Media Alert- Black Men in the Age of Obama

From CNN.com

- In the CNN Newsroom, Don Lemon moderates a roundtable discussion airing on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10 p.m. (ET) and Sunday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. (ET). Conducted at historic Morehouse College, CNN education contributor Dr. Steve Perry, Bishop Eddie Long, author and entrepreneur Farrah Gray, Tyree Simmons (aka DJ Drama) and Morehouse senior Tyrone McGowan reveal their insights into what has changed, if anything, in their lives, families, workplaces and communities in the year since the 2008 presidential election. Follow Lemon leading up to the roundtable discussion for behind-the-scenes access on CNN.com through the Newsroom blog and other social media platforms.

- Tony Harris highlights his interview with radio host Steve Harvey, who wrote a first-person essay “When A Man Loves A Woman” for ESSENCE Magazine, airing on Friday, Nov. 6 starting in the 11 a.m. (ET) hour.

- HLN presents a week-long series of interviews beginning Nov. 2 during the 4 p.m. (ET) hour. Richelle Carey sits down with actor and author Hill Harper on relationships; Harvard University professor and author Dr. Alvin Poussaint on education; and Syracuse University professor Dr. Boyce Watkins on finance; to name just a handful of the featured interviews.

- On the new CNN.com, CNN, HLN and ESSENCE Magazine take an unprecedented look at President Obama’s impact on black men in America. President Obama has urged black men to take responsibility for their lives and families and he’s called on all Americans to volunteer to help restore their communities, located at http://www.cnn.com/obamaeffect. Has President Obama inspired Americans to take action? What are the challenges still facing black men in America? Audience members are encouraged to share their thoughts in the discussion through iReport, the network’s user-generated online news community.

Media Alert

CNN is back with Black In America 2.
Because, you loved Black in America

SOOOOOOO much.

It's supposed to be

Wednesday, July 22nd, from 8-10 pm EST.
Thursday, July 23rd, from 8-10 pm EST.
There's even going to be 'Countdown to Black in America 2' on Wednesday, from 7-8 pm EST.

Ed Henry's Bitchslap by President Obama

No matter how CNN tried to spin it, here is what ACTUALLY happened:



from ebogan

That was the President cooly snappin' on Henry's azz. It was like Henry was made to get a branch from the back woods so's grandma could beat his azz with it. Loved how some in the press laughed at him for being so stupid.

Media Alert: Roland Martin to fill in for Campbell Brown

CNN/U.S. made the following announcement today:

"In early April, Campbell Brown will take maternity leave for about 8 weeks and Roland S. Martin will fill in for her during that time.

"Roland is a solid journalist and a terrific communicator. He's been a regular part of the No Bias, No Bull family and our audience knows him well. He has also served as a contributor/analyst for CNN, and in fact, he's been transparent about whom he has supported for president, whether it was George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush or Barack Obama.

"We look forward to Roland's smart, energetic and spirited reporting in this role, and in the future on CNN. Following his stint filling in for Campbell, CNN plans to develop a weekend program with Roland."

Media Alert: The Obamas

The President-Elect and the Future First Lady have done an interview with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. It will air tonight and Sunday at 8 p.m. EST

Jack Cafferty Tells It Like It Is About Palin

Jack keeps it simple:

If John McCain wins this woman will be one 72-year-old's heartbeat away from being President of the United States. And if that doesn't scare the hell out of you, it should."

John McCain - The Punk Who Cut And Ran (i.e.Who's afraid of CNN?)

Thanks Sepia for the title :)

John McCain, according to this DailyKos Diary, Senator ' Country Last' is refusing to go on CNN for an interview.

So, what made Senator 'Country Last' upset?

This interview Campbell Brown had with McCain Spokesman, Tucker Bounds.

DailyKos:OK, now we're just in pathological liar territory

Watch the video.

Now, folks know I am NO fan of Campbell Brown, but she actually did her job last night.

So, MAN UP, John Boy.

You're running for PRESIDENT.

If you can't face a CNN reporter, then how will you face Putin?

CNN's ' Black In America', Day One - Open Thread

I know that Mirror On America readers are going to have a lot to say about this series.

So, debate, discuss....tell us what you think of it.

Is this YOUR Black Family?

Media Alert: Daughters of Legacy

'Daughters of Legacy'


To the world, they are activists, leaders, icons. But these women know them as "Dad." The daughters of MLK, Ali, Malcolm X, Johnnie Cochran and Sidney Poitier... in their first conversation, together.

CNN, Sat. & Sun., 6 & 11 p.m. ET.

NPR's Farai Chideya Talks With Black Bloggers

The Guests Trashed Michael Moore's Efforts

Bloggers Jasmyne Cannick, Michael David Cobb Bowen, and Rob Fields had the pleasure of being featured on Black Entertainment Radio NPR's News & Notes program today. The interview eventually focused on Michael Moore & his recent interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Each blogger took their turn throwing jabs at the filmmaker, basically labeling him a joke regarding his film (without evidence or justification to support their view).

