TBABJ

TBABJ Announces Its 2008 Griot Drum Scholarship Winners

2008-11-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists is pleased to announce its 2008 Griot Drum Scholarship Winners.

TBABJ members chose this year's winners from its largest field of candidates yet; applicants needed only be high school or college students of color studying journalism or preparing to study journalism in college with a connection to the Tampa Bay area.

The three honorees each will receive $1,000 scholarships and one year's paid membership to both the TBABJ and the National Association of Black Journalists.

They also will be honored during our Griot Drum Awards banquet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg. Please join us in congratulating the winners:

Jacqueline Haberman is an intern at WUSF, the public radio station at the University of South Florida, where she is a senior. She spent her summer serving as arts and entertainment editor for The Oracle, USF’s student newspaper, and also previously interned for AARP, where she helped establish a presence of the organization’s Divided We Fail campaign on university campuses across the state. In her scholarship essay, Jackie analyzed the role race played in media coverage of this year’s presidential elections. She criticized the media for labeling groups of voters by their ethnicity and assuming voters shared similar views because of their race.

Erik Maza calls Bradenton home, but this University of Florida senior has already placed international work experience on his resume. Erik recently returned from Guatamala, where he was among a dozen student writers and photographers documenting stories of hunger and malnutrition. He spent his Spring 2008 semester studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the English degree he is completing along with his bachelor’s in journalism. His byline has appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the Gainesville Sun and as he has worked as a stringer for the Associated Press. In addition to his many talents, Erik is also fluent in Spanish and speaks Italian.

A 2008 graduate of Wharton High School in Tampa, Christina Ramos is in her first semester at the University of Central Florida. While at Wharton, Christina traded lunch time with her friends to work on stories and page design for her school newspaper. Christina had a busy senior year at Wharton. She served as president of her school’s National Honor Society, chairperson for her Senior Class Council and volunteered through Key Club. She graduated with a 4.9 GPA. Terry Sollazzo, Christina’s high school newspaper adviser, said, “She sets goals for herself and is relentless in pursuing those goals. She seeks out the truth and reports it fairly. In other words, she is just what this industry needs.”

TBABJ Thanks 2008 Griot Drum Awards Sponsors

2008-11-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Despite a financial picture that often seems less than rosy these days, a host of local companies and organizations came together this year to make our Griot Drum Awards a reality. This is our space to thank them for their continued and most appreciated support.

TITLE SPONSOR
The St. Petersburg Times
The Poynter Institute

DIAMOND LEVEL
Tampa Bay & Company
Bright House Networks

New York Times Regional Media Group

PLATINUM LEVEL
St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
Hill & Knowlton
10 Connects - WTSP-Ch. 10

SILVER LEVEL

Fox 13 - WTVT-Ch. 13

Tickets on Sale for Griot Drum Awards; Mark McEwen keynote speaker

2008-11-07T09:31:00.001-08:00

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists would like to invite you to the premiere event for journalists of color in the Tampa Bay area: the Fourth Annual Griot Drum Awards and Scholarship dinner.

Scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, the Griot Drum Awards honors journalists in several categories, highlighting those who have excelled in coverage of issues important to people of color. Proceeds will fund our scholarships to aspiring young journalists of color.

Our keynote speaker this year is Mark McEwen, former anchor for CBS This Morning, who will talk about his life in journalism and his new book, Change in the Weather: Life After Stroke. Our host is ABC Action News anchor Deiah Riley.

Our 6 p.m. opening reception will feature a meet-and-greet with Mark, and a presentation on Midtown Through Our Eyes, a photo essay on St. Petersburg's predominantly black neighborhood taken by students in grades 4 through 9. Learn about it here.

We would love for you to join us. Tickets are $30 for TBABJ chapter members and $35 for non-members, or $300 for a table of ten.

Please fill out the attached order form and send it to the address below with a check or money order (made out to TBABJ). Or you can email deggans@sptimes.com or call 727-893-8521 to place an order. You will receive confirmation by email and/or telephone.

Sincerely,

Eric Deggans, TBABJ chapter president

Membership meeting at 11 a.m. Nov. 8

2008-10-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Members of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists and friends:

We'll be meeting next week, at 11 a.m. on Saturday Nov. 8, at a old spot: the Perkins Restaurant at 612 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., just south of I-275, in Tampa, 33609.

It will be an important meeting. We'll be taking about final preparations for our Griot Drum Awards scholarship banquet and awards ceremony, which will feature keynote speaker Mark McEwen, former anchor of CBS This Morning, and host ABC Action News anchor Deiah Riley.

