Mike Soraghan, The Hill (Washington, D.C.), June 15, 2009
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) say there is a lack of diversity on the Sunday political talk shows.
The CBC is more powerful than ever. Its members are chairmen of four congressional committees, and a former CBC member is now in the White House. CBC contends that more minorities should be invited to appear on the influential shows.
“I’m not pleased at all with the diversity issue as it relates to talk shows,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said in an interview with The Hill. “We have, what, 17 subcommittee chairs and four full-committee chairmen? These members are brilliant; they know their stuff. They’re powerful and they should be part of the Sunday morning talk shows.”
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), secretary of the CBC, calls himself a “fan” of the Sunday shows, but said he’d like to see change.
“The morning talk shows need to increase the number of African-Americans,” Butterfield said. “Not only for diversity, but it would also be good for the ratings.”
The comments come three years after a study found a striking lack of black participants on the shows. The original study was completed before Democrats took over Congress in the 2006 elections, which put many more black and Hispanic lawmakers into positions of power.
{snip}
The criticism comes as racial issues play an increasingly prominent role in Washington politics, with the first black president, the first Latina Supreme Court nominee and immigration reform on the national agenda.
The CBC’s statements are echoed by the original authors of the study at the National Urban League Policy Institute.
“We’ve seen incremental change,” said Stephanie Jones, the institute’s executive director. “They’re not where they need to be.” Jones’s institute found that black guests made up only 8 percent of the total appearances on the shows. The institute is in the midst of updating its study.
Titled “Sunday Morning Apartheid,” the 2006 report analyzed ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” CBS’s “Face the Nation,” CNN’s “Late Edition,” “Fox News Sunday” and NBC’s “Meet the Press” from Jan. 1, 2004 through Dec. 31, 2005.
Despite its conservative-leaning reputation, Jones noted that “Fox News Sunday” delivered much of the diversity, noting that National Public Radio’s (NPR) Juan Williams is a regular guest.
“There’s at least one show every Sunday where you’re almost guaranteed to see an African-American panelist,” said a Fox News source.
{snip}
Other African-Americans who have been on “Meet the Press” this year include Tavis Smiley of PBS, former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.), Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson and NPR’s Michele Norris.
Jones said she found it especially galling when conservatives blamed much of the economic meltdown on policies intended to help minorities get home loans, and there seemed to be no minorities rebutting the charges on screen. It prompted Jones to fire off a letter to the network presidents last October.
“It is unlikely that this and other such irresponsible comments would go unanswered if there were more diversity in your political and policy discussions,” Jones wrote at the time.
Roll Call tracks lawmakers’ appearances. The CBC member with the most appearances this year is Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), with two. The only other CBC member on the list is House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who appeared once on “Fox News Sunday.” No Hispanic members are on the list.
This past weekend, not one minority lawmaker appeared on the Sunday shows. All seven of those who appeared are white and six are male. A majority of the Congress is composed of white males.
{snip}
Eric Deggans, the TV media/critic for the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, doubts Butterfield’s claim that inviting more minorities would lead to better ratings.
“Those shows’ audiences are those shows’ audiences,” he said.
Deggans, who often appears on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” said it’s an issue of journalistic quality. Especially on racially charged issues, viewers don’t get a full picture when all the guests are white, he said.
“The Sunday after [Supreme Court justice nominee] Sonia Sotomayor was announced, I didn’t see any Hispanics on. There may have been one or two, but I didn’t see them,” Deggans said. “There’s a whole side of the issue you don’t get.”
But even if its members aren’t well-represented on Sunday talk shows, the CBC is well-represented in the corridors of power, at least on the House side. And they have a distinct take on the big agenda items for the year, including healthcare reform.
{snip}
Original article
(Posted on June 16, 2009)
Comments
It is denigrating to the cause of worthy African-Americans that they have to be mixed with unworthy African-Americans who are slotted just for the sake of diversity. There was a time that if you saw someone commentating on TV that they really knew their stuff, but now that every panel on the 24-hour a day news channels has a black on it, it is known that some of those people are selected for the color of their skin and no other reason.
This is how affirmative action poisons professionalism among black people. Nowadays everyone assumes that blacks in professional jobs are less worthy than white professionals because so many were chosen for affirmative action reasons.
I also don’t think the argument about TV ratings can be taken seriously. Black people as a group watch TV less than white people, and they watch Sunday morning news shows a whole lot less.
