from across the country, help expand access to drone licenses and pursue summer scholarships for student members to travel for internships. Ibarra has advocated for widening support for broadcast journalists who do not work in television.

General at-large representative McNelly Torres, who is running unopposed for vice

NICHOLAS HERNADEZ / NABJ & NAHJ

NAHJ President Nora López, right, talks with candidate Yvette Cabrera during the NAHJ board meeting in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

president of digital, sent messages to NAHJ members urging them to support Ibarra, according to a member who received one.

Torres accused Chavez of being “a disappointment” who has “done nothing,” according to the message obtained by The Latino Reporter. “They won’t even show up at meetings while some of us are here busting our butts,” she wrote. “Let’s change that.”

Torres has championed Ibarra, a criminal justice reporter for KTUL news in Oklahoma who served with Torres on the Investigative and Data Task Force.

Chavez said he reached out to Torres privately.

“I am proud of my work with the NAHJ. I have dedicated two years to this organization because I care about helping Hispanic journalists across the country and across the world,” he said in a text message Friday.

Chavez said he has only missed one meeting in his two-year tenure — a day he was traveling with family he had not seen in years. He joined a special board meeting in May on the day he and his fiancée landed in Italy “running on four hours of sleep.”

He listed several accomplishments he said point to his active involvement in the organization, including helping to secure David Peña as the nonprofit’s new executive director, providing hostile environment training for journalists covering unrest and violent protests and creating an initiative to promote freelancers.

“I am not on this board for personal gain or glory,” Chavez said. “I am on this board to

help members because I care.”

Torres, when asked about the messages, acknowledged that Chavez attended the majority of meetings and said she was privately sharing her opinions.

“I’m entitled to my opinion,” she said.

Chavez said he wants to “serve our producers, our photographers and our radio reporters” by creating group chats with broadcast members from different regions and apply for grants to fund continuing education opportunities.

Ibarra said she has had conversations with audio journalists who feel ostracized by the organization, which, she said, puts a large emphasis on television broadcasters.

She said she would try to change that.

In the race for financial officer, Marilyn Garatiex is being challenged by writein candidate Patricia Martell. Martell’s bid has been backed by presidential candidate Yvette Cabrera, who is running unopposed.

Cabrera tweeted that “experience matters” and cited Martell’s work at CNBC. Garatiex, a former editor who now freelances, has advocated for a long-term financial plan that ensures NAHJ is on stable ground into the future and said she would consider advocating for a paid-subscription model for The Latino Reporter.

Ibarra has supported Garatiex.

“You can really tell how she cares about the board,” Ibarra said.

Martell, who spent the conference handing out bright pink campaign material, said reporting on finances and the economy at CNBC and dealing with finances as co-head of NBCUniversal’s Unidos has prepared her for the role of financial officer. She remains optimistic, she said, despite joining the race as a write-in candidate.

“I don’t feel disadvantaged,” she said.

PUSHING FOR INCLUSIVIT Y

Luis Joel Méndez González, a former student representative and investigative journalist in Puerto Rico, is running for general at-large officer against Estefania Mitre, a visuals and social producer from National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. The at-large candidates have praised each other and said they will be happy even if they lose.

Méndez González said he wants to implement a diversity task force and change the NAHJ bylaws to give student members and the student representative full voting rights.

He cited his previous experience as student representative and said if elected he would advocate for more scholarships for NAHJ members with intersectional identities, including those in the LBGTQ+ community and Afro-Latinos.

Estefania Mitre said she wants to expand outreach to Latinos who are not a part of NAHJ by hosting Twitter Spaces, offering workshops and making the conference more financially accessible.

Mitre wants to see NAHJ become more inclusive of diverse members, including LGBTQ+ journalists and shed light on issues like violence against trans women.

‘UP AND DOWN’

Election turnout continues to vex board members, who said they’ve pushed members to vote.

“Engagement over the years goes up and goes down,” Lopez, the outgoing president, said.

Lopez and other board members lamented low engagement in last year’s board race, which lacked candidates for several regional board positions. The year prior, NAHJ’s voter turnout broke records after the previous board of directors canceled the election — citing the pandemic and shift to a virtual conference — but then quickly reversed course. The failed initiative led to the highest number of voters NAHJ has ever seen.

Lopez said she hopes engagement will improve this year with several contested positions.

Vice President of Print Arelis Hernandez, who is seeking reelection unopposed, said the lack of engagement can be challenging but not uncommon for the nonprofit.

“I wish there was someone running against me, because then that would show that we’re building a bench of people,” Hernandez said. “But there’s a lot of hard work that we have to do first [...] because we have really dynamic, awesome chapter leaders and presidents who could work on the national board.”

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NABJ election draws few candidates

BY SHANAÉ HARTE AND HARMONY PORTER

NABJ’s elections, once highly competitive, are going uncontested this year. Some members wondered whether lack of interest may be the issue. However, candidates, the chair of the election committee and some board members believe the problem lies elsewhere.