At this stage, we need to sell tickets and make sure the event is full. So please let me know if you plan on coming and stop by the meeting with ideas for selling tickets. Price is $30 for members and $35 for non-members.

We'll also be talking about our Christmas Party, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 11. And brainstroming ideas for the national convention coming to Tampa next year. We need to decide soon what we will do as a local fundraiser,. so bring some ideas.

Feel free to call or email is there are any problems. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you Nov. 8.

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
http://www.tbabj.com
(727) 893-8521

Tickets now on sale for Griot Drum Awards!

2008-10-29T05:29:00.001-07:00

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists would like to invite you to the premiere journalism event in the Tampa Bay area: the Fourth Annual Griot Drum Awards dinner.

Scheduled for 7;30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, the Griot Drum Awards honors journalists in several categories, highlighting those who have excelled in coverage of issues important to people of color. Proceeds will fund our scholarships to aspiring young journalists of color.

Our keynote speaker this year is Mark McEwen, former anchor of CBS This Morning. Our 6 p.m. opening reception will feature a meet-and-greet with McEwen, who is touring the country speaking on his book about recovering from a stroke while working as a news anchor in Orlando.

We would love for you to join us. Tickets are $30 for TBABJ chapter members and $35 for non-members, or $300 for a table of ten.

Please feel free to contact me with any ticket orders, or print out the form below.

We're looking forward to seeing you next month!

Eric Deggans
TBABJ President

TICKET ORDER FORM
Name_________________________________ Number of tickets______________
Address________________________________ Total enclosed_________________
Telephone_______________________________ email_____________________

Finalists named for 2008 Griot Drum Awards

2008-10-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Eric Deggans, TBABJ President, (727) 893-8521 (w); (727) 642-8907 (cell)

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists is pleased to announce finalists for its fourth annual Griot Drum Awards.

Winners and categories will be named at the awards banquet Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, 801 Third St. South, St. Petersburg.

An opening cocktail reception starts at 6 p.m.; the banquet will begin at 7:30 p.m.Tickets for the event are priced at $30 each for association members and $35 each for non-members. Media organizations or individuals can purchase a ten-seat table for $300.

Our keynote speaker will be Mark McEwen, former anchor of CBS This Morning, and our host will be WFTS-Ch. 28 morning anchor Deiah Riley. Contact chapter president Eric Deggans for more information or to order tickets.

The finalist list:

Matt McGlashen, WFTS-Ch. 28, five categories.

Dennis Hollingsworth, WTSP-Ch. 10, one category.

Susan Casper, WFTS-Ch. 28, one category.

Ginny Diaz, WFTS-Ch. 28, one category.

Jackie Callaway, WFTS-Ch. 28, one category.

Brendan McLaughlin, WFTS-Ch. 28, two categories.

Spencer Briggs, WEDU-Ch. 3, one category.

Tom Lake, St. Petersburg Times, two categories.

Jamal Thalji, St. Petersburg Times, two categories.

Molly Moorhead, St. Petersburg Times, two categories.

Julie Kumari Drapkin, St. Petersburg Times, two categories.

Stephanie Garry, St. Petersburg Times, one category.

Demorris Lee, St. Petersburg Times, one category.

Rodney Thrash, St. Petersburg Times, one category.

Carrie Pratt, St. Petersburg Times, three categories.

Lara Cerri, St. Petersburg Times, three categories.

Sarah Hoye, Tampa Tribune, three categories.

Michelle Bearden, Tampa Tribune, one category.

Anwar Richardson, Tampa Tribune, one category.

Nicholas Williams, Tampa Tribune, one category.

Fred Bellet, Tampa Tribune, four categories.

Joseph Brown III, Tampa Tribune, one category.

Charles Cherry II, Florida Courier, six categories.

Wade Tatangelo, Creative Loafing, one category.

Alex Pickett, Creative Loafing, one category.

Megan Voeller, Creative Loafing, one category.

ABC Action News anchor Deiah Riley confirmed as Griot Drum Awards host

2008-10-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

ABC Action News morning and noon anchor Deiah Riley has been confirmed as Mistress of Ceremonies for the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists' fourth annual Griot Drum Awards.

Deiah has anchored the Tampa ABC affiliate’s morning newscasts since 2003, when she came to town from WXIA-TV in Atlanta, where she anchored that station's award-winning 5 p.m. news broadcast.

Born and raised in the Panhandle, Deiah graduated from Bethune Cookman College in Daytona Beach with a degree in mass communications, working at stations in Phoenix, Arizona, Mobile, Alabama and Montgomery, Alabama.

Scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday Nov. 20 at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, the Griot Drum Awards is the Tampa Bay area's biggest local journalism awards contest. This year, the TBABJ will award honors in 23 categories while also bestowing several $1,000 scholarships.

The evening begins with a 6 p.m. opening reception, featuring a meet-and-greet with our keynote speaker, former CBS This Morning anchor Mark McEwen.Sponsors include the St. Petersburg Times, ABC Action News, WTSP-Ch. 10, WTVT-Ch. 13, Tampa Bay & Company, the New York Times Regional Media Group and the Poynter Institute.

Tickets are still available for the event, priced at $35 each for non-members and $30 each for members; the Poynter Institute is located at 801 Third Street South, St. Petersburg. Feel free to call 727-893-8521 to register your order or email here; walkup purchases are possible, but seating may be limited.

TBABJ Membership Meeting Oct. 11 in Tampa

2008-10-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

Members and friends of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists:

We're meeting at 11 a.m. next Saturday -- Oct. 11 -- at The St. Petersburg Times Tampa office, 1000 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa.

This is a crucial meeting. We'll be taking about the Griot Drum Awards, which picked up the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Bay & Co., Hill & Knowlton and WFTS-Ch. 28 as sponsors this week. We need to get more applicants for our $1,000 scholarships and more sponsors to ensure our banquet is profitable.

We should also start brainstorming what we'd like to do when the national convention comes here next year.

We have moved the date from its traditional spot, the first Saturday of the month, because I'm participating in a charity event tomorrow and couldn't attend. Hope to see you there!

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
http://www.tbabj.com
(727) 893-8521

Photos from UNITY-Tampa 2009 Kick Off Party

2008-10-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, we have finally managed to grab hold of some pictures from our kicking Kick Off Party for the Tampa 2009 NABJ convention, held in Chicago on July 26 at the UNITY gathering.

DJ Funkmaster Flex kept the crowd on the dance floor during his entire set, and I'm still running into journalists of color from the Asian American and Hispanic journalists groups who are raving about our party.

Here's some shots, for those of you who couldn't see it for yourself, including local sax legend Eric Darius, who kicked off the party. For those of you who did attend, perhaps they will bring back fond memories...

TBABJ $1,000 scholarship deadline extended to Oct. 22

2008-09-11T13:20:00.001-07:00

ATTENTION: Educators, high school students, college students and anyone who knows them:

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists (TBABJ) has extended the deadline for its 2008 Scholarship Contest to Oct. 22. That means students of color with some connection to the Tampa Bay area can apply for one of three different $1,000 scholarships we are awarding this year.

Go to the application form, which you can print out, by clicking here.

Please encourage all undergraduate college students and graduating high school seniors of color (African American, Hispanic, Asian, etc.) to apply for this contest by OCT. 22, 2008. Applications must be postmarked by this date to be considered.

This year, we will award three $1,000 scholarships to deserving minority college students who are pursuing careers in journalism. Our desire is to empower young journalists of color to join the ranks of the working press.

In addition to the scholarship, our 2008 winners will receive student membership in the National Association of Black Journalists and TBABJ for one year.

Students currently enrolled in college or graduating high school seniors are encouraged to apply. Graduate students and previous grand prize winners are NOT eligible. Applicants MUST have a connection to the Tampa Bay area, which includes Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, among other communities in the region. We expect our winners to attend TBABJ’s annual awards banquet in November.

Completed application packets must be postmarked by Oct. 22.

Questions? Contact Kevin Graham, TBABJ’s Scholarship Coordinator, at 813-226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com.

Good luck!

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
http://www.tbabj.com
(727) 893-8521

Application form for TBABJ $1000 Scholarship

2008-09-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

2008 Student Scholarship Application -- feel free to print out and mail in!

Deadline: Applications must be postmarked by WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22, 2008!

All materials become the property of TBABJ and will not be returned.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Last Name:_________________ Middle Initial:____ First Name:___________________

Permanent Address:_______________________________________________________

City:_________________________ State:________ Zip Code: ____________________

Permanent Phone Number:___________________ Personal E-mail:_________________

Present Address: __________________________________________________________

City:_________________________ State:________ Zip Code: ____________________

Present Phone Number:_____________________________________________________

Social Security Number:____________________ Are you a U.S. Citizen:___Yes ___No

If not, do you have legal documentation supporting your stay in the United States?______

School Classification for school year 2008-09 (i.e. freshman, sophomore, etc):_________

College or University:______________________________________________________
(High school seniors, please name your current school and the post-secondary institution you plan to attend.)

