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NBC Confirms Megyn Kelly’s Exit

by richard0623

NABJ Called Ex-Fox Star’s Firing ‘Warranted’ 

Ex-Fox Star’s Lawyer Preparing to Meet With NBC

Lester Holt Seen as Stepping Out as a ‘Race Man’

After Bomb Incidents, Reporters Urged to Hold Fast

Fox News Delights in Its ‘Bust’ of ‘Illegals’

Without Warrants, Border Agents Search Journalists

Story Leads to Gift of 4,100 Musical Instruments

Facing Court Action, Ebony Says It Mailed Payments

‘AP Sees Increased Interest in Race Coverage’

Voting Video Has Blacks Calling Cops on Whites

Short Takes

Support Journal-isms

(video) (Credit: NBC News)

NABJ Called Ex-Fox Star’s Firing ‘Warranted’

NBC issued a simple statement early Friday afternoon:

“Megyn Kelly Today is not returning. Next week, the 9 a.m. hour will be hosted by other TODAY co-anchors.”

Kelly’s lawyer, Bryan Freeman, said in a statement, “Megyn remains an employee of NBC News and discussions about next steps are continuing,”  Stephen Battagio reported for the Los Angeles Times.

“According to people familiar with those discussions, the network is working on terms of Kelly’s exit from NBC News. She is said to have had $48 million left on the contract she signed in early 2017. . . . ”

Sarah Ellison added for the Washington Post, “Kelly’s future with NBC remains uncertain. She is not welcome back at her former home, Fox News, which she left on sour terms.

“ ‘We are extremely happy with our entire lineup,’ said a Fox News spokesperson. Kelly burnt bridges at Fox after she publicly discussed sexual harassment she said she faced from the late Roger Ailes, the channel’s co-founder.

“In some corners, Fox News insiders were enjoying a certain schadenfreude in Kelly’s NBC failure. . . .”

As some media outlets reported that Kelly was leaving NBC and Kelly’s lawyer prepared to meet with NBC executives “as soon as Friday,” the National Association of Black Journalists issued a statement Thursday night headlined, “Firing of Megyn Kelly is warranted, says NABJ.”

“Attorney Bryan Freedman is expected to meet with NBC executives ‘as soon as Friday,’ said Davidson Goldin, a spokesman for Kelly,” Brian Steinberg reported Thursday for Variety. “While some media outlets have reported NBC is cutting ties with the star anchor, Goldin said they have not communicated anything about Kelly’s status with the network to her or her team. Kelly and NBC had been in talks about finding her a role at the network that was tied to bigger breaking-news stories and not to her morning program.

“Even so, their ties seem loose: NBC aired a repeat of her morning show, ‘Megyn Kelly Today,’ on Thursday — a non-starter in the competitive world of morning TV — and the network said ‘given the circumstances,’ Kelly’s show would run on tape for the rest of the week. The anchor typically pre-tapes her Friday broadcasts anyway.

“NBC News declined to comment on Kelly’s status with the network. . . .”

The text of the NABJ announcement did not call for Kelly’s firing, but explained, “During Tuesday’s broadcast of ‘Megyn Kelly Today,’ Kelly set off a firestorm of criticism inside and outside of NBC when she said it was OK when she was growing up for white people to dress up as black characters and there was nothing wrong with donning blackface. Colleagues inside NBC, including Al Roker and Craig Melvin, as well as other journalists, called her comments indefensible and insensitive. Kelly later apologized for her comments, saying that she had learned from the many who spoke out about the subject.

“NABJ Vice President-Digital Roland Martin appeared on ‘Megyn Kelly Today’ providing historical perspective on the issue of blackface and its offensive nature. He stressed the obligation of people in today’s society to be educated about various cultures and racial insensitivities.

“Citing the Kerner Commission Report and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., both occurring 50 years ago; Martin talked about the many ways insensitivity and lack of awareness has contributed to the continued abuse and disenfranchisement of people of color.

“NABJ President Sarah Glover, who is employed by NBC, said that NABJ would like to see media organizations take bold steps to ensure that diversity and inclusion [are] practiced on-air and behind the scenes, and that black people and people of color are not affronted.