I am so tired of seeing 13.5% of the population represented on television as if they represent the majority of Americans. Many if not most white and other (non black) Americans could not care less about what blacks are doing, we go to another channel just to avoid being subjected to their overpopulated representation on the airwaves and in other areas of the media.
Aren’t they supposed to be color blind? Or is that only required of whites?
I read an article that discussed the fact that blacks, even though they are 15% of the population of the U.S.A., see themselves portrayed on television 70% of the time. Believe it or not, the writer of the article felt that blacks should see themselves portrayed even more.
“Titled “Sunday Morning Apartheid,” the 2006 report analyzed “
HAHA. What isn’t apartheid these days?
http://hbdbooks.com
“I’m not pleased at all with the diversity issue as it relates to talk shows,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said in an interview with The Hill. “We have, what, 17 subcommittee chairs and four full-committee chairmen? These members are brilliant; they know their stuff. They’re powerful and they should be part of the Sunday morning talk shows.”
“I’m not pleased at all with the lack of diversity diversity issue as it relates to the Congressional Black Cacus,” American Patriot Joe wrote on Amren. “They have, what, subcommittee chairs and full-committee chairmen? These white European-American members are brilliant; they know their stuff. They’re powerful and they should be part of the Black Congressional Cacus.”
The reason they don’t have many Blacks on these cerebral talk shows is because the Blacks would be an embarrassment, and the White talking heads know it. How many times can they have Cornel West or one of the other few intelligent, articulate Blacks on?
Since I don’t watch any of these shows I won’t have to boycott them if they cave in. I will say that blacks have their own network (BET) or I call it (NTV). Do they have these kind of shows? If not, can’t they just create one without all the usual fussing and whining about Whitey keeping them down? If they feature any Sunday talk shows you can guarantee there are few if any White guests or if there aren’t any Sunday talk shows it’s because blacks aren’t interested in watching them.
The claim is that white people mess everything up and when things get really bad, they (white folk) give the job to a black man and blame the black man for the failure.
The truth is that on a great many social issues, especially in liberal, democratic districts, blacks and liberals have constantly pushed their liberal black agenda. The reason so many liberal democrat districts are beyond repair is because they are the sum total of black, liberal, democrat demands they they insisted be enacted but ultimately failed.
When things get really bad, blacks insist they need to be in control because only they know what the real problems are and only they know the real solutions. So whites elect blacks because blacks want these elected positions.
It’s a downward spiral.
Only when we have a White Entertainment Television network that regularly features “comedians” who make racist remarks about blacks will we have achieved parity with blacks on the airwaves.
(Not that I’m recommending we stoop that low. Let the blacks stupefy their brains with television. I have better things to do.)
2 — T Rexx wrote at 6:53 PM on June 16:
I agree wholeheartedly, Rexx. Too, I believe their representation in the population dropped down to a little over 12% because of the huge inflow of mestizos and other third worlders, so we’re talking about their being only about 1 in 8 people in the US.
The people in power and solid positions want to appease them as much as possible to keep them from rioting and jeopardizing them in any way, so they’re willing to push to get 3 blacks out of 7 or 8 people on a T.V. show.
When it gets right down to the brass tacks, those in this society who are the most apt to cause violence are the ones that are treated the best.
Such is the way of Empires.
Looks like CNN is out to put as many blacks as possible on their shows. They even went so far as to give Roland Martin his own show.
If you want a good laugh, watch him and listen to his brilliance a time or two.
He’s supposed to be a lawyer also. He’s undoubtedly proof positive that everything from entrance favoritism in college, to grading, to the bar exams, is the only way 99% of blacks can be qualified.
Yup, quotas above quality, if you can even call the shows in question “quality”.
I’ve noticed almost every one of those panels now has a black, rendering the shows unwatchable, for me at least.
Black politicians have plenty of opportunities to be on the Sunday morning gab shows. The only problem is that they would have to get up early on a Sunday morning; being as early Sunday morning is after Saturday night, that’s the deal-breaker.
For the sake of fairness and diversity, they will need to move the Sunday morning shows to the afternoon.
Generally speaking, blacks do not have the same interests as whites. We have black helpers coming in on a daily basis to help an aged, infirm parent. They don’t watch news shows. They watch emotional tripe like Dr. Phil and idiotic drama like the Hallmark series. A serious discussion of current affairs seems to be beyond their ken. Putting more blacks on these morning news shows will only send their ratings down further, in my judgement. Of course, that is to be desired, as these shows only express the opinions of an insular media class who have sharply circumscribed what is and what is not proper to discuss. The internet, on the other hand, is wide open and intelligent people are moving there in droves.
