We are at the halfway mark of 2019, and we have accomplished so much! First, if you haven’t heard, AABJ’s documentary, “Black & Reporting: The Struggle Behind the Lens,” has been nominated for an Emmy! We are proud and extremely excited about this. Thanks to AABJ member, Donell Suggs, the documentary is in the June edition of Atlanta Magazine. If you have not purchased your copy, please do so today. The monies go toward AABJ’s Xernona Clayton Scholarship Fund.
I want to thank each of you for your support thus far, but we still have more to do this year. We are planning more workshops, community service projects, and fundraisers we need your help to make work. We also need volunteers to help with our newsletter, The Byline and our public affairs show, In Contact. In the coming month, we’ll be sending out a proposed revision of our bylaws. It’s been over ten years since they’ve last been updated. We will be voting on adopting them later this year.
Speaking of voting, if you or anyone you know have some interest in leading this organization, now is the time to begin thinking about a leadership role. Our term will end this year with elections slated to take place in November 2019. The nomination process will start in September.
Yours in service,
Carol M. Gantt
President
###
AABJ Online Fundraiser: 43 Years Campaign
AABJ’s $43 for 43 fundraising campaign is still ongoing. In its 43rd year, we are asking members to donate $43 to go towards programming, scholarships, and events throughout the year. Be sure to invite your friends, coworkers and anyone you know that supports our members in print, communications, public relations, radio, broadcast, digital and the many trailblazers in the literary world. Be sure to share our campaign on your social media by using the hashtag #AABJ43.
(L-R): AABJ Parliamentarian Wilton Jackson, Glenn Marshall, Eric Ludgood, Drew Dawson, AABJ President Carol Gantt, Collie Burnett, Eric Burns, Tolly Carr and AABJ VP of Print Amir Vera
Kendall “Kenny” Murray walked into a room of six black men working in media, unsure of how to approach them and nervous about how they would react to him.
“Unfortunately, I just automatically assumed that they were going to be standoffish, that they were going to be intimidating to talk to, not necessarily the kindest people,” the junior at Georgia State University said.
That assumption, Murray said, was broken once he sat down with the six men during 10-minute sessions.
Kendall Murray (left) speaks with Eric Ludgood, assistant news director at WAGA-TV, during the Black Male Media Project June 1, 2019.
Discussions about the representation of black men in the media were all part of the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists’ (AABJ) Black Male Media Project on June 1.
The event featured six guest speakers who discussed how they earned their management positions where they can make decisions on how black men are represented. It also featured a tour of WSB-TV led by former NABJ President Condace Pressley.
The event was part of a larger project, mandated by the National Association of Black Journalists, designed to help change the narrative around the lives and images of black men in the news and in society through a series of workshops nationwide.
Drew Dawson, station manager at Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) speaks with a guest during the Black Male Media Project on June 1, 2019.
Drew Dawson, one of the guest speakers and station manager for Georgia Public Broadcasting, told Murray that it’s common to see news executives, directors, producers and other people who aren’t black in management approach stories, editing and decision-making from a eurocentric point-of-view. As one pitches stories, he said, the point is to take ownership of stories that are about your community.
“Your job is to position that story in such a way that will appeal to more than a black audience,” Dawson said.
But, Dawson also told Murray that one must watch for the “otherization” of minority groups.
“Sometimes, you’re going to be the only black person in the room, but it’s your job to find a way, before that story gets on the air, to say ‘this is what that looks like,’” Dawson said. “Why are we telling the story this way? Are we trying to demonize someone?”
Eric Ludgood, another one of the guest speakers and assistant news director for Atlanta Fox affiliate WAGA-TV, told Murray he had to be passionate about his work in order to truly succeed.
“I can teach you how to write. I can teach you how to produce. I can teach you how to report. I cannot teach you to care,” Ludgood he said. “But if you care, all that teaching is much easier. Care and want to tell stories about what you care about.”
Murray said it can be scary and hard overall to try to get your foot in the door and understand the information.
“If you talk to 10 different people, you’ll get 10 different stories about how they got where they got to,” said Tolly Carr, one of the guest speakers and a managing partner for HBCU Gameday. “Have you thought about doing anything original just on your own?”
Carr started in TV and did stories he knew would never be on air. He wrote them like they were real and gave them to news directors. Over the course of a couple of months, Carr said he wore down the director to accept his work.
