Rod Hicks to Edit St. Louis' Black Newspaper

Mainstream Media Vet to Expand Digital Presence
DeMarco Morgan Leaves ABC News, ‘GMA3’
Dallas Morning News to Be Acquired by Hearst
Journalists Face Attacks in Reporting on ICE
. . . Ga. County Drops Charges Against Guevara
NAHJ Hears Calls to Resist Trump Control of Media
Cuban Journalist Freed; Latin Publishers Protested
. . . ‘Torture Increases’ for Cuba’s Political Prisoners
U.S. Meets With Relatives of Journos, Prisoners

Homepage photo: Rod Hicks talks with the Dow Jones News Fund 2021 interns about journalism ethics. (Credit: YouTube)

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Rod Hicks discusses ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists in 2022. (Credit: Facebook)

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Mainstream Media Vet to Expand Digital Presence

Rod Hicks, a veteran journalist who is now director of ethics and diversity at the Society of Professional Journalists, has been named executive editor of the St. Louis American, part of the Black press, the newspaper reported Thursday.

The appointment, effective Monday, harkens to a short-lived period when the Black press was absorbing enough mainstream-media veterans for Pamela Newkirk of New York University to cause a stir with a 2011 piece for Columbia Journalism Review headlined, “The Not-So-Great Migration: from the black press to the mainstream — and back again.”

While that moment did not last — lack of resources in much of the Black press being one reason –– the Philadelphia-based Hicks paid tribute to the Black press legacy in accepting the new role.

Hicks thanked Donald M. Suggs, the American’s publisher and executive editor for the last 41 years: “I’ve always respected the role the Black press has played throughout the history of African Americans. That role is just as vital today, if not more. I’m honored that Dr. Suggs has entrusted me with carrying on the editorial legacy of The American.”

The American claims to be the single largest weekly newspaper in the state of Missouri, distributing 60,000 free copies each week. But it exists in a universe in which nearly all legacy media are struggling, competing with social media and, for African Americans, such digital sites as Blavity.com and BET.com, the most-popular websites targeting Black people in a 2023 survey for Journal-isms.

Reporter and podcaster Kara Swisher discussed the challenges facing all news media on PBS’ “Washington Week With the Atlantic” on July 4. “We don’t look at media as a little bit like product. We’re not making things people want to consume,” she said. Many in the media have not been “understanding the financial dynamics for sure, which was that Facebook and Google were sucking up all the oxygen in advertising and not shifting fast enough in that regard . . . . It was like butter churns.. . . like nobody wants a butter churn.” (Credit: PBS/YouTube)

Some Black-oriented outlets have tried to meet the moment with such digitally focused efforts as Word In Black, a consortium of 10 Black-newspaper publishers founded in 2021, in the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd. It calls itself “‘Black America’s Digital Daily,” and the American is one of its participants.

The American’s announcement took note. “A longtime advocate for diverse newsrooms and inclusive coverage, Hicks most recently helped shape national conversations on journalistic ethics and integrity through his role at the Society of Professional Journalists. At The American, he will focus on expanding the outlet’s digital presence, strengthening community ties, and raising the overall quality of journalism for its predominantly African American
audience,” it said.

“ ‘Rod’s vision and professional trajectory align with our mission to inform, uplift, and reflect the lives of
our readers — especially in historically underserved communities,’ Suggs said. ‘He will lead our
newsroom with an eye toward innovation, collaboration, and storytelling that resonates in both our print
and growing digital spaces.’ ”

At SPJ, said Caroline Hendrie, executive director there, “Rod juggled a varied portfolio of responsibilities – parsing thorny ethical dilemmas, writing and editing articles, managing training programs and much more – with great care and good humor.”

The American secured ths quote from Amanda Barrett, vice president of standards at the Associated Press, where Hicks spent nearly a decade. In May, Hicks presented Barrett with SPJ’s 2025 Ethics in Journalism Award.