“I think people just have in the back of their minds that the elections are only important when the president runs,” Ray Metoyer, the 2022 elections committee chair, said. “I think a lot of people were just more concerned and so happy about coming to the convention.

They didn’t really think about running.”

Treasurer Walter Smith Randolph, who is running for re-election, agreed but said he also thinks the divisiveness of past elections might deter people from stepping forward.

Sia Nyorkor, who is running for parliamentarian, agrees that past elections might have scared potential candidates.

“Sometimes in the past, we’ve had some spicy elections, and that can turn people off,” Nyorkor said.

The fear of losing also prevents people from declaring candidacy, she said.

Some people choose not to run because of the amount of work the board requires, candidates said.

Region IV Director Tre’Vell Anderson, who is running for re-election, explained that being on NABJ’s board requires hours of dedication. Because the position is unpaid, some people refuse to fully commit. But for them, making the association more inclusive for Black queer journalists is more important than receving a check.

“Being a board member is a lot of work for free,” Anderson said. “And we do it because we care about this organization, we care about the future of this industry.

“We have all of these kind of ethical and moral thoughts within ourselves about why we do this work,” Anderson added. “I think people don’t want to do the work.”

Other uncontested races include Kathy Chaney for vice president-print, Dr. Syb Brown for academic representative and Raschanda Hall for media-related representative. The Region II director seat is vacant.

Although most of the candidates are comfortable running unopposed, they would like to see more interest. Nevertheless, there were benefits.

“I like not having to campaign,” Smith Randolph said, “especially with this being the first convention in person in three years.

So not having to call up people and ask for the vote and track people down and ask them if they accept the vote is nice.”

Anderson added, “We’re already working. Members running a campaign, on top of whatever the regular work is, … it’s taxing.

It’s a lot. And so I’m not going to lie and say being unopposed is not wonderful because it is.”

The unopposed races made Metoyer’s job easier because he did not have to monitor candidates’ social media posts and campaigns to ensure they were following elections protocols. Instead, the election chair enjoyed interacting with people he hasn’t seen in years as well as new NABJ members.

Still, Metoyer encourages eligible NABJ members to run for a position on the board because of its importance. As chair of the election committee, Metoyer says there needs to be more outreach to ensure races are contested and board positions are filled.

“It is important that we have contested races if we can, you know, so we’ll just have to work on it a little bit,” Metoyer said. “But I think, I think the next time I know it’ll be busy next year because it’s a presidential election.”

Candidates didn’t have to talk about their positions this year, but some of them shared their plans for the coming term.

Smith-Randolph hopes to gain more financial surpluses in preparation for a possible recession. Other candidates hope to be able to better cater to regional chapters, and as parliamentarian, Nyorkor plans to work on establishing NABJ chapters in every state.

Metoyer encourages members to listen to board meetings through Zoom and stay up to date with the NABJ website to learn about the board.

“They might change their minds about why they think [they] should run because we do a lot of good work,” Metoyer said.

Officials say finances are in good shape to weather a recession Jump from page 1 if we’re going to go on to Birmingham.”

The revenue will be a 70/30 split with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, according to NABJ Treasurer Walter Randolph-Smith said.

NABJ’s treasurer’s report also introduced a new financial operating procedure, stating that every three months, the treasurer will be given access to all NABJ cash, credit and investment accounts in order to

Growing Strength

NABJ has posted healthy surpluses for the past seven years. The fiscal year ends June 30. All dollar figures in millions.

2021-22

2020-21

2019-20

“We are well positioned, whether that storm will come. ”

2018-19, not available 2017-18

DREW BERRY NABJ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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review the organization’s monthly statements for the previous three months. The treasurer will then review those statements along with another executive board member.

NABJ President Dorothy Tucker explained this procedure, which the board unanimously passed.

“The reason we did that was to make sure that there was always another set of eyes on our money so that we have the same people doing the same thing all the time and nobody’s accusing anybody of anything,” Tucker said. “We’re just being extra cautious. And one of the ways to do that was to have a watcher and a board member come and have access to all of everything so we can make sure that we never have any issues.”

Berry said this continues the board’s careful oversight.

“We’re going to be just fine financially because we’ve been good stewards of our resources for the past few years,” Berry said.

“We are putting more resources into our new news operations, Black News & Views, that we’ll unveil tonight and all of that. And so that’s where we’re reinvesting.”

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“This is something that we have been working on for a year, if not more, and it’s finally come to pass, and I’m just really thrilled that everything is coming together.”

DOROTHY TUCKER NABJ PRESIDENT

BY AMANDA DEJESUS

NABJ President Dorothy Tucker never predicted to lead the organization through a pandemic.

In 2020, Tucker was engulfed in a delicate negotiation to move the convention to a virtual format without losing $1.3 million in hotel cancellations. The next two conventions went digital, and now, she’s proud to preside in person over the group’s gathering.

“I think I am as excited as everyone else,” Tucker said. “From my perspective, this is something that we have been working on for a year, if not more, and it’s finally come to pass, and I’m just really thrilled that everything is coming together.”

