Donald Trump’s Invitation To NABJ Convention Prompts Wave Of Criticism

Marc Griffin
·5 min read
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Former President Donald J. Trump’s invitation to the National Association of Black Journalists convention has sparked immense backlash online. The official account for the association announced on Monday (July 29) that Trump would participate in a conversation at the annual convention. There, Trump would speak with three reporters, Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News, and Harris Faulkner of Fox News.

Vice President Kamala Harris was also supposed to speak at the event, but according to NPR, a source close to Harris stated that she had conflicts with her schedule. Kamala allegedly tried to appear virtually, but the NABJ declined the alternative.

Ken Lemon, the NABJ President, added context to their decision to platform the divisive former President at this year’s event. Lemon typed in a post that the goal was to give journalists and members of the org “the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know.” He insisted that inviting Trump was not “[endorsing] political candidates as a journalism organization.”

Harris’ absence, plus the organization’s willingness to host Donald Trump, led to a mixed reaction amongst journalists and spectators online. As a result, at least one high-profile member of the NABJ opted to step down from her role at the convention. Karen Attiah, NABJ co-chair and Washington Post columnist, released a statement on X/Twitter on Tuesday alerting the public that she would step away following the announcement.

“I have decided to step down as co-chair from this year’s #NABJ24 convention in Chicago. To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck. For everyone else, I’m looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with all of you in the Windy City,” she typed. “While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format.”

Imara Jones, winner of the 2022 Journalist of Distinction Award, spoke out against the org’s decision to host Trump, posting a clip of her 2022 speech speaking of the reporter’s job. “When I accepted my @NABJ Journalist of Distinction Award in 2022, I said that we have to resist our training, which says that the truth always has two sides,” she typed. “Platforming Donald Trump at a professional event today doesn’t show even-handedness. It shows how democracies die.”

Carron Phillips, a two-time NABJ award-winning journalist, called out the National Association of Black Journalists for making this year’s event hostile for its members. “Y’all just made the only safe haven that Black journalists have, potentially unsafe, all because y’all want to look ‘smarter than everybody else,’ when this is….idiotic at best.”

April Ryan, The Grio’s White House correspondent who Trump continuously denigrated during his tenure, voiced her “objection” of the decision. “The reports of attacks on Black women White House correspondents by the then president of the United States are not myth or conjecture, but fact,” Ryan typed.

“To have a presumed orchestrated session with the former president is an affront to what this organization stands for and a slap in the face to the Black women journalists (NABJ journalists of the year) who had to protect themselves from the wrath of this Republican presidential nominee.”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Washington correspondent, Tia Mitchell, defended the NABJ’s invitation to Trump. “I helped make this call. And it’s in line with invitations NABJ has sent to every presidential candidate for decades,” Mitchell typed. “But continue to go off on your feed. I’ll continue to work to create opportunities for journalists to interview the potential next President.”

Jemele Hill, Contributing writer for The Atlantic, asserted that journalists shouldn’t be “afraid” to cover or speak with someone like Trump. “As journalists, we can never be afraid to tackle someone like Trump. The reality is that he is running for president and needs to be treated as such. Being questioned by journalists is part of the job, and especially important in the company of Black journalists. Mainstream media keeps trying to convince us that he actually is gaining support among Black people. Let’s see if it’s true,” she wrote.

Donald Trump is set to speak at the NABJ convention on 12 PM CDT Wednesday (July 31) in Chicago.

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