White And White And Read All Over

This should improve both Newsweek and NBC.

Sent by Zaz | 10:41 PM ET | 07-31-2008

Look, news as reported nowdays is propaganda, not information. Until this guy comes up with unfiltered reporting himself, I'm not going to give him kudos. This is just self-conscious racial pandering.

Sent by Billy D. | 8:00 AM ET | 08-01-2008

If anything minorities are over represented in the media, at least on television that is. Every time I turn on the T.V. (Cable or Network) I see a person of color sitting at the anchor desk. Blacks, especially, are over represented. They only constitute 12-13 percent of the population and I see well over that percentage in anchor positions. In-so-far as minority representation in print media, I cannot say, but this tired old line of "diversity" has worn out it's welcome with most of the people that I know. So sing that tune all you like, people have eyes, and they are not interested in regurgitated rhetoric from 40 years ago (I.e. white people are tired of saying "I'm sorry" and minorities crying foul is falling on increasingly deaf ears).

Sent by Shane McNeil | 1:37 PM ET | 08-01-2008

Why is it assumed that all other journalists are "white males"? Does that study not include a breakdown in gender as well? I think this is insulting to female journalists, whatever ethnicity they may be.

Sent by Emily | 3:38 PM ET | 08-01-2008

If African Americans only make up 12-15 percent of the general population, why is 13 percent such a dismal representation in the Washington press corps? He needs to provide statistical information on how many African Americans are majoring in jornalism in both undergraduate and graduate schools compared to whites, or any other race for that matter. Anyways, Latinos will soon overtake African-Americans as the largest minority group (if it has not already happened) and I certainly see fewer Latino's in prominent journalistic positions than African-Americans.

Sent by Matthew | 3:57 PM ET | 08-01-2008

I ask the same question as a few of the above--should somewhere like a newsroom be statistically representative of the make up of the nation? via race and gender? Should all professions reflect how our nation is made up? I think this quite an interesting question to address. (I don't know the answer.) I would think part of it has to do with how we are educated in this country and guided as to what profession each person should pursue. Another part is simply the freedom to choose or not choose a profession to pursue. How wonderfully full of options we all are! (I realize there are a lot of factors as work here and many subtleties to consider.) Another question--are the chips falling where they may all based on personal choice or do race and gender actually hinder those seeking these positions? I guess that may be the age old question.

