As Television punditry, especially on the Sunday morning talk shows, becomes an increasingly potent force in the shaping public opinion and public policy, there needs to be more black faces and more black voices included in the mix, according to a report by the
National Urban League to be released tomorrow.
According the NUL's State of Black America report, "Sunday morning talk shows are more than a mere source of news; they are a crucial staple in the public discussion, understanding and interpretation of politics and government and other public policy issues in the United States."
In what the report refers to as "Sunday Morning Aparthied," three black people -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, her predecessor Colin Powell and Fox News analyst Juan Willams -- account for 65 percent of all the appearances by blacks on Sunday morning television.
In recommendations that call on the television networks, both cable and broadcasts, to diversify their analyst talent pool the Urban League says: "Each Sunday morning, these programs frame the perception and coverage of issues that have substantial impact on the American public. Yet, with few exceptions, week after week, they continue to present audiences with virtually all-white panels to deconstruct the issues of the day, even after being put on notice that the problem exists, leaving the impression that interest in and analysis of these topics are 'for whites only.'"
In one telling example, the report refers to the 2002 incident in which then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott seemed to praise Sen. Strom Thurmond's segregationist past. The remarks generated little or no news with only The Washington Post and ABC News running short items.
"However, the following Sunday, the Meet The Press roundtable discussion took up the incident," notes the report, "The next day virtually every major newspaper and television network reported the story. Within a week, the story had excalated to the point where Sen. Lott was forced to resign his leadership position."
The paucity of black voices and faces on the Sunday shows is a disservice to African Americans, the report claims, since about two-thirds of blacks say they get their news about government and politics from the mainstream media. "Yet when they turn to the main staple of news and analysis of issues of importance to them -- the Sunday morning talk shows -- politicians, journalists and viewers of all races are presented with a virtually all-white tableau," the authors say.
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