By Jie Jenny Zou
Voices
UNITY, the largest organization of minority journalists, has lost its largest member for its 2012 convention, though a reunification is a possibility in the future.
National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced its decision to leave the alliance in April, severing a partnership that spanned back to UNITY’s founding in 1994. The organization’s board submitted a letter of resignation to UNITY amid financial concerns.
“As a business model, UNITY no longer is the most financially prudent for NABJ and its membership,” cited an NABJ statement issued in April. NABJ wrote: The organization sought changes in how convention proceeds were divided among alliance members.
The shaky economic climate, coupled with large shifts in the journalism industry, have left some organizations wondering what kind of effect NABJ’s absence will have on the alliance. But, the departure of the NABJ means low turnout can be expected at next year’s convention in Las Vegas.
The organization accounted for 53 percent of paid registrants in UNITY ’08 and about 38 percent of total attendees. UNITY passed its budget in May and has plans to diversify its sponsors for the upcoming convention in an effort to keep up financially following the withdrawal.
“With the withdrawal of NABJ from the alliance, of course we have had to adjust our expectations,” wrote UNITY President Joanna Hernandez. According to Hernandez, the 2012 convention is expected to draw 4,000 – down 47 percent from the 2008 conference in Chicago, which had approximately 7,500 attendees.
Current members of the UNITY alliance include AAJA, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA).
Despite the projected decrease in attendance, Hernandez said registration fees and hotel rates for 2012 convention goers would remain comparable to 2008 prices.
Incoming NABJ president Gregory Lee, of the Boston Globe, said that he has already begun talking with the heads of the alliance members to determine NABJ’s future with UNITY. “I think that all groups would benefit from having some sort of accountability from UNITY,” he said.
But Lee said the chances that NABJ would be able to participate in UNITY’s 2012 convention were slim, due to contractual hotel obligations NABJ secured for its June 2012 convention in New Orleans. He said that the organization is currently focusing on possible inclusion in UNITY’s 2016 convention.
Lee lamented the public fallout of NABJ’s decision to withdraw, saying that he felt the organization had been “attacked” simply for asking for greater financial accountability.
NABJ president Kathy Times would not comment on the current financial status of NABJ, but said that it would be up to the discretion of individual NABJ members to attend the convention next year.
As early as last week at the NABJ convention in Philadelphia, several veteran journalists were still hoping to hold the alliance together by supporting a resolution co-sponsored by Joe Davidson of the Washington Post, urging NABJ to rejoin UNITY.
Bryan Monroe, former NABJ president, was among the supporters. “I’ve always been a strong believer and supporter of all of us together as well as the autonomy of individual groups,” Monroe said of the UNITY alliance. Over 100 members, double the typical attendance for meetings, showed up to participate.
The financial repercussions from NABJ’s departure is unclear, but AAJA National President Doris Truong says it’s too early to speculate on how much it will impact her organization.
“AAJA will continue to do its own fundraising and write grant proposals next year so that we are not solely dependent on UNITY revenue to help with our programs,” Troung said of AAJA’s own efforts to stay above water.
Follow Jie Jenny Zou @jiejennyzou.