“Even though it’s not given to the masses, that’s still experience under your belt,” he said.
Each interaction with the panelists ended with encouragement and connections made. By the end, Murray said he felt like he was talking to his professors and mentors. The conversations he had, which let him peek into different experiences, showed him kindness and demonstrated success through hard work. It was what he needed, Murray said.
“Everybody here, even though they accomplished so much, they were so approachable,” Murray said.
Ludgood, in particular, had told Murray it was OK to want dreams and that Murray could make them come true.
Murray aspires to write for television.
“Trust yourself,” Ludgood said.
Murray held onto that message.
“He showed me that you can be yourself,” he said.
For those who were unable to make it, take a look at the June 1 event through the gallery below:
Breanna Durham is a free lance writer and staff writer at The McDuffie Progress
What do you like most about being a member of AABJ?
I love the community and the mentorship opportunities.
What initially got you interested in the media/communications field?
My church back home runs a summer camp all about multimedia where I was able to get my hands on video and editing software at a young age. I’ve been all about media ever since.
What are your favorite publications/outlets to get your news?
I like to start the day with the daily podcasts from NYT, BBC, and others. I also keep up with AP alerts for breaking news updates. For perspective content, I think NPR does a great job.
This year’s conference for Region III took place in Birmingham, Alabama, April 5-6. AABJ President Carol Gantt attended the conference, as did many AABJ members including Fox 5 anchor/reporter Kerry Charles and CNN digital trending news writer Doug Criss. Here’s a look back at the conference in historic Birmingham.
Learning to serve while being great
By Louis Deas
Eldredge Washington
“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said.
But how many of us can serve while being great?
We’re all striving to be great. However, Atlanta resident Eldredge Washington, 29, has proven that in the midst of striving for personal greatness, there’s still time to give back to others through volunteerism, activism, and service.
As the founder of a non-profit Motivated Adults Developing Excellence (M.A.D.E) and co-founder of the startup tech company Spendefy, Washington has navigated multiple layers of the social sphere. Despite his accomplishments he’s as humble as he is charismatic and constantly thinks of others before he thinks about himself. A man of character and integrity, he has unwittingly positioned himself as a role model for everyone seeking to serve while being great.
A native of Monroe, Georgia, Washington has become a part of the fabric and inner-workings of Atlanta’s entrepreneurial and social good communities. Launching his youth empowerment organization, M.A.D.E, when he was only 17 years old, he sought to transform the lives of others by actively promoting cross-generational interaction and dialogue between adults and youth through mentorship.
“Just seeing the everyday impact of sitting down and talking with students, letting them know you care and that you’re available gives you that ‘wow’ feeling,” Washington said. “More important than the feeling, though, is seeing their lives change for the better.”
Full of life and bubbling with subdued energy and excitement, Washington has a magnetic draw that attracts people into his orbit and inspires them to serve in their own way on some level.
“People want to give back to their community, but many times don’t have time and don’t know how. I help them see that there’s no shortage of ways and more than enough opportunities to make an impact,” he says.
Years spent as a nonprofit leader has taught Washington that while service is good, the community is best served when good hearted people with decision making and economic power can be counted as true allies. Motivated to become such an ally and have an even greater impact for the African-American community, Washington and his co-founder, Antwon Davis, launched Spendefy — a web based application designed to promote black businesses and to dare its users to “spend different”.
“Spendefy is just an outgrowth of my passion for community and sustainable transformation,” Washington said. “When we strengthen the power of the Black dollar and support each other on the grassroots level, we can begin to see real changes from the bottom up.”
Eldredge Washington
In addition to mentoring students, leading social change in the neighborhoods and building socially minded businesses, Washington is active in his local church and engages with other civically minded groups who share his same vision for community uplift.
“It’s easier to go it alone to get all of the glory, but we have a greater chance of success and can touch more lives when we pool our resources, talents, and connections to achieve the greater good,” Washington said.
Washington’s daring to put his community first has inspired countless people — young and old alike — to envision greatness for themselves through service and entrepreneurship. His journey is just beginning, but he’s proven to be a true leader dedicated to uplifting his community through mentorship, financial empowerment, and community activism.
