Sharpton broadcasts from NABJ

Craig Young/NABJ Convention Online
Rev. Al Sharpton is broadcasting live from
the NABJ convention today. The fiery
orator has set up shop in a hallway at
the Indianapolis Convention Center after
speaking on a panel on the future
of African American leadership

Film ‘Xzibit-ion’ on tap

If you need your 1979 pimped-out MTV style, or just want an autograph on that old copy of 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, then you’re in luck.

Sources tell the online staff that rapper X-to-the-Z Xzibit will make an appearance Saturday at the advance screening of his new movie Gridiron Gang.

Despite a career in music that dates back to the mid-nineties, the
Detroit native is probably most well known for his role as host on MTV’s Pimp My Ride.

Wilbon a hit at sports breakfast

Craig Young/NABJ Convention Online
Mike Wilbon, Washington Post columnist
and co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption,
makes a point at NABJ’s Sports Task Force
Mentor Breakfast.

By Darren Sands
NABJ Convention Online Staff

In the opening event in of a full slate of programming by the NABJ Sports Task Force, Washington Post sports columnist and ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” co-host Michael Wilbon offered advice to younger journalists looking to break into sports.

Wilbon, who spoke about his own career path at this morning’s mentor breakfast, said that young journalists must have a command of the language. He added that many too many that he comes into contact with don’t have the writing skills to be successful.

“Any time you get to sit in a room and listen to a guy like Wilbon, nothing but good things can come from it,” said Sirage Yassin, a 21-year-old senior from Penn State.

Wilbon also encouraged young journalists to have a contextual knowledge of stories in the current sports news cycle.

Several sports writers made themselves available after the breakfast, including the Denver Post’s Marc Spears, who looked over clips and exchanged business cards with students.

This afternoon the Sports Taskforce will run a workshop titled “Closing the Head-Coaching Gap in College Football and Women’s Basketball.” Panelists will examine ways to increase the numbers of African Americans head coaches in collegiate sports.

Tomorrow’s workshop will focus on the decline in popularity of baseball in the black community.

The weekly grind: Reporting news when it’s not so fresh

By Necie Green
NABJ Convention Online Staff

 

Because the majority of black newspapers are not published daily, they face the unique challenge of keeping news timely and interesting to readers. This was the subject of a Black Press Day panel discussion, “Monday’s News, Friday’s Deadlines,” featuring Sharyn Flanagan of the Philadelphia Tribune, freelance journalist Michael Dabney and Joe Boyce, retired senior editor of the Wall Street Journal.

Fia Curley of Hampton, Va., came to the workshop unsure of whether the black press held any opportunities in her field. The recent Ohio University graduate is looking for a company where she can learn and grow, as well as take risks. She never envisioned a black-owned company could provide such opportunities.

“After hearing the panelists I have a renewed sense of the vitality of the black press,” said Curley.

Curley said she learned that there are openings in black news outlets that are succeeding and doing well. The panelists assured her that these companies are looking for eager and hard-working journalists.

“The advice they gave was universal for all journalists,” said Curley, “whether you’re working in a black organization or mainstream daily in Nebraska.”

Although she was initially hesitant about attending the workshop, Curley said she left feeling she made the right choice.

Ethan J. Brisby of Bryan, Texas, also found the workshop helpful. He said he learned tips he hopes to incorporate into his work on the Texas A&M campus newspaper and weekly radio show.

Brisby said he now understands the importance of tackling – not avoiding – tough issues in the black community, and has learned how to “provide a learning opportunity even if you’re being critical.”

He also walked away with knowledge of how to report news that may not be first-day when his radio show airs. Brisby wants to deliver the stories in a way that will be continually helpful to his audience, even if they’ve previously read about the subject.

The Black Press Day activities concluded with the viewing of Stanley Nelson’s, “Soldiers Without Swords,” a historical film depicting the evolution of the black press in America.

Talk show host ‘Jazzed’ about health

Danielle Wilson
Monitor Staff Writer

In today’s fast-paced newsrooms, eating and exercising properly frequently fall by the wayside, but Los Angeles National Public Radio talk show host and author, Farai Chideya, is confident it can change.

The substitute host of “News & Notes with Ed Gordon,” said she’s always battled with her weight.

But since March, she has lost 20 pounds after issuing a challenge to her listeners to join her in a program to exercise and eat healthily. Now, she’s bringing the program to NABJ with a morning workout beginning Thursday at 6:30 a.m.

“I’m getting older and my knees are beginning to complain,” said Chideya, a self-described workaholic. “There are weight problems in my family and I don’t want to have (health) problems later in life.”

Chideya, 37, wants to encourage convention goers to invest in their health as much as they focus on their careers. Chideya encourages NABJ members to come to the workout sessions and get “jazzed” about being healthy.

During the workout session, Chideya also will talk about emotional, spiritual and mental health.

“I’ve got really good house music,” she said, hoping participants will focus on the beat of the music – not the fact that they’re exercising.

“If they do come, they will have fun,” Chideya added.