“Rod is a consummate editor. He is smart, thoughtful and cool under pressure. When we worked together, I could always count on him to help reporters find the angle or the voice they were missing.”

“Rod has proven to be a staunch defender of the craft of journalism. He holds himself and others to high standards for strong work, ethics and integrity. I am excited to see how he leads the St. Louis American and its team into the future.”

Eva Pilgrim, left, and DeMarco Morgan were co-anchors of “GMA 3: What You Need to Know.” Dr. Jennifer Ashton was medical correspondent. (Credit: Heidi Gutman / ABC)

DeMarco Morgan Leaves ABC News, ‘GMA3’

DeMarco Morgan has left ABC News and “GMA3,” the offshoot of “Good Morning America” that he co-hosted there, as the network gears up to reboot the show, Alex Weprin reported Monday for the Hollywood Reporter.

ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic told staff members Monday that Morgan, 46, co-host of the show, “has decided to begin a new journey and will be departing ABC News,” according to a memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter,” Weprin reported.

“His devotion to journalism and sharing with others is evident in everything he touches,” Karamehmedovic added. “We thank him for his kindness and many contributions, wish him well, and look forward to celebrating his next chapter soon.”

Morgan had been co-host alongside Eva Pilgrim.

“Earlier on Monday, Pilgrim was announced as the new anchor of Inside Edition, the syndicated CBS newsmagazine,” Weprin continued. “And last year Dr. Jen Ashton, who had been a co-host of the show since 2020, exited ABC to launch a health and wellness brand.

“With Morgan and Pilgrim out, ABC will need to reboot the program once more,” Weprin continued. It “launched with Michael Strahan and Sara Haines in 2018; rebooted in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic; and rebooted once more in 2023 with Morgan, Pilgrim and Ashton. The trio replaced T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach, who exited ABC News in 2022.”

Morgan’s move was first reported Monday by Oliver Darcy in his Status newsletter. Darcy wrote, “ABC News is quietly hollowing out ‘GMA3,’ turning it into a ghost of its former self as the decline of broadcast TV accelerates.

“The reality is that ABC News is all but throwing in the towel on ‘GMA3,’ a program that has struggled to regain its footing ever since T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach’s relationship became tabloid fodder and led to their high-profile exits two years ago. Indeed, in the second quarter of 2025, ‘GMA3’ maintained its lead in total viewers, but hit a new low in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic, drawing an average of just 207,000 viewers — its smallest audience for the key demo on record. As one staffer put it to me Monday, it’s been a show ‘with an identity crisis.’

“Having already eliminated the show’s dedicated staff and star anchors, ABC News now appears content with the hour functioning as a de facto extension of the second hour of ‘GMA,’ recycling packages and relying on the same talent. On Monday, for instance, Rebecca Jarvis, Ginger Zee, and Gio Benitez stepped in as rotating hosts.”

Morgan joined ABC after leaving CBS-owed KCBS-TV in Los Angeles in 2022, having worked for the network since 2015. He is graduate of historically Black Jackson State University and of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Morgan also was a reporter and co-anchor at WXIA-TV in Atlanta. When he was not on the air, Morgan taught broadcast writing and reporting at Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University.

The exterior of the Dallas Morning News building. DallasNews Corp. has 439 employees, with 157 in the newsroom. (Credit: Tom Fox/Dallas Morning News)

Dallas Morning News to Be Acquired by Hearst

“DallasNews Corporation, the public parent company of The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant, has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by global media company Hearst, the companies announced Thursday morning,” Amy Hollyfield, Morning News managing editor, reported Thursday for her newspaper.

“ ‘Hearst Newspapers is committed to supporting The Dallas Morning News’ continued success through smart investments in their digital strategy, compelling journalism and expanded audience reach,’ Jeff Johnson (pictured), president of Hearst Newspapers, said in a statement. ‘This move aligns squarely with our strategy of backing trusted, high-impact local media brands in growth markets.’

