By Joel Thurtell
“Diversity: full circle” is the title of a discussion on the program of Michigan State University’s centennial celebration of 100 years of journalism mis-education in East Lansing.
Sorry, slip of the tongue.
They’re in fact celebrating a century of journalism “education,” and I apologize for failing to have the proper respect for their training program.
The program does indeed have a discussion about “diversity,” and that would be a good thing if the people who set up this conflab had thought to diversify the background of their presenters. They’re pretty much all MSU grads or members of the MSU faculty.
Does that seem like a cheap shot?
I have a few more low-budget arrows in my quiver: For instance, why must these shindigs always have the endorsement of major newspaper chains like Gannett and the ghost of a chain once known as Knight-Ridder?
Knight-Ridder is dead and gone, except for its foundation. But Gannett is alive and running the two former Detroit dailies.
I note the presence of a Gannett vice president on the program.
Somehow, I get the sense that there might be some financial assistance as well. Am I being a cynic?
A presence that I don’t see is that of any representative of The Newspaper Guild, whose Local 22 represents journalists at the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News, both controlled by Gannett.
The Guild is trying to negotiate a contract with Gannett for Free Press and News workers, and wouldn’t it have been interesting to see someone like Detroit Guild administrative officer Lou Mleczko on the program?
Now, that would have shown the sponsors were paying more than lip service to diversity.
The keynote speaker is Jennifer Carroll, a Gannett VP.
How neat it would have been to have scheduled a panel discussion with Carroll and Mleczko.
I might actually have been tempted to attend such a panel, in hopes of asking some questions.
Like, how much of a raise did Carroll get last year when Gannett was firing 6,000 workers?
Gannett’s top three execs last year cashed checks worth $10.6 million.
Right now, Gannett is bargaining with the Guild and asking union members for concessions in pay and health benefits.
Yet Gannett has declared that it will continue to give raises to management.
How interesting it would be to have a real discussion in a journalistic forum about some of these issues that are killing journalists across the country.
No place at the Management State University journalistic “education” forum for questions about labor and management.
A hundred years “teaching” journalism.
Selectively.
Unions and union members, stay off the stage.
I think this is called censorship.
It sure is a poor excuse for “diversty.”
Drop me a line at joelthurtell@gmail.com
