$1 Million From Tavis Smiley
September 15, 2004
Gift Goes Toward Media Studies at Black College
"Texas Southern University received one of its largest donations ever from an individual Monday when Tavis Smiley, the NPR and PBS host, gave $1 million to boost the university's communications school," La Monica Everett-Haynes writes in the Houston Chronicle.
"The money, which came on the same day officials dedicated a center in Smiley's name, will endow a faculty chair and create new student scholarships.
"University officials also hope the new $5.4 million Tavis Smiley Center for Media Studies will help diversify the nation's media by graduating more black journalists.
The Daimler Chrysler Corporate Fund also presented a $50,000 check to the university, which has an enrollment of more than 10,000.
"Smiley's affiliation with TSU began in June after [President Priscilla] Slade went to Los Angeles with several members of her senior staff to tell Smiley they planned to name the center after him.
"The new Smiley Center, slated for completion in November, will house the KTSU studio and the university's four existing programs in journalism, communications, electronic media and speech communications.
"Smiley, whose alma mater is Indiana State, said he gave TSU the check because it is a historically black university located in a city known for its size and diversity.
"Smiley also plans to be the first keynote speaker in a lecture series that will begin during the fall of 2005, and he plans to give TSU students internships at the Los Angeles-based Smiley Group, a communications group.
In a news release, Smiley noted that his 40th birthday -- which took place Monday -- was approaching at the time, and he felt something was missing from his life.
"Usually this type of honor comes towards the end of one's professional life and not in the middle. But I soon realized it was the perfect answer to my prayers. It was the chance to be an active, hands-on part of a living and dynamic institution. It will also insure that others interested in using the media to empower, enlighten and offer diverse viewpoints on important issues in our lives will be supported for decades to come."
The University is recognized as the second largest, single campus historically black college in the country, the news release said.
Smiley Gift Revives Debate Over Who's a Journalist
Tavis Smiley has said before that he does not consider himself a journalist, but his gift to Texas Southern revived a debate over whether he and people like him should be considered part of that profession.
The immediate spark was a column in USA Today Monday by DeWayne Wickham, "A name on a building -- one of several important strides for black journalists," in which he called Smiley "arguably the nation's most influential black journalist."
That didn't sit well with Roland Martin, new editor of the Chicago Defender, who prompted a discussion on the listserve of the National Association of Black Journalists and on Romenesko's Poynter Institute Web site by writing:
"Today on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Tavis said that Daimler-Chrysler gave him a Mercedes for his birthday. We all know that journalists can't accept such gifts. And we also know that journalists don't appear in ads for Microsoft. When Kwame Kilpatrick was running for mayor [of Detroit], Smiley openly campaigned for him. Journalists don't speak at campaign rallies for people running for office.
"This is not a slam on Tavis. In fact, my interview with Tavis - he's also said the same to others -- on BlackAmericaWeb.com two years ago makes it perfectly clear that Tavis does not consider himself to be a journalist. But Tavis said clearly that he is an activist -- not a journalist."
Replied Julie Johnson, identified on Romenesko as copy desk chief, Modern Healthcare, Modern Physician and Health IT Strategist:
"So if Tavis Smiley isn't a journalist, then what do NPR and PBS consider him? Are hosts of their other programs also eligible to receive generous gifts from corporations, a la the Mercedes that Smiley got from Daimler Chrysler?"
"It's interesting, in his role as advocate," said another, "that he would accept a Mercedes when there's a boycott against DaimlerChrysler (Benz's parent company) for unfair lending practices toward African Americans."
"Of course Tavis Smiley is not a journalist. He's not on a payroll. And, he can afford to give away a million dollars," was another response.
But others on the NABJ list, and privately, echoed this sentiment: "Tavis might fall more easily in the category of 'advocacy journalist,' like many members of the black press who don't really have the same stringent requirements that other media organizations place on their employees. Some black newspapers and radio stations regularly blend the editorial and corporate sides of their operation; they do stories on advertisers and even allow reporters or broadcasters to do commercial work."
And still another said he had seen ads in which PBS had promoted Smiley as "a journalist, an advocate and an insomniac."
Responding to an inquiry from Journal-isms, NPR spokeswoman Jenny Lawhorn said flatly, "his title here is host. His NPR show is a news and opinion program."
PBS referred the question to Smiley's publicist, Joel Brokaw, who replied: "Mr. Smiley is not a journalist by training or profession, nor does he refer to himself by that title. . . . Mr. Smiley is a television and radio talk show host, commentator, author, public speaker and activist."
He also said it was a Chrysler, not a Mercedes, that Smiley received from the company at Monday's Texas Southern presentation.
By Richard Prince, Journal-isms, 09/16/2004
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