“Hearst is a diverse media company with a portfolio of 28 daily newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Austin American-Statesman, and 50 weeklies. In addition, Hearst owns 35 television stations and more than 200 magazines and has an ownership stake in cable networks A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN. Outside of media, Hearst owns Fitch Group, a global financial services business; Hearst Transportation; and Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses.”

In 2022, Hearst released its second U.S. diversity, equity, and inclusion, report, “showing modest gains in diversifying its workforce and outlining a number of initiatives to invest in businesses and communities of color,” Chase DiFeliciantonio reported at the time for the Hearst-owned San Francisco Chronicle.

“ ‘Change is hard and often doesn’t come as fast as any of us would like,’ Hearst President and CEO Steven R. Swartz said in a statement released with the report, called the Reinforcing Inclusion, Supporting Equity, or RISE report. Swartz said there was more work to do, adding ‘We know that diverse teams are higher performing and that we truly reach our potential when every one of our colleagues feels empowered to do their very best work.’

“Hearst is a diversified global media company based in New York with interests in television, magazines, newspaper and financial information with around 23,000 employees worldwide, of which about 14,000 work in the U.S.

“The share of the company’s full-time and part-time U.S. employees who identified as Black or African American increased from 8% to 9%, while the number of Hispanic or Latino employees went from 8% to 7% from 2020 to the end of 2021. Employees identifying as Asian increased from 8% to 9% while people who identified as having more than one race went from 3% to 4%.

“People identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders continued to make up less than a percentage point of workers respectively.

“White employees made up 71% of the workforce as of December, down from 73% in the initial 2020 report.”

Katrice Hardy, who in 2021 became the first Black journalist to lead the Morning News newsroom, left as executive editor in March to become CEO of The Marshall Project, a national nonprofit news organization focused on criminal justice.

I In 2020, the newspaper named Leona Allen (pictured), another Black woman, as deputy publisher, with responsibiity for diversity. Neither the Morning News nor Hearst responded to requests for more recent diversity figures.

DallasNews Corp. says it has 439 employees, with 157 in the newsroom. The company was formerly known as A.H. Belo Corp.

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Journalists Face Attacks in Reporting on ICE

“Journalists and members of the public who report on ICE are increasingly under attack by officials who would prefer to silence them so government propaganda can fill the information void,” Caitlin Vogus wrote July 2 for the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

“The most recent example is the government’s attack on CNN for its reporting about an app called ICEBlock that alerts users to sightings of ICE agents nearby.

“ ‘Border czar’ Tom Homan called on the Department of Justice to investigate CNN for its reporting, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said her agency is working with the DOJ on a potential prosecution of CNN for ‘encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activities and operations.’

“Press secretary Karoline Leavitt also accused CNN of inciting violence against ICE officers, despite no evidence that ICEBlock, let alone CNN’s reporting on it, has caused any violence.

“An app that reports on the presence of law enforcement officers in public isn’t illegal. ICEBlock’s creator told CNN that its purpose is to help people ‘avoid interactions with ICE,’ and many people have legitimate reasons to want to avoid ICE, even if they’re not in the country illegally. At the risk of stating the obvious, journalism about ICEBlock is also legal and protected by the First Amendment.

“But none of that has stopped administration officials from making threats, probably with the hope of intimidating CNN and others from reporting on public efforts to counter ICE. They had to have known that their baseless accusations would lead to even more people finding out about ICEBlock. But this isn’t about ICEBlock, it’s about chilling journalism.

“And officials haven’t stopped at just threatening investigations for reporting on ICE. In February, the Federal Communications Commission actually opened an investigation into a California radio station, KCBS, after it reported on ICE raids happening in San Jose.

“FCC Chair Brendan Carr said that broadcasting the locations of ICE agents violates FCC rules requiring licensees to operate in the ‘public interest,’ even though such reporting is constitutionally protected. The fact that KCBS is owned by a nonprofit controlled by Democratic megadonor George Soros surely didn’t endear the station to Carr either.

