How You Look Could Cost You

For years, so-called experts have theorized that the constant evolution of pop icon’s Michael Jackson’s appearance was due to his need to be “accepted” by others. For some reason, he thought changing from what God gave him would make him more acceptable to the general public. Some have even gone as far as to say that Michael wanted to “be white.” The merits of those arguments will probably be debated for years, especially since now Michael is “larger than life”. But there is a growing body of evidence that indicates that how you look may actually have an effect on your pocketbook.

A recent study out of the Kellogg School of Management at my alma mater, Northwestern University, revealed that African American CEOs of Fortune 500 companies with a “babyface” look were more likely to lead companies with bigger revenues and influence than CEOs who look more mature. The study is supposed to be published in September in the Journal, “Psychological Science” by researcher Robert Livingston. What does it mean to have a babyface look? According to the study, a round face, full cheeks, larger foreheads, small nose, large ears, full lips and NO FACIAL HAIR. The opposite was true, according to the study, for white males, whose more “mature” look was rated higher. There is one quote from Livingston which was particularly troubling to me. He says “Physical appearance, how you behave, having mixed-race parents-anything that conveys to whites ‘I’m not the typical black man’ can be helpful.”

No wonder Michael Jackson wanted to change his looks. He didn’t want to be a “typical black man.” No wonder there is increasing pressure to fit in and look like others. The unspoken implication is that if people aren’t comfortable with the way you look, you may not receive the job, promotion, recognition that you deserve. There are major ramifications associated with this kind of thinking. The primary problem is that people who “don’t look like the others” who are extremely talented may be overlooked or ignored. That is a huge waste of talent and resources. And don’t think that women aren’t also put under a microscope. Previous studies have indicated that women with short hair are promoted more in corporate America than women with longer hair. What does that do the all the weave queens and Beyonce wannabes out there buying tons of hair every year?

And don’t think this kind of thinking is limited to the lives of celebrities and corporate CEOs. Just this April, United Airlines announced that it will charge passengers for two airplane seats if they can’t fit into one.  More than a third of American people are overweight and yet the size of most airline seats haven’t changed in decades. United says they are making the move to respond to the comfort and well-being of all of their guests. I wonder how comfortable and welcome an overweight guest feels when they are asked to pony up enough money for two airplane tickets or get off the flight? Americans have always been obsessed with beauty and power. Now it appears that not only are people being discriminated against either  overtly or covertly, it is also going to cost them.

The New Reality of News

My iconic role model Frederick Douglass once said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will.” The seismic shift of power in America going on right now is indeed a response to a massive demand. We are now witnessing a transformation that reflects the values of those who now hold the majority of the power. Change came to America because of the demands of the American people for a better life. We are also witnessing the abandonment of the traditional news media because the American people believe that the news industry does very little to make their lives better.

 

Musical R & B icon Prince proclaims in a recent article “the gatekeepers are changing.” While he was referring to those who control the purse strings of the music industry, the same can be said about the media. The gatekeepers are changing. Indeed, many experts are saying that there are no more gatekeepers. There is no one to monitor what attracts news attention and what doesn’t. This is the new reality of the new technology and it is something that is completely out of the control of traditional media. President Barack Obama doesn’t need the news media to get his message out to America. His political machine accumulated 13 million e-mails during the campaign. He can take his message directly to the American people anytime he wants.

 

The way we think of media will never be the same. The most recent figures show that more than 10 thousand journalism jobs have been eliminated since September and many of us went out the door long before September. What are all these journalists going to do? The smart ones are going to evolve. They are learning how to do journalism differently.

 

Dr. Edward Wasserman, who is the Knight professor of journalism ethics at Washington and Lee University raises some interesting ethical questions in his recent column in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Jan. 10, 2009 entitled “Media moonlighting plagued by conflicts of interest”. He contends that journalists who are now considering their options to utilize their craft in different ways perhaps are facing conflicts of interests with their journalistic values. It’s ironic that the very question Dr. Wasserman raised is actually the answer to this dilemma. Journalists now have to think about whether their professional integrity is being compromised as they practice their craft differently. 

 

I do agree with Dr.Wasserman’s questions about journalists who continue to work with news organizations who also “moonlight.” That is a very tricky area. However, there are a lot of very talented, experienced journalists who no longer work for traditional news organizations who can handle assignments, without compromising their core values. 

