It appears that non-white people at The University of Memphisare disappearing as quickly as the non-believers in the popularLeft Behind book series. That is the conclusion to which readersare driven by reading The Helmsman lately.
Last week, the Student Activities Council sponsored a 'Why DoYou Hate Me Week."Events included an appearance by Ilyasah Shabazz(the daughter of the late Malcolm X) and comedians from Bangladesh,Jamaica and Mexico.
That same week, former South African President F.W. de Klerk,PBS host and anchor Tony Brown and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper madeappearances at campus events. Please note that Brown, Shabazz andthe comedians are people of color.
I raise two issues of journalistic judgment. First, of theaforementioned group, Cooper and de Klerk are the only whitepersonalities, and only they were deemed worthy of ink in follow-upstories by the paper's staff. Not a word can be found in TheHelmsman of the appearances of the others. In fact, Cooper was thesubject of both an advance and a follow-up story. Second, whileCooper is recognized for his 5-month-old CNN program, Brown hashosted a nightly PBS program for more than 30 years and hasauthored many books. Despite that, Cooper's appearance receivedfront-page treatment, and Brown's was ignored.
Where were the editors and advising faculty members when thesedecisions were being made? Diversity, by the way, means more thanhaving the right mix of staff. It also means the kind of diversityin coverage which seems to be lacking at The Helmsman. If I amoff-the-mark, enlighten me.
Please understand that I am not some young, brash, Afro-centricstudent.I'm an old (58), outspoken undergraduate in the broadcastjournalism curriculum who has also spent more than 20 years in thejournalism business.
I can only use three words to describe The Helmsman's actions.Shame, shame, shame.
Lou Paris
Junior, Broadcast Journalism
