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Journalist Deported, Speaks From El Salvador

by richard0377

‘Ready to Continue Working Double From My Country’
Those Other Folks Who Reported on the Diddy Trial
FBI Cuts Ties WithTwo Groups Tracking Hate Crimes
CBS Newsroom ‘Freaking Out’ Over New Top Editor
Israel Said to Kidnap Journos With Life-Saving Group
Nigerian Anchor Jumps to Her Death During Robbery Attempt

 

Short Takes: Hispanic Heritage Month; journalists resign over edits to Charlie Kirk piece; shelving of BET’s ‘Hip Hop Awards’ show; media closures, Russian propaganda in media in Nicaragua; Latin American Conference on Diversity in Journalism; Sudan journalists enduring violence, hunger and relentless bombardment

Homepage photo: A hug for the deported Mario Guevara, by Univision 34 Atlanta.

Translation: “Arrival of Mario Guevara MG News, these were his first statements! 

“Thank you all for the welcome, for your comments and for following. . . . “

‘Ready to Continue Working Double From My Country’

Mario Guevara, a “Spanish-language journalist known for livestreaming immigration raids was deported on Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being held for more than 100 days in Georgia,”  Neil Vigdor reported Friday for The New York Times.

The deportation took place as ICE activity continued to heighten tensions around the country, particularly in Chicago. “A federal agent shot and wounded a motorist in Chicago on Saturday morning, according to federal officials, touching off more protests in the city as tensions rose over the Trump administration’s threat to send troops there,” Julie Bosman, Hamed Aleaziz and Robert Chiarito reported Saturday, updated Sunday, for the Times.

Guevara has been called  “the only journalist in the U.S. to have been held in ICE custody after being arrested in relation to his work.”

[In a newsletter from Columbia Journalism Review on Monday, Jem Bartholomew wrote, “Guevara’s deportation — as well as government pressure on Disney to silence Jimmy Kimmel, or Trump’s legal suits against media companies, or the Pentagon’s directive against reporting unauthorized material — needs to be understood as part of a multipronged attack on journalism.

[“We’ve arrived at a place, in my view, where the protection of journalists in the US is increasingly contingent on what they’re reporting on, and how critical they are of the levers of power. The First Amendment no longer offers blanket protection. When covering stories of legal warfare, violence, harassment, detention, and deportation against journalists, news organizations need to be contextualizing them in this wider attack on the independence of the press.”]

Vigdor continued, “Speaking to a group of reporters in Olocuilta, El Salvador, where he emerged from a Salvadoran border patrol pickup, Mr. Guevara said that he was heartbroken because half of his family was in the United States, including his wife and Guevara “was flown to his native El Salvador around 4 a.m., according to the Committee to Protect Journalists and the American Civil Liberties Union, which condemned the action by the Trump administration.

“Mr. Guevara said that he had lost more than 25 pounds during his more than three months in custody and had marks from being kept in handcuffs ‘like a criminal’ during his deportation.

“ ‘This was not how I wanted to come to my land, but thank you, God,’ Mr. Guevara said.”

Several other immigration developments involved journalists in the last few days.

  • Till Eckert, a reporter for the German nonprofit outlet Correctiv on a fellowship with ProPublica, spent two weeks reporting from the twelfth-floor hallways of  federal immigration court in New York, Riddhi Setty reported Thursday for Columbia Journalism Review.” Eckert reported. “These are scenes I was not expecting to see in the United States,.  You would have detentions in Germany, but those are carried out by the Federal Police and they have to be authorized. And they’re certainly not carried out by people who are wearing masks. There’s no comparison to that to be found in Germany.”

At the Journal-isms Roundtable that took place Monday, Giovanni Diaz, a lawyer for Mario Guevara, said  that “it seems the entire immigration court system is politically compromised.” His comments start at 00:33:11. (Credit: YouTube)

At a Journal-isms Roundtable Monday on “ICE and the Press,” Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation noted CNN’s report of the existence of the ICE Block app, “which is a tracking app that allows people to track ICE’s whereabouts.