Tucker, an investigative reporter for

WBBM-TV CBS2 Chicago since 1984, has won awards from the regional Edward R. Murrow honor to the 2021 Lifetime Achievement award from the Chicago Association of Journalists. But she often talks about how proud she is of the work she has done with NABJ. NABJ’s first-ever news platform has been a goal for Tucker, and one she is most proud of achieving during her term.

“I’m in awe of what this organization is able to produce. Now when you see the site, you will see some original stories,” Tucker said.

NABJ Executive Director Drew Berry said he is impressed with her work over the past three years for the organization.

“I think that Dorothy’s legacy would be financial stability for the organization,” Berry said. He also lauded her support of the Student Multimedia Journalism Projects and Black News and Views.

Next year NABJ will hold its conference in Birmingham, Alabama, ending Tucker’s term in a smaller city than the organization is used to having and one of the birthplaces of civil rights.

“I think this is an opportunity for our members to really go in and hear, see, touch and feel the Black history that they may have forgotten about,” Tucker said.

“I’m looking forward to Birmingham.”

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JUSTIN EVANS / NABJ & NAHJ

NABJ President Dorothy Tucker talks about her tenure and memorable experiences as president at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.

From virtual to Las Vegas: Tucker’s wild ride President navigates pandemic to meet the organization’s convention goals

The NABJ Executive Board, Directors and Representatives from left to right: Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig, Jarrad Henderson, Kathy Chaney, Brie Jackson, Tami Fowlkes, Tre’vell Anderson, Dorothy Tucker, Sia Nyorkor, Ken Lemon, Madison Carter, Walter Smith Randolph, Eva D. Coleman, and Amir Vera on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

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Peña vows transparency, financial stability Childhood prepared NAHJ executive director for tough job

BY NAYELI JARAMILLO-PLATA

David Peña Jr. was 8 years old as he trailed his parents and grandparents through fields, hauling corn, cleaning grain, picking cotton and helping to cull melon crops in the Texas summer heat.

“We worked in the field as a family,” Peña said.

When he looked out at those fields, Peña couldn’t imagine a future beyond them. He never considered college until he was helping his high school counselor and spotted a paper that rerouted his life.

It was a brochure for a program at St. Edward’s University in Austin that helps migrant farmworkers become first-generation college students. He followed that path, and now the 53-year-old Peña leads the largest journalism group for Latinos in the U.S. Peña became executive director of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in February, a time of upheaval. The previous executive director stepped down abruptly and, according to board members, left the organization in disarray.

Peña, who has worked for nonprofits throughout his career, has committed to steering NAHJ in a new direction and restoring members’ faith after a nearly canceled election, a sexual misconduct investigation and accusations from members that NAHJ was not transparent enough.

It’s a high-pressure job, but Peña said it pales in comparison to what his family endured.

GREATER TRANSPARENCY

NAHJ President Nora Lopez described Peña as a “breath of fresh air” for the organization.

“The world is exploding for us as working journalists,” Lopez said. Peña, she said, is unruffled by the chaos of overseeing a journalism organization.

The board hopes to establish a system to ensure easy access to internal documents and a smoother transition for future leaders.

NICHOLAS HERNANDEZ / NABJ & NAHJ

Executive Director David Peña during a board meeting at the NABJ/NAHJ 2022 Convention and Career Fair in Las Vegas.

When the previous executive director, Alberto Mendoza, resigned, Lopez said, the board was left in chaos.

“Previously, I’m not lying, we were sending emails, like, ‘Hey, anybody know where this is?’” Lopez said. “So, we’re really happy that we are going to get David, who had that vast experience as an executive director.”

Mendoza, who stepped down from his role at NAHJ in May 2021 to join the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship program at Stanford University, wrote in an email this week that he is “confident the board selected a new Executive Director that will continue to take NAHJ to new levels of success.”

Mendoza declined to address accusations of disorganization or the state in which he left the nonprofit’s internal systems.

Robert Hernandez, a former board member, said he thought Mendoza restored the organization’s reputation and “brought a certain swagger and energy to NAHJ.” The board also moved to require Peña and future executive directors to get approval for spending over $5,000 following criticism that the former board allowed Mendoza to overspend on travel, Lopez said.

REBUILDING TRUST

Peña hopes to restore members’ confidence in the organization and its management by being open, transparent and communica-

tive with NAHJ members.

In 2020, as the pandemic shut down the world and forced the NAHJ board of directors to move the annual conference into a virtual space, the organization made the unprecedented move of suspending its elections — prompting outrage from members.

Although the board quickly reversed course, some prominent members criticized Mendoza and then-board president Hugo Balta for undermining the democratic process. Hernandez, the former board member, defended the decision.

“They didn’t know what to do, so they opted to postpone the election,” he said.

“They used the word cancel, which was not a great choice. But yeah, I mean it’s in the past. So much so that we’re at our next presidential election.”

Lopez said it led to ongoing tensions between the board and some members.

“It was the first year that we were having a virtual conference, and there was concern about how we were going to do it. And I think they felt that they didn’t have time to deal with the election. And that’s why he made the recommendation,” Lopez said.