Projected Graduation Date (mm/yy):__________________________________________
II. Please consider the following topic in a 500-word essay:

Analyze the media’s coverage of a recent news story involving race, class or religion. Discuss how you would have covered the story.

Please enclose a photograph and five collated copies of the following:

► Completed Application

► Essay

► Resume

► Three to six examples of journalistic work (Broadcast journalists may submit a DVD but must note their role in each production, i.e. sound technician, lighting, writer, producer).

Please also include one sealed copy of the following:

► Official school transcript (Must be enclosed in an official school envelope and be stamped by your registrar’s or principal’s office).

► One to two letters of recommendation from faculty, employees or journalists familiar with your career goals.

Mail applications to:

Kevin Graham, Scholarship Coordinator
Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
1000 N Ashley Drive, Suite 700
Tampa, FL 33602

TBABJ co-sponsors reception for NPR's Juan Williams Sept. 15

2008-09-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

NPR and Fox News analyst Juan Williams will be the honored guest of a reception co-sponsored by the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists on Sept. 15, when he comes to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg.

Juan will be speaking at Poynter as part of a fundraising "community conversation" panel called "Election 2008: Covering the Issues." The conversation starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $25. But the meet-and-greet with Juan afterwards, starting at 8 p.m., is free to members and friends of TBABJ -- just tell the folks at the door you're with the organization.

The event is to be held next Monday, Sept. 15, at the Poynter Institute, 800 Third St. South, St. Petersburg.

Again, friends and members of the TBABJ will be able to attend the reception for free. Even if you're not a member, come by and spend time with us and leave with an application. Please email us if you plan to attend, though walk-ups are welcome. To attend the 6:30 p.m. presentation at Poynter, you must pay a $25 donation.

If you have any questions, feel free to email TBABJ president Eric Deggans or call 727-893-8521. This is an invaluable opportunity, especially for journalism students and those interesting in political reporting, to meet one of the highest-profile black journalists covering this year's elections.

Please join us for an interesting, revealing evening. And feel free to email or call me if you have any questions.

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
www.tbabj.com
(727) 893-8521

TBABJ Meeting Saturday at Kizmet Cafe in St. Petersburg

2008-08-31T20:38:00.001-07:00

TBABJ Members and friends --

We're meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday (Sept. 6) at one of our newer spots: Kizmet cafe in St. Petersburg.

As usual, we have a lot going on. We are considering organizing a reception at the Poynter Institute for Fox News and NPR pundit Juan Williams, who is appearing at the Institute on Sept. 15.

We have also been asked to co-host a public forum featuring Hillsborough Supervisor of elections Buddy Johnson. It's a great opportunity to give people of color in Hillsborough a chance to learn about new voting technology and discuss recent controversies. Currently, we're talking about Sept. 25 for the date, but we have yet to secure the participation of our previous forum partners, the Hillsborough NAACP and CAIR.

We also have to start lining up sponsorships for the Griot Drum Awards banquet, scheduled for Nov. 20. And, of course, the national convention in Tampa is less than a year away.

Here's the address: Kizmet 1101 1st Avenue NORTH, Saint Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 821-1078.

Hope to see you there!

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
http://www.tbabj.com/
(727) 893-8521

Chapter meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 16) in Tampa

2008-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

TBABJ Members and friends:

Our next meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. this Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Golden Corrall restaurant, 6942 WEST HILLSBOROUGH AVENUE 33634 (813)882-9805.

We usually meet on the first Saturday of each month, but the UNITY convention was exhausting for many of us and I wanted to give everyone a chance to get back to their lives a bit. Unfortunately, we also have several projects which need to advance soon, so we can't take too much of a breather. Among them:

-- Hillsborough County's bureau of elections wants to co-sponsor a public forum on the new voting machines with us, CAIR, HRC and the NAACP. So we'll need to talk a bit about how that might work.

-- We have extended the deadline for our Griot Drum scholarships because our first go at soliciting applicants didn't yield much response. We'll need to plan a new strategy for spreading the word.

-- We have set Nov. 20 as the date for our Griot Drum awards dinner, so we need to work on organizing that event.

-- The South Florida NABJ chapter needs us to judge its awards contest, in exchange for judging ours. So Camille Spencer is seeking members to help with the judging, and we need to schedule that.

And we need to congratulate each other on a very well done kickoff party presented during UNITY last month.

I'm hoping you'll join us Saturday and lend your sweat equity to our effort.

Here's directions: Obviously, in Tampa, you can just get on 580/Hillsborough Ave. from any major artery and drive west to Town N' Country.Take I-275 to Route 60 north to ext. 4: Hillsborough Ave. turn left (west) on hillsborough and look for the restaurant.

