(212) 854-2419 May 4, 1999

kkb18@columbia.edu

A dozen examples of excellent newspaper and television coverage of race and ethnicity have been identified by Columbia Universityâs Graduate School of Journalism in a two-part project, supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation, designed to improve coverage of race and ethnic issues.

Seven print and five television honorees have been selected from more than 210 entries, all of which were published or aired over the past two years. Forty-five finalists were also named.

ãJournalism has a responsibility to help society deal more honestly and effectively with racial and ethnic issues,ä said Columbiaâs Sig Gissler, director of the Workshop on Journalism, Race and Ethnicity. ãWe believe there is value in identifying Îbest practicesâ and using positive examples to encourage better work. By invoking the best, we hope to provide editors and managers with new information and ideas that will help improve their coverage of race and ethnicity, as well as improve the environments of our nationâs newsrooms.ä

A three-day workshop scheduled for June 11-13 will focus on the honored coverage, with the goal of increasing other journalistsâ commitment to better coverage of the subject. Many of those men and women who produced the work will attend, along with a group of newspaper editors and TV news managers from the East Coast who shape the journalistic mission, set newsroom tone and agendas, allocate resources and deploy staffs.

Acknowledging that no search can be absolutely comprehensive, a group of faculty from the Journalism School and practicing journalists cast a wide net in searching for exceptional coverage. Nominations were solicited from members of

such groups as the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Advertisements were also placed in journalism publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review and Editor & Publisher. The group also examined contests held by major organizations and institutions, which often recognize work with a racial or ethnic dimension.

In evaluating the coverage, the group looked for work that was fresh and imaginative, marked by candor, provided context, and had an impact. The group also asked if the work diminished stereotypes and illuminated the diversity within Americanâs minority communities; if it provided connection, linking factors and forces that explain social problems; and if it made a good case study in terms of lessons learned.

Newspaper honorees

Pat Butler, reporter, The State, Columbia, SC, for his series ãMigrants No More,ä on Mexican immigrants altering a regionâs historic racial mix.

Jonathan Kaufman, reporter, The Wall Street Journal, for his wide-ranging portfolio of articles on race.

Elizabeth Llorente, immigration and ethnicity reporter, The Record, Hackensack, NJ, for her series ãA Tale of Two Cultures,ä on Korean and Guatemalan immigrants in NJ, and for a portfolio of other stories.

The Los Angeles Times for its overall coverage of a multicultural metropolis and for recent initiatives to strengthen coverage of Latinos and to re-examine its newsroom culture.

Gary Pomerantz, reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for his series, ãFrom the Heart,ä an examination of relations between black and white Atlantans.

The San Francisco Examiner for its project ãThe New City,ä an ongoing look at San Franciscoâs changing face, and for other stories illuminating race and culture.

The Seattle Times for its coverage of Initiative 200, a ballot proposal to roll back affirmative action in the State of Washington.

Tom Brokaw, anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, for the special ãWhy Canât We Live Together?ä examining white flight in a Chicago suburb.

Renee Ferguson, reporter, WMAQ-TV in Chicago, for her duPont-Columbia Award-winning investigative story ãStrip Searched at OâHare.ä

KRON-TV in San Francisco, for its yearlong project ãAbout Race.ä

Michel McQueen, correspondent, ABC Nightline, for contributions to ãAmerica in Black and White,ä Nightlineâs ongoing exploration of race relations.

Karen Saunders, producer, ABC News ã20/20,ä for provocative pieces on racial issues related to beauty, body images and hair styles.

In addition to the twelve honored media professionals and publications, 45 finalists, both projects and individuals, were cited. They are:

Hartford Courant, Commentary section and Northeast magazine series ãColorlinesä

Herald Sun (Durham, NC), Miriam Stawowy, reporter

Hearst Washington Bureau and San Antonio Express-News, ãThe Hispanic Vote: A Growing Political Powerä

Journal Star (Peoria, IL), Pam Adams, writer

Knight Ridder Washington bureau, ãThe Health Gap: Life and Death in Minority Americaä

Newhouse News Service, Jonathan Tilove, reporter

New Times, Susan Goldsmith, reporter

New York Times, Mirta Ojito, reporter; Lena Williams, reporter

Newsday, ãGrief in Black and White,ä ãWorking in a New World,ä and

ãThe Health Divideä

Orange County Register, Agustin Gurza, columnist

Orlando Sentinel, ãA Whole New Worldä

Philadelphia Daily News, ãThe New Philadelphiansä

Raleigh News and Observer, Sunday Q section articles

Sacramento Bee, Steve Magagnini, reporter

San Jose Mercury News, ãThe Asian Boom: Transforming UCä

St. Paul Pioneer Press, Pat Burson, reporter

The Times (Beaver, PA), ãStill We Are Strangersä

Washington Post, ãMany Paths to Here: Washingtonâs Multicultural Mosaicä

Wilmington News Journal, ãA Turning Pointä

Yakima Herald Republic, Wendy Harris, reporter

CBS News, ãWhite Studiesä

CNN, ãDividing Linesä

Blowback Productions, ãThug Lifeä

Filmmakers Library, ãTaken Inä

Kikim Media, ãIn Search of Law and Orderä

KIRO-TV, Seattle, WA,ãInColorä

KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA, ãLawn Jockeyä

KOMU-TV, Columbia MO, ãMid-Missouriâs Asian Americans: The Invisible Minorityä

KOTV, Tulsa, OK, ãCome Home Againä

KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA, ãThe Macho Mystiqueä

NBC Dateline, ãLabor Dayä

NEWIST, Green Bay WI, ãNew Faces on Main Streetä

PBS, ãIn Whose Honor?ä (Jay Rosentein), ãShattering the Silenceä (Pellett Productions), and ãSkin Deepä (The Skin Deep Film Project)

WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX, ãJasper Coverageä

Wisconsin Public Television, ãUs & Themä

WSOC-TV, Charlotte, NC, ãRace & Realityä

WTVJ, Miami, FL, ãDoes Anyone Speak English?ä

El Paso Times and KVIA-TV, series on race relations

Knoxville Sun Sentinel and WBIR-TV, ãThe Racial Divideä

The workshop is organized by Professor Sig Gissler of Columbiaâs Journalism School. As editor of the Milwaukee Journal (1985- 1993), he increased newsroom diversity and launched a year-long examination of racial issues in Milwaukee. As a journalist, Gissler covered five national political conventions and undertook major foreign reporting assignments, including India, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union. A former Pulitzer Prize juror, he is an advisor to the Poynter Instituteâs ãDiversity Beyond 2000ä project on race and journalism, and is working on a book about the interplay of race and media.

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