The PD is racist?

[Buckeye12]

Maybe I missed it, but I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, the Plain Dealer had a black sports columnist who left less than 6 months ago, Roger Brown. I believe he was their TV/media sports columnist.

 

[nafselon]

Well at least Hill covered a major beat when she was at the Freep. I am not sure about Brewer

Brew covered the Eagles while he was at the Inquirer

And he covered the Magic in Orlando for two years before getting a columnist slot.

 

[tapintoamerica]

I'm not sure what "dues" Rick Maese paid, but I'm not sure he has to keep an exact accounting of them, either. The guy's very good. His opinions are responsible and well stated. As far as I can tell, he has nothing to apologize for.
Generally speaking, I know this much: If you wish to castigate the hiring of established white male journalists, don't blame the white male applicants. What are they supposed to do? Step aside and let somebody else take the cash, thereby declining an opportunity to pay college tuition or parents' long-term care or whatever financial necessitites await them? Must they abdicate family responsibility in the name of satisfying others whom they have never met? I think not.
As things currently stand in this industry, the problem is not racism; it is corporate greed, which results in hiring freezes at best and firings at worst. You cannot attain diversity when you whack positions. OK, you theoretically can, but the only way to do it is to fire people based on race and gender, and I suspect litigation might result from such decisions.

 

[slappy4428]

I'm not sure what "dues" Rick Maese paid, but I'm not sure he has to keep an exact accounting of them, either. The guy's very good. His opinions are responsible and well stated. As far as I can tell, he has nothing to apologize for.
Generally speaking, I know this much: If you wish to castigate the hiring of established white male journalists, don't blame the white male applicants. What are they supposed to do? Step aside and let somebody else take the cash, thereby declining an opportunity to pay college tuition or parents' long-term care or whatever financial necessitites await them?

Well said...

 

[Joe Williams]

But does anyone definitely know: The guy who sued, was he right or wrong about past PD sports hires? At least at the time.

From: Richard Prince's Journal-isms
Posted September 10, 2003

[Plain Dealer editor Doug] Clifton, who came to Cleveland in 1999 after being executive editor of the Miami Herald for eight years, said that Gitlin's figures about the Plain Dealer's hires are correct -- "It does reflect an interest in having a diverse workforce" -- but he notes that some of those hires have left for other papers.


The figures he refers to are Gitlin's assertion that as of 2003, the PD had not hired a full-time white male sportswriter from outside the staff since 1989, and that of the last 10 hires made, only one -- columnist Bud Shaw -- was a white male.


http://www.maynardije.org/columns/dickprince/030910_prince/

Thanks, Joe King.
Unless the PD made it a point to make minority hires unhappy enough to leave soon after they arrived, as a way of creating openings to fill with more minority hires and artificially look like an enlightened employer, it would seem that the paper -- or at least the sports department -- was doing its share. If they were excluding white males from the hiring process (such an admirable goal!), what more could anyone ask?

 

[dcdream]

This has been a great discussion...

This will be my final point on this issue.

The many black sports reporters who I encounter and I know a lot of them. The universal theme is that the path to getting a column is through years of beat work.

I like Rick's work in Orlando and Baltimore. If there are exceptions made for him, there should be exceptions made for all. That's all.

I'm not sure what "dues" Rick Maese paid, but I'm not sure he has to keep an exact accounting of them, either. The guy's very good. His opinions are responsible and well stated. As far as I can tell, he has nothing to apologize for.
Generally speaking, I know this much: If you wish to castigate the hiring of established white male journalists, don't blame the white male applicants. What are they supposed to do? Step aside and let somebody else take the cash, thereby declining an opportunity to pay college tuition or parents' long-term care or whatever financial necessitites await them?

Well said...

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Express has it right under normal circumstances. Taking the best columnist in the state is a must hire. You hurt the competition.

The problem is this. The P-D already had two middle aged, white males.. Now you add a third. Where is the different viewpoint. Second, if the P-D had taken care of its minority hires in the first place, you would not have to worry about groups such as NABJ coming down hard on this choice.

Quite simple, if the P-D had a record of hiring black sports columnists, then it would get a pass.

If Pluto is a must-hire. Why can't a minority voice be a MUST hire.

Consider Cleveland is 53 percent black. Consider the city's top players:

Cavs: LeBron and a team full of black players.
Indians: CC Sabathia, lots of minorities.
Browns: Lots of black players.

While I agree that Pluto was a must hire...I believe having more diverse voices is MUST and can't not be ignored.

