Reinvention: Black Journalists' response to change
By Felix Hoover
For YournNewsColumbus
Posted 09-02-09
The changing landscape of journalsm and techonology leaves many media
professionals wondering what the future holds for them and the next generations.
Layoffs that have affected most industries in recent years have hit the media as
well, reaching deep into traditional print and broadcast news sources.
Efforts to reinvent the industry have been launched locally by the Columbus
Association of Black Journalists and its umbrella organization, the National
Association of Black Journalists. The idea is to provide professional
development and encourage entrepreneurship that takes advantage of technological
change, much as YourNewsColumbus is doing locally.
The theme for NABJ's Annual Convention and Career Fair in Tampa, Fla., was
"Refresh, Reinvent, Reclaim."
Numerous workshops and training sessions were conducted by such notable
organizations as the Poynter Institute, Google and the Gannett Foundation duirng
theo convention, which ran from August 5-9.
NABJ also elected officers, including President Kathy Y. Times, an anchor for
WDBD-TV in Jackson, Miss.
On Thursday, Aug. 20, she issued a letter of encouragement to the membership in
which she said, "We need each other to get through the layoffs, downsizing and
furloughs. I know the anxiety is taking its toll. I know you are doing more with
less and the stress makes you want to holler. But we will get through this and
emerge stronger and more prepared to deal with the challenges of the future."
The Columbus Association of Black Journalists, an affiliate of NABJ, also has
latched onto the "Reinvention" theme, which sparked discussion at a mixer on
Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Patio 5 in the Brewery District.
Some newcomers joined on the spot, a few former members rejoined and others
learned about the chapter, which annually holds internship workshops for college
students and media training for high school students interested in journalist
and related fields.
The chapter's recently-elected president, Alexis Wiley, an investigative
reporter at WSYX/FOX28, asked those in attendance to fill out an informal survey
that will help identify ways to make the chapter more relevant to its members
and the community. She succeeds former President Sherri Williams.
Various career changes have taken other recent chapter leaders out of state,
including former Vice President Simone Sebastion, who enrolled in a new media
program at the City University of New York; and Kerry Charles, chairman of the
CABJ's 20th anniversary committee and a former producer at WSYX, who is now a
reporter at KTAL in Shreveport, La.
Ed Clay, a CABJ Media Legend, retired at the end of July as station manager at
WOSU-TV. He was feted at a farewell ceremony on July 17 at the Fawcett Center.
Many friends and colleagues attended the event, including former General Manager
Dale Outzs and former OSU and NFL football great Paul Warfield, whom Clay hired
as a commentator for Ohio State football replays. Clay, who has also made his
mark as a musician and photographer, said he plans continue in those fields and
to work on other media projects.