Study: Sunday Political Shows Still Short on Black Guests
Feature Story by Tyler Lewis - 4/27/2006
Dr. Martin Luther King said in 1958 that 11am on Sunday morning was the "most segregated hour" in America.Forty years later, he could be talking about the Sunday morning political talk shows. In the past two years, black guest appearances made up only eight percent of total guest appearances for the period, according to a new study by the National Urban League (NUL) Policy Institute.
In addition, the study found that appearances by Condeleeza Rice, Colin Powell, and Juan Williams accounted for 65 percent of those guest appearances.
"Sunday Morning Apartheid: A Diversity Study of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows," released in March with the organization's State of Black America report, analyzed five Sunday morning political talk shows - This Week with George Stephanopoulous (ABC), Face the Nation (CBS), Late Edition (CNN), Fox News Sunday (FOX) and Meet the Press (NBC) - from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2005.
A preliminary study covering an 18-month period was released in August. Networks, however, discounted the study, according to Stephanie Jones, author and executive director of NUL's Policy Institute.
The study was expanded in the hope that by the end of 2005, the numbers would improve. They didn't.
"This is not about demographics," said Jones at a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation panel discussion held April 25. She insisted that the important role Sunday morning shows play in defining political discourse in America should reflect diverse opinions and perspectives in order to be truly representative and effective.
A lifelong fan of the Sunday morning shows, Jones said the study was born out of a frustration she felt when NUL's policy agenda was constantly ignored because "nobody was talking about" those issues.
The study also found that black guests were never invited to comment on major policy issues, such as the economy or national security.
Often, black guests were invited on the shows only to comment on the latest racial controversy. Jones said there was a slight spike in black guest appearances in September 2005 after Hurricane Katrina revealed racial biases in recovery efforts.
Many black legislators resist participating in these limited roles. Paul Braithwaite, CBC executive director, said he has personally instructed CBC members to turn down offers to appear on the shows when they were only asked to comment on controversial events.
ABC was the only network to call Jones after the study was released and talk about how to change the problem. Katherine O'Hearn, executive producer of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulous, said that there is heavy competition to book the "rock stars: -- the newsmakers in politics -- and that doesn't automatically translate to a diverse show.
She said that they preferred to book senators over House members and the legislators who "get out in front on an issue."
However, Braithwaite insisted that there are many black political analysts who could become "rock stars" if they were given the exposure. He said that black guests deserved the opportunity to build the audience's trust and interest.
In addition, the panelists said that more education was necessary for all parties involved. O'Hearn said that black legislators' press staff should be pitching them to the networks and building a relationship with bookers.
All panelists agreed that bookers needed to be educated about the diversity of political analysts. NUL is working to create lists of potential black guests for bookers, compiling contact information and building relationships with black guests who may or may not be interested in appearing on a Sunday morning show.