“That’s constitutionally protected in and of itself, but merely reporting on the existence of the app was enough to draw threats from the administration,” Stern said. [His comments begin at 00:44]

“So there is this… there’s this deep sense of secrecy and this attempt to treat this as a warlike situation, as a terrorism situation, where emergency powers can be used to silence dissent and to evade transparency.”

Moments after Guevara arrived in El Salvador, Merlin Delcid and Mauricio Torres reported Friday for CNN, Guevara said he was deported “for being a journalist, for reporting the news,” a claim disputed by the Trump administration, which maintains Guavara is in violation of immigration law.  In turn, Giovanni Diaz, a lawyer for Guevara, told the Journal-isms Roundtable that “it seems the entire immigration court system is politically compromised.

The CNN reporters continued, “In a meeting with the media, including CNN, Guevara stated that this was not the way he wanted to return to his country and that he feels sad about having left part of his family in the United States.

“He claimed that his work, for which he was recognized for his coverage of raids and other immigration issues, was disliked by the Donald Trump administration, which led to his arrest and now deportation.

“ ‘When Donald Trump came to power (on January 20), he said that the work permit was already a privilege, that he could revoke it for anything. They revoked it for me for nothing. I didn’t commit any crimes. My lawyers dismissed all the crimes the police accused me of. That means I didn’t do anything. So, they deported me for being a hard-working man, for being a journalist, for reporting the news. They deported me for that alone,’ he said.”

Dan Raby added for WUPA-TV, known as CBS Atlanta, “Guevara then posted a photo of himself with reporting equipment, saying that he was ‘ready to continue working double from my country.’  In another post, he poses smiling with a plate of El Salvador’s signature dish of flat corn cakes stuffed with cheese and other fillings.

In a weekend explainer, Betsy Morris reported for the Columbia Journalism Review that Guevara was featured in CJR in 2019, when Sonam Vashi described Guevara as the “principal source of information for raids” around Atlanta.

“The piece detailed the complicated realities of maintaining that position, noting the trust that Guevara had managed to build with the local Spanish-speaking immigrant community and the dangers posed by his chronicling of their vulnerabilities (some had called Guevara a ‘traitor’ and a ‘snitch’ for ICE).

“As Vashi wrote, ‘Balancing the relationship with ICE and the Latinx community can be tricky, Guevara says. He communicates with immigration authorities daily — he knows many agents on a first-name basis.”

Reporting on undocumented people, as Guevara had been doing for so long — he came to the United States in 2004 — can risk elevating their profiles with law enforcement. ‘Being a journalist is not easy, because we always have to report both sides of the story,’ as Vashi quoted Guevara. ‘But as an immigrant, deep down, I suffer when I see injustice or when my own race is arrested and deported.”

Ye (Kanye West) arrives at the Sean Combs trial on June 13. (Credit: Pool)

Those Other Folks Who Reported on the Diddy Trial

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the music mogul convicted of transporting his ex-girlfriends and male escorts across state lines for days-long, drug-fueled sex marathons known as ‘freak-offs,’ was sentenced to four years and two months in prison on Friday, marking the latest turn in his stunning fall from grace,” Nancy Dillon reported Friday for Rolling Stone.

Combs is expected to file an appeal immediately.

It was big news in most major news outlets, even amid a federal government shutdown.

The Root reported that “Black folks online have shocking responses” — they expected Combs would have received more time.

TMZ told readers that in addition to the sentencing news, “Diddy Lawsuit Man Claims He Was Drugged, Anally Assaulted at Mogul’s Party.”

The New York Times said over a story by Ben Sisario and Julia Jacobs, “Sean Combs Now Faces Not Just Prison and a Fine, but Shunning.”

The scene, Isabella Gomez Sarmiento reported for NPR, was “a buzzing courthouse packed with hordes of Combs’ supporters, social media influencers and reporters.”

She added that “during Friday’s sentencing hearing, several of Combs’ defense attorneys spoke on his behalf, detailing his self-made journey to becoming a record producer, rapper and entrepreneur, and underscoring what he represents to the Black community as a successful businessman who broke barriers in music, fashion and media. One of his attorneys broke down in tears as she addressed the judge, explaining his importance to the Black community, and to her personally.”