As always, call or email if you need to discuss anything beforehand.

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
(727) 893-8521

Big thanks to TBABJ members who helped with slamming UNITY party!

2008-07-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine, it has taken the better part of a day to recover from the amazing flood of experiences that was this year's UNITY convention -- especially the Tampa chapter's slamming closing night party, which rocked harder than many other such events I've seen over the years.

I just wanted to take a minute here to thank everyone in our local and national NABJ organizations who helped organize and present the Tampa party, especially my most excellent executive board and party planning committee. Funkmaster Flex jammed so hard, the dance floor was packed from his first note until management turned on the lights at 2:10 a.m. and forced us to shut it down!

Big ups go out to Nicole Hucheson, Candice Mitchell, Camille Spencer, Ken Knight, Demorris Lee, Donovan Myrie, Phyllis Bailey, Boyzell Hosey, Ebony Grimsley, Dory Knight, Sandra Gadsden, Atoyia Deans, Willie Allen, Cathleen Henderson and many more people who I have probably forgotten to name. Please chalk it up to still being a bit fried after nearly two weeks away from home.

Special congratulations also go to Sarah Hoye, NABJ's emerging journalist of the year and an important chapter member.

I'll have more to say as we gear up to host NABJ in our own backyard next year, but I just wanted to thank my wonderful chapter and all the folks at national who helped us pull off a really fun night Saturday!

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
www.TBABJ.com
(727) 893-8521

Tentative Schedule for Tampa Kickoff Party today at UNITY in Chicago

2008-07-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

(Warning: this timeline is subject to change)

3 p.m. – TBABJ chapter members meet to stuff goody bags at Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, at NABJ presidential suite, room 826.

6 p.m. – TBABJ members meet at the site of the Salute to Excellence banquet to distribute free raffle tickets for our Innisbrook Resort weekend getaway drawing. Location: Chicago ballroom, Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

9 p.m. – Workers will transform the Chicago ballroom into the space for the kickoff party. TBABJ members will set up our tables to sell t-shirts and collect business cards/or distribute raffle tickets for the Innisbrook drawing.

10 p.m. – Workers will conduct a soundcheck for the kickoff party featuring Eric Darius and Men of Note vocal group. Headliner Funkmaster Flex is not expected to arrive with his crew until 11 p.m.

10:30 p.m. – Doors open to the Chicago ballroom for the kickoff party.

10: 45 p.m. – The kickoff party begins with a short performance by the Men of Note vocal group from Busch Gardens. Tampa chapter president Eric Deggans will serve as Master of Ceremonies. After the vocal performance, staffers from the Tampa convention and visitors bureau will announce that Busch has joined as a major sponsor and will provide one free admission to each NABJ 2009 registrant.

11 p.m. – Eric Deggans will announce that sponsor Sheila Johnson has donated a vacation package at Innisbrook Resort for us to raffle, and will draw a winner’s name.

11:05 p.m. – Saxophonist Eric Darius begins his set. Will perform for 30 minutes.

11:40 p.m. – Funkmaster Flex takes the stage for a three-hour show.

1:45 a.m. – Tampa chapter members begin distributing goody bags to guests leaving the party.

TBABJ meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday at UNITY in Chicago

2008-07-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

Members and friends of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists:

After months of planning and anticipation UNITY week is finally here!

We're going to have a great time at the convention in Chicago, but the Tampa chapter also has a lot of work to do in preparing for our kickoff party Saturday.

To help get organized, we're going to meet up in Chicago a few days early, on THURSDAY at 5 p.m. in the lobby of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers in downtown Chicago. Already, we've had lots of amazing efforts from members, from helping snag a video interview with kickoff party guest Winky Wright (who had to drop out of the party at the last minute), to folks getting an amazing amount of giveaways for the goody bags we'll hand out at the party.

Our onsite meeting in Chicago has been pushed back one day from the date we originally announced, to help more people to attend. Even if you haven't stopped by any meetings in Florida, please feel free to join us in Chicago on Thursday to lend your ideas and support.

You can also check out our Web site to keep abreast of any updates. I'll try hard to post any significant news there. And I'm always reachable by cellphone at 727-642-8907.

Looking forward to seeing you in Chi-town! Here's the address:

Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers
301 East North Water Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Call 1-877-242-2558 for Reservations
Main 1-312-464-1000

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
www.TBABJ.com
(727) 642-8907

Legendary DJ Funkmaster Flex to headline Tampa 2009 kick off party July 26 in Chicago

2008-07-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists are proud to announce legendary DJ Funkmaster Flex as headliner for the Beach Jam party closing this year's UNITY convention on July 26 in Chicago.