” How many times can they have Cornel West or one of the other few intelligent, articulate Blacks on?”
You’re joking I hope?
http://hbdbooks.com
Blacks might watch these shows only if they were put in cartoon format
I have to guestion Cornel West’s intelligence. I have heard him speak numerous times on c-span and other shows. He rambles on with nothing but a lot of psychbabble, much of it making no sense at all. Even the liberal New Republic magazine, after reviewing his books, said they were unreadable.
I walked into a department store today and almost half of the mannequins were of “people of color” and this in Portland, which is some 80% white. I’ve pointed out, to bank tellers, that whites are underrepresented amongst models in their posters. They look at me like I must be crazy to even point out such a thing. Where is the “White Congressional Caucus” to make sure whites are equally represented?
Also, instead of worrying about blacks in talk shows, why don’t they worry about blacks in crime, where they are grossly overrepresented? As usual, politicians make me sick. Even more so black politicians, who see everything through black-tinted glasses.
When you watch these shows keep in mind you are getting large amounts of indoctrination. Make an effort to get the white side of the news as well. It will take an effort too because watching the MSM is so easy and the production is very slick and polished.
Also don’t be fooled into thinking these talk shows are giving a range of opinions because there are several guests. Each one only gets a few minutes to talk so it looks like we are getting a diversity of opinion. If each guest were allowed to talk for a few hours they would mostly repeat the same party line.
This shouldn’t be an issue with us. We shouldn’t be watching TV anyway. Why watch something that is spouting anti-White hatred. Get rid of the TV sets.
Tom Iron…
Having more Blacks on the show might boost ratings… but assuredly will lose viewers. I can’t be bothered watching if a Black is running off at the mouth. Just like I hit the MUTE button when those utterly ridiculous TV commercials are run… commercials implying you either have a Black as your very best friend… or you’re not “with it.”
But that’s the beauty of freedom of choice. I am selective in whom I want as friends… just as I am selective of what I’ll watch or listen to.
Gee, blacks aren’t on these shows? I would have never known if the CBC hadn’t mentioned it, now would you? Every channel I turn to is over-represented with blacks. Just look at the coverage Obama alone, gets daily. You would think America was an extension of Africa just by watching TV…
“….Black people as a group watch TV less than white people….”
Sorry, this is not true.
Blacks watch far more TV than Whites. According to black columnist Larry Elder:
“…Studies show that black households watch twice as much TV as do white households, with black children watching substantially more television than white kids. If television is so devoid of positive images, why do blacks watch so darn much of it?….”
http://tinyurl.com/nsa8od
This is one of the reasons often cited for black school failure, along with White racism (never low IQ).
From the article:
“…Especially on racially charged issues, viewers don’t get a full picture when all the guests are white, he said….”
As blacks and every other non-White are allowed to freely denigrate and denounce Whites, there will be no ‘full picture’ as Whites are not be allowed to refute anything blacks say or speak up about monstrous black-on-White crime rates, entitlement-draining, drunken driving hispanics, differing rates of group IQ, job stealing H-1B visa holders, Section 8 Third World dregs forced into White neighborhoods to tear them apart.
I’ve heard enough rants about evil Whites from Waters and Rangel to last a lifetime, why would I tune in to a show that gives non-Whites yet one more forum to openly screech about White racism’ and debase Whites without refute?
Would these networks feature segments with Dr. Williams, Dr. Sowell, or Larry Elder? Would they allow a rebuttal from Jared Taylor (without him being shouted down or called a Nazi, which blacks consider ‘winning’ a debate)? Would a White be allowed to point out overt anti-White bias in the msm?
How many White guests are on BET’s political talk shows? Are there any? And if not, why not? Are Whites allowed to refute anything said on BET? How about blacks starting their own political talk shows on their own networks—hispanics as well as they have around 26 Spanish-language channels here in LA. I’m sure race realist Whites would be welcome to openly present their views.
Bon
Cornell West is a babbling idiot. Genrally speaking the MSM is thoroughly hostile to Native Born White Americans. Millions of Native Born White Americans should turn the tv off and log on to American Renassaince.