But one of the most intriguing reports came in June from Erik Ortiz, writing for NBC News. “When the proceedings pause for a lunch break or conclude for the day, it’s the dozens of content creators who take center stage, scrambling to the sidewalks to set up their cellphone tripods and emote the latest testimony and courtroom drama for their eager followers,” Ortiz wrote.

“But with Combs’ fate unfolding in a trial that is not being televised, the rush to relay every sordid detail and rack up views can pose challenges fraught with ethical issues. . . .  The real-life consequences came to light when two women who took the stand using pseudonyms were exposed when their presumed names were leaked online, highlighting how irresponsible behavior in this new wave of content creation can be harmful. . .  .

“Competition can be stiff among the creators. When court lets out, they jockey for position with television cameras as Combs’ family, including his mother and children, are escorted by security to their car. The spectacle can draw a small crowd from interested passersby.

“Oota Ongo, a YouTube streamer from Brooklyn, gives street preacher energy as he talks to his more than 13,600 subscribers from outside the courthouse.

“He told NBC News that he started covering the trial, his first, to ‘see everything for myself and put my biases aside.’ ”

“Civil rights lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr. founded the SPLC in 1971 to ensure that the promise of the civil rights movement became a reality for all,” the Southern Poverty Law Center says. “Since then, we’ve won numerous landmark legal victories on behalf of the exploited, the powerless and the forgotten.” (Credit: YouTube)

FBI Cuts Ties With Two Groups Tracking Hate Crimes

FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau is cutting ties with two organizations on which journalists rely for information on hate crimes — groups “that for decades have tracked domestic extremism and racial and religious bias,” Eric Tucker reported Friday for the Associated Press.

It is “a move that follows complaints about the groups from some conservatives and prominent allies of President Donald Trump.

“Patel said Friday that the FBI would sever its relationship with the Southern Poverty Law Center, asserting that the organization had been turned into a ‘partisan smear machine’ and criticizing it for its use of a ‘hate map’ that documents alleged anti-government and hate groups inside the United States. A statement earlier in the week from Patel said the FBI would end ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization that fights antisemitism.

‘The announcements amount to a dramatic rethinking of longstanding FBI partnerships with prominent civil rights groups at a time when Patel is moving rapidly to reshape the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. The organizations over the years have provided research on hate crime and domestic extremism, law enforcement training and other services but have also been criticized by some conservatives for what they say is an unfair maligning of their viewpoints. . . .”

CBS Newsroom ‘Freaking Out’ Over New Top Editor

“The imminent arrival of anti-woke and stridently pro-Israel ‘‘heterodox’ pundit Bari Weiss (pictured) as the editor-in-chief of CBS News has left the newsroom’s staff ‘literally freaking out,’ with sources telling The Independent that the Tiffany Network is ”not a good place right now,’ ” Justin Baragona reported Friday for The Independent.

“The rising frustration among the network’s journalists has also been compounded by the fact that David Ellison, the chief executive of the newly merged Paramount Skydance, is preparing to implement brutal layoffs and slash up to 10 percent of CBS News’ staff – all while paying Weiss up to $150 million to acquire her digital media outlet The Free Press.

“Meanwhile, Weiss seizing the reins of the network’s vaunted news division – which has been months in the making – comes as staff have grown increasingly disgruntled with Ellison’s transformation of CBS News, with many feeling that the new owner ‘lied’ to them when he insisted he didn’t want to ‘politicize’ the network. . . . ”

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Israel Said to Kidnap Journos With Life-Saving Group

“Dozens of journalists who boarded the humanitarian Global Sumud Flotilla on a reporting mission have been kidnapped by Israel since 1 October,” the International Federation of Journalists said Friday. It said it “joins its affiliates across the world in demanding their immediate release and calls on media organisations to exercise their duty of care.

