by A.man.I

BlackInformant – African American news commentary, politics, and culture.

BlackStarJournal – Issues affecting sub-Saharan Africa.

DarkStar – Thoughts on news coverage, and politics.

by A.man.I

Alive in Baghdad, a grassroots news site is collecting donations for the family of Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi. The 22-year-old correspondent was shot and killed during a raid in a part of Sadyr city on December 14 by Iraqi National Forces.

The morgue report says that Ali took 31 bullets between the chest and the head and died immediately. He will be missed and remembered. His two brothers were killed in the Firdos Square bombing in 2005. He is survived by his mother and sister.

by A.man.I

PUFFY EXPLAINS HIS MANY NICKNAMES
If you missed Sean Combs, (aka Puff Daddy aka Puffy, aka P. Ditty, aka Ditty) on The View Friday, check out the clip on Defamer.

AFROSPEAR LAUNCHES VIDEO CHANNEL
The AfroSpear has launched a user generated content site where folks can upload videos. It’s a work in progress but you can check it out here.

NEWS FOLKS ON THE MOVE
I’ve been meaning to do a better job of this…

WNYW (Fox 5) in New York will soon say goodbye to sportscaster Reischea Candidate. Candidate has reportedly landed a job at ESPN, and is expected to start in ’08.

WSB-AM (Atlanta) has hired Herman Cain to host a weeknight talk show. Cain is a conservative and will start on Jan. 2.

WGCL (CBS) in Atlanta has lost two popular faces. Former Atlanta reporter/anchor Cynne Simpson has landed a weekend anchor job at WJLA (ABC 7) in Washington DC, and meteorologist Gene Norman is moving to WHOU (CBS) in Houston. Read more here.

by A.man.I

A report from the Pew Research Center indicates that Senator Barack Obama has benefited from Oprah Winfrey’s campaign appearances.

According to the report Obama’s visibility increased especially among African Americans.

Far more African Americans cite Obama (51%) than cite Clinton (27%) as the candidate they have heard the most about recently. In November, these figures were roughly the reverse, with 50% naming Clinton and 15% Obama. Whites were also more likely to name Obama this month compared with last month, but the increase was not as great (23% this month up from 9% in November).

Read full report here.

by A.man.I

My Urban Report podcasts can now be viewed on a new IPTV site that caters to videos from around the African diaspora. Brokencurve.com was created by two Georgia Tech engineers who worked on IPTV systems on cruise ships before they started the video portal.

Its founders Neil Nelson and Iziah Reed are from Jamaica, and say their goal it to “connect the dots” with Black communities worldwide.

This isn’t a YouTube for urban content. Brokencurve.com features high quality videos on channels like “Her Side,” which explores women’s issues. “Bumper to Bumper TV” gives you the urban perspective on the car industry, and watch Caribbean fashion on “Pulse International TV.”

Nelson and Reid are working to monetize the site through advertising, and will split revenues with the content creators. They are looking for independent films, and citizen journalism videos.

If you’re wondering where the name broken curve comes from think back to your school days, there was always one or two students who would throw off the curve by scoring well. That would be Nelson and Reid, but in this case everyone is benefiting from their hard work.

Watch the interview with the BrokenCurve.com founders below.

by A.man.I

When it comes to finding a job in the news business, most if not all journalists will tell you it’s all about networking. Students especially need to meet, and more importantly build good relationships with the pros that are out in the trenches.

There are several great organizations that journalism students can join, like the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Radio Television News Directors Association.

My favorite organization is the National Association of Black Journalists (though I wouldn’t be where I am today without an internship I landed from the RTNDA right after I graduated from the University of Florida). I can’t think of one African American journalist who isn’t familiar with the NABJ, and today the organization turns 32.

On this day in 1975, 44 men and women gathered to form an organization geared toward paving the road of diversity through newsrooms across the country for black journalists.

One of my mentors Sam Ford is one of the founders of the NABJ. Ford is veteran reporter at WJLA-TV in Washington DC, where I got my first taste of the news biz. I had a chance to interview him at this years’ NABJ convention about how the NABJ started.

Watch below.

by A.man.I

An effort is underway to protest the demolition of affordable housing in New Orleans. My Urban Report received an e-mail about demontrations that are being organized around the country to speak out against HUD’s plan to destroy about 4,500 public housing units in the NO.

This attack specifically targets working class women of color and their children, who have been working to reclaim these units since Hurricane Katrina.

The WashingtonPost recently reported on the issues surrounding the controversy.

Previously, HUD officials have said the old projects should be cleared out to make way for less dense, modern housing. But those new developments, to be constructed in partnership with private investors, would probably include far fewer apartments for low-income residents and would take years to complete. An unresolved lawsuit on behalf of residents charges that the demolition plan is racially discriminatory.

This is an issue affecting communities around the country. Some call it economic development, others say it’s gentrification, either way people are being displaced from their homes, and many won’t have the opportunity to move back.

Here’s some info about a demonstration in the Bay Area.

WHEN: Friday, December 14th at 12:00 pm
WHERE: Entrance to Civic Center Plaza (on Broadway between 12th and
14th Street) Oakland, CA
WHO: Everyone that supports the Human Right to Shelter is welcome to
attend and help organize the protest.