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The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ) and The Philadelphia Inquirer are excited to announce a new partnership to help drive diversity, equity, and inclusion within The Philadelphia Inquirer and beyond.
PABJ President Ernest Owens met with Philadelphia Inquirer CEO and Publisher Lisa Hughes, Editor and Senior Vice President Gabriel Escobar, and Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Jameel Rush to discuss shared goals and initiatives that will help The Inquirer create more opportunities for Black and other journalists of color and drive stronger connection to the Philadelphia community. Commitments made include creating a new apprenticeship program for early-career Black and brown journalists at The Inquirer, a partnership around a new Community Advisory Council for The Inquirer, and continued dialogue on upcoming DEI programs and initiatives that the organizations will work together to achieve. The partnership is one of several initiatives The Inquirer, PABJ, and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism have taken recently to expedite progress toward DEI goals in the Philadelphia media ecosystem. “PABJ has been an advocate for equity and representation in newsrooms since its founding in 1973 by the legendary Acel Moore,” said Lisa Hughes, Inquirer publisher and CEO. “We are delighted to work with PABJ on initiatives that will have a significant impact on our staff and on the journalism we produce.” “The Philadelphia Inquirer has been our city’s paper of record for decades and this groundbreaking partnership with them is in honor of the legacy of our PABJ founders and previous leaders who’ve wanted this to happen,” said Ernest Owens, PABJ President. “We look forward to enacting immediate change and strengthening DEI efforts across the Greater Philadelphia area.” While this partnership will be the first of many between the organizations, meetings will begin this month to finalize the design and implementation schedule of the programs mentioned above. About The Philadelphia Inquirer Since 1829, The Philadelphia Inquirer has been “asking on behalf of the people” by providing essential journalism for the diverse communities of the Philadelphia region. The Inquirer, a for-profit public benefit corporation owned by the non-profit Lenfest Institute, produces Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism that changes lives and leads to lasting reforms. Its multiple brand platforms — including newspapers, Inquirer.com, e-Editions, apps, newsletters, and live events — reach a growing audience of more than 10 million people a month. “In a free state, there should always be an inquirer asking on behalf of the people.” — John Norvell, Inquirer co-founder About the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists Founded in 1973, PABJ is the nation’s oldest professional association of Black journalists. With over 200 active members, we are also one of the largest & the founding chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. This rich history & size allows us to serve as advocates for newsroom diversity and fair coverage of communities of color. We serve this mission through our awards programs, training institutes and signature community programs like our renowned Media Access Workshop. In 2019, PABJ launched a first-of-its-kind residency at Pipeline Philly, a co-working space next to City Hall. It is the cornerstone of PABJ’s new focus on supporting Black content creators & media entrepreneurs. Beyond newsroom diversity, our communities benefit best when we own the stories that get told and shared about us.
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PHILADELPHIA (March 9, 2021) – The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists is proud to announce a brand new website and online donor/membership database thanks to a generous grant from Flipcause, Inc, a renowned tech company that specializes in creating digital platforms for small nonprofits.
In February, PABJ won a Black Lives Matter Service Credit Grant from Flipcause that empowered the organization to revamp its digital platforms. Effective immediately, thepabj.org is the one-stop shop for all things PABJ online -- general updates, memberships, events, opportunities to donate, and more can all be found on the stylishly designed website. The new website also allows PABJ the option to launch an online shopping portal, a volunteer sign-up section, and other convenient features that can be implemented for future endeavors. As a part of the sponsorship, Flipcause redesigned PABJ’s entire website and will maintain its back-end maintenance and troubleshooting for the organization, free of charge, for the next eight and a half years. After that, the organization will be granted an already-negotiated reduced annual rate to sustain the website in the future. Another major competent to thepabj.org is that PABJ will now have the ability to maintain a strong membership and donor database that will increase its general outreach efforts. The public can now easily donate to supporting the 501(c)3 efforts of the organization more comprehensively than ever before. Effective immediately, non-journalists/media professionals can now sign up to become a “Friend of PABJ,” which allows them to make an annual contribution to the organization that will help advance newsroom diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Greater Philadelphia area. "PABJ is extremely grateful for the generous grant and partnership from Flipcause at a time when the organization is rapidly evolving,” says Ernest Owens, PABJ President. “This innovative expansion will do more than just revamp PABJ’s online presence, but will give us the needed tools to increase our fiscal and membership outreach -- components that will ensure our efforts to become the most effective Black journalism advocacy group in the nation.” To see the new and improved PABJ website, check out thepabj.org right now. CONTACT:
Ernest Owens PABJ President [email protected] PABJ Statement on Unprecedented Partnership with CBS3 Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA (March 4, 2021) – The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and CBS3 Philadelphia have forged a new and unprecedented partnership following the recent allegations of racial discrimination from national corporate executives at the company. Throughout February, PABJ President Ernest Owens and PABJ Vice President of Broadcast Charlene Horne met with CBS3 President and General Manager Brandin Stewart and Vice President and News Director John Wilson on initiatives that will advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the CBS3 Eyewitness News station. The breakthrough partnership includes expanded recruitment opportunities, future job fairs, and a paid apprentice program starting this summer. This partnership will mark the beginning of many new efforts between PABJ and CBS3. “PABJ is pleased to work with CBS3 on this unprecedented partnership that will make newsroom diversity, equity and inclusion more than just an idea, but an immediate action,” says Ernest Owens, PABJ President. “The commitments made by CBS3 in this partnership are rooted in sustainable and intentional practices that will make a positive impact in the Greater Philadelphia community for many years to come.” CBS Philadelphia will also be expanding their continued work with other community organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area. CBS3 expects to announce its plans for rolling out new community service initiatives in the near future. Signed, Ernest Owens PABJ President
 PHILADELPHIA (February 12, 2021) – The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ) joins the community in expressing public disappointment and dismay of the latest findings of a Diversity & Inclusion Audit at The Philadelphia Inquirer. The report, written by Temple University’s Klein College of Media & Communication under the leadership of the late former NABJ President Bryan Monroe and Andrea Wenzel, reveals biased employment and editorial practices as it pertains to race. Some of the most disheartening revelations from the 118-page report found that only 26.4% of Black people are covered in all Inquirer stories (compared to 58.8% of white people), with 53% of those stories being about sports. The audit also revealed that only 13.6% of Inquirer staff is Black (compared to 77.3% white), with co-chairs of the audit stating that “the Inquirer tends to cover white people the most” and “white reporters tend to write about white people even more.”
“The results of this audit isn’t a surprise, but a confirmation of the ongoing institutional racism at the largest print publication in Philadelphia,” said PABJ President Ernest Owens. “The Philadelphia Inquirer must engage with Black and brown media affinity groups immediately. It also needs to implement a diversity action plan that’s more transparent and equitable than their current failed efforts.” PABJ stands in solidarity with Black staffers who have had to deal with the hardship of facing racial hardship and dealing with such unnecessary controversies in their own newsrooms. PABJ was not involved with the audit in any way, and is calling on more than just a formal apology from the publication. “We want to see immediate changes to the Inquirer’s editorial practices, workplace culture and leadership structure,” said Owens. “PABJ leadership recently spoke with Jameel Rush, the Inquirer’s new Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, on the publication being more engaged with our organization and other local diverse media affinity groups.” PABJ strongly requests to have a conversation and discussion with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s executive leadership on this matter. We propose working together on a collaborative plan that addresses the systemic racism that is reflected in their newsroom, community outreach efforts, and the Inquirer’s coverage. Signed, Ernest Owens PABJ President CONTACT: Ernest Owens PABJ President [email protected] |
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