The Indianapolis Star, as have many daily newspapers across the country, is charging readers more to read both the printed paper and their website. The Star’s also charging people who read more than 20 web stories a month.
One of the rationales for this price increase is the Star needs the money to continue and improve its journalism and news gathering in print and online. Well if the Star wants its African-Americans to pay more; at least we ought to know how many African-American journalists currently work for the state’s largest newspaper.
I discovered, buried on their now pay-to-view website, a current staff list of the Star’s newsroom.
What do you think is the total number of African-American journalists and photojournalists at the Star?
How about just five short of a dozen. Seven! That’s right, just seven.
They are: Leisa Richardson, local news editor; on the paper’s digital team is Mark Nichols, the Star’s senior Black journalist; Mike Wells who covers the Pacers; columnist Erika Smith; photojournalist Bob Scheer who is also the paper’s new Wine Dude expert; Danese Kenyon, assistant photojournalist team leader and the newest Black Star staffer, Whitney Smith, the “FruGal,” who covers consumer issues.
Of the seven, two, Kenyon and Richardson are part of management. Maybe the only Blacks in management for all of Star Media’s Indianapolis properties.
During an interview, last week on WTLC-AM (1310’s) “Afternoons with Amos,” I asked new Star Editor Jeff Taylor about this appalling lack of diversity.
Taylor came to the Star from the Detroit Free Press, where as managing editor he helped supervise the paper’s Pulitzer Prize winning coverage of the Mayor Kwame Kirkpatrick scandal.
In Detroit, Taylor understood the importance of that city’s newspaper having a racially diverse newsroom; something that doesn’t exist now at the Indianapolis Star.
I counted 152 names on the website’s newsroom staffing list; but Taylor said his newsroom employs just 130.
Taylor acknowledged the Black Star journalists I’d identified; and he didn’t say I missed any.
That means just 5.4 percent of the Star’s 130 journalists are African-American. This for the newspaper of a 28.4 percent Black city and 16.5 percent metro area.
The Star brags they’re the largest newsgathering organization in Indiana. Perhaps they are, but in terms of racial diversity they fall way short.
But it got me to thinking about the racial diversity in the city’s four major television stations. They’re now broadcasting more local newscasts than ever before. How does their diversity compare to the Star’s?
As of last week, WRTV/Channel 6 employs the most African-American journalists and managers. Coincidentally the number’s seven. They are: anchors Erika Flye and Grace Trahan; reporters Ebone Monet, Derrick Thomas and Stacia Matthews; sports reporter Jason Spells and meteorologist Ashley Brown.
Extra is Rafael Sanchez who is Hispanic and perhaps Black as well. Also, Channel 6’s assistant news director, Terri Cope-Walton, is Black.
But WRTV lost Trahan this week. She said she resigned to stay home with her children.
Next, with six, is WTHR/Channel 13 with anchor Andrea Morehead, chief meteorologist Chris Wright; reporters Sandra Chapman and Steve Jefferson; sports reporter Eric Yutzy and Community Affairs Director Angela Cain, who is a manager.
Also with six African-American journalists and managers is WISH-TV/Channel 8. They are: anchors Deanna Dewberry and Daniel Miller; reporters Adrienne Broaddus and Julian Grace; sports director Anthony Calhoun. Calhoun and Community Affairs Director Tina Cosby are the Blacks in management.
Even though Channel 59 brags they have the most newscasts of any Indy station, they have the fewest African-American journalists; anchor Fanchon Stinger, reporter Sherman Burdette and meteorologist Ron Smiley.
These African-American numbers are higher for each station because each has at least one and some more than one African-American news photographers. There may be Black newscast producers and others in top management positions at the four stations. If there are, and if I omitted any, I’m sure the station’s general managers and promotion directors will be calling or sending me emails calling attention to my omissions.
What I’m hearing
in the streets
At this column’s deadline comes word that Mayor Greg Ballard has named Troy Riggs as our city/county’s new public safety director. His three years as police chief, then assistant city manager over public safety in Corpus Christi, Texas, doesn’t bother me as much as his 20-year tenure on the Louisville Police Department.
Louisville’s police haven’t struck me as a city with a progressive police department. There have been a number of incidents of police brutality and abuse of power over the years. Several egregious cases in the last few years.
Given Riggs’ past department’s history, how he approaches and interacts with the broad base of our African-American community (not the mayor’s handpicked few) will determine how serious he is about being a public safety director for all the community.
Star Editor Taylor had very little to say on our broadcast about his predecessor, Dennis Ryerson, travelling to testify on behalf of Dr. Frank Straub before Spokane’s City Council. Ryerson and three others from Indy were flown and housed at Spokane Mayor David Condon’s expense to vouch for Straub. The other three who testified, IMPD Officer Candi Perry, Indianapolis Firefighters Union head Wayne Smith and former IMPD officer Spencer Moore had direct knowledge of Straub’s work as Public Safety Director.
But Ryerson’s newspaper didn’t. They just covered Straub. And Ryerson’s vouching for Straub was unprecedented; not just because he didn’t work with him; but because of his role as editor of Indianapolis’ major newspaper.
Taylor didn’t really want to comment on the bizarre incident but agreed that it was unusual. That it was.
The drumline of the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Band was suspended last week because of allegations of hazing among the band drumline’s members. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a big deal, but NCCU is one of the schools in this year’s Circle City Classic.
No word from NCCU officials as to whether the suspension will continue and be in effect when the band and university is here Oct. 5.
However, the situation is one of a number of significant hurdles this year’s Classic faces. Hurdles that could imperil the event reaching its 30th anniversary next year.
See ‘ya next week.
You can email comments to Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
