Left-leaning CNN has taken heat from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) for not meeting the group’s standards of diversity and inclusion, reports HuffPost.
In a statement on Monday, the NABJ said that CNN has been put on a “special media monitoring list” and will be further studying the network’s practices.
“NABJ has placed @CNN on special monitoring list due to preliminary research revealing NO black representation within news leadership. We’re calling for a civil rights audit, as CNN’s president refuses to meet with our delegation,” the group announced on Twitter.
The statement on Monday expressed dismay over “the lack of black representation within the ranks of CNN’s executive news managers and direct reports to CNN President Jeff Zucker.” NABJ took particular issue with CNN’s dearth of black directors, executive producers, vice presidents, or senior vice presidents. When CNN disputed those claims, NABJ said that no direct evidence was provided to contradict their claims.
“The special team will also publicly report on identified deficiencies in hiring a diverse workforce in news decision-making capacities at CNN,” read the statement.
NABJ said it will now be “calling for a civil rights audit” to examine CNN’s “hiring, promotion and compensation practices involving black employees.”
Zucker reportedly refused to “meet with a four-person NABJ delegation” that was “based on a personal issue between CNN and NABJ’s Vice President-Digital Roland Martin.”
As reported by HuffPost, CNN said that it would meet with NABJ — but not with Roland Martin, because he participated in a 2016 town hall meeting on CNN with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
“Previously, former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile admitted, according to a Time essay, she inadvertently disclosed a town hall topic to the Clinton campaign that was part of Martin’s research inquiry for the town hall,” CNN told HuffPost. “For months, we have been working with NABJ to schedule a meeting because the relationship between CNN and NABJ is very important to us. As we have told them many times, we look forward to a thoughtful discussion about how both of our organizations can continue to work together.”
“Unfortunately, the significant and reckless damage that Roland Martin did to CNN while partnering with us during a 2016 Democratic Town Hall has made any meeting that includes him untenable,” the statement continued. “Mr. Martin displayed an unprecedented and egregious lack of journalistic ethics and integrity by leaking questions prior to the town hall. As a result, we have told NABJ that CNN will not participate in any meeting that includes him. We have made it abundantly clear that we would be more than happy to sit down with the rest of their leadership team as soon as possible, and that offer still stands.”
NABJ told HuffPost that the organization’s mission for diversity should rise beyond personal matters.
“NABJ questions the ethics of excluding blacks from the ranks of executives on the news side of CNN. We chose to meet with Zucker despite those egregious findings. We did not demand that he be excluded from our meeting because of his record on diversity hiring. Likewise, we will not set a precedent and disinvite an NABJ board member from an advocacy meeting,” said the statement made to HuffPost.
“NABJ’s focus is on diversity in media and not personal issues. Zucker’s refusal to meet begs the question: Is CNN focused on diversity? We are still requesting answers to the above questions along with a meeting with Zucker on how our organization can help in CNN’s needed efforts to diversify news leadership.”
The full statement from NABJ:
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is concerned about the lack of black representation within the ranks of CNN’s executive news managers and direct reports to CNN President Jeff Zucker. This concern, coupled with Zucker’s refusal to meet with a four-person NABJ delegation, has prompted NABJ to place CNN on a special media monitoring list.
A special team will perform further research and an analysis of CNN’s diversity, inclusion and equity practices, per the NABJ Board’s directive. The special team will also publicly report on identified deficiencies in hiring a diverse workforce in news decision-making capacities at CNN. NABJ is also calling for a civil rights audit that examines the company’s hiring, promotion and compensation practices involving black employees.
Specifically, NABJ is concerned about the findings of preliminary research that reveals the following:
▪ CNN President Jeff Zucker has no black direct reports.
▪ There are no black Executive Producers at CNN.
▪ There are no black Vice Presidents on the news side at CNN.
▪ There are no black Senior Vice Presidents on the news side at CNN.NABJ received a communication from CNN disputing only one of our research points, saying the assertion that there are not any black vice presidents on the news side is inaccurate. However, when asked to provide the name and position of the individual or individuals involved on the editorial side of news, CNN has yet to provide specifics.
In addition to special media monitoring activities and the civil rights audit, NABJ’s next steps involve further engaging with CNN’s parent company, AT&T, which has responded positively to outreach efforts and previously agreed to meet with NABJ.
NABJ’s delegates are already engaged in very positive outreach with several other media companies and have met or have scheduled meetings with Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC. NABJ believes those companies see the value in such meetings and appreciates the respect those companies are showing for the positive intent of our efforts.
The NABJ four-person delegation has attended previous meetings with other media companies. The delegation requesting a meeting with Zucker includes President Sarah Glover, Vice President-Digital Roland Martin, Vice President- Broadcast Dorothy Tucker and Executive Director Drew Berry.
Zucker’s refusal to meet with the full delegation is based on a personal issue between CNN and NABJ’s Vice President-Digital Roland Martin. The issue stems from Martin’s participation in a 2016 town hall meeting with Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Previously, former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile admitted, according to a Time essay, she inadvertently disclosed a town hall topic to the Clinton campaign that was part of Martin’s research inquiry for the town hall.
NABJ’s request to meet was and is focused solely on CNN’s diversity efforts, its results and our strategic priorities as an organization.