NABJ President Sarah Glover and NAHJ President Brandon Benavides release the following joint statement and present another invitation to the Trump campaign:
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) invite Republican Presidential Nominee Donald J. Trump to a press event with members of our respective associations.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the NABJ/NAHJ joint convention on Friday, Aug. 5, 2016 in Washington, D.C. The convention attracted nearly 4,000 attendees and about 1,500 were present for Clinton’s appearance.
Members of the audience who witnessed Clinton’s address included working journalists, media-related professionals, academics, corporate sponsors, volunteers, Clinton campaign officials and non-members of our associations. Some members of the audience applauded during Clinton’s responses. This is no reflection of our journalistic values, which include being non-partisan and objective.
The members of NABJ and NAHJ, many of whom work in newsrooms throughout the country know the importance of journalistic integrity and impartiality, especially while covering political campaigns. Our members — the moderators, panelists and working journalists –handled themselves professionally during and after the Clinton speech.
We renew our invitation to Republican presidential nominee Donald J.Trump to address our members. While the Trump Campaign declined NABJ and NAHJ’s initial request to address convention-goers at our historic joint convention Aug. 3-7, NABJ and NAHJ stand ready to arrange a press conference before members of both organizations within 60 days.
We know it is important for our members and the communities we cover to hear from both sides of the aisle.
About the National Association of Black Journalists:
An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization for journalists of color in the nation, and provides career development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide. For additional information, please visit, www.nabj.org.
About the National Association of Hispanic Journalists:
NAHJ is dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. For additional information, please visit, www.nahj.org.