INCREASING TRANSPARENCY

Some members also criticized previous boards for their lack of transparency. Lopez said until recently, updated 990 forms — tax documents that nonprofits are required to make public — were not available on the NAHJ website.

“That was one of the first things that my board did in 2020 when I came in as president — we want these posted,” Lopez said.

Peña opened the organization to evaluations from outside entities like GuideStar, which awarded NAHJ a gold-level Seal of Transparency.

The NAHJ budget is also on its website and Peña said he encourages members to email him if they have any questions.

Over the last four months, Peña said, NAHJ completed a financial audit, a legalexposure audit and equipment inventory.

He declined to make those reports available.

NAHJ has received more than $200,000 in new grants from the MacArthur Foundation, Google News Lab and Techmate.

“In the past four months, we’ve done some amazing things,” Peña said.

Late last year, the NAHJ board of directors began to develop a strategic plan.

Lopez said that the document outlines new ways to engage members and provide additional training to early career journalists.

NAHJ Financial Officer Keldy Ortiz said one priority was to ensure that the organization does not need to rely exclusively on the annual convention for revenue.

The board has also asked Peña to review the NAHJ budget and determine how to hire another staffer or two, Lopez said. Peña is exploring hiring a deputy who could be wellversed enough in the day-to-day operations of NAHJ to take over should Peña leave.

‘CREATE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNIT Y’

Peña draws from 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector.

He has served as executive director for the National Hispanic Business Association and the Hispanic Dental Association, president of the college and universities program at the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting and president of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce.

Daniel Villao, a former colleague who worked with him at the National Hispanic Business Association in Austin, said Peña’s work ethic and enthusiasm are contagious.

“That was kind of the foundation to our friendship,” he said.

This week, as the joint conference of the National Association of Black Journalists and NAHJ gets underway, Peña will be walking the halls of Caesars Palace wearing dress shoes in an air-conditioned building. It’s nothing like the fields of his youth.

But he said his drive to work hard remains the same.

Peña credits his mother, who knows how to hustle.

“She’s been an Avon lady. She’s been a Tupperware lady. She’s been a Stanley lady. She’s been a tiara lady. She’s sold every[thing] conceivable,” he said. “She is one of those individuals that [has] the work ethic of, like, if the opportunity isn’t there, you create your own opportunity.”

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Left: Attendees watch a presentation during the opening ceremony at the NABJ-NAHJ Convention and Career Fair in Las Vegas. Below: Jada Brooks, left, and Jalea Broks, right, looking at the print newspaper The Monitor at the NABJ-NAHJ Convention and Career Fair in Las Vegas.

Bottom: Volunteer Aneesha Hanif, center, reminds attendees that they must wear their mask at the NABJ-NAHJ Convention and Career Fair in Las Vegas.

JUSTIN EVANS / NABJ & NAHJ

NATALIA FERNANDEZ SANDOVAL / NABJ & NAHJ

Top: Sarahbeth Maney, recipient of the Michael J. Feeney Emerging Journalist Award.

Above: Hundreds of attendees crowded in the hallway on their way to the opening night reception at the NABJ-NAHJ Convention and Career Fair in Las Vegas.

CLAUDIA RIVERA COTTO / NABJ & NAHJ

CLAUDIA RIVERA COTTO / NABJ & NAHJ

CROWDS SWELL AT CONFERENCE

First in-person convention since COVID draws enthusiasm from journalists ready to reunite, network and learn.

TANYA VELÁZQUEZ / NABJ & NAHJ

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Attendees walk through the halls on their way to sessions on the first day of the NABJ/NAHJ 2022 Convention and Job Fair in Las Vegas.

ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA / NABJ & NAHJ

Newsrooms slow to increase diversity Journalism groups push for greater participation in annual survey designed to measure progress

BY AMANDA DEJESUS

About two weeks before the announcement of the industry’s highest honors, dozens of journalism groups signed an open letter to the Pulitzer Prizes with one request: that officials require newsrooms to participate in a diversity survey to be considered for the award.

“Our country is reckoning with racial inequity and many in the journalism industry can’t or won’t provide essential newsroom transparency on staff diversity,” the letter read. “If we can’t collect crucial data, how do we expect to improve newsroom diversity and represent our communities?”

In April, Nieman Lab reported that there was “crushing resistance” by news organizations to participate in an annual diversity survey by the News Leaders Association. The group planned to have 2,500 organizations participate, according to the letter, but only 303 completed the survey.

Although news organizations have emphasized the importance of racial diversity,

equity and inclusion — particularly in the aftermath of the 2020 “racial reckoning” following the murder of George Floyd — researchers say efforts continue to fall short.

In 2019, the most recent year available, the News Leaders Association’s ASNE Newsroom Diversity Survey found 78% of full-time newsroom employees are white, Blacks and Hispanics were 7% each.

Jeffrey Gottfried, senior researcher at the Pew Research Center called the diversification of the industry “a work in progress” based on a survey conducted earlier this year where fewer than half of 12,000 journalists said their organizations make diversity and inclusion a priority.

