Posted on 08/13/2004 9:25:14 AM PDT by Dubya
Reviewing notes to myself from last week's trip to Washington, D.C., three things stand out:
• Young minority journalists, in addition to receiving instruction in news writing and reporting, must also be taught professionalism and manners.
• Added security personnel and barriers amid added terrorist threats make our nation's capital and its array of majestic buildings and monuments slightly less appealing.
• Washington panhandlers are still the best I've ever met.
I was in the District of Columbia to attend the combined convention of four minority journalists organizations: the National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Asian American Journalists Association and Native American Journalists Association.
The quadrennial gathering of the four groups, known as the UNITY: Journalists of Color convention, is designed to provide professional development, dialogue about issues in the various fields of communications, a major recruiting venue and a place for college students to interact with media professionals, among other opportunities, for the more than 7,000 participants.
The convention normally attracts not only high-profile media representatives but also high-powered political celebrities.
This year, in addition to Secretary of State Colin Powell, members knew in advance that both President Bush and Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry would speak. We also were told that both candidates would answer a limited number of questions from a panel.
Long before I got to Washington, I had predicted that the candidates would receive different receptions from their audience of journalists.
I hate to say I was right.
When Kerry was introduced that Thursday morning of the convention, the UNITY attendees leaped to their feet and gave him a rousing welcome. They would interrupt his speech almost 50 times with applause. Many would rush to the stage at the end to shake hands and seek autographs.
The next morning, the president received a polite standing ovation - but no cheering - at the beginning and end of his presentation.
Both opening and closing responses were appropriate - different from Kerry's responses, but appropriate.
In between there was a smattering of applause from some members after a few of Bush's comments and there was quite a bit of snickering, especially when he stumbled over an answer about Native American sovereignty.
What was most surprising is that some of the questions asked of Bush by panel members received more applause than his responses.
The snickering and audible agreement with the questions being asked were most inappropriate.
There were those, of course, who also lined up to shake the president's hand at the conclusion of his presentation.
Again, these were journalists, or people who want to become journalists, and they forgot their professionalism. They didn't even attempt to wear the masks of objectivity.
Not everyone applauded Kerry or snickered at the president, but of the more than 5,000 who were in the hall when both candidates spoke, the vast majority showed their partisanship. That was flat wrong.
Although it was not a meeting of the NAACP, I'm sure the president knew that he would be appearing before a crowd that would be mostly unsympathetic to many of his views.
But I'm sure he didn't expect that his audience would be so obvious in demonstrating its disapproval of many of his policies.
The applause was appropriate for both candidates when they spoke briefly to some of the professional issues of concern to minority journalists, namely more diversity in the newsrooms of America and the need for more minorities and women in management of media organizations.
The partisan reaction over policy issues was clearly misplaced.
I don't know that I've ever believed in true objectivity in journalism, for we all bring to the profession our own biases, experiences and cultural sensitivities.
But I have always believed in fairness.
Those of us charged with training and mentoring young journalists of any race, gender or nationality have the responsibility to admonish them to carry manners along with their pens and notebooks and to be respectful of others regardless of their positions.
And, most of all, we must teach them that one basic tenet: to be fair.
I'll talk more about Washington security and panhandlers in Sunday's column.
BR don't do this. LOL.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION in action!
"Young minority journalists, in addition to receiving instruction in news writing and reporting, must also be taught professionalism and manners. "
The young learned from their elders. But if you properly race norm their behaviour, it is probably no worse than other vulgar people.
>>>if you properly race norm their behaviour, it is probably no worse than other vulgar people.
I hope my statement did not sound like racism. I meant that minorities are often just "let by" in colleges and other schools.
Under affirmative action it seems that many among the minorities are not taught as well, nor are required to be as smart, as those who must actually work to pay their way through school, and work to earn their grades.
This seems to apply to polite social behaviour as well, those allowed to get away with much, feel it is their priveledge to TAKE much without giving back.
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