 

The traditional view of media that most journalists held when we started in the industry is now old school and a new paradigm has been created. The news industry, just like the rest of the nation’s corporations and businesses, is experiencing cataclysmic change. The news industry, as most traditionalists and baby boomers once knew it, no longer exists. The changes actually started with the burgeoning of new technologies. It was simply amplified by the economic debacle. In other words, it is no longer business as usual in the nation’s newsrooms, which are controlled by a small number of media conglomerates. The emerging media is being transformed by the proliferation of non-traditional media outlets on the Internet and on other platforms.

 

In most cases, the media jobs that journalists used to hold no longer exist and there is little chance that they will ever come back. Thousands of journalists must find a way to make a living and find a way to use their job skills in a different environment. Some have chosen to go into academia, public relations, or do something entirely different. I decided to practice journalism differently as a media strategist and consultant. My company, BreakThrough Inc. is also assisting journalists in a special program named “Journalists To Go.” This program matches independent journalists with opportunities from news agencies, companies, organizations or individuals who need media services. Journalists possess a specific skill set that can be applied in a variety of fields. More media professionals are re-inventing themselves by shifting their focus on how to be a solid journalist in today’s media environment.

 

One of the first things I explain to my clients is that I am a media strategist and consultant, not a public relations professional or a publicist. There is a big difference. Let’s say my client has a cow, but he wants it to be a horse. A PR person may throw a saddle on the cow, try to ride it and call it a horse. But if it moos and produces milk, it is still a cow. A media specialist will demonstrate the value of the cow to the client and strategize on the proper media placement to maximize the exposure and recognition of the cow. Let’s write and accentuate the story of the cow. That’s an example of the difference between a journalistic approach and a PR approach. We help people understand why and how things happen in the media.

 

I do agree with Dr.Wasserman’s conflict of interest questions about journalists who work with news organizations who also “moonlight.” However, there are a lot of very talented, experienced journalists out there who can handle assignments, without compromising their core values, outside the concept of traditional news organizations.

 

As far as the ethical concerns of corporate influence over the objectivity of news organizations goes… that cow is already out the barn. Networks routinely use the news division to promote their programming and corporate interests.  Journalism ethics cannot be dictated by corporate policy. Truth, honesty, openness, fairness and other tenants of quality journalism need to be part of the professional’s core values. And you won’t learn that in J-school. 

 

It’s a new day in journalism and it’s a new day for American media. The challenge for us is to deal with the wave of change or be buried under it.

 

Now The Real Work Begins

There is probably no one in the entire world who doesn’t know that history was made with the election of Barack Obama as the first African American president of the United States. But to stop at that point would negate all the work, blood, sweat and tears that Americans from all walks of life have put into making this country live up to the promises of our ancestors…where all men (and women) are created equal. That is what Dr. Martin Luther King talked about when he spoke about our “beloved country.” I’m sure that President Obama will be constantly tested. I’m sure that the old saying that black folks have to be “twice as good to get half as far” will kick in. I’m sure that the governments and others around the world will question whether President Obama is “good enough.” Those are the kind of judgments that I and other folks in my generation, the one before me and the one after me have had to face all our lives. What makes us think that is going to change now? And we should not get all excited that things are going to change overnight, because they aren’t. It took us a long time to get in this situation and it’s going to take a while to straighten things out. But I am heartened because I sense a type of energy, hope and optimism in this country that I haven’t felt in more than 40 years. But we must use that energy in a positive and constructive way and not just let it end up in the pile of a “dream deferred.” We have some serious house cleaning to do. As I sat in church last week, I heard a story that reflected one of the first things we need to do. Civil rights icon, Rev. Joseph E. Lowery has been at home recently recovering from back surgery. Rev. Lowery lives in a so-called “bourgie” part of southwest Atlanta that is populated by teachers, lawyers, doctors and others from the first generation of beneficiaries of the civil rights movement. It is also an area where there is a growing number of the nouveaux riche who are building houses in the $500,000 plus range. So, in other words, this is not exactly “da hood.” Just last week, while Rev. Lowery was recovering, someone stole his car right out of his driveway. Then they drove two blocks down the street and started selling stuff out his car. One woman noticed the name on some of the material and alerted police. That’s when Rev. Lowery discovered his car had been stolen. Here is a man who has worked all his life for the rights of Black folk and laid his life on the line many times. Yet, the same people who have benefited from his sacrifices preyed on this senior statesman. That’s just not right. We’ve got to do better. We have got to clean out our own house first before we can expect Barack Obama to clean up the mess that we now face in this country. It is also going to be interesting to see how news organizations respond to the Obama universe. That’s because many of the people who could have provided insight and perspective have been among the dramatic cutbacks that news organizations have made in the last year. There is, and always has been, a major problem in the nation’s newsrooms when it comes to diversity. Case in point… there was no person of color anchoring the election night coverage on any of the major networks. There is something wrong with that. But… we’ll save that discussion for my next word from “sisters who have something to say.”  