Newsday reporter and NAHJ financial officer Keldy Ortiz says the state of diversity in the news industry is “frustrating.”

“While there have been news organizations that are trying to make efforts, you see a lot of organizations getting leaner and therefore cutting staff,” he said.

In addition, he said, journalists of color

frustrated by the lack of change “have come to this crossroads where they decide if they should stay or they should leave.”

While Ortiz thinks it’s great that some news organizations have moved to conduct listening sessions and training focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, he said they could include strengthening pipelines for younger reporters.

“I think the time for talking is somewhat over and now the time for making decisions and doing it is the action at this point in time,” Ortiz said.

Over the last several years, some national news organizations have begun to publicize their own diversity data and goals, but because these organizations do so only on their own websites, the data lacks the context that defined the ASNE survey’s industry-wide snapshot.

Diversity reports from two of the largest newspapers in the country show that while there have been moderate increases in the share of journalists of color, the majority of the staff remains white.

From 2017 to 2022, the percentage of white editorial employees at the Washington Post decreased from about 74% to 66%, the newspaper’s workforce demographics show. Those who identified as Hispanic or Latino increased from nearly 4% to 5%.

But the share of Black staff stayed flat at 9% during this period of time.

The same is true for the editorial staff at the New York Times, according to the company’s Diversity and Inclusion report. The share of its Black editorial staff remained stagnant at roughly 9% from 2015 to 2020, while other groups saw modest gains. Overall, the share of white staff decreased from 78% to 70%, during that period of time.

“While these charts show progress, they also show that we continue to have gaps, particularly in representation of people of color in leadership — underscoring why we set a goal to double the share of Black/African American and Latino/Hispanic colleagues in leadership by 2025,” the report says. About three-fourths of the editorial leadership identifies as white.

Among other initiatives to make its culture and editorial processes more diverse, equitable and inclusive, The New York

Times announced last year a new Culture & Careers Department with more than a dozen new roles with new career development programs. Leaders said the goal is to build an inclusive team culture to enhance the paper’s editorial content, foster greater collaboration and expand its audience.

In 2015, ProPublica started producing reports that include the racial breakdown of staff as well as diversity and inclusion efforts within the organization. But there is still room to grow, said Melissa Sanchez, an investigative reporter and co-chair of the organization’s diversity committee.

Overall, 58% of ProPublica’s editorial staff are non-Hispanic whites, which falls in line with the racial makeup of the United States, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

However, the percentages for Black or African American (7%) and Latino/Hispanic (9%) are lower than the percentage recorded in the 2020 Census.

“I don’t think our staff reflects the racial makeup of this country, so we’re not there yet,” Sanchez said. “And that’s particularly the case when it comes to editorial managers.”

A priority for ProPublica, she said, is to figure out how to develop journalists into the editing ranks, particularly those of color. Non-Hispanics whites make up 65% of managers at ProPublica. Managers are defined as staff members who supervise other people and do not include all editors.

This aligns with findings from another Pew Research study. In 2018, the nonpartisan think tank found that newsroom workers 18 to 49 are slightly more likely to come from more racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds with 74% being non-Hispanic white, an 11% drop from white newsroom workers 50 and older.

Sonia Rao, co-chair of the Washington Post Guild’s diversity and equity committee, said she recognizes change takes time and recent conversations about increasing diversity and bolstering pathways for young people of color to grow within newsrooms makes her “cautiously optimistic.”

The union’s duty is to make sure everyone works together to bring about change, she added, “that there are actually pathways for people and that we are ultimately serving our readers. That’s one of the battles, that diverse newsrooms serve a diverse audience, so I think, I hope, that we’re on track there as an industry.”

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Looking for a shot at the big leagues letes don’t get the same exposure as other Another possible route to success is the collegiate athletes.

HBCU Legacy Bowl, an all-star game for “There is television exposure, level of draft-eligible players to showcase their talcompetition, facilities and resources that ents to professional scouts.

HBCUs don’t get,” Norman said, adding But HBCU schools don’t have the same fewer NFL scouts attend Black college level of resources and exposure as their games. Norman competed, but was not larger predominantly white counterparts, selected, at the recent X-treme Football which often have better facilities, equipLeague’s (XFL) combine. Vince McMahon, ment and television contracts. the former pro-wrestling promoter, found“Lack of support from boosters makes it ed the XFL in 1999. It is now owned by hard to access certain things that scouts actor Dwayne Johnson and Danny Garcia, look for,” said Morehouse player Zachary a businesswoman and Johnson’s former Beckton. wife.

Despite the lack of resources, HBCU “The XFL is going to show the NFL isn’t B:8.75" schools have proven they can produce top T:8.5" the only success for HBCU athletes or ath- S:8" NFL stars – including former stars Jerry letes in general,” Norman said.

Rice, Shannon Sharpe and Walter Payton.

AP PHOTO/DERICK HINGLE

HBCU athletes with NFL dreams work harder to overcome disadvantages of smaller programs

BY RAYSHAUN BAKER-LYNCH

Representing unique perspectives is key to our success. That’s why General Motors proudly supports the 2022 NABJ X NAHJ Convention.

