Not a 'Gotcha Game,' revisiting calls to end U.S. Sunday show 'apartheid'

(PARIS, France) The recent clearing out of some executives from CBS and ABC corporate offices could impact the quality of news more than people in the viewing public might think. The booted executives sat atop news pyramids that shortchanged audiences and, in most cases, aired lily-white, exclusionary discussions on national topics. The NABJ and a fifteen-year-old report about the news business have called for management changes that will affect the entirety of the news output.

Troubling findings about guest lists were released during the tenures of the former TV decision-makers. Dating back to 2005, research published in Sunday Morning Apartheid: A Diversity Study of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows reveals:

THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC)

Generally

? Seventy-two percent of the broadcasts had no black guests

• Fifteen U.S. House members appeared, none of them were black

Roundtables

Ninety percent of the roundtables had no black participants 

CBS Face the Nation

Generally

• Eighty-six percent of the broadcasts had no black guests

Interviews

• Ninety-one percent of the broadcasts had no interviews with black guests
• In 2005, only six of 52 shows interviewed a black guest: Condoleezza Rice appeared twice, and Rep. Charles Rangel, Colin Powell, Rep. William Jefferson and Sen. Barack Obama each appeared once

On all five major U.S. news organizations, the Sunday shows "consistently lack[ed] any African American participation—from the war in Iraq to judicial nominations to the economy to national security to foreign policy—and leave the impression that interest in and analysis of these topics are “for Whites only.”

‘Tells a stark story,’ the July 2005 Urban League document

"Unless an African American is a regular employee of one of the Sunday morning programs or sits in the highest level of the current administration, there is little chance of them appearing on these shows and even less chance that they will be asked to discuss anything beyond race, civil rights, partisan politics or sports.?

From REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE POLICY INSTITUTE, Sunday Morning Apartheid: A Diversity Study of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows

Co-author Stephanie J. Jones explains, via telephone, to CSPAN interviewer Connie Doebele in 2005:

?We're hoping it’ll provoke discussion. We’re hoping it will be something that will enable people to take a look at why there’s no diversity on these programs and to take steps to diversify these programs … I’m hoping the networks will take this very seriously. 

"We’re not playing gotcha. We’re just trying to put the issue out there.?

CSPAN’s DOEBELE: (Photo at right. How much do you think this is an issue of, 'I’m a booker, I have ten minutes or fifteen minutes to find somebody on this issue. I go through my Rolodex quickly. Aha, I’ve got these five people.' It’s a lack of reaching out and taking the time to find people who can talk about issues who are not always at the top of people’s minds. Click to Watch the interview.)

JONES: That could very well be the problem and that’s why I think it’s important for people to have their horizons expanded, and for the people who are doing the booking to better understand there may be an extra step needs to be taken.

SCOTUS and the death of former POTUS, Reagan

The 18-month examination period included the death of former President Ronald Reagan in June 2004. From the report: "Of the nearly three dozen guests who appeared on talk shows that Sunday, only three were African-American—Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Fox TV commentator Juan Williams. On two of the five shows, the legacy of Reagan, a president who had an enormous effect on the black community, was assessed by all-white lineups.? 

Fox faired better than the other four networks because ?[o]ne person—Juan Williams, a commentator for Fox News—accounts for 40 percent of all appearances by black guests.?

The Supreme Court determines laws for all people? Yes, but, according to the report: "Every Sunday morning talk show covered the controversy over the Senate filibuster, the death of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the impending retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to succeed them on the Supreme Court. These nominations were of great importance to African Americans, who were active and vocal in the speaking out about these issues. Yet, not one Sunday morning talk show featured an interview with an African American about these topics.? 

They're all breaking the news: shortcomings at CNN, Fox, NBC

LATE EDITION (CNN)

Interviews

• Sixty-four percent of the broadcasts had no black guests 

FOX NEWS SUNDAY (FOX)

Interviews

• Eighty-one percent of the broadcasts had no interviews with black guests

MEET THE PRESS (NBC)

Generally

? Seventy-four percent of the broadcasts had no black guests

Interviews

? Eighty-five percent of the broadcasts had no interviews with Black guests

Roundtables

• Seventy-five percent of the roundtables had no black participants

^ Disney/ABC News fired ABC News executive Barbara Fedida, after substantiating allegations of racially insensitive comments made by her.CBS CEO George Cheeks announced that Peter Dunn, who served as president of the company’s television stations group, and David Friend, the senior vice president of news are no longer employed by CBS.

+ METHODOLOGY: The National Urban League Policy Institute studied the five Sunday morning political network and cable programs broadcast between January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2005.

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Nita Wiggins worked at affiliate stations for ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox networks during 21 years on American television. She is the author of Civil Rights Baby: My Story of Race, Sports, and Breaking Barriers in American Journalism. Since 2009, she has taught journalism at ESJ Paris. In 2021, Wiggins is the manager of the new, 100% online master of journalism and communications in English at the Paris, France-based school. More on NitaWiggins.com, YouTube, and Instagram.