Louis Deas is the founder of Assured Hope
AABJ Online Fundraiser: 43 Years Campaign
AABJ’s $43 for 43 fundraising campaign is still ongoing. In its 43rd year, we are asking members to donate $43 to go towards programming, scholarships, and events throughout the year. Be sure to invite your friends, coworkers and anyone you know that supports our members in print, communications, public relations, radio, broadcast, digital and the many trailblazers in the literary world. Be sure to share our campaign on your social media by using the hashtag #AABJ43.
When it comes to students’ senior year of college, there tends to be a gap between the campus environment and “the real world.” Every student fears whether he or she is prepared for the opportunities that typically won’t fall in their lap when they’re not a student anymore.
There is the also the question whether the institution the students attended prepared them for the “real world.” Some students blame themselves for not taking advantage of opportunities presented to them.
“Clark gives you a glimpse into the real world and doesn’t hold your hand … That’s how the real world is,” said Frank Jefferson, a senior at Clark Atlanta University.
Each institution sometimes held career fairs where students are able to meet professionals for potential internships that could turn into a job in the student’s interested field.
Students could also join organizations that put them in the position to network with professionals or an outside organization where students can get hands-on opportunities.
“My best advice would be to seek out the opportunities yourself, be assertive but not aggressive and follow up with those who you have connected with over the past few years in college,” Nailah Heard a Senior at Clark Atlanta University said.
Ultimately students want to feel fully prepared for life after college. Professionals say “that is when the hard work begins.”
Mariah Hill is a junior at Clark Atlanta University
Member Spotlight: Ray Metoyer, past AABJ president
Ray Metoyer
Current position in AABJ?
Technically I don’t have a current position in AABJ, but I’m a very active member. I am a past AABJ President, who served from 2005-2008. During that time, I was blessed to be the President when AABJ hosted the NABJ convention in 2005 and AABJ/Atlanta did an amazing job.
How long have you been a member of AABJ?
I’ve been a member of AABJ since 1994, right after I relocated here to be an anchor/reporter for WGNX, which is now WGCL. My membership in AABJ is connected to my membership in NABJ, where I served on the NABJ Board from 1989 to 1991. I was a chapter president in Denver and my hometown of Omaha.
Where did you attend college?
I graduated from the University of Nebraska/Lincoln where I majored in journalism.
How long have you lived in Atlanta?
I’ve lived in Atlanta since 1994 and I continue to work as a journalist.
Current Occupation?
Currently I’m the managing editor for Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Lawmakers” program, covering the legislature when it’s in session. The rest of the year I work on freelance projects. I started my career in broadcasting in Omaha before moving to Denver, Little Rock, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta, both in front of and behind the camera.
What do you like most about being a member of AABJ?
Being a member of AABJ is important because our voices need to be heard in Atlanta. The diversity of media people here is the direct result of the push for change by NABJ/AABJ. It is our job to point out issues that need to be corrected, including how our communities are covered by mainstream media. Questions we have raised locally and nationally have made a difference in changing unfair practices, but we can never let up. Bad habits, lazy reporting and cultural arrogance in coverage have a way of coming back and we have to be there waiting.
What initially got you interested in the media/communications field?
I was always fascinated with television production and storytelling. I got my first introduction to TV while in high school. I joined a Junior Achievement company, run by a local Omaha TV station, WOWT-TV, where we produced our own programs. When I was a sophomore in college, I was hired part time by that station, working summers as a reporter/photographer, before being hired full time after I graduated. Starting as a photographer made me a better storyteller because I learned to see each story through the lens of the camera.
What are your favorite publications/outlets to get your news?
I watch and read media every day, CNN, MSNBC, local news, PBS, AJC, and the NY Times to name a few. I’m fascinated by great storytelling and how things are produced and that includes movies, documentaries and special programs.
Is there anyone in media you look up to? Why?
Former CBS 60 Minutes Correspondent Ed Bradley remains one of my biggest heroes because he was such a trailblazer in the industry and he commanded respect. I also respect ABC’s Robin Roberts because of her bravery in fighting cancer, while maintaining a high level of professionalism in her lead role on Good Morning America. She brings great JOY to her work and shares it every day.
What’s an interesting fact about you people wouldn’t have otherwise known?
Most people don’t know I’m a musician; a percussionist since high school. I’ve produced the music and soundtrack for three documentaries. In 2018 I created the music for a new TV program called “Secrets of the Caribbean,” which is currently being distributed on smaller TV networks and online. Creating music and the atmosphere for TV programs and productions is also an important part of storytelling!
This edition of the Byline was edited by Amir Vera and Shalon Bell