” ‘Megyn Kelly’s flip comments on blackface were inexcusable. It is imperative that media organizations work to maintain the trust of audiences,’ said President Glover. ‘The media industry has the power to inform, and an awesome responsibility to dispel ignorance and not encourage it.’ . . . ”

John Koblin and Michael M. Grynbaum reported Wednesday for the New York Times, “Ms. Kelly issued a tearful apology of her own at the top of her 9 a.m. broadcast, telling viewers, ‘I’m Megyn Kelly and I want to begin with two words — I’m sorry.’ Hours later, her boss, the NBC News chairman Andrew Lack, criticized her comments at a private gathering of network employees — and offered no praise for her attempts to redeem herself.

“ ‘There is no other way to put this, but I condemn those remarks,’ Mr. Lack said at a midday staff meeting held in the ‘Saturday Night Live’ studios in Midtown Manhattan. ‘There is no place on our air or in this workplace for them.’

“His comments were seen within NBC as a stinging rebuke, according to interviews with four people close to the network who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive conversations.

“Even before this week, the future of Ms. Kelly’s show was up in the air. During a meeting this month, Ms. Kelly and Mr. Lack discussed a possible winding-down of her portion of the ‘Today’ show by the end of the year, according to two people briefed on the conversation. And Ms. Kelly has expressed among friends her dissatisfaction with its top news executives. . . .

“With a reported annual salary of $17 million and the NBC hype machine in full swing, Ms. Kelly, 47, arrived at 30 Rockefeller Plaza last spring hoping to become the first Fox News personality to successfully leap to the gentler realm of morning network TV. . . .”

As NBC planned to make room for Kelly, Tamron Hall, the first black woman to co-host “Today,” left NBC and MSNBC despite a multimillion offer to stay and a pledge for an expanded role on other shows.

NABJ said then, “Kelly has a well-documented history of offensive remarks regarding people of color. On The Kelly File, her Fox News show, the host said then-First Lady Michelle Obama’s commencement address at Tuskegee University pandered to a ‘culture of victimization.’ . . .”

Jason Schwartz added for Politico, “After NBC hired her, Slate labeled her a ‘racial demagogue,’ for her focus on the New Black Panther Party, as well as her declaration that both Jesus and Santa Claus ‘were white.’ . . .”

Last month, Hall announced a partnership with the ABC Owned Television Stations to launch a new Disney and ABC Entertainment talk show next fall.


Lester Holt’s story on “Flexin’ in Her Complexion” is posted as an “Inspiring America” anecdote on the “NBC Nightly News” homepage to this day. (video)

Lester Holt Seen as Stepping Out as a ‘Race Man’

“Megyn Kelly’s confession on NBC’s Today that she had only yesterday learned about ‘the history of blackface being used in awful ways by racists’ stands in such stark contrast to recent changes at her network’s other daily flagship newscast NBC Nightly News,” Andrew Tyndall, who tracks the network news shows for his Tyndall Report, wrote Thursday.

“It is now three years since Lester Holt took over as nightly anchor of NBC’s newscast. For most of that time Holt, an African-American, projected a persona that was uninflected by racial insights. It was as if he needed to reassure his audience that this person of color was not going to color the content of the news.

“If Holt had pointed out how an acknowledgement of the legacy of racism was necessary for understanding contemporary America…or if he had chosen unusual stories to cover, ones in which the racial component was central…then he would run the risk of crossing the line from mainstream journalist to black activist.

“It seems that Holt’s self-denying ordinance has now been repealed. By no means is he now transformed into a Black Lives Matter flamethrower — but he is certainly presenting himself and his newscast as one where it would be unthinkable to be able to claim ignorance about the history [of] blackface, as Kelly did. More than that, his newscast is bringing such history into the front of mind.

“In September, Holt was clearly delighted at the racial pride of a dark-skinned twelve-year-old girl and her sister, marketing a line of Flexin’ In Her Complexion T-shirts. It is such a favorite that it is posted as an Inspiring America anecdote on the NBC Nightly News homepage to this day.

“Just since the start of the month of October, there have been a dozen examples of Nightly News segments that explicitly feature a racial angle, either a tribute to black pride or, more often, observing the continued disadvantages that African-Americans face in everyday life merely by dint of their race: Babysitting While Black, Sports-watching While Black, Apartment-dwelling While Black, and so on. Those designated with a hashtag [in the list that follows] were filed by Holt himself.

“Often on the nightly news, a story is selected for coverage because of its universally-acknowledged headline-grabbing nature. If all the stories in this dozen were appearing not only on NBC Nightly News, but on CBS Evening News and ABC World News Tonight also, then it would be harder to make the claim that Holt is displaying a hitherto-unseen race-consciousness.