As long as you know how to write at a top caliber.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

They hired the best columnist in the state...

What's the problem?

 

[dcdream]

Mizzou did you read the previous post on this issue.

I agree he is the best columnist in the state. If I were in PD shoes I would do the same thing, however, I would have also added another kind of voice and make two hires.

That is because in my estimation, you have three similiar experiences in 3 mid-50s white guys as columnists.

The problem is that the P-D didnt even post the job for competition.

The PD says it will make up for the Pluto hire with diversity elsewhere in the paper.

I don't understand the logic there, but we will see.

They hired the best columnist in the state...

What's the problem?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I don't know too many papers right now that can make two hires when they have one opening...

For all I know, the complaints about not having a minority voice at the Plain Dealer are legit... But that has nothing to do with the hiring of Terry Pluto...

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Mizzou did you read the previous post on this issue.

I agree he is the best columnist in the state. If I were in PD shoes I would do the same thing, however, I would have also added another kind of voice and make two hires.

That is because in my estimation, you have three similiar experiences in 3 mid-50s white guys as columnists.

The problem is that the P-D didnt even post the job for competition.

The PD says it will make up for the Pluto hire with diversity elsewhere in the paper.

I don't understand the logic there, but we will see.

You don't understand the logic?

Come ON.

 

[JayFarrar]

Part of me wants to say who gives a F about having a black voice at the paper. Just because you have three white guys about the same age that doesn't mean that they all have similar experiences.
A perfect example of this is in my town. The most popular DJ at the most popular hip-hop station is, wait for it, a white guy.
He knows the black community, better than the black community. He got married to the daughter of a civil rights pioneer, who is black, and the paper made a big deal of their wedding.
That's when many in town found out he was white.
People didn't know how to react.
But based on the reaction to the Pluto hiring, that radio station should have hired a black guy and not the best talent available at the time.
What a stupid model for business and for the community. Why put your outlet in the postion of not putting out the best possible product in the name of diversity? Not only does it hurt the final product, it makes it less essential to the community, and that further hurts the product.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Have we talked about Madden's covers...?

 

[Joe Williams]

Part of me wants to say who gives a F about having a black voice at the paper. Just because you have three white guys about the same age that doesn't mean that they all have similar experiences.
A perfect example of this is in my town. The most popular DJ at the most popular hip-hop station is, wait for it, a white guy.
He knows the black community, better than the black community. He got married to the daughter of a civil rights pioneer, who is black, and the paper made a big deal of their wedding.
That's when many in town found out he was white.
People didn't know how to react.
But based on the reaction to the Pluto hiring, that radio station should have hired a black guy and not the best talent available at the time.
What a stupid model for business and for the community. Why put your outlet in the postion of not putting out the best possible product in the name of diversity? Not only does it hurt the final product, it makes it less essential to the community, and that further hurts the product.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Prepare to get obliterated.

 

[JayFarrar]

The truth shall set me free

 

[SF_Express]

Jay, sorry, but if you can't see the benefit of diverse voices writing for a newspaper that has a very diverse readership, there's really no place for the discussion to begin.

Diversity IS about putting out the best possible product for your community, your "white-guy-who-knows-the-black-community" example not withstanding.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Jay, sorry, but if you can't see the benefit of diverse voices writing for a newspaper that has a very diverse readership, there's really no place for the discussion to begin.

Diversity IS about putting out the best possible product for your community, your "white-guy-who-knows-the-black-community" example not withstanding.

What is the audience of a newspaper that is minority and can read the English paper.

10 percent?

 

[thegrifter]

He're a thought. We keep hearing about how newspaper's are dying. Then we hear about how there isn't much diversity in the newsroom.
Hmmm. Maybe there's a correlation?
Edit: Yep, it's a huge leap. but think about it.

 

[markvid]

Jay, sorry, but if you can't see the benefit of diverse voices writing for a newspaper that has a very diverse readership, there's really no place for the discussion to begin.

Diversity IS about putting out the best possible product for your community, your "white-guy-who-knows-the-black-community" example not withstanding.

What is the audience of a newspaper that is minority and can read the English paper.

10 percent?

Ask Miss Teen South Carolina.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

He're a thought. We keep hearing about how newspaper's are dying. Then we hear about how there isn't much diversity in the newsroom.
Hmmm. Maybe there's a correlation?
Edit: Yep, it's a huge leap. but think about it.

Papers started dying when they actively started serving dozens of masters, about 15 years ago.