The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

Michael Fauntroy writes..

“Now that the PBS/Tavis Smiley candidates forum has come and gone, it is now the Republicans’ turn to speak to issues of importance to people of color. September 27 is the date and Morgan State University in Baltimore is the place where as many as one dozen Republican candidates may gather to make their pitches to a national audience. While many will be focused on the candidates and their responses, I will be focused on who asks the questions. Smiley said after the forum that he wanted to showcase three journalists of color to query the candidates and they all acquitted themselves well. I’m sure some of the questions that were posed would never have seen the light of day absent the perspectives that informed the lives of the questioners. As we look to September, however, there is still an opportunity to widen the net of perspectives and give additional richness to the discussion. Hey, Tavis: Include a well-informed blogger to the panel.

Adding a blogger will help legitimize the forum in the eyes of an increasingly important sector of the “new media.” It will also demonstrate Smiley’s willingness to be on the cutting edge of communication with segments of the American populace, without regard to race, that is often left at the station by legacy media.” (more…)

I think that Fauntroy is on to something here. I would also add that this is something that should have been incorporated in BOTH the Democratic forum and in Smiley’s “State of the Black Union.” I think that Suzanne Malveaux’s “million dollar question’ at the recent National Association of Black Journalists’ annual gathering to Obama “Are you Black enough?” underscores his point in this piece. Folks who typically do not follow the media template should be included in these forums.