Why The Media Doesn’t Get It

Once again, I am disappointed with the performance of my beloved profession, journalism. We just don’t get it when it comes to informing the public what is really going on in the current financial crisis. And the reason is quite simple. Most journalists don’t have a clue when it comes to financial and economic reporting. I put part of the blame on the journalism schools who don’t teach up-and-coming journalists how to read, evaluate and analyze financial material. This is a dramatic departure from the time when I was in journalism school in the late 70’s where the country was also experiencing financial trauma. I remember deliberately choosing to continue my journalism education into graduate school so I could take advantage of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism’s sequence on financial reporting. It was led by the legendary financial editor, Elizabeth Yamashita who was one of the first women to serve as a financial editor and some of the biggest financial journals in the country. She knew her stuff and she imparted this knowledge to all of us who dared to go through the rigors of “Mama Yama’s” training. She made us understand the stock market, spreadsheets, annual reports and all the other documents that current journalists would consider to be boring. More importantly, she taught us how to look beyond the numbers and decipher the implications of those numbers. Then she taught us how to make it into a good story… so that our readers, listeners and viewers would “get it.” Now journalists and news organizations depend on financial analysts and spin doctors to tell our audience what it all means. And we don’t even take the time to question whether these so-called analysts have hidden motivations….such as trying to pick up more clients and customers. And some of these guests are PAID by the very financial institutions that are the subject of their comments. That is just poor journalism. Now we have whipped the American public into a frenzy of fear. We are a contributing factor to the economic paralysis that is sweeping across the country. So I issue this challenge to my fellow journalists. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER! Study, read, analyze and question and then DO YOUR JOB and let the American people know what’s really going on.

When is the government going to bail ME out?

Finally… the chickens have come home to roost. Year after year, we have witnessed completely unbridled greed devour our economy. The fat cats got fatter and the poor got poorer. Now, some of the biggest names in the business, Bear Stearns, AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Merrill Lynch and a host of others looked into their accounts and found out what so many of us have experienced in the last few years… they were overdrawn! But unlike the rest of us, these “titans of industry” had a Sugar Daddy. The federal government comes to the rescue. Hello??? Did I miss my call from Uncle Sam when I faced foreclosure? Did Alan Greenspan and the gang try to come up with some relief for me when I had to pay my son’s college tuition at the same time that all the utility bills were due? Where is my bailout???? 

I also think I remember from my high school history class that when they refer to the federal government…they are talking about me…Ms. Taxpayer. So, MY MONEY is going to be used to bail out these corporations and corporate entities that refused to give me a loan, tried to take my house and made it difficult for me to fund my son’s college education. What’s wrong with this picture? The bottom line is that we are ALL in trouble in today’s economy. The forecasters keep saying that we having seen the bottom yet and that the economy is going to continue to get worse. How much worse can it get? And if I’m not mistaken, we are experiencing this complete implosion right at the end of eight horrible years of a Republican administration! Sean Hannity, Neal Bortz, and the rest of you haters… as Little Richard used to say… SHUT UP! How can you be proud about anything that is happening with our economy now? Is this what you call realizing the American Dream? You need to get a grip. Borrowing a line from the movie “Broadcast News…The American people are “mad as hell and we aren’t going to take it any more.” Get ready for a revolution. It’s long overdue.

Note to Sarah Palin: Mother to Mother-”Get Real!”

The Republicans are on their way home…now the fun begins. In just a few months, we will know who will lead the country for the next four years. My question to Sarah Palin is this. Who is going to lead your children? I get it when you say you have a supportive husband who is always there for you. I get it when you complain that men aren’t subjected to the same kind of questioning as women when it comes to family values. Been there…done that… got the t-shirt. But Sarah… GET REAL. No one will ever be able to take your place as a mother. I’m telling you this not because of what I have heard. I’m telling you this because this is what I know. More than 17 years ago, I was elected the national president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)….the first woman in our organization to accomplish that. The biggest heartstring pulling at me was how it would affect my two year old son. That consideration almost forced me not to run.

