New York Civil Rights Coalition

Time 2020-12-28 18:02:58

Web Name: New York Civil Rights Coalition

WebSite: http://nycivilrights.org

ID:149106

Keywords:

York,New,Civil,

Description:

Deaf, dumb and blind to the diversity of the African-American community, WABC TV s Here and Now show was criticized by us in two letters to WABC TV s General Manager. Read More The Obama Administration s Education Department has attempted to carve out a race-based exception to civil rights laws, for endorsing support programs like the Black Male Initiative at CUNY Read More When the White House blamed an obscure online video for the recent attack on its consulate in Benghazi, we decried the government s queries and arrest of the video s maker as an assault on Americans free speech rights. Read More The New York Civil Rights Coalition is calling on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to remedy his department s lax enforcement of civil rights laws. Read More Disgusted with the WABC TV show Here and Now constantly pushing stereotypes of the black community and with its treatment of blacks as one dimensional in politics, art, culture and ideology we sent two letters protesting this media bias to the General Manager of WABC TV, Dave Davis. The text to our latest letter follows.February 24, 2013Dear Dave Davis:We wish to register our concern and continuing objection to what we regard as bias in covering race and black community issues on your revamped 鈥淟IKE IT IS鈥?show, now titled HERE AND NOW. Indeed,we discern very little difference between the political and ideological diatribes that made LIKE IT IS so notable and objectionable (by way of biased coverage and racial rhetoric) and your current show, HERE AND NOW.Today鈥檚 (Sunday, February 24, 2013) HERE AND NOW was another example of WABC-TV proselytizing in favor of skin color deification and so-called racial/cultural differences in a format supposedly about policies and community issues facing African Americans. HERE AND NOW repeatedly, it seems to us, through the actions of its producers and programmers, presents a one dimensional viewpoint鈥搕he stereotypical 鈥渂lack perspective鈥?(which, I take, is the opinion of the producers) about controversial questions and public policy matters of particular interest to blacks. On today鈥檚 show, HERE AND NOW, once again, invited three panelists with the same point of view about historically black colleges. No consideration or invitation was extended to anyone with an opposing point of view鈥揳nd no opposing point of view was offered. Rather, three 鈥渃oordinators鈥?of the聽New York City Omega Black College Tour聽were 鈥渋nterviewed鈥?(actually cheered on) by your host, Ms. Sandra Bookman who, also, during the broadcast, encouraged viewer support for what she regarded as a worthy cause, by way of fund support for historically black colleges and the 鈥渋mportant鈥?work of the New York City Omega Black College Tour program. The guests also encouraged fund support鈥揵ut that was to be expected; it was聽not聽my idea of legitimate public affairs programming for the聽host of the show--who represents management and WABC TV鈥搕o particpate in the fund raising drive on behalf of the Omega Black College Tour, thereby encouraging and steering black students to the historically black colleges and universities.Whether there ought to be or whether black students should be encouraged to attend racially identifiable colleges鈥揳n important policy question for the 21st century鈥搘as an issue never posed much less considered in the programming decision to have three advocates of historically black colleges who on their own, and with the support of WABC TV鈥檚 Bookman, sought broad support for the idea of black colleges during the show. Your show and its producers, and the host of the show, simply presumed聽there is no other point of view聽within the black community or larger society worthy of consideration鈥搒uch as whether black colleges are indeed outmoded and serve as relics of a discredited past in America, an era when colleges were organized around race and when blacks were excluded from the mainstream colleges and universities. Indeed, I do not recall Sandra Bookman even asking how many black students鈥揳 considerable minority of them鈥搕hat the historically black colleges serve nowadays. The overwhelming majority of black students, one would never know from watching your show, avoid racially-identifiable historically black colleges鈥揻or their own and compelling reasons, especially in a society where we supposedly value diversity and interaction of students with persons from different economic and cultural backgrounds. Your Ms. Bookman鈥揳s is usual鈥搕ilted the conversation away from hard and sophisticated policy questions into proselytizing on behalf of societal, community and fund support for these racially-identifiable institutions of higher education.It is shameful how this media bias shapes and perpetuates misconceptions about the so-called black community and misses the diversity of opinion within the black community; HERE AND NOW constantly presents a one-dimensional view and propagates race-consciousness as a value of and for blacks to emulate and propagate. WABC-TV鈥檚 role in siding with racial idiocy and ideology will not escape scrutiny much less criticism and dissent for much longer.I do not get the sense that there is any adult supervision when it comes to the producing of HERE AND NOW鈥搃ndeed, when it comes to race matters and race-oriented programming on your station. It appears that when it comes to exacting standards of objective journalism or even critical inquiry on important questions and issues, your station鈥檚 minority affairs programming鈥搒uch as HERE AND NOW鈥搑einforces stereotypes and misinformation about the black community in the guise of offering the 鈥渂lack perspective.鈥?/p>I encourage your personal intervention to ensure broader representation on the show of all sides of controversial subjects such as this one; if the ordinary standards of journalism and critical inquiry do not apply to HERE AND NOW, and its host, I鈥檇 like to know why not, from you, the management of WABC TV. I do not regard it as relevant or satisfactory the disclaimer at the end of the show that the show may or may not reflect the views of WABC TV鈥檚 management. It seems to us that the show does indeed reflect a point of view鈥揳 bias, from the standpoint of programming decisions that exclude points of view dissimilar to the producers鈥?on such subjects as this鈥搃.e. the efficacy or archaic nature of racially-identifiable colleges and universities in 21st century America.Sincerely yours,Michael聽MeyersExecutive DirectorWe contest and debunk as sheer racial rhetoric and errant nonsense the assertion of NAACP Chairman Emeritus Julian Bond that because he regards the Tea Party Movement as racist and the Taliban wing of American politics Tea Party affiliated groups seeking tax-exemption status warrant extra scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service. Read MoreWhen we wrote to the brass at NBC/MSNBC, including to the Chairman of Comcast, the corporate owner of NBC, we got a prompt reply from the executive producer of the MORNING JOE show, on which two compensated MSNBC pundits had accused critics of Mayor Bloomberg of harboring anti-Semitic feelings Read MoreThe NAACP was urged by our executive director to reject its Chairman Emeritus Julian Bond s call for viewpoint discrimination by the Internal Revenue Service when it considers the applications of ideologically conservative groups (like Tea-Party-affiliated organizations) seeking 501c4 tax-exempt status. Read MoreThe circumstances of a legitimate, lawful聽stop and frisk聽by police officers is still a contentious issue in New York City. The media have not all been responsible much less factual and accurate in their reporting and editorials on the topic Read More

TAGS:York New Civil 

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