“The Global Sumud Flotilla is a coordinated fleet of small to mid‑sized vessels that set off from multiple ports across the Mediterranean. This civilian-led initiative, including humanitarian aid workers, doctors, artists, clergy and activists, aims to ‘‘break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people‘. The boats aim to deliver aid, including food and medical supplies.

“A number of journalists boarded the ships to report on the mission.

“Since 1 October, Israeli forces have started intercepting the boats in international waters and arresting people, including journalists, raising IFJ and its affiliates’ concerns.

“Several videos have shown Israeli forces boarding the boats and arresting their passengers. The IFJ is particularly outraged about a video showing Israel Security Minister Ben Gvir facing the activists who have been kidnapped and calling them ‘terrorists’.

“Dozens of journalists are reported to have been arrested, including staff from El Pais,  Al Jazeera and l’Humanité.

“While these arrests are a blatant infringement of international laws, the IFJ is also concerned about journalists’ safety and the Israeli government hindering journalists in their reporting activities. . . .”

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Nigerian Anchor Jumps to Her Death During Robbery Attempt

In a Nigerian tragedy that prompted coverage by People magazine, the BBC and other international media, a 29-year-old television anchor died last week after jumping from the third floor of her apartment to escape armed robbers.

The anchor, Somtochukwu “Sommie” Maduagwu, was also  a lawyer. Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of NIgeria’s  Rivers state, said she “was not just a distinguished journalist; she was an embodiment of kindness, humility, brilliance, resilience, and hope of a brighter future for Nigerian youths.

“Her voice on ARISE News Television was an inspiration to millions, her passion for Justice reflected in her legal mind; and her humility and persistence while probing for the truth, a latent pointer to her professionalism.”

According to Wikipedia,  Arise News is a Nigerian world news channel with studios in New York City, London, Johannesburg, Abuja and Lagos. “The channel features African, US and European content. It is operated by Arise Broadcasting Ltd., which is owned by Nigerian media mogul Nduka Obaigbena.”

Launched in 2013, Arise at first attracted U.S. Black journalists, but most of the better-known ones left after enduring periods of bounced checks and missed paydays.

Habeebat Ajayi, Baba Martins and Maureen Onochie provided this account of the fateful robbery incident Wednesday for Nigeria’s Daily Trust.

Short Takes

  • For Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15,  Fernanda Figueroa of the Associated Press compiled  “a look at the Hispanic population in the U.S., by the numbers: More than 68 million identify as ethnically Hispanic, according to the latest census estimates. The median age of the Hispanic population is 31.2 years, the youngest of all U.S. populations. Hispanics made up about 10 percent of voters in the 2024 presidential election. Fifty-six  Hispanic or Latino members serve in the 119th Congress.
(Credit: santegidio.org/)
  • “Since 2022, Nicaragua has become a hub for the expansion of Russian propaganda,” Reporters Without Borders said Sept. 25. “The government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have bolstered the spread of the Kremlin’s narrative abroad by allowing Russian state media to insert their content and production methods into Nicaraguan state outlets. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns of the dangers of this partnership, which forces authoritarian propaganda on a population of 7 million people deprived of other sources of information. . . . “
  • “Under the motto ‘We Resist and Exist,’ the Network for Diversity in Latin American Journalism (REDIPE, for its acronym in Spanish) announces its 5th Latin American Conference on Diversity in Journalism, which will be held virtually on Thursday, Oct. 9 and Friday, Oct. 10, with some virtual workshops on Saturday, Oct. 11. Registration is free and open to journalists, communicators, and individuals interested in promoting more equal and plural societies,” reports the LatAm Journalism Review.