But NABJ has always been like a family to me and my family rallied around me and offered me all the support and encouragement I needed. Even after I was elected, I realized that there was a cost involved. Many times I would have to load the entire family into the car to drive to meetings around the country instead of flying, just so we could be together. Several women in the organization became surrogate moms when I had presidential duties to perform. I will never forget the time when NABJ VP Sheila Stainback stood in the back of the ballroom, covering the ears of my young son with her hands, when I had to challenge and eventually put out vile rapper Bushwick Bill from a session on hip-hop music when he used derogatory language directed towards the women in the audience. I remember the time we were panicking when my son unintentionally locked himself in the master bedroom of the presidential suite during a convention and we couldn’t awaken him for hours to unlock the door. For some reason, the hotel staff didn’t have a key to the room as we banged and banged on the door as tears swelled in my eyes. Eventually, he woke up and walked out, with a look that said, “why are you all so worried about me?”

Now here you are, Sarah, not only dealing with a child with special needs, but also with a daughter who has done something that we have been imploring all of our young girls NOT to do and that is have sex and get pregnant, especially before entering the holy bond of matrimony. Your children need you more than ever before. And with respect to all the fathers of the world, they will never be a MOMMY to your children. While I am not questioning your dedication to our country, your family comes FIRST. They always will. That reality has forced many of us to make some difficult choices about our lives and our careers.

Many women have stepped out of the workplace because of that choice. Others have taken jobs that don’t force them to travel so much. I thank God that when my children were born, I had a position as an executive producer of a morning news program that allowed me to be home almost always in the afternoon. My children have never been latchkey children. I’ve been to almost every baseball and football game and every wrestling match. I’ve served team meals, taken snacks to the boys, washed uniforms and then stayed up late with them to make sure they did their homework. That’s what’s being a mother is all about.  

Now Sarah you are the poster girl for “hockey moms” and other working mothers. But I really wonder whether you know what that really means. Do you really know the sacrifices you are asking your family to make? Do you really expect your family to escape the glare, criticism and praise of the media? 

And while we are talking about what’s off limits and what’s not when it comes to the media scrutiny of the candidates’ families, I must respectfully disagree with my brother Barack Obama and others who are telling the media to “back off.” Sorry kiddos, that’s not going to happen. Since when do politicians tell journalists how to do our job? They may not like what the media say and do, but it’s reality. Get over it. Smart politicians listen to their media advisors and develop a strategy on how to deal with this reality, not condemn it. Everyone’s family is fair game when you run for office. That’s the price of public office. That’s why many people decide not to go into that arena because they know the toll it will take on their family and friends. You may not think it is right or fair, but this is the real world and that’s how we roll. 

So Sarah, Barack, John and all of the other pundits lashing out at the media need to get a wake up call. You’ve made your choice and now you have to deal with the consequences…the good, the bad and the ugly. As my beloved late mother used to say, “you’ve made your bed, now lay in it.”

The New Reality

 

The Real ME

I know it’s been a long time since I posted on my blog. But I have been totally focused on survival in a world that is increasingly shaky for journalists and others in the media. Every day I read the trades and on-line newsletters about the hundreds if not thousands of people in the media who are losing their jobs. That’s only for one industry… not including the thousands being laid off, downsized and put out to pasture in other industries. Never in my lifetime have I seen such a negative economic situation. Regardless of who is eventually elected president (Barack), he will have his hands full dealing with the legacy of the Bushes. We are indeed in a new global reality and I’m not sure we have a total grasp of what that really means. When I see the thousands of people who are out of work, I thank God that I made my transition from the traditional newsroom ahead of the curve two years ago. I find myself thinking, where are all those unemployed journalists going to work? Some will make their transition into PR or academia. Others will be like me and try their hand at entrepreneurship. Despite the fact that I have been out here for two years, I am still facing a steep learning curve going from the confines of corporate America to fending for myself. I am learning something every day and I find out how much more I have to learn every day. So what is happening to others who find themselves in my circumstances? There just aren’t that many PR, teaching or otherwise journalism related jobs out there. I don’t presume to have the answers to all these questions, but it has caused me to pause and do some deep reflection on my life, my family and our world. Whether we like it or not, we are in the middle of a revolution. The result of that revolution will profoundly affect the way all of us live. The challenge for us is whether we are ready to deal with this new reality.