“However, few of these examples were deemed newsworthy by NBC’s two rival networks (those designated with an asterisk were covered by ABC; none by CBS). Similarly, there are few examples of ABC or CBS covering stories with an African-American angle that NBC ignored. . . .”

Tyndall provides a list of the stories and concludes, “On this evidence, NBC News appears to have a white racial ignoramus as one of its anchors on Today…and an African-American race man as its anchor on the Nightly News.”

Pictured is the device that was sent to CNN's New York offices on Wednesday. (Credit: CNN/ via Twitter)
Pictured is the device that was sent to CNN’s New York offices on Wednesday. (Credit: CNN/ via Twitter)

 

After Bomb Incidents, Reporters Urged to Hold Fast

“Terrorist incidents such as those that have targeted CNN’s offices in New York City, current and former public officials, and political activists are inexcusable, reprehensible and, unfortunately, frightening,” Dan Shelley, executive director of the Radio Television Digital News Association, said in a statement Wednesday.

“Now more than ever, we — the men and women who work hard every single day to fulfill your constitutionally-guaranteed duty to seek and report the truth — must once again double down on responsible journalism.

“We must also double down on security measures at our physical facilities and ensure our safety while we work in the field. . . .”

One of more than 200 who signed.
One of more than 200 who signed.

Separately, more than 200 retired or semiretired journalists, mostly from ABC News, condemned President Trump’s “sustained pattern” of attacks on the free press in an open letter dated Thursday, describing his behavior as “un-American and utterly unlawful and unseemly for the President of the United States and leader of the free world,” Meagan Flynn reported for the Washington Post.

They included such journalists of color as George Strait, former chief science and medical correspondent for ABC News; Ken Kashiwahara, former ABC News correspondent; Ken Jobe, former assistant news director, WABC-TV New York; and Lynne Adrine,  former senior producer, ABC Weekend News.

“ ‘Trump’s condoning of political violence is part of a sustained pattern of attack on a free press — which includes labeling any reportage he doesn’t like as ‘fake news’ and barring reporters and news organizations whom he wishes to punish from press briefings and events,’ said the letter, which as of Thursday morning had been signed by 211 journalists, the vast majority of them retired or semi-retired. . . .”  Flynn reported.

As Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Colleen Long reported for the Associated Press, ““Pipe bombs packed with shards of glass were intercepted en route to several prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, in an nnerving wave that deepened political tensions and fears two weeks before national midterm elections. . . .”

(On Friday, the Native American Journalists Association said in a statement, “After . . . the Oct. 26 arrest of mail bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc Jr., some outlets reported that he is a citizen of the Seminole Tribe of Florida without confirmation from the tribe. The Seminole Tribe of Florida, through a statement, confirmed that he is not and has never been a citizen of their tribe. . . .”)

In a statement distributed by CNN’s communications arm, Jeff Zucker, CNN world president, said, “There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media. The President, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that.”

To Maggie Haberman, who covers the president for the New York Times, the truth is that Trump just doesn’t care. “Our safety and the fact that we are in danger, or that my children … are sobbing because they’re afraid of what’s going to happen to me, or to them, is not of concern to him,” Haberman said Monday at  CNN’s “Citizen” forum (video) in New York, Michael Calderone reported for Politico. “Haberman said Trump ‘simply does not care’ about the dangers of his anti-press rhetoric and added that ‘it’s not like these things haven’t been said to him.’ . . .”

Shelley of RTDNA continued, “I don’t need to tell you that we live in a political and ideological era that has become far more than acerbic; much more than toxic. It is now dangerous.

“A deranged individual or individuals, perhaps inspired by the rhetoric of current high-ranking candidates and public officials, are acting out against journalists in ways more harshly and cruelly than at any time in our nation’s modern history. . . .

“It is the responsibility of the journalists of America to keep their heads down and continue to the important work to which they were called.

“Don’t succumb to intimidation and fear.

“Watch your backs, but don’t back down.”

Fox News Delights in Its ‘Bust’ of ‘Illegals’

“Fox News’ heavy coverage of the migrant caravan headed for the U.S. border continued yesterday, with every show on the network spending significant time on immigration,” Jason Schwartz wrote Wednesday in Politico’s “Morning Media” column. “(No. 1 Fox News fan President Donald Trump has also been increasingly focused on the issue ahead of the midterms.)