Funkmaster Flex (MTV, Spike TV, Chappelle's Show) tops an evening of entertainment which will include Tampa-based Blue Note Records saxophonist Eric Darius and St. Petersburg-based boxing champ and entrepreneur Winky Wright. The party, co-sponsored by NABJ and TBABJ, falls on the last night of the 2008 UNITY convention in Chicago, featuring a historic joint gathering by organizations representing black, hispanic, Asian American and Native American journalists.

The party starts at 10:30 p.m. July 26 in the Chicago ballroom of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, 301 East North Water Street, downtown. Admission is free to anyone registered to attend the UNITY conference.

The event also serves as a kick off preview to NABJ's 2009 convention, expected to bring 3,000 attendees to Tampa during the week of Aug. 5 next year. Co-sponsors helping with this year's kick off party include Tampa Bay and Company, Busch Gardens, Sheila Johnson and the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, and many more Tampa Bay area companies.

The evening also features a raffle giveaway of a three-day, two-night golf outing at the Innisbrook resort in Palm Harbor, Fla. -- the only major golf resort in the world owned by a African American woman, Sheila Johnson. Raffle tickets are free and will be made available at the party and throughout the UNITY conference, but winners must be present at the party to receive the prize.

We're hoping to see you at the Chicago ballroom July 26 for a beach party guaranteed to get you excited for a trip to Tampa in 2009!

Eric Deggans

President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists

Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee

TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times

http://www.tbabj.com/

(727) 893-8521

TBABJ Conference Call at 6 p.m. Monday (July 7) to Talk UNITY

2008-07-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Members and friends of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists --

As promised, I have set up a conference call for 6 p.m. Monday (July 7) for chapter members to conduct final discussions before meeting in Chicago for the UNITY conference and our kickoff party there July 26.

So an unlimited number of members can sit in on the call, I've set up an account with the FreeConnect.com teleconferencing service. The only catch here, is that you must call a 218 number, in Duluth, Minn. in order to be part of the call. I've already checked, and it shouldn't cost more than a standard long distance call to that state.

So I would like everyone who is interested in helping us with final preparations for Chicago to please call 218-339-2699, and enter the conference code 394638. that should gain you entrance into our conference line.

If there is a problem, please call me on my cellphone at 727-642-8907. I have information on using the St. Pete Times conference call system as a fall back. But it only can accomodate eight lines, and I worry that may not be enough.

I hope to update you all on talent for our party, items for the goody bags, flyers to promote the events and more. If you have taken responsibility for any aspect of the event, please make an effort to be on the call or contact me with an update that UI can pass along to everyone else.

Hope to talk with you soon tomorrow. Feel free to call or email anytime if you need to speak sooner...

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
www.tbabj.com
(727) 893-8521

Update on TBABJ plans and needs for UNITY convention next month

2008-06-28T23:26:00.001-07:00

Members and friends of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists:

We're getting down to the wire in planning our kick off party for the 2009 convention, scheduled july 26 in chicago. We've had a lot of developments in the past week and we've made some plans, so here's what we know:

Currently, we have smooth jazz saxophonist Eric Darius, prizefighter Winky Wright and Busch Gardens' vocal group Men of Note confirmed to appear. The NABJ is also working with a new sponsor to bring several big-name performers to the party; we will release those names when the performers are confirmed.

We are making 100 t-shirts to promote the chapter, with plans to sell them at the kick off party and elsewhere. Any chapter member who volunteers during the convention will get one free shirt (it isn't much, we know, but's its better that what you usually get...)

We have several tasks we will need to complete at the UNITY convention before the party. So if you will be attending UNITY and would like to help the chapter, please send me your contact information -- email, hotel location, cellphone -- so we can contact you in Chicago. We are asking chapter members to meet at 5 p.m. July 23 (Wednesday) at the registration desk of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and towers. There, we will find a good location to meet and go over the tasks to come that week.

We will need help stuffing the 1,000 goody bags Busch Gardens has provided for the party. Right now, we're planning to meet Saturday afternoon to place items inside. We also need to solicit items from Tampa Bay area business to place inside the bags. If you know of any companies which might provide items to place inside the bags, please let me know, so we can contact them.

We will raffle off a golf outing at Innisbrook Resorts which includes a two night stay at the luxury resort and a round of golf. We won't be charging for the tickets, but winners must be present at the kickoff party to collect the prize. We will need volunteers to help distribute raffle tickets throughout UNITY -- especially during the two big meal events, the hall of fame luncheon and salute to excellence banquet. Please let me know if you're willing to help there.

