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In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Republican who strongly supports George W. Bush in his bid for reelection. I am also often described as the "national leader" in the movement to eliminate race preferences and to purge "race" from the public arena. Recently, President Bush appeared at the "Unity Journalists of Color" convention in Washington, D.C. In response to a question from the audience about "diversity" and "affirmative action," the president gave me a strong case of heartburn. My dilemma, and that of many others who support the president but disliked his response to this question, is...

Back in 1996, as Bill Clinton was cruising toward re-election, Saturday Night Live staged a mock presidential debate. The highlight came when “Peter Jennings,” played by Tom Hanks, intoned: “Mr. President, we here at ABC News are not in the business of making endorsements, but everyone here is voting for Bill Clinton, and I personally cannot imagine how any decent person would not, in fact, do the same. In the light of this, which of your many achievements do you feel it’s important to emphasize as we head toward the election?” Until recently, many of us assumed that skit was...

It was an affirming moment. Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry walks onto the stage and audience members jump to their feet and applaud with wild enthusiasm. A campaign pep rally in Boston? No, it was the UNITY: Journalists of Color convention, a gathering of African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American and Native American journalists, recently held in Washington D.C. As I sat there with Karen Hunter, the readers' representative for the Hartford Courant and Chronicle colleague Pete McConnell, I thought this affirms what conservatives say about the "liberal media." This was a firmly partisan crowd when it shouldn't have been. I wanted...

Of color' usage points to certain core beliefs Gregory Kane August 14, 2004 THE KEY PHRASE is "of color." Remember that, and you'll get some idea of the political leanings of the "journalists of color" who cheered Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry one day and cackled at President Bush's comments the next. It happened more than a week ago, at the Unity: Journalists of Color convention in Washington. African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American and Native American print and broadcast reporters, columnists, editors and commentators heard both candidates speak. On Aug. 5, Kerry addressed the gathering. On Aug. 6, it was Bush's...

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...

I have been thinking about how the GOP can try to quiet the decidedly partisan media's campaign against the president. At the recent UNITY conference where both candidates appeared, the mediots exposed their preference - that should be used against them in an ad. Ad cover caption, "At a recent gathering of supposedly objective reporters..."Alternating clips of the differing reactions, Kerry vs Bush. Show cheering Kerry support vs tepid, polite Bush applause. Show smiling, happy faces of Kerry supporters vs eye-rolling and snickering during the Bush speech. Use the clips showing the most opposite reactions and then to voiceover... The...

WASHINGTON — Speeches by the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates at last week's Unity: Journalists of Color Convention show the importance of the minority vote in this year's election. It's also why increasing the diversity in newsrooms must occur so stories can be told of the often overlooked but rapidly growing minority segments of our population. The 1994, 1999 and 2004 Unity conventions gave black, Hispanic, Asian-American, American Indian and white journalists an opportunity to identify critical issues and determine how best we can do our jobs as professionals in our multicultural nation. Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for...

Some reporters at a recent convention of minority journalists said they were stunned and embarrassed by the partisanship displayed at two separate speeches, with cheers for Sen. John Kerry and snickers for his opponent, President Bush. Editor and Publisher, the industry magazine, compiled comments from reporters around the country who attended last week's Unity 2004 Journalists of Color Conference in Washington, D.C., along with about 7,000 other journalists. In a column, John Temple, editor of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver was "inspired" by the meeting but said the partisanship, evidenced by the "cheering and whistling" during Kerry's speech, was...

NEW YORK The historic Unity convention in Washington is over but what it is being remembered for, at least in some corners of the media, is not the huge turnout of more than 7,000, but controversy over the alleged partisanship shown by many of the attendees in responding to separate speeches by presidential candidates Bush and Kerry. Commentary on this issue continued over the weekend and into Monday. John Temple, editor of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, praised the meeting overall and said he was "inspired" by it -- but noted in a column that the partisanship (evidenced by...

A panel of homosexual reporters, editors and producers defended their coverage of hot-button issues such as same-sex "marriage" yesterday by saying they can remain objective even when they have a vested interest in the outcome. [snip}Some of panelists said coverage of conservatives is lacking. Tony Lone Fight, an online producer for www.Charlotte.com and an American Indian, said he was bothered by the bad reception President Bush received yesterday at the conference.     "So many journalists hated Bush," he said. "I thought: Wait a minute — aren't we journalists? I don't think the media has gotten to the root of its bias."...

President Bush on Friday told a conference of minority journalists that he believes the practice of "legacy admissions" - accepting the applications some students because their parents were alumni - should be abolished.Bush, whose own family has its own Ivy League legacy, should be credited for his statement.The president was a self-described "'C' student" at Yale and was admitted to that prestigious university despite an undistinguished prep school career. But his father, future President George H.W. Bush, and grandfather, the late Sen. Prescott Bush, were Yale alums, so the younger Bush of course would be accepted. Since then, our current...

Bush did a graceful, articulate, charming and tough job speaking to the "Journalists of Color." I feel more W enthusiasm than I have in a while.

Bush is speaking at the Unity of Journalists Conference right now.

Addressing a crowd of minority journalists at UNITY 2004 on Friday, President Bush gave an embrace of diversity amid a stern rejection of quotas for achieving diversity. “I support diversity. I don’t support quotas,” Bush said in response to a question from a panelist. He said that he would consider seeking monitors in Florida and other states to ensure that there would be no repeat of the turmoil that attended the presidential vote in 2000. Speaking to a crowd that included Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bush touched on quotas, the integrity of U.S. voting, legacy preference, and democracy in the goals...

Every five years, a herd of perpetually disgruntled minority journalists gathers together to decry the lack of "diversity" in the media. This week, thousands of them will huff and puff in unison at the "UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc." convention in Washington, D.C. Both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are scheduled to give their "I Love Diversity More Than The Other Guy" speeches at UNITY on Thursday and Friday. The Asian-American Journalists Association will complain about the lack of Asian-American male television news anchors. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists will attack the radio industry for not hiring enough...

Bush at Unity: Wishes He Wasn't 'War President' President George W. Bush By Mark Fitzgerald Published: August 06, 2004 12:33 PM EST WASHINGTON In an appearance at the Unity 2004 joint convention of minority journalists associations Friday morning, President George W. Bush lauded his "diverse" administration, and lamented that he's become a "war president." "This is a dangerous time. I wish it wasn't," he said. "I wish I wasn't the 'war president.' Who the heck wants to be a 'war president?' I don't." Bush received a polite reception from the audience of more than 5,000 journalists that Thursday greeted Democratic...