“During one report on Fox & Friends, correspondent Griff Jenkins raised some eyebrows with a segment that pivoted from discussing the caravan — still more than 1,100 miles from the U.S. — to other immigrants attempting to cross the border now. ‘Yesterday,’ Jenkins said in the segment, ‘we laid in the bushes in wait, and we busted one of those smuggling operations.’

“—The shot cut to Jenkins hiding in the brush, stage-whispering to the camera as he described a family crossing the Rio Grande in a raft. He then scampered down to the banks of the river and shouted, ‘Excuse me sir, were you trying to cross into America illegally?’

“The camera showed the raft turning back, as Jenkins said, ‘We seem to have foiled this attempt, but officials tell us he’s probably just going to look for another spot.’ The chyron below him read: ‘GRIFF FOILS ILLEGALS’ ATTEMPT TO CROSS BORDER.’ Jenkins later caught up with the small group of migrants, asking a woman, ‘You know it’s an illegal crossing? … But you came anyway?’ The woman explained that the conditions in Honduras — where she said she feared criminals taking her money — had compelled her to come.

“— The gleeful segment garnered criticism, including from a former news division employee from Fox News, who described to POLITICO being struck by the satisfaction Jenkins seemed to take in ‘busting’ the immigrants. ‘Wow,’ the former employee said. ‘I honestly don’t even know what to say about FNC these days.’ Fox News did not reply to a request for comment. . . .”


(video) (Credit: Committee to Protect Journalists)

Without Warrants, Border Agents Search Journalists

“The ability of a government agent to scour a phone or laptop without any legal process is a chilling prospect, particularly for journalists working with whistleblowers,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday in a special report, “Nothing to declare: Why U.S. border agency’s vast stop and search powers undermine press freedom.”

“But that is exactly the prospect journalists crossing a U.S. border face thanks to the wide powers granted to Customs and Border Protection agents, who can search electronic devices without warrant, and question reporters about past and current work.

“To measure the impact these warrantless searches have on the media, CPJ and our partners at Reporters Without Borders sent an open call to journalists who have been stopped at a U.S. border. We spoke with two dozen journalists and searched news reports and legal filings for public cases. Ultimately, we identified 37 journalists who said they found the secondary screenings invasive. Of these cases, 20 said that border agents conducted warrantless searches of their electronic devices.

“While the number of public cases is small compared with the millions of travelers who cross the U.S. border each day, we know that these searches can have an outsized effect. CBP figures show that in the past three years, the agency tripled the number of warrantless electronic device searches it conducts. Journalists told us that these searches and agents’ questions about their current and past reporting are affecting their ability to protect sources and have impacted the way they plan reporting trips and travel. Newsrooms said that they were ramping up security training on digital protection and best practices for staff crossing the border.

“The agency is opaque about the data it collects and how it works with other federal agencies. Several journalists told us that a lack of transparency, particularly over information sharing, was particularly worrying. . . .”

Story Leads to Gift of 4,100 Musical Instruments

“When it comes to TV news, I like to write about successes, accomplishments and contributions, ‘feel good’ stories about what TV stations do, routinely, in their communities,” Paul Greeley wrote Oct. 9 for TVNewsCheck.

He also wrote, “For example, Gregg Skall, a Washington D.C. attorney, was watching Tegna’s CBS affiliate WUSA the morning of Jan. 28.

“The Grammy Awards were on CBS that night, so WUSA carried a story about Melissa Salguero, a music teacher in one of the poorest districts of New York City.

“Here’s a video Salguero submitted about her school.

“Salguero was awarded the special Grammy Award presented each year to the Music Educator of the Year. The news story was done by Michelle Miller, a reporter for CBS News.

“ ‘This heartwarming story effectively and lovingly showed the enormous effect Ms. Salguero has on these children and the tremendous difference she is making in their lives,’ said Skall in a note.

Michelle Miller
Michelle Miller

“ ‘Some of the students came to tears in explaining what she meant to them. When I saw her story, it occurred to me that my family has been in the music instrument business since the 1920s.  I thought we could do something to help Melissa and her students,’ said Skall.

“So Skall reached out to his cousin, Richard Berger of Grover/Trophy Musical Products in Cleveland, who was more than happy to help.

“ ‘Richard saw the video and said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it,” Skall said.

“Skall thought a donation of a few hundred recorders (a flute-like instrument) would be a generous gift. Instead, Berger donated 4,100 recorders to the New York City Public Schools. The donation not only will provide Salguero’s students with their own musical instruments, but also benefit other needy children in the area.

“The recorders were delivered to Salguero’s school on Sept. 14. . . .”