“In Sudan’s vast western region of Darfur, journalists in El-Fasher are under siege, enduring violence, hunger, and relentless bombardment alongside the people whose lives they report on, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported Wednesday.  Seven journalists interviewed by CPJ by phone — all currently or recently based in the city — described being cut off from food and aid, amid relentless shelling. Some were also targeted by RSF fighters with sexual violence and arbitrary detention because of their reporting. ‘We are starved, we are hunted, but we still report. Our voices are the only thing left,’ one journalist told CPJ, on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals.”  (Map credit: PBS)

 

The Root Gets Its First Black Owner

Oct. 2, 2025

Stories to Reflect Communities’ ‘Depth, Complexity’

 

NABJ Meets With WaPo Editor; Opinion Pages Move Right

Court Denies Appeal to Stop Guevara Deportation

. . . El Salvador Journalists Group Goes Into Exile

Myron Lowery, News Anchor Turned Politician, Dies at 78

Short Takes: Visa restrictions for foreign journalists;  FCC’s Brendan Carr urged to resign;  Doug Mitchell; Hillary Clinton; Terence Samuel;  Nora Gámez Torres;  Jesse Watters;  Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas

 

“Hell’s Kitchen,” a hit Broadway musical from Alicia Keys’ “very own” Kecia Lewis, was recognized in December as one of The Root’s most influential Black Americans — “The Root 100.” (Credit: YouTube). 

Stories to Reflect Communities’ ‘Depth, Complexity’

The Root is moving to Black ownership for the first time since its founding in 2008, purchased by a company owned and founded by Ashley Allison (pictured), political strategist, communications expert, CNN commentator, and former Obama-Biden White House official.

A spokesperson declined to say whether the new ownership means a change in the editorial team or in its approach to the news, now heavy on chatty, Black-oriented People magazine-style stories.

One prominent piece Thursday, for example, is headlined, “After Years of Drama, Ray J’s Beef With the Kardashians Takes Explosive New Turn: The drama between Ray J, his famous ex Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner has been brewing for years. And now it may have finally reached its breaking point!”

However, all signs point to a different approach.

“This acquisition isn’t just about a media brand changing hands,” a publicist said. “It’s about returning one of the most trusted voices in Black journalism back to Black ownership, restoring its legacy as a front-page platform for culture, politics, and unapologetic truth-telling.”

[Some news organizations reported that The Root was “returning” to Black ownership, but it was never Black-owned, as former editor Danielle Belton confirms in a posting on Threads.]

Henry Louis Gates Jr., (pictured) the Harvard scholar who in 2008 co-founded The Root with Donald Graham of The Washington Post Co. — who Gates said had the idea for a “Black Huffington Post” — told Journal-isms that The Root is making “a return to its roots.” He added, “When we created the Root, it was the leading Black site for cutting edge news and thoughtful opinion about the entire Black world.””

About Allison, 43, the news release says the political activist, “who also served as the National Coalitions Director for the Biden-Harris 2020 presidential campaign, has built a career on amplifying diverse voices and navigating the intersection of politics, policy, and culture. Through Watering Hole Media, she brings this experience to the digital landscape, positioning the company to deliver journalism, storytelling, and entertainment that reflect the depth and complexity of Black communities.”

“ ‘This isn’t about making more content but rather about making meaning of this moment,’ shares
Allison. ‘The Root has always been about preserving culture and creating clarity in a world full of
distractions. Owning the power to tell our own stories is a rich tradition The Root is committed to
upholding.”
“Rashad Robinson (pictured)., longtime social justice leader and former president of Color of Change, is also “joining as a strategic advisor, underscoring the importance of this relaunch in building infrastructure for Black talent and reporting.
“ ‘This is an exciting moment in the media landscape, with so much potential to make Black voices
an even stronger force in the big fights taking place in our country right now,’ Robinson said. ‘The Root provides an infrastructure for growing Black talent and supports a drumbeat of reporting on issues that would not otherwise gain momentum. I’m excited to be part of its next chapter.’ ”

Allison appeared on “NewsNight with Abby Phillip on Thursday.

Once the parent company of The Onion, Jezebel, Quartz and Deadspin, G/O’s portfolio contained a single outlet, The Root. CEO Jim Spanfeller said in July, “The Root is a wonderful site and a very good business.” 

Still, Corbin Bolies reported for The Wrap, “The Root is one of several G/O Media outlets that squabbled with company and editorial leadership before eventually being acquired. Root staffers launched multiple labor disputes with its editor in chief, Tatsha Robertson, in 2023 over creating a ‘toxic and hostile work environment,’ leading G/O Media to retaliate with its own unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The two sides eventually dropped their most egregious charges.”