By listening, learning and amplifying the voices of everyone, we’re committed to becoming the most inclusive company in the world.

everybody in. gm.com ©2022 General Motors. All Rights Reserved.

11704137PP_NABJNAHJ__402906430A01.indd 1

6/28/22 3:06 PM

T:11"

BRANDON WADE/AP IMAGES FOR NFL

Top: Team Robinson wide receiver Tyrin Ralph, center, of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, is tackled by Team Gaither linebacker Wesley Bowers (35), of Bowie State at the HBCU Legacy Bowl in New Orleans Feb. 19. Left: Norfolk State defensive end Christopher Myers (98) and Chowan quarterback Steven “Bryce” Witt (12) celebrate a win.

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draft, only four HBCU athletes were selected. In last year’s draft, there were none.

This is the first year HBCU prospects had the chance to show their abilities to NFL scouts at the inaugural HBCU combine, where 40 athletes demonstrated their skills to all 32 NFL teams.

It was held in conjunction with the HBCU Senior Bowl at the University of Southern Alabama in Mobile.

Daniel Norman, a former player at Morehouse College, complained that HBCU ath-

S:10.5"

Waiting for seven rounds to hear your name and it’s never called. Waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime, before time runs out. Waiting for a chance at a future that doesn’t happen.

This is the situation for football players from Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU). They don’t have the same opportunities and resources to make it to the pros as those from larger, predominantly white schools. In this year’s NFL

Everybody in. Every voice heard.

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No opportunities in mainstream media?

Young Latinos create their own spaces.

She added that programs like Latino media and art studies at her university are essential to student success and help combat the underrepresentation of Latino Americans in the media.

“It’s just opening as many doors as possible and making sure that students are aware of all the possibilities that there are for them,” she said.

BY TANYA VELÁZQUEZ

During her senior year at Veterans Memorial Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, Alyssa Olvera posted a call on social media asking if any of her friends wanted to start an art magazine.

Fifty people volunteered. Olvera, 21, said she worked diligently on her magazine, A La Moda, and hosted a release party in her hometown for the first issue.

But when it came time to leave for college in fall 2019, she knew her magazine would have to start from scratch again.

“My freshman year of college, which is when COVID hit, I was already messaging people, ‘Do you wanna do it? I can take pictures of you, you’ll be in a magazine and it’ll be just like this,’” she said. “I had people lined up … (but) COVID hit, and I couldn’t do it anymore.

“I was super frustrated with that, so I started a collaborative magazine.”

Now, people can submit their work to A La Moda, and Olvera said she compiles all of it into a print and digital zine, which is then distributed to the public.

Olvera is part of a growing number of young Latino adults who have created independent publications in response to a trend they see in the U.S. media: a lack of opportunities for ethnically diverse students.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports 62.1 million Hispanic or Latino people were living in the United States in 2020, a 23% increase since 2010.

At the same time, the three largest Hispanic daily newspapers in the U.S. – El Nuevo Herald in Miami, El Diario NY in New York and La Opinión in Los Angeles – have seen their daily circulation in decline since 2013.

A study from City University of New York’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism reports that in recent years Latino media outlets have struggled to adapt to the new digitized format as younger Latinos move away from traditional media.

However, many young Latino people in the U.S. are increasing their representation in the media. College students, especially, have

The recent issue of the print magazine, A La Moda, created by Alyssa Olvera at The University of Texas at Austin.

Olvera, a student at UT Austin, created a multi-platform publication supportive of the BIPOC community when they found there were few magazines at the university that supported the underprivileged community.

taken the initiative to start their own publications outside their universities.

Camila Ceja, an alumna of University of California-Berkeley, in 2018 created the Solstice Bay Area, an independent art organization that has produced a magazine and art projects to promote the work of low-income Black and Indigenous people, and LGBTQ+ people in the Bay Area.

Ceja said she felt an organization like Solstice Bay Area was needed.

“There is this thing when you go to Berkeley called the ‘Berkeley Bubble’ where everybody in Berkeley stays in Berkeley,” she said. “A lot of the times it’s hard to find queer spaces in the Bay Area, unfortunately, that are also POC.” Marisol Enriquez, the director of media arts and studies at the University of Texas, encourages students to create spaces like A La Moda and Solstice Bay Area.

A SAFE SPACE FOR LATINOS For young models and artists, A La Moda has provided support for people of color and has been gaining more members.

Tony Vega, a fourth-year sociology major at UT-Austin and model for A La Moda, said the magazine has provided numerous opportunities for him. He remembers a photo shoot during his first semester in the group.

“I felt like everything just came together, it was beautiful, and I ended up being on the cover,” Vega said. “I never thought that would be something that would happen.”

Olvera said her publication is for everyone.

Often, she said, publishers “get wrapped up in making things diverse so much that they don’t make it diverse. … I was just thinking, ‘I want to celebrate everybody’s art no matter where they come from.’”

