What Contributed to the NABJ Convention Debacle?
A Crisis Communications Perspective on What Went Wrong with President Trump at NABJ 2024
By Jennifer R. Farmer
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) recently experienced a crisis of confidence in its leadership as well as serious questions around the decision to include President Trump in its annual convention. A crisis is anything that interrupts an organization’s ability to fulfill their mission. And when NABJ announced, just a day or so before its annual convention, that that former President Donald J. Trump would be interviewed on an NABJ panel, the announcement ignited furor and debate.
I’ve attended NABJ for years and I always treasured the event as a safe space for Black journalists and media professionals. I never felt I needed to be on guard for disinformation or for hostility. At the same time, I’ve always considered NABJ to be a blend between advocacy organization and journalism outfit. I understand why a presidential candidate would want to attend NABJ, and I believe Black journalists should have an opportunity to vet all presidential candidates. At the same, I understand how a last minute announcement that President Trump would be interviewed on an NABJ panel would create upset.
As I’ve reflected on the controversy surrounding NABJ’s 2024 convention, I came away with five things that explain the anger around the decision to welcome President Trump at an NABJ convention.
The decision didn’t appear to be properly vetted within the membership
The debate around President Trump’s presence at NABJ was announced and heavily publicized the day or so before the event. There should have been considerable time to discuss the idea, receive feedback and then move forward. That didn’t appear to happen. This lack of dialogue on such a monumental decision contributed to harsh feelings about the event.
Internal organizational standards didn’t appear to be followed
Typically, a person cannot attend NABJ without first being a member of NABJ. Even when registering for the NABJ convention, one must update their membership or purchase a membership. It is therefore surprising that Fox News host Harris Faulkner was able to participate in the convention and interview Trump even though she may not have been a member of NABJ. NABJ policies should apply to all people regardless of their politics or political leaning.
NABJ is in this tricky position of being both a journalistic outfit and an advocacy organization
As an advocacy organization, there were a host of people who felt it was inappropriate to invite Trump to the convention because the policies he has espoused run contrary to what most advocates for Black communities espouse. As a journalism organization though, NABJ has every right to interview a current or former president let alone a person campaigning for the presidency. Generally speaking, Black media outlets tend to be more advocacy oriented. Black journalists have lived experiences of being Black in America and therefore can sometimes write and report from that lens. This is a worthy discussion and debate; one in which I hope NABJ leans into in the future.
The selection of journalists to interview Trump caused a stir
Black journalists who have been members of NABJ for years, if not decades, were especially upset that they were not given an opportunity to interview Trump or even discuss his appearance. I am unclear how the people who interviewed Trump at NABJ were selected.
Trump has a history of verbally attacking Black journalists
A final reason some NABJ members were upset that President Trump attended NABJ is because he has a history of verbally attacking high profile Black journalists. Black journalists such as April Ryan, Abby Philip, Yamiche Alcindor, Nikole Hannah Jones, and others have been criticized by former President Trump and his allies. The attacks were so severe that former NABJ President Sarah Glover spoke out about them in 2018. The former president allegedly called April Ryan a loser and threatened to revoke her press credentials (she’s a white house press secretary). About Nikole Hannah Jones’ 1619 project, Trump said “the left has warped, distorted, and defiled the American story with deceptions, falsehoods, and lies. There is no better example than the New York Times’ totally discredited 1619 Project,” Mr. Trump said at the event. “This project rewrites American history to teach our children that we were founded on the principle of oppression, not freedom.”” It’s worth noting that Nikole Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for The 1619 Project in 2020. If NABJ is supposed to be a safe space for Black journalists, one could understand why some may have been upset by Trump’s appearance, regardless of how limited it may have been, at NABJ. there is no universe in which inviting Trump to an NABJ convention makes sense.