Robertson, once of the Boston Globe, is the site’s eighth editorial leader. She followed Vanessa K. De Luca, Danielle Belton, Lyne Pitts, Lynette Clemetson, Joel Dreyfuss, Sheryl Huggins Salomon and Danyel Smith.

NABJ Meets With WaPo Editor; Opinion Pages Move Right

The National Association of Black Journalists met Monday with leadership at The Washington Post “to raise urgent concerns about the environment for Black journalists at the paper following the firing of columnist Karen Attiah and the recent departures of several Black reporters, editors and senior staff members,” the association said.

On Thursday,  new Post opinions editor Adam O’Neal announced the hiring of three  white opinion journalists with conservative backgrounds: Dominic Pino, most recently economics editor of the National Review; Kate Andrews, most recently deputy U.S. editor of the Spectator, and Carine Hajjar, Boston Globe columnist.

Black opinion writers Karen Attiah, Eugene Robinson, Jonathan Capehart and Colbert King have left the newspaper or announced they would be leaving.

The NABJ team met with Executive Editor Matt Murray (pictured), who has no jurisdiction over the editorial pages.

Asked about the meeting, a Post spokesperson said only, “I can confirm the meeting on background as a Post spokesperson and that The Washington Post remains committed to advancing diversity at all levels of our organization.”

The NABJ announcement said, “NABJ President Errin Haines (pictured) emphasized during the meeting that The Washington Post must remain committed to representation and diversity, especially given the industry’s history and the paper’s legacy of hiring, retaining, and promoting Black journalists. Today, NABJ is once again watching to see whether The Post will build on that legacy or retreat from it.

“ ‘The absence of Black journalists doesn’t just harm us — it impoverishes the entire profession. When our voices are missing, stories go untold, perspectives go unchallenged, and the truth remains incomplete,’ ” Haines said.

NABJ said Murray “acknowledged the challenges of newsroom restructuring. He outlined steps underway, including a new two-year internship program designed to expand access for journalists of color, a willingness to meet with existing Black staff and a commitment to improve career development and retention of diverse staff. Still, our concerns remain about the impact of recent departures, particularly Black editors, and the effect on newsroom culture.”

Meanwhile, the Asian American Journalists Association, NABJ’s Chicago and Washington chapters, as well as the D.C. chapter of AAJA expressd support for Attiah, who was fired over a social media posting regarding reaction to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In addition, the Associated Press ran an opinion piece by race and ethnicity reporter Jaylen Green, “In Black columnist’s firing, advocates fear decreasing diversity, vital perspectives in news media.”

Court Denies Appeal to Stop Guevara Deportation

“A federal court has denied journalist Mario Guevara’s emergency attempt to stop immigration authorities from deporting him to El Salvador,” Dan Raby reported Wednesday for WUPA-TV, now known as CBS Atlanta. 

“Guevara, who was arrested while covering a ‘No Kings’ protest in DeKalb County in June, has been in ICE custody for more than 100 days while the legal battle over his detention continued.

“On Wednesday night, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Guevara’s deportation could go forward, finding that, while the journalist did have the First Amendment right to report on the protest, he had not filed the proper paperwork to apply for permanent residency. . . . (photo credit: WAGA Atlanta)

“With the ruling, Guevara is at risk of being sent to El Salvador at any time and remains in custody.”

Giovanni Diaz, a lawyer for Guevara, appeared Monday night the Journal-isms Roundtable (video; starting at 00:33:11.000 )

Doaz said his client was not a legal permanent resident, though he was allowed to be in the United States.

His situation was “I think terrifying to a lot of folks that we’ve spoken to here in Georgia that are involved with the media, because he had a big press badge. He had his helmet on. It was a vest . . . that said ‘PRESS’ in bold, and it was huge, and he was also wearing his credentials on his neck. And he was live streaming, which is something that he does every single day. So, they arrested him. For… maybe not complying, or in their view at the time, he wasn’t complying with some of the things that they were asking him to do.

