On May 31st last year, after days of protest over the police killing of George Floyd, and some destruction of property, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reporter Alexis Johnson tweeted out four photos of trash and debris with the caption horrifying scenes and aftermath from selfish looters who don't care about this city. Oh, wait, sorry. No, these are pictures from a Kenny Chesney concert tailgate. Whoops.
ERNEST OWENS It's always race that ends up revealing the biggest double standards, right.
BROOKE GLADSTONE Ernest Owens is a journalist and the president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists.
ERNEST OWENS Think about Philadelphia, when the Eagles won the Super Bowl, finally, they tore down City Hall. The Ritz Carlton sign was torn down. People were climbing up the polls, people were pretty much passive about that. But then when the protesters were out during the 2020 racial uprisings, all of a sudden people are being tear gassed. So there's always been a double standard in how people have addressed black outrage compared to white people who express similar types of action and behavior.
BROOKE GLADSTONE It was this double standard that Alexis Johnson lampooned and one that she confronted herself the next day.
[CLIP]
JOHNSON I was taken off of coverage of the protests following the death of George Floyd because of a tweet that I thought was funny. [CHUCKLES] I thought it was clever, I thought it was food for thought. [END CLIP]
BROOKE GLADSTONE Alexis Johnson, who declined our request for comment, spoke to the press on June 8th.
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JOHNSON I was told that I violated our social media policy, which in fact doesn't exist. They're just a set of guidelines that the guild never agreed to. I argued, I pushed back. I felt like my voice was being silenced. I asked how that tweet showed any opinion or bias, and I never really got a clear answer. But I think based on where we are today, I think we kind of know what that answer is. [END CLIP]
ERNEST OWENS It doesn't surprise me that a white senior editor or a white publisher would go hard on a person of color talking about racism. It would not surprise me that a cis het man would be critical of a woman talking about rape or sexual assault. There's a pattern here.
BROOKE GLADSTONE How would the paper benefit by sidelining Alexis Johnson?
ERNEST OWENS You have to think about the other external interests that shape the publication. Even though they won't admit it out loud. Some of these local publications do struggle with trying to maintain access to political figures, to private interests. And so I wonder how people like Alexis, who are doing coverage that would challenge the status quo, that would buck against institutions, would not pose a threat. I mean, people have to remember journalism is a public service, but it's still a business. How these publications are being supported might bleed into how they cover the news we read and watch every day.
BROOKE GLADSTONE So when you see the experience of Alexis Johnson, it reminds you of other experiences you've heard.
ERNEST OWENS So Alexis' situation was very drastic. We don't really hear of these types of reports where people are completely taken off a beat. Like I haven't been told I couldn't write a story, but I will say that in my earlier years when I was covering racism in the LGBTQ community in Philadelphia.
BROOKE GLADSTONE You're a black man, you're also a gay man.
ERNEST OWENS Yes. I was remembering editors that I was working with that were saying things to me like, you know, we have to be very careful about your reporting on this. And I would say, well shouldn't we be very careful with every story? I have had young black journalists who are coming to visit that said, you know, I've been turned off from covering race because I feel like it's going to be an uphill battle with my editors to pitch to them or convince them that I can take on the story without them double downing on every single word, syntax, quote I use. When I'm having these conversations with newsrooms, I'm not just only talking about hiring practices and pay equity and all those matters, but I'm also talking about how black journalists should be given the agency and the respect to be able to cover race without feeling surveilled and intimidated.
BROOKE GLADSTONE What was the impact on you?
ERNEST OWENS When I started doing this work, this was 6 years ago, so I was like 23, I was wondering to myself, like, is this going to be the norm every time I do a story that involves a community that I am connected to? Let's be clear, race and identity are the headlines of our time. So the fact that we're sidelining journalists of color when they cover race, or LGBT journalists when they cover things that impact their community? Who else is left except white people, straight people? So basically, you're reinforcing the same discriminatory policies and practices that we have been claiming to want to eradicate, especially given what has happened last year.
BROOKE GLADSTONE But things are changing, aren't they?
ERNEST OWENS As a black queer person, I'm saying the progress is just glacial. I'm not seeing the structural changes. I'm not seeing enough diverse individuals in positions of power and influence. I want to get to the point where I have to stop relying on the same people that have been a part of the problem to be a part of the solution as well. I mean, the fact that we're touting the Romney rule of: we're going to guarantee at least one person of color will be interviewed. So what does that mean? Are you suggesting that black and brown people aren't already qualified for these positions, and that you're doing us a favor by giving them an interview?
BROOKE GLADSTONE When will you feel that there has been progress?
ERNEST OWENS Progress to me looks like women being paid at the same rate as men, that black and brown people are being paid equitably and being given opportunities and promotions at the same fast rate as their white counterparts. That LGBTQ journalists do not have to only be the spokespeople for their community but get to cover various issues because those issues impact them beyond their sexual orientation, gender identity. Where we don't treat diversity, equity, inclusion as a chore, but as something that we can fully embrace that will save this industry rather than to put it in controversy.
BROOKE GLADSTONE I should add here that the paper did ultimately permit Alexis Johnson to cover Black Lives Matter protests, but two months after her initial tweet and one month after she sued her now former employer for discrimination. Reinstating her to do what she wanted to do was ultimately not enough to keep her at the paper. What's the lessons learned? Or should have been the lesson learned for the Post Gazette?
ERNEST OWENS There was an opportunity for someone like Alexis to tell the stories that matter. She's now at Vice News. She's really killing the game right now, I must say. They lost talent, they lost credibility. I don't know that many black journalists in the region that are interested in working for them. The overall publication's reputation has been soiled and their hiring decisions since then has doubled down the notion that this is not a safe place to work. I mean, this is an organization has been recognized and noted by the Pulitzer Prizes. And now look where they are today, and it's just a shame.
BROOKE GLADSTONE Thank you very much.
ERNEST OWENS No, thank you. I just really hope that listeners understand that there are countless local black journalism associations across the country created to help make newsrooms and the media ecosystems in their communities better. So lean on them, you know, have these conversations. And I think that needs to happen.
BROOKE GLADSTONE Ernest Owens is a journalist and the president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists.
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