Stacey Alicia, a third-year advertising major and model for A La Moda, did photo shoots for other outlets before joining the magazine.

Alicia, who is Latina and Black, said it wasn’t a great experience.

“Like going to a makeup artist, they just don’t have your shade and are not willing to cater to your shade at all, which really sucks,” she said. “That is like the worst experience.”

When she joined A La Moda, the vibe was different.

“My first shoot was just Latinas and Latinos, and we all kind of vibed and communicated through that,” Alicia said. “It was so much fun and yeah, we were just in a good place.”

THE STRUGGLE FOR MORE LATINO MEDIA Across the country, many universities don’t

have Latino-based media for students.

This lack of publications hurt students’ prospects of making a career in media, said Giuliana Vargas, the co-founder of Over Magazine at the University of North Texas.

Vargas said her magazine’s members are ethnically and racially diverse, and many identify as LGBTQ+. She said Over Magazine works to give these communities a better chance for success.

“It’s so hard if you’re not well connected within our community to get internships, to get work, to be taken seriously as a professional,” Vargas said.

Experts also say the lack of Latino faculty hurts.

Julian Rodriquez, broadcast journalism specialist and director of the Hispanic Media Initiative at the University of Texas at Arlington, says even though almost a third of the university’s population identifies as Hispanic, the number of Latino faculty is about 6%.

“Finding faculty like this is very difficult,” Rodriguez said. “And faculty who are focused on journalism or in marketing or in media, it’s even more difficult.”

Without faculty support, Rodriguez said, students are left with a desire for Latino media organizations that do not exist.

There might be some momentum for change, UT-Austin’s Enriquez said.

“It’s a really exciting moment to think about all of the strides that are currently being made to correct years and years of discrimination, of exclusion. I think that right now, a lot of institutions are paying more attention to the needs of their diverse populations.”

It’s important because media representation shapes the way people are seen, Enriquez said.

“What you see is what people from your communities are doing or are not doing,” Enriquez said. “If what you see is an absence of people doing all the things that you want to do, then you might not feel you have a place there, right?”

THE POWER OF JOURNALISM TAKES CENTER STAGE. We salute Black and Hispanic journalists who innovate, elevate and captivate.

Toyota welcomes you to the NABJ-NAHJ joint convention and career fair.

Through your accomplishments and contributions, you’ve helped change the world. Toyota is proud to partner with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).

©2022 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

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NABJ’s JSHOP is a four-day workshop for local

and journalism college students provide

annual convention.

Successful applicants possess an interest in

high school students in the host city of NABJ’s

mentorship and supervision.

pursuing a career in journalism. Applications are

The program provides interactive learning

opportunities through lectures, presentations,

available online via NABJ’s website. Participants

students learn journalism fundamentals for

This year’s NABJ JSHOP class focused on the

production, radio, graphic design, editing, and

neighborhood some residents say the city has

hands-on training and field trips. The

news-gathering, writing, photography, video

social media. Professional journalists, educators,

are selected and notified annually in the spring. plight in the historic Westside of Las Vegas, a forgotten.

Homelessness in Las Vegas

Lights, casinos and luxury may hide the Westside’s true colors NABJ JSHOP REPORTERS Kennedy Cash Lakeside High School Decatur, GA Malcolm Ferrouillet St. Augustine High School New Orleans, LA Andrew Hughes Arizona State University Tempe, AZ Katrina Machetta University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Salmoncain SmithShomade George Washington University Washington, DC Brenden Villavaso St. Augustine High School New Orleans, LA

BY SALMONCAIN SMITH-SHOMADE

As the temps soared to 102 degrees, a line of people snaked around the block, hoping to get into a local Salvation Army. This is a common occurrence the homeless population in Las Vegas may encounter, especially in the Westside community.

Located in a section situated between Route 95, Interstate 15, West Bonanza Road and West Cheyenne Avenue, the historically Black neighborhood of Westside has one of the largest concentrations of churches in the nation and one of the oldest Black-run radio stations, Power 88.1, on the West Coast.

Yet for its small size, the neighborhood holds a vast majority of Las Vegas’ homeless population, estimated at around 5,000 people. TaShika Lawson, a community leader who works with the Historic Westside Revitalization Project, explained the situation.

“A lot of the supportive services offered to the homeless are located here and have been for as long as I can remember - at least a decade or more,” Lawson said. “Residents in the surrounding areas sometimes have a ‘not-in-my backyard’ mentality. In turn, politicians may originally agree to supporting the homeless but then reverse their opinions and blame their constituents.”

SALMONCAIN SMITH-SHOMADE / JSHOP

A shirtless individual sits on the sidewalk under an overpass.

In 2019, Vegas city officials decided to prohibit sleeping, lodging and similar actions in downtown with violators possibly facing up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Jim Gibson, a Clark County commissioner whose jurisdiction covers the Westside, recently told local TV station FOX 5 that with addressing homelessness, “it is more about trying to figure out how to respond to their needs (and) how to get them into housing.”

Besides city-provided housing, there are

several resources for Vegas’ homeless population.