“Again, the clear intent of this investigation — and others by the FCC — is to chill news outlets from reporting on ICE and other topics the administration would prefer they avoid. KCBS, for instance, apparently removed the news report on the San Jose raids from its website after the FCC announced its investigation.

“Some Republicans in Congress seem to also want in on the secrecy, by turning ICE into the secret police. . . .”

Yvonne Condes, Washington Post: Once it was mostly a taco website. Now it’s covering L.A. ICE raids.

Kelly Kimball, Poynter Institute: As police face lawsuits over attacks on journalists during LA protests, experts warn press safety is disappearing across the US

Dean Moses, amNY: ICE hardens: Masked agents intimidate reporters while seizing more immigrants at Lower Manhattan court

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: Guardian U.S. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

. . . Ga. County Drops Charges Against Guevara

“Gwinnett County has officially dropped all charges against Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara (pictured), who remains in federal immigration detention following his controversial arrest during a protest in June. The announcement comes amid ongoing claims that Guevara is being targeted for his work documenting immigration enforcement operations,” Joyce Lupiani reported Thursday for WAGA-TV in Atlanta.

Lupiani also wrote, “Despite a federal immigration judge granting him release on bond, ICE has kept Guevara in custody, transferring him between five detention centers in under a month — a pattern he and his attorneys argue is an effort to damage his record and fast-track his deportation. . . .”

NAHJ began its 2025 convention at the Hilton Chicago Thursday, with 1,589 registrations as of Wednesday, communications director Andrew Sherry messaged Journal-sms. (Credit: X)

NAHJ Hears Calls to Resist Trump Control of Media

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists, opening its annual convention this year in Chicago, heard rousing calls for more resistance to Trump administration efforts to control and silence the news media at a plenary session that included the sole Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission and two foundation presidents, according to an AI-generated transcript of their remarks.

They were more forceful than the journalists organizations themselves.

Maria Hinojosa (pictured), the “Latino USA” founder and media executive who moderated the discussion, spoke up for being a “journalist of conscience” in the mold of Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells and others; not simply a passive recorder of facts.

“You know, I’ve been accused of being an activist journalist my whole life. And actually I was an activist in college. I actually was,” the Futuro Media founder said. And I know what that takes. And I’m not an activist or an organizer, I’m a journalist. But at the same time, to me, journalism, which is fact- based.

“My greatest moment of understanding my role in this country was when I realized, ‘oh, wait a second, there’s a long history of journalism of conscience in our country’. . . . So we journalists of conscience are not necessarily activists, right. Although we are fact-based, but that is part of our tradition. And all of you can make that decision. To say that is part of my heart. And that’s why I’m not going to give up.”

Anna Gomez (pictured), the Democratic FCC commissioner who has warned that her commission’s recent leadership has been “weaponized to chill speech and to punish the press,” sounded the alarm again, with further detail.

“If I do get fired, it won’t be because I refuse to do my job. It will be because I insisted on doing it. And what
motivates me to continue is we need to push back. And I have a position where I am able to do that. And I need people to understand we need to shine a spotlight” on efforts to suppress media voices. “We cannot let this become the status quo. The First Amendment is too important to our democracy, and journalists are too important for our democracy for us not to continue to speak out.”

Daniel Ash (pictured), president of the Field Foundation of Illinois, said that in many marginalized communities, “There aren’t a lot of readings about the crisis, of the constitutional crisis that we’re in. People are too busy trying to survive. . . . For many folks in these neighborhoods, the media has never been, in many of their eyes, an asset or on their side.”

That’s why, Ash said, “I believe it’s absolutely critical to understand that and to reaffirm the commitment” of his foundation for “funding and supporting the local media platforms.”

John Palfrey (pictured), president of the MacArthur Foundation, called for actively resisting efforts to curtail First Amendment rights, rather than cowering to appease those who would take them away.

