As many of you may know, the AEJMC mid-winter meeting is scheduled for next weekend (Dec. 1-3), and at this point I do not have any programming chips to add another panel. That said, I have proposed to modify the title of an existing panel(Advancing Diversity Excellence: Confronting Challenges in the Classroom & Newsroom), which would allow MAC to add a panelist to address the issue of diversification efforts in the newsroom. Many thanks, George, for sharing with the listserv. Camilla Quoting "George L. Daniels" <[log in to unmask]>: > Some of us are just learning this morning about yesterday's passing > of former New York Times Managing Editor Gerald Boyd. This comes > as a double-punch after just losing 60 Minutes' Ed Bradley a few > weeks ago. > > > > Both of these men w ere trailblazers. In writing about this on my > blog today, I linked to so many of the tributes to Boyd, who not only > was a major champion for diversity in the newsroom, but also of > journalism education, working recently with Columbia University > School of Journalism. > > > > I know we're days away from the AEJMC Winter Meeting (New Orleans) > and that division heads are already reviewing the various proposals, > I think Washington, DC is the ideal place for the MAC Division and/or > the Commission on the Status of Minorities to sponsor a type of > symposium or session that both commemorates the accomplishments of > these men who've passed on but also addresses the recent demise of at > least two other top editors at major newspapers. > > > > What does this mean for efforts to diversify the ranks of American > news organizations? > > > > Earlier this month, the National Association of Black Journalists > posted a statement about the resignations of Dean Baquet and Debra > Adams Simmons expressing its concern about what these actions means > for diversity. > > > > There certainly should be a way for us as journalism faculty to help > students learn more about the legacies of Boyd and Bradley, while > preparing them for the leadership challenges that can short-circuit > signature leadership roles for any journalist, minority or otherwise. > > > > In a manuscript some of my UGA colleagues and I recent submitted > about internal labor markets and newsroom diversity, I made reference > to the growing number of minority journalists who are leading daily > newspapers (Greg Moore at Denver Post, Ronnie Agnew at Jackson > Clarion Ledger, Otis Sanford at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Bennie > Ivory at the Lousville Courier Journal). Pardon the cliche, but in > many ways it seems like we're in the best of times and (with these > recent developments) the worst of times too. Maybe our diversity > discussion has to really shift because of what's happening at > newspapers nationwide? Or should it? > > > > I post this on the MAC list in hopes of generating some discussion > and perhaps interest. > > > > Our MAC Vice Head and Program Chair Camilla Gant would be the one to > take any action should that be in order. > > > > George Daniels > > U. Alabama > > > > >