The Gantt Report
By Lucius Gantt
When the National Association of Black Journalists was founded, most major media companies that covered the protests, disturbances, and riots of earlier days asked angry members of some Black communities what media companies could do to improve communities and community relations.
The brothers and sisters on the front lines of violent skirmishes that occurred after several civil rights leaders and community activists were beaten, jailed, or shot down in broad daylight, told the media companies to hire Black journalists.
Most of the early Black journalists didnât have communications or journalism school degrees.
The white media companies sought to hire Black men and women who could write, or Black men and women who could talk.
By 1975, when NABJ was founded, I had already had a career and had worked in media jobs in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New York City.
Working Black journalists were glad when NABJ came onto the media scene. We thought we would be recognized as pioneers. We thought we would serve as mentors who could refer young Black journalists and we wrongly thought we would be appreciated for fighting our employers to increase Black media hiring.
When the NABJ held an early convention in Florida, I went there and found out that little attention was given to living Black media heroes.
The NABJ is today what it was in 1975, it was a place where white media companies could go to find young Blacks to hire. NABJ was and is a âcareer fairâ.
Thereâs no problem with that.
However, to get a job at a major newspaper in a major city, a job at highly-rated television and radio stations, or to start an independent Black-owned media company, you had to be âgoodâ.
There were a lot of white media companies at the early NABJ conventions seeking to hire Blacks at âsmall townâ newspapers and broadcast companies.
I and other experienced Black journalists felt ignored and somewhat disrespected at the Florida convention I attended. I never went to another NABJ meeting, and I was never invited to attend another NABJ meeting.
No problem. Iâm the media âKevin Durantâ, white media professionals know who I am. They know my name!
It was truly sad to see Donald Trump try to play the women NABJ chose to interview the most racist Presidential candidate in history.
I would have given Trump a minute or so to tell all the lies he wanted to tell but, (excuse my language) after that I would have been all over his lying ass!
Print and broadcast interviewers must be prepared. Young Black journalists must be as focused and fearless as the Black media âO-Gsâ of the past were.
Nowadays, too many journalists seek to interview political candidates in the way that their white colleagues interview politicians.
If Black women are not afraid to stand up, speak out, and clap back at Black men, they shouldnât be timid when questioning white nationalists, supremacists, and insurrectionists.
Anyway, when a âlady of the nightâ is disparaging and disrespectful to her âstable supervisorsâ, people in the streets will say, âThat pimp canât control his whoresâ!
NABJ journalists must learn how to CONTROL their interviews, regardless of who is being interviewed
When people take a swing at a Black journalist, Black media professionals must clap back!
Sisters in the ‘hood are good at clapping when things and interviews get ugly.