Among Greeley’s thank-yous: “Thank you, Michelle Miller, for such a powerful story. . . .”

Facing Court Action, Ebony Says It Mailed Payments

The CEO of Ebony magazine’s parent company told Journal-isms Thursday evening that “all past payments were mailed to [writers] today” after 45 freelancers represented by the National Writers Union went to court that afternoon to force the company to pay up.

October issue
October issue

The company missed a Sept. 30 payment agreed upon in February.

“Plaintiffs respectfully request that this Court enter judgment in their favor and against Defendants, Ebony Media Operations, LLC and CVG Group, LLC, ordering Defendants to immediately make all remaining payments set forth in the Settlement Agreement, with interest, and to reimburse Plaintiffs for their costs, litigation expenses and reasonable attorneys’ fees, and for any further relief which the Court deems appropriate under the circumstances,” the filing in Cook County, Ill., Circuit Court reads.

Michael Gibson, chairman of investment firm CVG Group, added in an email to Journal-isms, “As we have continued to communicate, we are committed to paying everyone in full. We are now current with our agreement.”

He did not respond to a question asking why the company missed its Sept. 30 deadline, replying instead, “We are pleased to complete the 3rd quarter payments and look forward to completing the schedule of payments. ”

Gibson also spoke to Crain’s Chicago Business on Tuesday.

“Ebony Media is profitable, Gibson said, with the company still relying mainly on advertising revenue, from traditional advertisers like Wells Fargo and Family Dollar, as well as less lucrative online automated advertising,” Lynne Marek reported for Crain’s. “The flagship Ebony magazine has been published in print seven times this year through November, with some months doubling up in one issue. Home delivery and newsstand sales have a circulation of 1.2 million, Gibson said, but he noted that will be adjusted downward in the next few months.

“Like other media organizations, he’s trying to boost Ebony’s online audience, feeding what he said are 20 articles daily to its website, with plans to reintroduce the sister Jet brand online as well (it stopped publishing in print in 2014). In addition, the company is maintaining a calendar of five to 10 events annually, with its centerpiece Ebony Power 100 event, which takes place next month in Beverly Hills, and has been hosting quarterly Women Up events, most recently in September in Atlanta. . . .”

Rashod Ollison
Rashod Ollison

The writers filing suit include Rashod Ollison, music writer for the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., who died at 41 on Oct. 17.

The plaintiffs include: Adeshina Emmanuel, Adrienne Gibbs, Aslisha Tillery, Anthony Springer Jr., Ashley Terrell

Deesha Philyaw, Demetria Irwin, George M. Johnson, Glenn-John Jeffers, Habiba Adams

James Ryang, Josie Pickens Decatur, Karla Robinson, Khomari Flash, Kimberly Hayes Taylor

Lashieka Hunter, Marcus Adams Delancey, Mariel Turner, Mashaun D. Simon, Michelle Derosier-Caldwell

Miller Petrs, Monet Hambrick, Morgan Campbell, Najja Parker, Nina Reeder

Jasmine Dimeji, Princess Gabbara, Rashod Ollison, Ricardo Bartee, Shameika Rhymes

Shanita Hubbard, Sheryl H. Salomon, Solenne Kamba, Tiffany Walden, Tomika Anderson

Tyrus Townsend, Wendy L. Wilson, William Earl Ketchum III, Andre Jointe, Laurie Pendergrast

Taiia Smart Young, Andrea Watson, Adam Feind, Arkeedah McCormick and Elizabeth Aguirre.

‘AP Sees Increased Interest in Race Coverage’

Sonya Ross on Tuesday (Credit: Bonita Bing)
Sonya Ross on Tuesday (Credit: Bonita Bing)

From Politico’s “Morning Media” column on Wednesday:

“AP SEES INCREASED INTEREST IN RACE COVERAGE: Speaking of awareness of racial issues, the news outlets that pay the Associated Press to run its copy are increasingly seeing the business case for covering race, said Sonya Ross, the AP’s race and ethnicity editor [at the Journal-isms Roundtable] last night organized by Richard Prince, founder of the “Journal-isms” blog.

“POLITICO’s P.J. Joshi reports that Ross highlighted how the coverage appeals particularly to the coveted millennial demographic.

“Even as AP clients (and AP itself) have cut back on staff, Ross said her team has been growing since it was created in 2010. ‘The overall goal is to chronicle the changing demographics,’ she said.”


