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Nieman NotesExecutive Editor Ben Bradlee,” Zagoriasays. Since then, Zagoria continues, “Igot busy with a Fulbright in wonderfulCopenhagen, teaching at Florida AtlanticUniversity in Boca Raton … andthen teaching in the Wake Forest UniversityMBA program for eight semesters…. I managed to write two books(neither reached best seller range),‘Public Workers and Public Unions,’and ‘The Ombudsman: How Good GovernmentsHandle Citizens’ Grievances,’and traveled in 38 countries.”Zagoria, who will be 85 next spring,and his wife, Sylvia, celebrated their62nd wedding anniversary this winter.—1962—John Hamilton writes: “HamiltonProductions continues to produce bothcorporate and on-air TV programming,including our long-running ‘Watch onWashington’ series. We shape it on astate-by-state basis to feature a state’scongressional delegation, and we produceit in association with Reuters andABC News. We broadcast from theReuters’ studios here in Washingtonand have access to their worldwidenews footage. Kate Snow of ABC Newsserves as our on-camera host. … Nowwe are launching a new series that willair on public broadcasting stations nationwide.It’s called ‘EnvironmentalMinutes.’ We are producing it in associationwith Sky Farm Productions,another independent production firmheaded by Peter Berle, an old friend ofmine. UNC-TV, the North Carolinapublic television system, is our presentingstation. The National EducationalTelecommunications Associationis distributing our series to all publicbroadcasting stations.”John Hughes, on leave as a tenuredprofessor of journalism and director ofthe International Media Studies Programat Brigham Young University, iseditor and chief operating officer ofthe Deseret Morning News, an 80,000-circulation daily in Salt Lake City. Hehas just taken the News from afternoonto morning publication, with a 7.3 percentincrease in circulation, and now isin head-to-head competition with hisLetter to the Editor:Over the past year, we have challengedthe premise and facts of WilliamMcGowan’s book, “Coloringthe News: How Crusading for DiversityHas Corrupted American Journalism.”We stated that Mr.McGowan presented facts selectivelyin his book to help support his argumentthat efforts to diversify themedia industry have corrupted journalism.We are writing now to challengeonce again statements he madein the 2003 fall edition of the NiemanReports.While Mr. McGowan is entitled tohis opinion, we are entitled to challengethem. He wrote the followingin the Nieman Reports article: “Manynews organizations demand a pronouncedcommitment to diversityas a requirement for career advancement.Failing to do so, or asking toomany questions either about its animatingpremises or its execution inthe newsroom, can ‘dramatically narrow’one’s career options, as NewYork Times publisher ArthurSulzberger, Jr., phrased it. Indeed,stepping over the party line on thissubject can result in ostracism, opprobriumand banishment to careerSiberias.”If media executives are so fearfulthat their career advancement mightbe stalled for not hiring more journalistsof color, then why do journalistsof color continue to beunderrepresented in U.S. newsrooms?The percentage of journalistsof color working at all local TVbroadcast stations has declined overthe past two years from 24.6 percentto 18.1 percent. The representationfor Latinos working at English-languagestations dropped from 7.3percent to 5.2 percent during thatsame time.At daily newspapers, journalistsof color make up only 12.5 percentof all newsroom employees. Meanwhile,people of color make up morethan 30 percent of the U.S. population.This historic failing of the mediahas yet to be resolved. I guessthat’s why so many media executivesare being banished to careerSiberias.We also take exception with howMr. McGowan presented the factssurrounding the debate sponsoredby the National Press Club. He writesthat he “had agreed to debate NABJ”about his book, but that “the NABJpulled out.” The National Associationof Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)is the organization that called forthe debate. That debate betweenMcGowan and NAHJ took place inthe fall of 2002 and aired on C-Span.The press club did invite the NationalAssociation of Black Journalists(NABJ) to participate, but thegroup chose not to take part at thetime. It is unfair to criticize NABJ fornot participating in a debate that theorganization did not call for.Meanwhile, McGowan was unableto accept an NABJ invitation todebate his book at the group’s 2002convention. However, former NABJPresident Condace Pressley did debateMcGowan twice. She debatedhim the first time on CNN in thesummer of 2002 and for the secondtime earlier this year on the C-Spanprogram, “Washington Journal.”It would be irresponsible to statethat Mr. McGowan refused to debateNABJ when he did debate theorganization on two separate occasions.Too bad Mr. McGowan didnot extend the same courtesy. It isconvenient to leave out those factswhen you are attacking the credibilityof NABJ, an organization that hasplayed an instrumental role in improvingthe quality of journalism inthis country. It is also convenient tobe selective when trying to supporta flawed premise.Sincerely,Joseph Torres, Deputy DirectorNational Association of HispanicJournalistsNieman Reports / Winter 2003 99