We have planned a conference call for 6 p.m. July 7 to update everyone on our progress. If you would like to participate, please let me know, and I'll send you the call-in number to be part of the conference. I ask particularly that all TBABJ executive board members try to be on the call.

Let me know if you have any questions about the details I've related here. There will be more details to come in short order.

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
http://www.tbabj.com/
(727) 893-8521

Special Membership Meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday June 28

2008-06-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Members and friends of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists: We're meeting at 11 a.m. this Saturday -- June 28 -- at a new spot: Papitos Cuban Cafe & Bar in Tampa.

This is a crucial meeting. We have moved the date from its traditional spot, the first Saturday of the month, because the first Saturday in July falls on July 4 weekend, and we really need as much attendance as possible.

We are sponsoring the final party of this year's NABJ convention as part of the larger UNITY gathering, which means we have a lot to accomplish. We have 1,000 goodie bags to fill, we need to pick up entertainers such as Eric Darius and DJ Ekin at the airport and get them to their rooms and the evening's festivities, we need to hand out raffle tickets at the party for a stay at the innisbrook resort and more.

We really need anyone who will be in Chicago and wants to help the local chapter to show for this meeting. It will probably be our last general membership meeting before everyone heads to Chicago for the July 26 party. I'd like to find out who will be in Chicago and who we can count on to help out. So if you can't make Saturday's meeting, please send an email with contact info and when you'll be around so we can get you involved.

Hope to see you there!

Papitos Cuban Cafe & Bar

5305 Ehrlich Road Tampa, FL 33625

(813) 849-7675 phone

Direction from St. Petersburg -- take I-275 into Tampa, take SR-60 W/CYPRESS ST. exit, EXIT 39B towards the Veterans Expressway, take the Veterans Expressway to Ext. 10 (Ehrlich Rd.) head east on Ehrlich Rd. to the address, which should be on the westbound side of the street. you can also take I-275 to Dale Mabry northbound, make a left at Ehrlich Rd. and head west to the restaurant.

Eric Deggans

President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists

Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee

TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times

http://www.myspace.com/tbabj

(727) 893-8521

TBABJ Needs Volunteers for Chicago party!

2008-06-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Members and friends of the Tampa Bay Assoc. of Black Journalists:

Many of you know that the TBABJ, a local chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, will be hosting the national convention next year. As a result, we are responsible for helping to plan and execute the closing night party of this year's convention in Chicago, which also serves as the kickoff party for the 2009 get-together.

We have finalized many elements of the party. But we still need one thing badly: volunteers to help onsite.

We will need people to help stuff items into the 1,000 goody bags we will hand out at the party. We will also need some people to retrieve our entertainers from the airport and get them checked into their hotel rooms and also make sure they arrive at the party for their performances.

We will be handing out tickets to raffle off an outing at innisbrook resorts, so we will need people to do that. We will also need someone to design a flyer we hope to include with each registrant's packet onsite with details for the party.

In short, we need lots of volunteers. so, if you're attending this year's convention and are willing to devote some time to helping us out, please send an email soon, so i can start organizing folks into committees and we can get organized. We only have a few weeks left, and we need your help desperately.

Even if you think I know you're coming to Chicago, please email and let me know what's you'dl ike to work on. Thanks much!

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
www.tbabj.com
(727) 893-8521

Membership Meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday in St. Petersburg

2008-06-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

We're meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday (June 7) at a different spot: Kizmet cafe in St. Petersburg.

As usual, we have a lot going on. We need to complete plans for the kick off party to the 2009 convention, scheduled for July 26 in Chicago this year. We've got to decide about t-shirts and other merchandising we're putting together for the event.

We've just had a public forum on race, religion and media and are already developing plans for a forum in September or October on voting. And we have Griot Drum Awards coming up in November.

Here's the address: Kizmet 1101 1st Avenue NORTH, Saint Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 821-1078.

Hoep to see you there!

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
http://www.tbabj.com/
(727) 893-8521

TBABJ Forum Draws Crowd, Media Coverage

2008-05-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a report from TBABJ president Eric Deggans on the group's May 29 public forum:

It easily could have degenerated into chaos.

On May 29, before a crowd of about 60 people at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, I led a discussion on how the media has covered race and religion that took a turn into a conflict about evangelist Bill Keller and some of his more incendiary comments about Islam.

