I was very happy to hear that Bob Butler, someone I’ve known now for more than six years, was elected as the president of the National Association of Black Journalists on Friday.
Bob is a well-respected journalist, but he’s also a tireless supporter of NABJ and an advocate for black journalists in newsrooms across the country. He’ll fit right in as leader for the association following Greg Lee’s tenure, my former colleague at the Boston Globe and the current Sun-Sentinel executive sports editor.
With the backdrop of two national stories so closely related to the African-American diaspora — a black president and the aftermath of the George Zimmerman trial — it is more important than ever to have a strong association that pushes for fair coverage on the airwaves, in print, and online. Bob not only understands that, but he has the connections to start those hard and uncomfortable conversations right away.
In my humble opinion, NABJ will be just fine these next two years.