I agree with Tom Iron, “we shouldn’t be watching t.v anyway”.I haven’t watched it in over a year. My mind feels so much healthier. In fact, I’m thinking of making a bumper sticker that says, “Throw Out Your T.V. Set!”
Also, anytime I’ve watched blacks participate in a discussion, besides being intellectually inept next the their White counterparts, their style of debating is to talk incessantly and loud, which is not in keeping with the low key manner these Sunday morning shows like to convey.
Blacks under-represented in Sunday morning talk television?
One would infer from their numbers in that medium that the US was at least 25% black-African. And not just there. Television and print advertising implies not only that blacks are perhaps a third of the population but that they’re upper middle-class and possessed of impeccable taste and housekeeping habits (no doubt they all have Mexican maids and gardners).
The most truly incongruous element in this picture is that in TV
There’s a reason there’s so many Blacks on TV. look up a 15yo article in Forbes on marketing to Blacks and you’ll find the reason.
Research found that Blacks will buy just about anything advertised on TV . That’s a given, From Miss Cleo readings to $5 sugar water disguised as Sports drinks.. They will buy anything on TV
The problem was back in the day .. there was no TV with Blacks . MTV was all white, and you had the occasional half hour comedy, Blacks didnt watch TV.
So that was the challenge , get em to watch TV ,, So there was an explosion of Blacks , on every show. Advertisers insist that the shows producers have a Black draw,
Never forget , This is America , And the business of America is making $, Every other reason that you have read or imagined why there’s so many Blacks on TV is wrong ,, They want them watching TV , Beacause they will buy anything thats on TV
2 — T Rexx wrote at 6:53 PM on June 16:
T Rexx,
Anonymous poster wrote:
First, I absolutely refuse to believe that they represent only 13.5% of the population. I’ve been hearing that figure for at least two decades.
I’m with you. Blacks dominate almost every major urban area in the country. Since urban areas are a high percentage of the country’s population, they have to be more than 13.5% of the American population. I’d guess at least 16, maybe as high as 20.
Because of their transiency, as a generality, blacks are very hard to get an accurate count of in a census. That and since so many have warrants out for their arrest, they are loath to answer census forms or talk to census workers, in fear of that being a paper trail to their eventual arrest. (As a matter of fact, census workers don’t have the authority to be such “bounty hunters.”)
There have been proposals to use proven statistical methods to arrive at a more honest count of the black population, but conservatives oppose. I don’t, because I think white people would wake up if the truth hits them in the face about how non-white their country has become. Then again, 43% of whites voted for a black head of state last year, so I might be wrong. Also, having more blacks means more gerrymandered districts, which makes it harder for white liberals to win in white districts.
It might be true that Blacks are undercounted. When I took the test to be a census worker, there were no Blacks in the room. I don’t think that many of us are really going to go poking around the ghettos to find out where everyone is.
Posters 17, 19, and 27 all say that Cornel West is neither articulate nor intelligent. Maybe I got my names mixed. Sorry.
The reason they don’t have many Blacks on these cerebral talk shows is because the Blacks would be an embarrassment, and the White talking heads know it.
True, I flip channels when Bill Oreilly has that fool black professor on for a segment.
I hardly watch television anymore. I just watch some news (all sides) some political shows (all sides) and old movies. The rest of the time I do something else much more enjoyable. Minorities, especially blacks are the audience. Well, some young Whites too, but I think any of them with worthwhile lives are like I was - I hardly had any time for television when I was 20-35. There were a million other better things to be doing.
Hey, you want to boost ratings? Put Jared Taylor on.
35 — SKIP wrote at 10:40 PM on June 17:
“True, I flip channels when Bill Oreilly has that fool black professor on for a segment”
Is that the “Professor” from Temple University? He is pathetic. Temple U. isn’t what it used to be.
Affirmative action will destroy TV news just like it destroyed our manufacturing base. I’ve noticed over the past few years alot of shows being filmed in Canada and lately alot of European television has made it’s way into the country. I’m not complaining either. I’d rather listen to a person with a Scottish accent than than some brutha on the “fly” or sista twang. We can only hope these news shows end up being outsourced.
“Black people as a group watch TV less than white people, and they watch Sunday morning news shows a whole lot less.”
I’m surprised you think that. For quite a while, and especially in recent years, blacks are well known to watch much MORE tv than whites. I don’t know that stats,but they watche significantly more tv.
