I have some very different feelings than you think about this story, I will explain below…:
After the first black president completed his first prime-time press conference, the black press was red hot.
“We were window dressing,” said Hazel Edney, a reporter with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, also known as the Black Press of America. “We were nothing more than window dressing.”
As the media filed into the stately White House East Room on Monday night, the reporter was shocked to find herself in the front row. Alongside her were the top news agencies, Associated Press, Reuters; also up front, 86-year-old Helen Thomas, who started covering presidents 50 years ago.
Alongside the most prominent journalists in America was Tiffany Cross from Black Entertainment Television. Like Miss Edney, she didn’t know why she was in first-class while all the television networks – every single one – was exiled to the steerage compartment.
“I really don’t know why I’m up here,” Miss Cross said with a shy smile.
While most on the front row got to pose a question to President Obama, the two reporters from the black press did not. Nor did any other black-press reporter, for that matter.
“This was like Reagan, when he’d put all the blacks up front,” said another prominent but visibly peeved black-press reporter who asked to remain anonymous. “He oughta’ be ashamed.”
As I said above, I have mixed feelings about this report; I tend to believe that this report is one those “Let’s stir the pot and see what happens,” kind of reports. President Obama, to his credit, did not run a “Black Power” Presidential campaign, if he had done so, the American people would have been turn off and President Obama would not have made it out of the Primary.
As much as I respect the reporting of the Washington Times and their Conservative stance, I believe that this story is nothing more of the rattling of the race baiting sabers that the Far Right Wing bunch are known for. Yes, that is correct, I am a moderate Conservative and I am admitting that there is a certain bit of reverse race baiting that goes on in those circles. It is a sad fact, but it is the truth.