What do you expect from a minority hire?

He should have called you a looser.. that would have been on the mark...

 

I don't have time for you today, troll.

 

Slappy and we is very disappointed...

 

Yeah ... you're really making a good name for yourself on this thread, too.

He gives a good reason for starting the thread, and you call him a liar. You might try bringing something a little more useful to the table.

 

I'm not exactly pushing for your approval, Shotty. Like boots, don't flatter yourself.

 

Now that Ace has created a valid point to this thread I'll address it:

My former paper a couple years back decided to do a huge package on some of our city's larger or more distinguished neighborhoods. It was a massive, albeit fluffy undertaking.

Anyway, guess who was assigned to all the primarily black neighborhoods? Yup, the black reporters.

White reporters did all the "white, upscale neighborhoods." It was pretty flagrant. The m.e. who made the assignment didn't think twice about it until a former black reporter, who kept in touch with us, called him out on it. "Did you really assign all the black reporters to the black neighborhoods?" He changed them up.

Obviously I don't think you can/should be colorblind in newsrooms and maybe there's advantages to assigning a black reporter to an important story on race, just like there would be advantages to assigning female/male/older/younger reporters to certain stories.

But I think there's a limit to this and I could understand if a minority reporter felt a little used. I definitely think they should speak up if they do feel this way. It's part of the understanding process.

The bottom line is we're reporters first. That's why the thread title is utterly ridiculous. We should have the same expectations for everyone.

 

Great story, Write-brained. Sounds like the ME was a bit unprepared for such a big project. How'd it turn out?

 

Big steaming pile of fluffy Gannett crap, what else?.

I was just thinking about this more. I think what was so offensive about it is the reporters assigned to profile the black neighborhoods were assigned only because of the color of their skin and to give off the image that hey, look at us, we have black reporters. I don't think their race gave them any advantage in writing the story like it may have in the Rutgers basketball story.

 

don't forget jimmy from the gym on seinfeld episode.

 

IJAG wouldn't watch Seinfeld if you paid her.

 

Would IJAG kick Roger Clemens in the junk?