Keller had agreed to appear at the forum, which was co-sponsored by the Council on American Islamic Relations, so he knew some criticsm was coming. But most of the attendees took visible umbrage at Keller's unwillingness to back away from statements such as Islam was a "1,400-year-old lie from the pits of hell" and calling the Prophet Mohammed a "murdering pedophile."

Keller says his words are backed by the bible. Other pastiors onstage, including Arthur Jones from Bible Based-Fellowship in Tama, disagreed. Jones and Keller also disagreed on the notion that black ministers may be held to more media scrutiny or pay a bigger price for controversial statements than white evangelicals. In fact, the only thing all those on our panel could really agree on, was that media outlets weren't covering any of this particularly well. See Keller's caustic assessment of the forum -- in which he says lynching was a "pretty accurate description" for how he was treated by the crowd -- on his own website here.

I was struck by how entrenched some perspectives were. Even after I noted how a study showed that white people judge racial progress by looking at how far we've come and black people judge racial progress by how far we need to go -- asking how we bridge that divide -- Jones and Keller proceeded to echo the same thoughts is slightly different ways.

Questioners from the crowd tended to talk about "the media" as if we were all one big ball of an organization, with little distinction between print, network TV, cable TV, talk radio and the Internet. But each platform works indifferent ways, presenting different challenges -- so how can one criticsm fit them all?

What also seemed obvious: while the public is hungry for a media structure which delivers "The truth," increasingly, there is no such thing in modern life. Particularly, regarding complex issues such as religious faith, race prejudice, Palestinian history, anti-American sentiment in the Middle East and the role of the Muslim faith in terrorism, there often is no definitive "truth."

There is, instead, a collection of reports from a variety of sources -- each with their own set of values, advantages and shortcomings. And, increasingly, it falls to the news consumer to be selective and wide-ranging in the news sources they regularly consume -- their media diet, as I've written about before -- to make sure they get a balanced view.

As is often the case, I left last night's forum excited by the conversation, but concerned because we rarely seem to move beyond this point. Here's hoping this time might be different.

Here's also some more coverage: WMNF-FM did a story, along with the St. Petersburg Times and area Fox affiliate, WTVT-Ch. 13.

I wish more of our own members had decided to watch this forum -- too often, we create these great opportunities for discussion for the community, but can't get any of our own members to take advantage...

TBABJ Joins With NAACP, CAIR and HRC for May 29 Public Forum

2008-05-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Free public forum at 7 p.m. May 29 in Tampa:

From the furor over Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s connection to presidential candidate Barack Obama to the controversy over the detention and prosecution of Muslim students from Tampa on charges of transporting explosives, issues of race and religion stand at the heart of the biggest media stories of this year.

So that people in the Tampa Bay area can speak out about the issue and directly address journalists who cover these issues, the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists has joined the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Tampa/Hillsborough Human Rights Council and the Hillsborough County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for a free public forum. Join us for discussion on:

RACE, RELIGION & MEDIA: ARE WE GETTING THE COVERAGE WE DESERVE?

The event will be held on Thursday May 29, 2008, 7 p.m. in the Student Services Auditorium at the Hillborough Community College’s Dale Mabry Campus, 4001 Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa. Admission is free and all are invited to attend. Participants include:

*Arthur Jones, pastor, Bible Based Fellowship Church and friend of Rev. Wright
*Ahmed Bedier, civil rights activist, president Tampa/Hillsborough HRC
*Bill Keller, evangelist, LivePrayer.com
*Michelle Bearden, religion reporter, Tampa Tribune/WFLA-Ch. 8/TBO.com
*Otis Anthony, host, Sunday Forum, WMNF-FM
*Ken Irby, Visual journalism Group Leader & diversity director, Poynter Institute

The event will feature a discussion among the panel, moderated by TBABJ President Eric Deggans, TV/Media Critic for the St. Petersburg Times. The panel will also take questions from the audience.

TBABJ, founded in 1990, is a non-profit affiliate of the National Association of Black Journalists, representing dozens of journalists of color throughout the Florida Suncoast.

Established in 1994, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices nationwide and in Canada. The national headquarters is located on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

First organized as a Tampa branch in 1917, the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP seeks to remove barriers of racial discrimination through normal democratic processes, informing legislatures of the importance of enacting laws securing civil rights and their executives of their statutory, administrative or inherent authority to end discrimination.

Contacts:
For the HRC, Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, bedier@gmail.com.
For the TBABJ, Camille Spencer, 727-992-5203, camillecspencer@gmail.com.
For CAIR, Donnie Ali, 813-514-1414, dali@cair.com.
For the NAACP, Curtis Stokes, Curtis.Stokes@53.com.