For example, take Pastor Cheryl James, who runs Just Faith Apolositc Ministries.

The church opens their doors each day to the homeless and anyone seeking advice or lacking daily essentials.

“We offer several resources here. The Share the Joy program assists people with food, clothing, bill pay, and Jacob’s Ladder is an addiction center,” James said.

“We can also recommend folks to the Salvation Army or the Shade Tree,” said Dave Backer, a deacon at Just Faith.

And the number of available resources continues to grow not only on the local level, but also nationally.

In June, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new $365 million initiative to help fund more affordable housing for low-income Americans and help the homeless find places to live.

“Access to a safe place to call home is essential to health and well-being,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a release. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to working across the federal government to end homelessness by ensuring access to health care, support services, and permanent housing for all Americans.”

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Westside activist fights for lasting change

BY KATRINA MACHETTA

Activist TaShika Lawson said it all started in June 2020. She drove to a community park in her hometown of Las Vegas, expecting a relaxing afternoon off, but instead encountered a moment that would change her life forever.

Lawson was surprised to find the community’s James Gay Park was closed for visitors, so she called the city, insisting on knowing why.

“I was really upset,” Lawson said. “I called in hoping I was wrong and that it was just a one-off thing, but the city told us that the gates were open. But we said ‘We are here and we know that that is not true.’”

Seeing this problem at the park opened Lawson’s eyes to understanding the complex challenges facing the historically and predominantly Black Westside Las Vegas

community. After speaking to the city about the park, Lawson knew she couldn’t stop there.

As a “community liaison,” advocate, and a part of the Historic Westside Revitalization group, Lawson uses her voice to advocate for positive changes in the Westside community.

Lawson constantly speaks with community members, city and Nevada state leaders to push for legislative, environmental and political action.

“More community advocating groups are starting to join forces and actually start looking at dynamic solutions. We have such layered lasagna solutions that you can’t tell us (the Black community) no all at one time,” she said.

Lawson’s work in the community is volunteer-based, uncompensated and passion-driven. She is an advocate - not be-

TaShika Lawson, Historic Westside Las Vegas activist, discusses the history behind the community.

KATRINA MACHETTA / JSHOP

cause she is required to - but because she feels “called to serve my community.”

Lawson has several ongoing projects she’s pursuing on the westside, including community redevelopment, preserving Black culture and getting more affordable housing.

“I think the work I do is important be-

Westside community center faces ongoing access issues Historic Westside Community Center located at 330 W. Washington Ave. in Las Vegas, closed to residents in the middle of the day.

BY BRENDEN VILLAVASO

Westside Las Vegas residents often try to use their neighborhood community center, but can be turned around at the door, according to activist TaShika Lawson.

“The city or like one of the government agencies would say, ‘Hey…we’d like everyone to show up,’ and we get there and the gates are locked,” said Lawson, the community liaison for Historic Westside Revitalization.

Lawson said that the COVID-19 quarantine originally locked out residents from using the community center. Since quarantine has ended, people still do not have access to the community center, and there are more reasons causing this.

Lawson said that when the person in charge of opening is absent, the entire community has to bite the bullet and miss out on what their tax dollars go towards.

The community center was previously home to a school for Black and Brown Westside children, but underwent a $12.5 million renovation in 2016 to convert it to a place of community development and rec-

cause a vast majority of the community that I advocate for appears to have had the fight beaten out of them by entities that were meant to protect and serve them,” Lawson said. “Our goal is to show that this relationship has been toxic and that it is okay to earn and work toward a light at the end of the tunnel.”

NABJ JSHOP22 MENTORS Sheryl Kennedy Haydel,

JSHOP22 Director Director School of Communication and Design Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA

Terry Collins

USA Today Money & Tech Reporter Oakland, CA

LaDonna Colón BRENDEN VILLAVASO / JSHOP

reational use.

How can renovation be justified if the center can not be used when the principal key holder is absent? Lawson thinks the community center should have more flexible operating hours to be more accommodating to families with kids.

“Everybody believes that Vegas is a town like Chicago or New York that doesn’t sleep, but the truth of the matter is most of our families are on set schedules, and the weekends are still their most free and opportune times to meet,” she said.

Lawson said that the community is look-

ing for a secondary key holder to avoid these problems in the future so the community center and other facilities can be rightfully used by residents.

“Some people are thinking ‘Oh maybe I got the wrong date or I got the wrong time,’ and then they’ll leave,” Lawson said. “And then like 10 maybe 15 minutes where the event was supposed to start is when we actually are allowed in…we see a lot of purposeful disengagement when it comes to this community because we’re literally, like letting people get turned away at the gates when they came to actually voice their opinion.”

LaDoMedia International Multi-media Producer & Video Editor Dallas, TX

Dana Littlefield

The San Diego Union Tribune Public Safety Editor San Diego, CA

Russell LaCour

Marcom Weekly – Atlanta, GA Correspondent Tulsa, OK VOLUNTEER MENTOR

Mark Paul

Film and Media Director St. Augustine High School New Orleans, LA