Sent by michele | 1:22 PM ET | 08-06-2008

It is a bit sad when you sit in your bloggers chair and claim that the only way the media will ever be fair is if the journalist is of color. Your words are filled with an unwaivering bias and you truly need to wake-up. You refer to the white male as "bubba" in another more recent blog about beer. In this blog you simply cast him into a boiled down version of a biased, incapable, yet dangerous racist. You perpetuate a stereotype that does not exist as it did in the past. You act as if there has not been any growth and the suffrage of the black male/woman continues at the hands of the big bad white male. Seriously? You need to re-visit reality and stop looking to the white male as the punching bag for all the problems that the person of color in the United States. Continue to keep us in separate groups, continue to look at us as the enemy, continue to disregard your own responsibility, continue to disregard the significant change that our country has experienced, and you will never experience or appreciate the truth of America. The American dream is not handed to you. It is hard work. You don't know what it is like to be white. You don't know my experience. But in your blogs, your words detail the white experience as one that does not include hard work, suffrage, determination, wins and losses. And the "white media" were given preference because of their color. All the doors were shut on the capable black male. Bull. It is dog eat dog in the corporate world. It is pay your dues and work to get your position. You think that I have everything easy and my opportunities were handed to me on a plate. I have worked hard. Do you think because you are black, you have had to work harder? You think that I am not discriminated against? You need a reality check. You can't for one moment pretend to know my experience. My journey did not start with a silver spoon. I did not start with an easy road. What I have, I earned. You think it was an easy road paved with petals because of the color of my skin? I worked, as my father has worked, my sister has worked, my uncles have worked. We worked hard. We worked in factories and sometimes held-down two jobs, while going to school.Hmmm...maybe I should be upset about all the welfare that goes to people that are not working as hard as I am and are getting more. Maybe I should be pissed that I didn't have healthcare while an illegal was treated before me. Or maybe, just maybe I should work and make the change. Maybe I should vote and involve myself in changing that which I do not agree with. Hmm...maybe if I stop looking for others to blame and just find a way to improve the situation, I will have relief. Maybe it has nothing to do with color at all.
Let's re-visit the tragedy of Katrina. A horrible hurricane hits. Horrible and unacceptable actions on behalf of the government. Now, let's look at how the people of Katrina behaved. Hmmm...let's see a large group of Katrina people did not go back and put their area back together. They did not get their hands dirty and re-build. They ran to other cities and screamed about the devastation and how the white man/government was to blame...and hmmm..they turned their backs on their city/home when it fell down. You can give any excuse in the world as to why. But the reality is that it became another opportunity for so many (with hands at the ready) to say that the white man caused this and the white man is to blame. Mistakes were made by our government and should not be glossed over. Quite frankly, it was a joke, and actually an entire system should change. But what does that have to do with race? Ahh, I heard many a person of color, who had time on the air or had their words documented on paper, claim that things would have been different if the effected people were white. Really? That's funny. Look at all the towns destroyed by tornados and fire. Have you gone? Have you seen how those people are? Or, did it not worry you because they were primarily white? Your fellow man was down and out, hurt, homes destroyed, but they were white so it didn't count. Well, I have been. I have seen. The communities pulled together and worked to re-build. It was not perfect. It was not good in many cases. They were screwed by the government. Many didn't get any relief from the government. But, they worked hard; they pulled together. I didn't see many of them screaming on t.v. and holding-out their hands while sitting on their laurels. Why didn't the people of LA pull together when the water subsided and the land dried in LA? The remains were ugly and harsh. But it needed to be dealt with. Hmmm...in Mississippi they worked and re-built. The government's role was horrific. However, did you see how the individual American behaved? Did you miss all the busses, cars, and truck filled with people that came from states across the nation to help re-build. Surprisingly, there were a lot of big, bad white people. Although the affect of Katrina was horrific, the behavior of the people effected was not much better in many cases. Rapes and abuse in the Super Dome? Who is responsible for that behavior? Did the biased white media do that? This is America. Not white America. Not Black America. It is America. We have a strong foundation and we have a gift of change. The community of color that wants to hold ties with a past of dicrimination and racism is perpetuating a problem that does not exist like it did. Unfortunately, you will always find a bias or some sort of discrimination. Take yourself, you have become what your are angry about. As a male, do you feel any responsibility for the suffrage of women? The reality is, if someone doesn't agree with you or like you, it may not be because of your color. It is time for white Americans to stop placating this sensitivity. To allow these egregious attitudes and comments about white people is not acceptable anymore. hmm...maybe I need to run to the ACLU. BET...Black enterainment television. Sounds like exclusion to me. Why is that acceptable? It is not. Black chamber of commerce? EXCLUSION...EXCLUSION....EXCLUSION. It is not o.k. I am not going to sit back silently while you condemn me and anyone else that is white based on your racist views. Oh yes, se??or, you have become that which you seem to have a disdain for. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The "white" media people are afraid of saying anything against a black person for fear of being relegated to the naughty chair or just being called a racist. Why don't you re-read some of your biased commentary. You will see that you have joined the ranks of other racists that hide behind veiled words like "bubba" and "white media". While you continue to condemn the white man for a plight against the black Americans, you continue a mental problem. You take responsibility away from the black Americans, you spit on the efforts of every great black and white American that fought so valiantly for a better America. You spit on the words of some of the most heroic leaders that brought about change. This is not about black and white media you joker. It is about America. It is about big business destroying our government and our foundation. It is about people screaming at the wind and expecting change. It is about people finding the cheapest route to make a ripple in water (that's where your blogs come in). What are you doing to promote unity, change, responsibility? What are you doing from your bloggers chair to promote a "United" America, Mr. Media-man?

Sent by John | 9:27 AM ET | 08-10-2008

There is evidence that things are improving for those in the Black community. They may be slow in coming, but they are coming on. What bothers me is that the Hispanics are coming on like a freight train and the Black community can't see the headlight coming directly at them. Please get out of your rut and open your eyes to the greater threat.

Sent by Linda Ferguson | 12:35 PM ET | 08-22-2008