But what really raised my blood pressure was the way that all the guests accepted CNN's version of "The Facts" (without doubt), taking the networks critique of Sicko as gospel. They simply bought into the notion that Moore "did not have his facts straight" as Mr. Fields put it, and that Sicko is purely "propaganda" as Mr. Bowen proclaimed. Fields also refers to the War in Iraq as "This Iraq Thing". lol Wow! Jasmyne Cannick went as far as saying that she didn't care about Moore or his film. The problem of healthcare was not an important issue, at least not for her.WHAT??? And this was coming from a so-called Black Blogger? Anyone who has been paying attention knows that Black Americans as a group are greatly impacted by this broken healthcare system. Only Hispanics have poorer healthcare. But when it comes to healthcare, I see Hispanics & Blacks as being in the same boat. And we have all heard about the disparities in access, good care, and outcomes. Blacks fare worse in just about all major categories. About 45 Million Americans don't have healthcare, and another 35 million or more have periods where they go without coverage, bringing the total of people without adaquate care to just over 80 million. (according to a 2004 estimate). Black mortality is higher across the board. Even when African Americans have decent insurance, there are still disparities in care, although some sort of Universal coverage for all would save lives because of the preventive care that could be provided. More on disparities. (1) And let's not forget about 12 year old Deamonte Driver who died earlier this year from a preventable Dental condition. Here is what the ADA (American Dental Association) had to say about this tragedy. There are tons of other Deamonte Drivers out there who have not received major media attention.

And this was not important to her???

It was clear from the discussion that the panel really didn't know what they were talking about regarding Moore or Healthcare. Instead of attempting to comment on a subject that they knew nothing about, they should have passed on answering the question. They were clueless to the fact that Moore has a staff that makes sure his information is in order and he was able to rebutt CNN twice after his initial Wolf Blitzer interview. (1) (2) It turns out that CNN didn't have its facts straight. Its hit piece was biased and inaccurate. But I guess these Black bloggers were not concerned enough to find this information out (information which was available before the show).

They label these issues as unimportant....or as hoaxes, because they don't want to invest the time to find out what the hell is going on. For many Black Bloggers, these issues aren't "juicy" enough to warrant attention. But at the drop of a hat they will turn around and create 10 postings of the most ignorant, nonsensical bull---- that you could imagine, especially nonsense of the urban/entertainment variety. It's downright embarrassing. At least 2 of these bloggers were more of the entertainment variety.... not serious bloggers. Who the hell chose these 3???

Listen To The Segment, Taken from NPR's News and Notes, Wed. July 11th.

This is why I hate being considered a "Black Blogger". Because I quickly get thrown into the same box with the kind of people interviewed by NPR. I have to deal with being compared with the nonsense that they put out. There is this cloud of ignorance that hangs over the Black blogosphere that prevents these bloggers (not all, but many) from seeing the bigger picture on all sorts of issues. In this case, the kind of mentality that persists with some Black bloggers is- since the person bringing the message isn't Black (i.e. Michael Moore on Healthcare)
well then it must not be important to me. This kind of ignorance and short-sightedness is pervasive in the Black Blogosphere, and it causes Black Bloggers to miss out on so many other events going on in the World.

Black Bloggers (not all, but many) think too small. They create these well defined boxes that dictate what is important to them, and they never seem to be able to step out of these boxes that they have created for themselves (and for others). They tend to concentrate on race based issues, not understanding how non-racial issues might impact the stories that they are concerned with.

You cannot fully understand something like Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath if you don't understand what is happening 6000 miles away in Iraq. You cannot fully understand 9/11 if you don't understand U.S. Foreign policy that preceded it or the history of Al Qaeda. You cannot separate domestic policy from Foreign policy. This is how we can wake up to a 9/11 and people are dazed, asking why do they hate us... and then they proceed to swallow (hook, line & sinker) at least 3 years of media propaganda about Iraq and the War On Terror.

Too many Black bloggers are unwilling or unable to connect these dots because they have such a narrow view of the World. They see things in a vacuum. Unfortunately, many of these bloggers (not all, but many) have brought their ignorant BET culture into the World of blogging.

I did not identify as a "Black Blogger" when I started out, for the reasons that I have mentioned. I did not want to be pigeonholed. I did not want to identify with the kind of ignorance & shortsightedness that was on display in the above NPR interview. But because of the lack of support that I received from the "White Blogosphere" I found that it would be best for me to identify with my own ethnic group....thus this blog morphed into more of a Black identified Blog (not my original plan). However, I still don't really consider it as such, and I make sure that I cover a wide range of subjects here. And I was lucky to connect with great co-bloggers WHO ARE ABLE TO SEE THINGS OUTSIDE OF THE "BLACK BLOGGERS" BOX...(pure luck).

I actually tend to have more in common with Progressive, Moderate and Independent White Bloggers than I do with Black Bloggers. And I only enjoy reading a handful of Black Blogs... they know who they are.

But with the kind of ignorance that I heard from the Black Bloggers on NPR, I am not surprised that the White Blogosphere still does not take us seriously.

I was once a regular listener of NPR's News and Notes. I stopped listening a few months ago when the program changed its format. The Roundtable segment (the bread and butter of the show) was eliminated as part of the change, among other things. It quickly became clear to me what the NPR producers were trying to do... they were trying to attract a younger audience to the show. They dedicated the entire month of June to Hip Hop. The show has now turned into Black Entertainment Radio. Therefore... I turned them off and have not been a regular listener since. However, I occasionally will check the website for programs, so that I can catch information for my blog. All Things Considered is now my favorite NPR program.... no compromise on quality there.

The quality of the show really took a hit after the loss of Tavis Smiley and then again after the loss of Ed Gordon. I think Chideya is a smart lady.... but she is working far below her capacity. There seems to have been a deliberate effort to "dumb down" the show... the NPR interview above is a perfect example of that. Chideya must do a better job of challenging her guests and the listeners. The show has become an insult to my intelligence.

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You can follow this story at NPR's News and Views Blog.... Be sure to check the comments and feel free to join in.