“But those charges were subsequently dropped, and I think where it started to get really disturbing was, after being arrested, another jurisdiction in the Metro Atlanta area, Gwinnett County, suddenly swore out warrant for his arrest, for alleged conduct while covering some police and ICE activity in the past.

“And they saw our warrants on them. And that — you know, most of us had never seen anything like that.
There were traffic violations, essentially.”

Diaz added that “it seems the entire immigration court system is politically compromised,” but said, “What we’re hoping is we’re going to get a decision on the emergency stay from the 11th Circuit,” before Thursday, Oct. 2.

The Salvadoran Journalists Association presents its 2024 Press Freedom Report on May 5. (Credit: Salvadoran Journalists Association [APES])

. . . El Salvador Journalists Group Goes Into Exile

Meanwhile, in El Salvador, the country to which Mario Guevara would be deported, “The Salvadoran Journalists Association (APES), the country’s main union, announced the closure of its operations and its forced exile in the face of increasing harassment of the press under the Nayib Bukele administration,” Spain’s El Pais reported Wednesday.

“This was confirmed to El PAÍS by its president, Sergio Arauz. His departure marks a historic precedent: for the first time since its founding in 1936, the association is transferring its legal status outside the country. This event follows the exile of 43 other journalists this year, a consequence of the escalating authoritarian regime.

“In recent years, APES has become an uncomfortable player for the Bukele administration by constantly denouncing attacks on the press and freedom of expression . In its most recent report, it recorded 789 attacks in 2024, the highest number in the last decade. According to the report, most of them came from state agents: police, soldiers, public officials, and even the president himself. . . . “

Shaquiena Davis reports on Myron Lowery’s publlc life for WATN-TV in Memphis. (Credit: YouTube)

Myron Lowery, News Anchor Turned Politician, Dies at 78

Longtime Memphis public servant Myron Lowery, an early officer of the National Associaton of Black Journalists and a broadcast journalist in the city, has died, Shelby County Government officials announced Sunday. He was 78.

 A cause of death has not been released, James Coleman wrote Thursday for the Tri-State Defender .

“Prior to his time in public office, Lowery was a news anchor and reporter for WMC-TV Action News 5. He was elected to the Memphis City Council in 1991, of which he would eventually serve as chairman and become the longest-serving Black councilmember. He also served as the city’s mayor pro tem for three months after Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton retired before the end of his term in 2009,” Lucas Finton wrote for the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Lowery was NABJ’s first vice-president/broadcast, elected in 1981, and in 1973, two years after becoming a journalist, helped organized the Memphis Association of Black Communicators, Wayne Dawkins writes in “Black Journalists: The NABJ Story.” Lowery helped Black journalists in other ways as well.

“Lowery sued WMC-TV for racial discrimination in 1981, making a successful settlement that paved the way for many other employment discrimination suits by African Americans,” reported the HistoryMakers.

“He then went on to work as press secretary for Congressman Harold Ford Sr. and as manager of corporate relations at FedEx. In 1991, Lowery ran for Memphis City Council and won. Five years later, he was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention when President Bill Clinton won the Democratic primary. He also served as a superdelegate at the Democratic National Convention in 2008, at which Barack Obama won the Democratic primary. In his role on City Council, Lowery has initiated a successful gun buy-back program, the installation of red light cameras at busy intersections, and the reform of some of the City Council’s discussion processes.”

In addition, Coleman wrote in the Tri-State Defender, “Toward the end of his tenure, he prioritized the removal of the statue of Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest from Health Sciences Park in Memphis’ Medical District. The remains of Forrest and his wife were also relocated.

“ ‘It is no longer politically correct to glorify someone who was a slave trader, someone who was a racist, on public property,’ Lowery said at the time.

“In 1996, Lowery was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention. He also served as a member of the Democratic National Committee, the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, and as treasurer of the United Negro College Fund’s National Alumni Council. He was also a board member of the National League of Cities. . . .

“A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Greater Imani Church, The Cathedral of Faith, 3824 Austin Peay Hwy. There will be a private interment.”

