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July 12. 2006
TV N ew s F alls B ehind in D iversity
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Concerns raised
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Ingredients for life.
T he N ational A ssociation o f
Black Journalists is troubled about
the latest national survey results
show ing that the percentage o f
blacks in local television new scon-
tinues to decline.
The 2006 Radio and Television
N ew s D irectors/Ball State Univer­
sity report also show ed blacks in­
creased slightly in radio news, al­
though the overall representation
SAFEWAY
0.
on m inorities in radio new snxim s
plum m eted by more than eight per­
cent in the past decade.
O verall, the survey show ed an
increase in m inority journalists in
TV new sroom s, with journalists o f
color representing 22.2 percent of
the TV new s w orkforce, up a full
percent from 2005.
The grow th cam e almost entirely
from an increase in Hispanics and
Asian A m ericans. Those increases
more than offset a 0.8 percent drop
in African A m ericans. M inorities
account for 33.6 percent o f the U.S.
population.
"W hile we w ould hope to see an
increase across the board am ong
all u n d e r r e p r e s e n te d g ro u p s ,
clearly the num bers show th at's
not the case,” said NABJ President
Bryan M onroe. "A s stations seek
to diversify their news staffs, such
progress should not com e at the
expense o f A frican Americans.
Fair and accurate coverage o f
A frican A m erican com m unities
m ust rem ain a priority.”
"The question is, what will the
radio and broadcast industries do
with these num bers,” said Barbara
Ciara. N A B J's Vice President for
Broadcast and anchor/m anaging
editor at W TK R-TV in Norfolk. "I
hope this survey is not an indica­
tion that the broadcast industry is
j ust trading one race o ff for another
instead o f m aking a true effort to
really diversify our n atio n 's new s­
room s.”
There was grow th in the num ber
of African American television news
directors Blacks were the largest
g ro u p o f m inority news directors at
non- Hispanic TV stations at 4.2
percent.
An area of great concern is the
lack o f growth among black general
managers, said Ciara. The survey
showed that 93 percent o f general
managers o f TV stations w ere white,
and four out o f five were men —
virtually unchanged in the past year.
"If there is no im provem ent in
d iv ersity am ong the people in
charge o f overseeing hiring prac­
tices.” said Ciara, “it makes sense
that we resem ble a rocking chair -
lots o f m ovem ent yet never moving
forward.”
This topic and others will be
featured at the National A ssocia­
tion o f Black Journalists 31st A n­
nual Convention and C areer Fair,
A ugust 16-20 at the Indiana C on­
vention Center. The convention is
expected to attract more than 3,000
attendees nationw ide.
An advocacy group established
in 1975 in W ashington. D.C., NABJ
is the largest organization o f jo u r­
nalists o f color in the nation, with
nearly 4,(XM) members, and provides
educational, career developm ent
and support to black journalists
worldwide.
Five More Accused in
Iraqi Rape and Slayings
gation, said Sunday that the sol­
diers recently charged are tw o ser­
geants, two privates first-class and
one specialist.
Four m ore U.S. soldiers have
The M arch 12 attack on the fam-
been charged with rape and murder ily was am ong the worst in a series
and a fifth with dereliction o f duty o f cases o f U.S. troops accused o f
in the alleged rape-slaying o f a killing and abusing Iraqi civilians.
young Iraqi w om an and the killings
U.S. officials are concerned the
o f herrelatives in M ahmoudiya, the alleged rape-slaying will strain rela­
m ilitary said Sunday.
tions with the new U .S.-backed
The five w ere accused Saturday governm ent and increase calls for
follow ing an investigation into al­ changes in an agreem ent that ex ­
legations that American soldiers empts American soldiers from pros­
from the 101 st A ir­
e c u tio n in Ira q i
b o rn e D iv is io n
courts.
raped the teenager
Prim e M inister
Nouri al-M aliki has
and killed her and
three relativ es at
dem anded an inde­
pendent investiga­
her hom e south o f
Baghdad.
tion into the case,
E x-soldier was
w hich follow ed a
arrested last week
serieso fclaim sth at
in North C arolina
U.S. troops killed
and h as p le ad e d
and mistreated Iraqi
Steven D. Green
civilians.
not guilty to one
count o f rape and tour counts o f
According to an FBI affidavit
murder.
fi led i n G re en 's case, he and at least
T he U.S. statem ent said the five two others targeted the teenager
soldiers still on active duty will face and her family fo ra week before the
an A rticle 32 investigation, sim ilar attack, which was not revealed until
to a grand jury hearing in civilian witnesses came forward in late June.
The soldiers drank alcohol, aban­
law. The A rticle 32 proceeding will
determ ine w hether there is enough doned their checkpoint, changed
evidence to place them on trial.
clo th es to avoid d etectio n and
O ne o f the soldiers was charged headed to the victim s' house, about
with failing to report the attack but 2(X)yards from a U.S. military check­
is not believed to have participated point in the so-called "T riangle o f
in it directly, the statem ent said. Death." a Sunni Arab area south of
The four facing m urder charges Baghdad know n for its violence,
could face the death penalty if co n ­ the affidavit said.
The affidavit estim ated the rape
victed.
The nam es o f the five were not victim was about 25. B u tad o cto rat
released, but a U.S. military official, the M ahm oudiya hospital gave her
speaking on condition of anonym ­ age as 14. He refused to be identi­
fied for fear o f reprisals.
ity because o f the ongoing investi
Soldiers could
face death penalty
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