NABJ Empowers Its Own for Change

The palatial, cozy, expensive, exquisitely finished San Diego City, in California, USA, penultimate Tuesday, stood still for black journalists who in their multitude thronged the famous, majestic and prodigious Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotels and its environs.

Concentrating residents of the sleepy city who woke up on that eventful Tuesday to experience an unusual influx of visitors into the city were apparently startled by their number, reinforced by the presence of tens of hundreds of women of Red Hatters Association who were co-incidentally holding their annual international convention in the city. (Red Hatters is an association of women from age 50 and above and has over one million members across the world.)

Hundreds of black journalists from different parts of America and Africa started flying into the city otherwise referred to as "one city five ways" July 27.

By July 28, the Hyatt had already been filled to the brim, to the extent that a fair number of the converging journalists had to literally spill to other hotels.

Their main intent was holding the 35^th edition of the National Association of Black Journalists Convention, aptly tagged, "The Power of Change.

If inference is anything to go by, the convention indeed mirrored change by virtue of the programs put together by the organizing committees.

There were not only sessions of deliberations on issues of change that affect media practitioners but also sessions on rewarding excellence, health, physical exercise entertainment and merry-makings.

At one of the deliberative sessions, some of which were ticketed, the issue that preoccupied the minds of the teeming journalists and allied professionals was keeping at bay the sweeping threat of digital technology in the media industry, a phenomenon that is now reportedly causing many media practitioners in the U.S. to lose their jobs.

Viewers and listeners now contribute in news gathering. Besides, they get information on websites, even through miniature electronic gadgets instead of subscribing to the conventional print newspapers, journals, magazines and broadcast radio and television stations.

While tackling the issue, other ways out discussed were turning stories into great books and blogs and becoming multimedia compliant.

In another session tagged "Reporting on the Go: When your Beat Takes You Away From Home," journalists spent time tasking their brains on best way of news coverage in strange lands or at warfronts.

During different well-being sessions, Journalists did not only talk themselves into healthy living but also walked and ran themselves into health.

On several health talks, most of which were sponsored by U.S. Army, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, African Channel and Eli Lilly, the participants were made to realize that what they eat and when, at times drives their ability in news gathering.

They were afterwards advised to "build a new you" by being conscious of what they eat.

While the health sessions lasted, they spent rigorous time improving their heartbeats and burning cholesterol by walking and running five kilometers round the expansive city.

The black journalists, who spent hours visiting transfixing exhibition and career fair stands, also had CeCe Winans, multiple Grammy award winner, feeding their souls with nourishing, soul lifting, melodious music.

Six journalists from Africa attended as 2010 Belz Fellowship recipients, participating at the convention, five of whom were Nigerians, who had been feeling secluded for what may be called "want of formal welcome into the NABJ fold," felt a sense of belonging as they were being feted by World Journalism Institute through its representative, Dr. Michael Longinow, a journalism professor.

While interacting with and fielding questions from the African journalists on his classroom experiences, he acknowledged that gratification, sensationalism and lack of objectivity are still issues in journalism practice in the U.S.

While he condemned conflicts of interests engendered by personal vested interest in a story, he also distanced himself from chauvinistic reporting, emphasizing that it would be difficult not to bring yourself into a story you or your family members or country are directly involved in.

In a similar statement, while upholding Christian principles in news gathering and reporting, he advised against disguising in the name of practicing "investigative journalism," stressing that "being persistent" could also bring to one rare and hard-earned information.

He also remarked that he emphasizes ethics and professionalism in order to check sprawling effects of such and other unwholesome acts in the sacred media world.

On the last day of the convention, the famous Hyatt wore a new look, as journalists filed into Elizabeth Hall of the Hotel to witness four hour "Philly Love" – the 2011 convention kick off party, organized at the instance of Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists.

The 2010 NABJ convention has come and gone, but the city will ever remember it for bringing unparalleled upturn to different business endeavors being undertaken in it.

Apart from the different hotels where participants lodged, Ralph's, one of the biggest super markets in the city, Nordstrom and Banana Republic were some of the commercial places that experienced "keep coming" of the one-week visitors.

Taxi cab drivers, as well, had cool time mustering some dollars by cash and by credit cards.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), founded in 1975 by 44 men and women in Washington, is an organization of journalists, students, and media professionals that provides quality programs and services to and advocates on behalf of black journalists.

Biodun-Thomas Davids

Biodun-Thomas Davids, a journalist from Lagos, Nigeria, was chosen by the World Journalism Institute to attend the convention as a recipient of the Belz International Media Fellowship. He was one of six journalists from Africa who received a fellowship stipend of $2,500 to attend the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (July 28 - August 1, San Diego, California) and one from Latin America who attended the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in 2010.

Davids writes for The Nation newspapers.