“If we don’t do that, we absolutely will be a different country. And that’s not the country that I recognize or want to live in. So I feel like coming together and doing it in collective action where we can. . . . If you have the ability to do it,
stepping up and talking about it. That’s, I think, the move when we’re under attack in the way that we are for just really basic values.”

NAHJ began its 2025 convention at the Hilton Chicago with 1,589 registrations as of Wednesday, communications director Andrew Sherry messaged Journal-sms.

Last year at its convention in Los Angeles, Executive Director Yaneth Guillén-Díaz said NAHJ had attracted a comparable number, about 1,600 registered attendees, including about 382 recruiters. NAHJ’s presence at the Hilton Chicago follows its withdrawal from participating in what was to be a joint convention there with the National Association of Black Journalists last year, instead opting to meet separately in Los Angeles to celebrate NAHJ’s 40th anniversary.

At the time of the 2023 pullout decision, NABJ said it did not want to be left “holding the bag” financially because of the NAHJ decision. While is unclear how that situation was resolved, NAHJ’s presence at the same hotel signals one possible compromise.

As it turned out, the 2024 NABJ-only conference prompted the most news coverage of any in either association’s history because of its controversial interview there with then-candidate Donald Trump.

Journal-isms is not present at NAHJ’s event because NAHJ and the Asian American Journalists Association are insisting that press credentials will be honored for only one day,

After the one day, members of the press must pay full registration costs to report on the four- or five-day conferences. For, NAHJ, that can be up to $599 more, plus extra for special events; for AAJA up to $690 additionally.

The condition violates most coverage norms.

Sherry said that NAHJ Thursday that issued 10 one-day press passes, though two holders of those passes had registered for the convention.

Ashley C. Neyra, Latino Reporter, NAHJ: NAHJ conference goers share their biggest takeaways (video) (July 12)

Alana Rosario, Latino Reporter, NAHJ: Meet the 2025 NAHJ Hall of Fame inductees (español) (July 12)

Trent Straube, POZ: How the Media Can Help Fight HIV in Latino Communities (July 11)

WLS-TV, Chicago: ABC News reception held at ABC7 Chicago amid National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference

Cuba Frees Journalist; Latin Publishers Protested

Cuban independent journalist Henry Constantin, regional vice president of the Inter-American Press Association, the organization of newspaper publishers primarily based in Latin America, has been released after spending four days in a cell at the State Security Operations headquarters, the publication 14 y medio reported July 4 from Madrid.

The publishers association had “demanded his immediate release, guarantees for his physical safety, and an end to the harassment, censorship, and repression not only for Henry Constantín, but also for those who exercise the right to information and express opinions freely,” Carlos Lauría, the organization’s executive director, told Martí Noticias.

In a brief message July 3 posted on his Instagram profile, Constantin said, “I want to share some good news. I’m back on the streets, on the streets of Camagüey, after almost four days of unjust imprisonment at State Security.

The journalist noted that these have been “difficult and uncomfortable” days and thanked everyone who cared for him, as well as his family and the team at La Hora de Cuba, “who continued working despite having their director behind bars,” he added.

“Despite his relaxed and smiling appearance, Constantin acknowledged that his situation is not promising. “‘There are threats that will continue to weigh on me in the coming time,’ he said.

“However, he wanted to emphasize that he will not give in to pressure from anyone or leave the island. “I plan to remain in Cuba, exercising my freedom of expression for a better Cuba where we are all free,” he concluded.

“Henry Constantin was arrested on Sunday, June 29, while accompanying his editorial colleague Iris Mariño to a summons at the Third Police Unit in Camagüey. When they both arrived, the officers asked the journalist to show his ID and, minutes later, handcuffed him and put him in a patrol car with the number 230, according to reporter Mariño’s video.

“Shortly after his arrest, the journalist was transferred to the State Security Operations Department, known as Villa María Luisa.

“Although no further details have emerged about the journalist himself since his release, La Hora de Cuba reported that its editor was charged with ‘contempt.’