Short Takes

  • Doug Mitchell (pictured), founder and director of Next Generation Radio (video),  a “locally focused professional, digital media skill development progam funded by public media stations, colleges and universities,”  left NPR on Tuesday , having started there in 1987, he wrote Thursday on LinkedIn. “We will (eventually) establish Next Gen as an independent organization. In the short term, we will remain a program that is ‘hired’ by funders/sponsors to conduct our audio-focused sprints,” Mitchell wrote . “Meanwhile, we’ll return to Texas in 2026, bring back ‘Next Gen Radio: Indigenous,’ and launch our first collaboration with support from a large startup incubator in Oklahoma. We’ll look to return to Cincinnati, continue developing new projects/collaborations in new locations around the US, publish a regular newsletter, and, with luck, secure funding for a site overhaul and a second season of our podcast, ‘Future Rewind.’ “
  • An editorial in the conservative-leaning Boston Herald took exception to statements by Hillary Clinton that it said “doubled down on the vitriol, declaring that the ills of the country can be laid at the feet of white men. And not just any white men. ‘The idea that you could turn the clock back and try to recreate a world that never was dominated by, you know, let’s say it: white men of a certain persuasion, a certain religion, a certain point of view, a certain ideology, it’s just doing such damage to what we should be aiming for,’ Clinton said last week on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe.’ . . . .”
  • Jesse Watters, host of Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime,” told viewers Tuesday that “Liberals want the military to be out of shape because Trump wants them in shape. They’re not even really mad about the fit test, they’re mad that Pentagon DOGE’d DEI, which was a bigger threat than all of America’s enemies combined,” reported Media Matters for America.

Julian Rodriguez of the University of Texas, Arlington, accepts the Barry Bingham Sr. Fellowship award in 2015 at the Association of Opinion Journalists Symposium, held at the Poynter Institute. (Credit: John McClelland/YouTube)

Nominations Open for J-Educator Promoting Diversity

Beginning in 1990, the Association of Opinion Journalists annually granted a Barry Bingham Sr. Fellowship — actually an award — “in recognition of an educator’s outstanding efforts to encourage minority students in the field of journalism.”

Journal-isms assumed stewardship of the award last year, handed the baton from the News Leaders Association, which absorbed the now-defunct Association of Opinion Journalists but in 2024, itself dissolved.

Since 2000, the recipient had been awarded an honorarium of $1,000 to be used to “further work in progress or begin a new project.”

This will be the first such award under the new affiliation.

Past winners include James Hawkins, Florida A&M University (1990); Larry Kaggwa, Howard University (1992); Ben Holman, University of Maryland (1996); Linda Jones, Roosevelt University, Chicago (1998); Ramon Chavez, University of Colorado, Boulder (1999); Erna Smith, San Francisco State (2000); Joseph Selden, Penn State University (2001); Cheryl Smith, Paul Quinn College (2002); Rose Richard, Marquette University (2003).

Also, Leara D. Rhodes, University of Georgia (2004); Denny McAuliffe, University of Montana (2005); Pearl Stewart, Black College Wire (2006); Valerie White, Florida A&M University (2007); Phillip Dixon, Howard University (2008); Bruce DePyssler, North Carolina Central University (2009); Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia University (2010); Yvonne Latty, New York University (2011); Michelle Johnson, Boston University (2012); Vanessa Shelton, University of Iowa (2013); William Drummond, University of California at Berkeley (2014); Julian Rodriguez of the University of Texas at Arlington (2015); David G. Armstrong, Georgia State University (2016); Gerald Jordan, University of Arkansas (2017), Bill Celis, University of Southern California (2018); Laura Castañeda, University of Southern California (2019); Mei-Ling Hopgood, Northwestern University (2020); Wayne Dawkins, Morgan State University (2021); Marquita Smith of the University of Mississippi (2022), and Rachel Swarns of New York University (2023).

Nominations may be emailed to Richard Prince, who chairs the awards committee, at richardprince (at) hotmail.com. The deadline is Oct. 15.  Please use that address only for Bingham fellowship matters.

Feel free to urge others to write supporting letters for your nominee, especially if they are students or former students of the person you favor.

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