The Knock the Vote project was created by ACRONYM, a D.C.-based organization that uses social media and targeted digital media programs to push for progressive candidates. (video)

Voting Video Has Blacks Calling Cops on Whites

“As midterm elections approach, politicians and activists are urging people to get out and vote, especially in places where races are close,” Karen Grigsby Bates Wednesday reported for NPR.

“One of the demographics they’re most worried about getting to the polls [is] young voters, who are often seen as uninvolved and/or apathetic.

“That’s why the ‘Knock the Vote’ project was created earlier this year by ACRONYM, a DC-based organization that uses social media and targeted digital media programs to push for progressive candidates. . . .

“The company’s current campaign runs through election day and features quick (30 seconds or so) videos that aim to grab the millennial imagination. . . . It’s called Call the Cops, and it has an interesting twist: in these videos, it’s black people calling the cops on white ones who are behaving in a socially irresponsible manner: They’re not voting. . . .”

Short Takes

Nearly 1,000 years after their ancestors first built this kiva, Hopi elders return to Chaco Canyon's Pueblo Bonito to conduct a ceremony. See second item. (Credit: Providence Pictures)
Nearly 1,000 years after their ancestors first built this kiva, Hopi elders return to Chaco Canyon’s Pueblo Bonito to conduct a ceremony. See second item. (Credit: Providence Pictures)
Judy Gehrlein looks at the portrait she painted of Lucile Bluford prior to the dedication of the Bluford Residence Hall at Mizzou on Oct. 19. (Credit: Jason Vance/Columbia Missourian)
Judy Gehrlein looks at the portrait she painted of Lucile Bluford prior to the dedication of the Bluford Residence Hall at Mizzou on Oct. 19. (Credit: Jason Vance/Columbia Missourian)
  • The University of Missouri “honored three African-American trailblazers Friday afternoon, dedicating residence halls for [Lucile] Bluford and George C. Brooks and an atrium for Gus T. Ridgel,” Lauren Brocato reported Oct. 19 for the Columbia Missourian. Bluford, who went on to become editor and publisher of the Kansas City Call, “was denied enrollment into the Missouri School of Journalism’s graduate program in 1939 because the university didn’t accept people of color. Bluford filed a lawsuit against MU, and the Supreme Court ruled in her favor in 1941. MU then shut down the graduate program, keeping Bluford from ever enrolling. MU later awarded her an honorary doctorate degree in 1989 for her leadership and determination in the fight for equal rights. . . .”
  • “CBS has tapped six diverse writers to participate in its Writers Mentoring Program,” John Eggerton reported Wednesday for Broadcasting & Cable. “The eight-month program pairs writers with an executive mentor and provides a 16-week workshop on ‘everything about the television business’ and access to agents, showrunners, producers and others. The six were chosen from a pool of 1,500 applicants. . . .”
  • C-SPAN 3 is airing a lecture by University of Delaware professor Tiffany Gill on the role of African American women in the civil rights movement. “She describes how beauty parlors, while often overlooked, functioned as a safe place for women to organize sit-ins, voter registration drives, and boycotts,” the network says. It airs 8 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Monday. At the Texas Book Festival, airing on C-SPAN 2 (“Book TV”),  journalist Jose Antonio Vargas discusses his life as an undocumented immigrant, Stanford University’s Francis Fukuyama talks about identity politics and journalist Laura Wides-Munoz discusses politics and immigrants. The festival airs live Saturday at 11 a.m. ET and Sunday at 12 p.m. ET, re-airing both nights at 9 p.m. ET.
  • “After three years of ‘hell,’ journalist Jumpei Yasuda is home,” the Japan Times reported Thursday using staff reports, Reuters and the Kyodo news agency. “Yasuda arrived at Narita airport on Thursday evening, reuniting with his wife and parents for the first time since he was abducted by an Islamist militant group in Syria three years ago. The 44-year-old freelance journalist was held hostage for 40 months in the war-torn country until being freed Tuesday. . . .”
  • The International Press Institute criticized the South Korean government for excluding Kim Myung-sung, a reporter of the Chosun Ilbo, from the pool of journalists assigned to cover a high-level meeting with North Korea at the border village of Panmunjom, IPI said on Oct. 16. IPI added, “The South Korean . . . unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon expressed regret over the decision but said that it was his call saying it was an ‘inevitable policy decision’ to improve the chances for successful talks.’ ” Kim, who defected from North Korea in 2002, has been critical of the north in his reporting.

 

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