The third principle of Kwanzaa, Ujima, honors a commitment to active and informed togetherness on matters of common interest.
Black By God is asking for your togetherness to address the crisis in West Virginia media; your donations matter, but your participation in Folk Reporters genuinely supports a common interest for the public to be informed.
WEST VIRGINIA MEDIA IS IN CRISIS
It’s a hot mess, as Granny May would say.
Please join BBG with co-host Kyle Vass for a MEDIA TOWN HALL on Twitter Spaces at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29.Link
Three reporters from the Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper in West Virginia were fired last week after criticizing an interview their company president conducted with a former coal executive convicted of a safety violation in connection with a major mine disaster. The reporters, Caity Coyne, Lacie Pierson, and Ryan Quinn were fired due to their comments on Twitter about the now-removed interview with former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. In the interview, Blankenship called climate change "an absolute hoax" and promoted his book about the mine disaster, claiming his innocence and blaming the Obama administration. The reporters said they were fired for "insubordination" on social media and did not receive an invitation to a staff meeting with other reporters and editors.
Amelia Knisely
Today it was announced that West Virginia Public Broadcasting has also ended its relationship with reporter Amelia Knisely after she reported on alleged abuse at a hospital run by the Department of Health and Human Services. Knisely claims that the station banned her from writing about the department and that DHHR officials threatened to discredit the station if she continued to report on the department.
West Virginia Reporters fired while HD Media scrubbed the web for House Minority Leader and President of HD Media, Doug Skaff, who has faced criticism for allegedly directing staff to delete a story about his 2015 gambling scandal and inviting Don Blankenship to guest on his webcast.
The lack of reporters in the press room at the West Virginia State Capitol building, with fewer reporters, and the newspaper industry’s decline.
W.Va. Public Broadcasting reporter released after DHHR pressure
West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) has ended its relationship with part-time reporter Amelia Knisely after she reported on alleged abuse at the William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital in Weston, run by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHR). Knisely claimed that WVPB banned her from writing about DHHR on the same day that she covered a meeting of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health, where the Disability Rights West Virginia (DRWV) Legal Director briefed lawmakers on issues at the hospital.
Knisely said that DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch and agency spokeswoman Allison Adler threatened to discredit WVPB if she continued reporting on the health department. Knisely filed a complaint with WVPB’s human resources department regarding the alleged threats. Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act reclaiming his innocence and blaming with a request for legislative press credentials for Knisely the same day she filed her complaint. WVPB has said that it is committed to fair and accurate reporting.
Gazette-Mail Staff Say Skaff Abuses Power as President
An investigation by Dragline found that a Gazette-Mail story about Doug Skaff, the president of HD Media and the state’s Democratic House minority leader, had been removed from the paper’s website, and multiple staff members said that Skaff had directed employees to delete the story. The story was later reposted with an editor’s note explaining that it had been removed contrary to company policy. Staff members also said that Skaff had deleted the story because he was concerned it might interfere with the company’s foray into online sports betting.. Reporters who’ve worked under Skaff say his conflicted presence undermines the Pulitzer Prize-winning paper’s integrity.
In Steven Allen Adam’s column Reporters Notebook for The Parkersburg News & Sentinel, he writes about the lack of reporters covering the statehouse. Adams works in the press room at the West Virginia State Capitol building. The press room, located in the basement of the building, is a space for reporters from various news outlets to work. Steve reflects on the changes in the press room over the past 13 years, noting that it is currently quite quiet and needs more reporters. The writer attributes this decline in reporters to a number of factors, including the impact of COVID-19, the cost of sending reporters to the state capitol, and the use of technology such as live-streaming events. Steve expresses concern about the level of coverage of the upcoming legislative session, which they believe will be important given the current political landscape in the state, and the need for more reporters to cover it. The writer calls for more reporters to be present at the state capitol to provide important news coverage for the public.
I actually worry for legislative coverage this coming year. This will be a very important session, especially since one party holds the vast majority of power.
Reporters Who Condemned Interview of Ex-coal CEO John Blankenship Fired
Three reporters from the Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper in West Virginia were fired after criticizing an interview their company president conducted with a former coal executive who was convicted of a safety violation in connection with a major mine disaster. The reporters, Caity Coyne, Lacie Pierson, and Ryan Quinn, were fired due to their comments on Twitter about the now-removed interview with former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. In the interview, Blankenship called climate change "an absolute hoax" and promoted his book about the mine disaster, in which he claimed his innocence and blamed the Obama administration. The reporters said they were fired for "insubordination" on social media and did not receive an invitation to a staff meeting with other reporters and editors.
There is a lack of diversity in media in West Virginia, according to Crystal Good, an "Affrilachian artist, digital media entrepreneur with Black By God, an independent media platform. Good, there needs to be more data available on diversity in the news media in West Virginia, including the number of people of color working as reporters, editors, in sales, or distribution. This lack of diversity results in "information inequality," as the media does not accurately reflect the state’s diverse population. Good cites the example of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, disproportionately skewed towards white people in West Virginia, as an example of an issue that has received minimal media attention. Doug Reynolds, head of HD Media and owner of several West Virginia newspapers, responded to Good’s article with a tweet that appeared to dismiss her concerns.
Black By God The West Virginian is a community-led journalism venture to strengthen the state’s civic infrastructure, focusing on Black issues and voices. The project’s Folk Reporters Program trains volunteers to attend public meetings and report on them to democratize news and hold local government accountable to the people. The program is modeled after Documenters. The goal is to empower local community members to provide homegrown news coverage and fill the current void of media and reporting in West Virginia.
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