Black Conservate Sucks at Bush's Teat
From the National Association of Black Journalists
NABJ Blasts Armstrong Williams-White House Deal
Calls on Papers to Drop Williams' Column
WASHINGTON - The National Association of Black Journalists calls on the White House to rebuke those in the Department of Education who used taxpayer dollars to pay off conservative commentator Armstrong Williams in an attempt to influence public opinion on administration policy.
Furthermore, NABJ is disappointed that Williams chose to accept a $240,000 payment from the administration to promote its education reform law on his TV show and in his newspaper column and not disclose that relationship to his viewers and readers, as reported by USA Today in story that ran Friday.
NABJ calls on all media outlets - radio, television and print - that feature Williams' show, use him as a TV commentator or run his syndicated column to drop him immediately.
"I thought we in the media were supposed to be watchdogs, not lapdogs," said NABJ Vice President- Print Bryan Monroe, an assistant vice president-news at Knight Ridder. "I thought we had an administration headed by a president who took an oath to uphold the First Amendment, not try to rent it."
According to the USA Today article, the Bush administration paid the conservative pundit to promote the No Child Left Behind law and wanted him to urge other black journalists to do the same.
"He's lost his credibility," said NABJ Vice President- Broadcast Barbara Ciara, managing editor-anchor at WTKR-TV in Norfolk. "He's tainted fruit. And he's unfairly indicted all commentators who have their own independent opinion, don't need a script from the administration and don't need to be paid off."
Armstrong is not a member of NABJ, but clearly would have benefited from being surrounded by journalists who have appropriate values and ethics.
"While it's clear that Williams is a talk radio commentator and has long since abandoned any pretense of being a journalist, his actions still taint those who share the values and ethics of journalism, no matter what color you are," added Monroe.
In 2004, NABJ president Herbert Lowe created an ethics committee, chaired by Maidstone Mulenga of the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, to help articulate and codify ethical guidelines for our members. The committee's report should be released in the spring.
posted by Farai @ 3:35 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Farai-Help me. I really don't get the point of slinging the kind of low end comments I'm reading in this thread, inspired by your essay "This Negro for Rent." What Armstrong Williams did was despicable for sure. And I'm not opposed to taking a shot at hypocracy. But why the pornographic gutter tactics and demeaning racial broadbrushing? If you are trying to influence opinion, aren't you doing yourself more harm than good? Please, what's the point?
I'd like to see more articles like this one. Do you know where I can find them?
adhd in kids
adhd in kids
Children with ADHD
There is a perplexing state of affairs in today's society, there lies a strong correlation between the affluence of a society and the amount of disease that is present. There is also another correlation that troubles many a people and that is with affluence comes disease at an Earlier age.
Working with children and the parents of these children I often get asked the question, 'Why are Children with ADHD on the increase?'
The answer as you shall find is one that is both interesting and challenging.
Children of today are really no more different from the children of yesterday in terms of genetic makeup. However, if you examine the issue more closely you will tend to find that many children today have been given labels. For example, 'Oh, those are children with ADHD' or 'Those are the children who can't sit still.' Or 'That is the kid that always gets into trouble.'
These labels are not only destructive but also become a self fulfilling prophecy as it is repeated adnauseum.
So as a 21st century parent or a parent with a child with ADHD or a parent with children with ADHD, what knowledge framework do you need to equip yourself with to ensure your children live out their true potential?
Here is a quick reference list for thinking about ADHD
� ADHD is a source of great frustration because it is misunderstood
� ADHD medications are a great short term time buying device and should be avoided long term
� The above point goes for any sort of drug consumption. Think about it for a minute. Unless you have a biochemical deficiency in your body like Type 1 diabetes where your body fails to produce enough insulin or any at all, why would you take an external drug? A body that is in balance is totally healthy. It is only when the body is out of balance that dis-ease symptoms start to creep up.
� ADHD is a biochemical imbalance of the mind and body.
� The Head of Psychiatry in Harvard states that drugs for ADHD simply mask the effects of ADHD. It does not cure ADHD. This is an important point because a cure implies never to have to take the medication. This means that once you start on medication you will have to be on it for the rest of your life i.e. you have medically acquired a dependency for a biochemical imbalance. That is like stuffing all your rubbish (problematic behaviors) into a closet (medication) where no one can see it. But if you continue to stuff more rubbish into that closet, one day you will not have enough space and need to do one of two things. You either empty the rubbish (the natural conclusion) or you get a bigger closet (i.e. change to stronger medication to control the symptoms). The choice is obvious but sometimes when you don't have the necessary tools to deal with ADHD you tend to think the bigger closet is the only option.
� ADHD children are super sensitive to the emotions around them. Often they pick up emotional cues from their parents without realizing. Many parents come home frustrated or annoyed from work, the child with ADHD picks this up and starts to 'cause trouble' by becoming restless. Parents frustration increase because they just want some peace and quiet. They get angry which in turn is picked up by the child who then intensifies their activity. Things get way out of hand and some sort of punishment is handed down to the child who has no idea what just happened. The cycle repeats itself every so often.
� Our brains are wired emotionally. Positive praise is interpreted as an analytical/thinking exercise. Negative criticism including scolding, name calling, physical punishment all go directly to the emotional brain of children with ADHD. This means in order to ensure you get your message across in the most optimal way, you need to learn how to communicate with your ADHD children the way they like to be communicated with.
� Every negative comment requires 16 positive comments to neutralize the emotion. Save yourself the frustration and agitation by practicing positive communication.
The list is by no means complete. In dealing with children with ADHD there are a certain set of behavioural principles to follow. I will detail these steps in the coming weeks. I'll also build on the list as you continue to learn about what appears to be a mystical disorder known as 'Children with ADHD'
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