The Real Problem with Don Lemon's Words

Don Lemon has risen as the most high profile CNN anchor of color over the past few years. At times, he has shined in his role but recently, he's been the go-to-anchor when it comes to matter of race. I've personally looked up to him as a journalist for a while and I respect his calm and steady presence behind the anchor desk.

That's why when he said that Bill O'Reilly's criticisms of Black people didn't go far enough, it troubled me. He couched his remarks by describing what he witnessed in his Harlem neighborhood.  I've heard this from folks like Larry Elder, Bill Cosby and others. Black people need to do X-Y-and-Z and if you say this out loud, you get celebrated like a bold witness.

Unfortunately, he missed the mark focusing too hard on the wrong things. And the fact that he's being celebrated highlights a bigger issue when it comes to problem solving.

Where the Media Failed (And Succeeded) in the Boston Marathon Tragedy

Amidst the tragedy in Boston, the media became part of the story as we saw the best of reporting from local outlets, especially the Boston Globe, and the worst of 24/7 media coverage, most famously CNN. What happened last week should be and will be studied for years on what to do, not to do and ultimately how money, guests and ratings have trumped.  
Cable news failed because of their failure to handle this information culture we are in. There’s too much information floating around and in an attempt to be relevant, they want to include everything or touch on every angle without considering if it matters or is confirmed.

CNN showed this when they along with others reported that a suspect was on his way to the courthouse. The normally reliable John King said it was a dark-skinned male, an announcement that drew the ire of the National Association of Black Journalists and others.

They also had Jake Tapper far away from the action, which made his reporting/analysis seem distant compared to MSNBC. Bad enough the media got it wrong on identifying the suspects by name and face and probably won’t go out of their way to apologize and work to repair their mistake. 

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm

CNN ran this opinion piece this week. On the surface, we should celebrate its premise. Black kids aren't living up to the messages the media is sending them and are also looking down on the shows/music that isn't representing them well.

But I have a problem with it. The author didn't write with cruel intentions, yet I have to ask why this article is worth writing on a major news site with nothing to prompt it besides a study. To be honest, I wouldn't have even written this as a news story because I figure people wouldn't even care outside of the Black community or sociologists who would use this data appropriately. I question the author 1st for even thinking this was writing about,

I'm also disturbed because from reading this, it's almost supposed to be shocking that Black kids - wait for it - don't want to be like the rappers they see, don't act like the Basketball "Wives" and have baby mama drama. The first paragraph says it all.

"If you got your ideas about young black people just from the entertainment industry, you'd think they were all players and baby mamas -- and you'd be sorely mistaken."

My reaction via Jason Terry (shouts to @jose3030 for the GIF)

That, of course, assumes that CNN.com's audience has preconceived ideas about what Black people are like based on the media and is stupid enough to assume that all of us are like that. It reminds of me of someone I learned about in my Communications classes.

George Gerbner said that the more people watch TV, the more it shapes how they see the outside world. The fact that this article is being run as an opinion is disturbing because it implies that it needs to be on a major news site instead of dissected on alternative one. It assumes that it needs to be run because the audience can't tell the difference.

It's really just another byproduct of the era where there's little diversity of how minorities look on TV and through the media and CNN has to allow this article as if it's a surprise that some of us are different than how we appear.

(Really? We aren't all thugs with baby mammas? Some of us are actually educated with goals? We aren't fooled by what music videos tell us to do? Oh, glory be. Somebody alert America to the truth so we can be free! *plays Praise Break music and dances a jig*)

I don't mind folks praising kids for defying stereotypes. I was a kid who did it all the time, as did several of my peers. But it's the undertones of it becoming a national story that bothers me. Then again, this is the same country that has made "The Help" gross over $125 million and remain the No. 1 movie for 3 straight weeks.