THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410290250
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIA MORGAN ALLEN, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
She says her mission is to tell the whole American story. And to tell that story, she says, one must study the institution of life in this country.
That was just one of Dorothy Gilliam's goals in pushing for diversity in newsrooms - the topic at a noon luncheon at Norfolk State's 10th annual Communications Conference.
Addressing a roomful of journalism and communications hopefuls, Gilliam, president of the National Association of Black Journalists, stressed the importance of excellence in the craft of journalism.
She urged students to develop good communication skills and to be broad and knowledgeable in their reading.
``I still believe the work of a journalist is the most important work in the nation,'' said Gilliam, who has won numerous awards and accolades, including the Ann O'Hare McCormick Award and, this past summer, the Unity Award in Journalism from Lincoln University in Missouri.
Gilliam said the media teach most people fallacies about themselves and others.
``It is not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It is half the story and the only story most Americans know.''
Twenty-seven years ago, Gilliam said, the Kerner Commission on civil disorder reported that newspapers and broadcast media were part of the race-relation problem in America.
``There has never been a public commission that put that kind of spotlight on the media to say that you are a part of the problem,'' Gilliam said.
The emphasis of the report, she said, was that the press ignored communities of color. Though some people might think that 27 years was far from their era, Gilliam reminded them about the coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. That coverage, she said, reflected the same racial stereotypes.
``To all those people who say we've made a lot of progress, I say we still have a long way to go.''
In response to the charge from the Kerner Commission, Gilliam said, many groups got involved in bringing more minorities into the newsroom. Those groups included the National Association of Black Journalists, created in 1975, and the Institute for Journalism Education, now called the Maynard Institute, established in 1976.
In addition, many historically black colleges, like Norfolk State and Howard University, developed journalism programs to train more black journalists.
``Newspapers are supposed to mirror back to the society what the society is all about. When you read the newspaper, you should have reflected back to you something that is relevant of who you are, something that is a reflection of you,'' Gilliam said.
In an earlier session Friday, Andrew Alexander of Cox News Service said, ``Newsrooms have come to realize that we need diversity. There is a challenge of moving people of color in positions where they can be role models.''
Gilliam also touched on the recent controversy related to the genetic makeup and intelligence of blacks as portrayed in a book, ``The Bell Curve.''
``Why this obsession and so little willingness to look at other subjects?'' Gilliam asked. by CNB