” ‘The reason for the arrest is a post by Henry on May 15th, in which he denounces a State Security agent. The post can be found on La Hora de Cuba ‘s Facebook page, not on Henry Constantin’s personal profile,” Mariño said.

“Other theories about his arrest point to the proximity of July 4th, Independence Day in the United States, which the embassy in Cuba traditionally celebrates with a party to which it invites artists, cultural figures, and dissidents. This year, the event took place on July 2nd and was convened by the current US chargé d’affaires in Cuba, Mike Hammer, with whom the regime maintains a tense relationship due to his constant meetings and visits to activists and dissidents. Various operations prevented most of these guests from attending the event.

“Some attribute the arrest to an attempt to prevent Constantín from traveling to Havana to attend the commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the popular protests of July 11, 2021. . . “

Prisoners Defenders released a video in Spanish, “Cuba #11J: Tribute to the brave people imprisoned for demanding ‘Freedom,’ ‘Homeland, and Life.’ “

. . . ‘Torture Increases’ for Cuba’s Political Prisoners

. . . Separately, the Madrid-based Prisoners Defenders reported Thursday, “Four years since 9/11: 65% of political prisoners in Cuba are 2021 protesters, while torture increases.”

The reference is to a series of protests against the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba that began on 11 July 2021, triggered by a shortage of food and medicine and the government’s response to the resurgent COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba.

“The 8 new political prisoners released last June maintain the list of political prisoners at its highest number to date, 1,158 political prisoners, of whom 752 were imprisoned for peacefully demonstrating on July 11 (11J) 2021 in Cuba,” the group continued.

“Four years after 9/11 and 66 years of savage totalitarianism in Cuba, and with the already confirmed deaths of quite a few of the sick political prisoners (since 2024 alone, at least five political prisoners have died under sentence in Cuba), the failure to provide assistance to these prisoners must be viewed not only as a grave error, but also as an act of connivance, hypocrisy, lack of humanity, and/or lack of political intelligence.

“The only way to exert pressure on a criminal who commits crimes against humanity, if one is in a position to do so (and these countries clearly are), is to take coercive, firm, and public measures to prevent it at all costs.”

Pictured is Donaida Pérez Paseiro, one of those imprisoned, a member of the Association of Free Yorubas of Cuba and wife of Yoruba leader and prisoner of conscience Loreto Hernández.

She “was released from prison on January 15 following an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Cuban regime, through the aforementioned ‘house arrest regime,’ the group said. “On June 11, the Provincial Court of Villa Clara revoked the political prisoner’s conditional release, and she returned to prison.”

A group of former political prisoners, relatives of July 11, 2021, protesters currently in prison, independent artists and journalists, religious leaders and human rights activists gathered at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Havana, Mike Hammer, on Tuesday. U.S. embassy in Havana. Courtesy.

U.S. Meets With Relatives of Journos, Prisoners

“In an event marking another anniversary of the July 11 mass protests in 2021, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told a gathering of Cuban activists in Havana on Tuesday that the Trump administration will continue advocating for the release of political prisoners on the island and is committed to supporting the Cuban people’s fight for freedom and democracy,” Nora Gámez Torres reported Thursday for the Miami Herald.

“Landau addressed in Spanish a group of relatives of political prisoners, independent artists and journalists, religious leaders, former political prisoners and human rights activists gathered at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Havana, Mike Hammer, via a video call from Washington.

“In a video message in Spanish played at the start of the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was traveling to Asia and unable to join in, told the group that the July 11 protests marked ‘a change and a new era’ and that the videos of the demonstrations had ‘inspired’ Cuban exiles who ‘hope for freedom for Cuba.’ ” . . .

CiberCuba: Javier Díaz [of Univision] sends a message to official Cuban journalists (July 12)

Cuba Hoy: “Antonio Suárez Fonticiella, editor-in-chief of CubaHoy magazine, is being summoned and intimidated.

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