Race in America… Duuuhhhh…

I know I am jumping on the “Amen corner” bandwagon following Barack Obama’s speech on Race in America. Everybody needs to read the full text of his brilliant speech and take away one major point. WE CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT IGNORE THE ROLE THAT RACE HAS PLAYED IN THE FORMATION, CREATION AND CONTINUATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETY! It is literally astounding to me that some people are acting as if they are hearing the points Obama made for the first time. This is nothing new. What is new is that a Presidential candidate made it plain. Let’s not forget that former President Bill Clinton tried to open up a national dialogue on race during his administration without much success. I also blame my fellow journalists for not being bold enough to stand up and “speak truth to power.” Perhaps it is because we don’t really own or control the most powerful media outlets in the world which continue to give us a distorted view of the world. As I said in an earlier blog, I am having a flashback to the 60’s when people wanted to make a difference and when people had the courage to speak openly and honestly. After the 60’s, there was a clamp down on free speech and free thought. I am documenting what happened in a video I am preparing on what has happened in our nation’s newsrooms 40 years after the issuance of the landmark Kerner Commission Report. That documentary will be premiered at the Unity convention this summer in Chicago. I have taped stories from pioneer journalists who went through the fire and opened the doors that many of us have now walked through. For years I had said that many of the issues associated with diversity are the result of the fact that we are too “scured” to speak up. Obama is setting an example for all of us. 

Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Scandal

Here’s another one of the issues where I ask “Is it just me?” or what in the world does the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue have anything to do with sports???? And if you are bold enough to identify some kind of sport associated with that, we need to have another discussion out in the parking lot. What makes this year’s issue even worse is that they had the audacity to do a section on NFL cheerleaders in bikinis. Talk about putting two “waste of time and money” things together… First of all, why are there cheerleaders in the NFL? I would like one person to prove to me that they have actually heard them cheer in one of those big domes or stadiums. To me, they are a total waste of space and money for these NFL franchises. Secondly, again, I ask, what do half-naked women in bikinis have to do with sports? The unfortunate answer I have found out from my impeccable sources is that SI’s Swimsuit issue accounts for 25% of the magazine’s annual profit!!!!! Can you believe that?!?!?!? So, it’s all about the money and a bunch of horny dudes. The Swimsuit Edition is never going away… and we only have ourselves to blame for it. 

Obama’s Thrill

Is it just me? Or has Barack Obama’s candidacy created a type of excitement and thrill in the political arena unlike any I have seen in almost 40 years? I was just a young child in elementary school when John F. Kennedy ran for resident. But I still remember, to this day, the excitement and optimism that he generated in that campaign. He brought America to its feet. It was a new day for our country! I feel the same kind of thrill now with the Obama campaign. As a journalist, I try to step back and evaluate all the candidates and of course, don’t get into endorsing anyone. But I just wanted to offer my evaluation. I was able to meet Senator Hillary Clinton face-to-face this summer when I produced the opening session for the National Association of Black Journalists convention. She was a part of the four-hour marathon that I was responsible for making work. Senator Obama was supposed to be part of that, but he couldn’t make it to the convention until the following day. I remember meeting Sen. Clinton in the backstage area after she had a meet-and-greet with the officialdom of NABJ. The backstage area was full of wires and other tricky obstacles that are all part of a major production. To help guide the Senator from the hallway to the stairs leading to the stage, I held the Senator’s hand. Secret Service men scrambled in front of us with small spotlights pointing to the potential traps that could have led to a disastrous fall for either the Senator or me. We made it to the bottom of the stairs without incident. While we were waiting for her introduction, I remarked to Sen. Clinton that I had met her husband years ago in another incarnation. I told her that I was the first NABJ president to bring a national presidential candidate to our convention (Bill) and that I was fortunate to be the first female NABJ president. I’m sure she saw the irony in that and she winked at me and said ” Alright, Madam President!” Her presentation was strong and bold in front of a room full of inquisitive Black folks. Senator Obama was just as entertainment and formidable in his presentation the following day. He even confronted the annoying issue of whether he is “Black enough” head on with a joke about the fact that he was a few minutes late in arriving on stage. The rest of his presentation was dynamic. But now, a few months have passed and several primaries later, it is clear that this year’s election is going to be unlike any other. Who would have imaged just ten years ago that the primary candidates for the Democratic nomination would be an African American and a woman? That’s how fast things are changing in the world. But I must tell you that I have never seen young people so galvanized, African Americans so energized and such a wave of change happening in our country in more than four decades!!! I, too, am energized and motivated and I pray that this momentum continues to put America back on the right track.