Mediaboss Marketing

News

By Allie Griffin

April 26, 2023 | 10:46pm

Rev. Al Sharpton is demanding CNN provide an explanation for why the network fired longtime anchor Don Lemon after the journalist implied larger issues at play led to his ouster.

The civil rights activist and president of the National Action Network blasted the cable network for silencing Lemons voice which he said brought light to civil rights issues.

We are completely stunned at thetermination of Don Lemon, Sharpton said Wednesday in a joint statement with president and CEO of the National Urban League Marc Morial.

Throughout his career, Don has been a superb journalist who was very open to the civil rights community on issues others wouldnt touch With the health of our democracy undergoing perhaps its greatest test, we cannot afford to silence his voice.

Lemon was fired from CNN on Monday and claimed his termination came as a surprise a statement the network denied.

After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network, he wrote on Twitter. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.

Sharpton and Morial said theyd like to learn what the larger issues are.

We would like to know what he alludes to when he said there are greater things at play, which is why we urge for a full explanation as to why he was let go in such a fashion, they said in the statement.

CNN CEO Chris Licht announced Lemon and the network parted ways in a memo to staffers without providing an explanation for its decision.

CNN and Don have parted ways, Licht said. Don will forever be part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.

Lemons most recent gig was co-anchoring CNN This Morning alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.

The longtime anchor reportedly screamed at the latter for interrupting him on air and drew public backlash after saying 51-year-old presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past her prime in what was widely considered to be sexist remarks.

Load more...

https://nypost.com/2023/04/26/rev-al-sharpton-demands-answers-from-cnn-over-don-lemon-firing/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons

See the article here:
Rev. Al Sharpton demands answers from CNN over Don Lemon firing - New York Post

(May 1, 2023 / JNS) It was an unlikely image, to say the least. Rev. Al Sharpton tweeted a photo of himself last week with Mort Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America.

Much of the Jewish community has long considered Sharpton antisemitic for his incendiary rhetoric, accusing him of inciting violence against Jews back in 1991 in Brooklyn, N.Y., as part of the Crown Heights riots. He has expressed regrets about such actions in recent years, which some take as genuine remorse, though others think that he is more focused on rehabilitating his reputation.

Sharpton expressed support of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in 2019, calling it inexcusable that Israel banned the congresswoman, who has a history of antisemitic statements, from entry the country that summer. And as recently as 2020, Klein said that the Anti-Defamation League head should not go on Sharptons MSNBC program, PoliticsNation.

Klein told JNS that he received a call from Sharptons National Action Network offices, looking to set up a get-together.

A couple of his board members told Sharpton, You should meet with a guy who fights for his people just as strong as you fight for the blacks, said Klein. I figured if I can have a relationship with him that will help our Jewish people and Israel, Ill do it.

Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicateby email and never missour top stories

There was no preset agenda for the initial 90-minute meeting, according to Klein. Sharpton has tweeted that the meeting included Howard Teich and Michael Hardy, board member and general counsel, respectively, of National Action Network.

Klein told JNS that he sought to make common cause with civil-rights activist Sharpton, discussing his upbringing in a majority-black West Philadelphia neighborhood, as well as a friendship with Ice Cube after the rappers own spewing of anti-Jewish sentiment. Sharpton tried to explain his past actions that have been seen as antisemitic and said some were misrepresented in the media, according to Klein.

How can this be that I never heard of this?

In a 2019 appearance in front of a Jewish audience, Sharpton acknowledged his role in stoking division and recalled how Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s widow chided him for his cheap rhetoric.

He has reportedly expressed private regrets to Jewish leaders for helping fuel the deadly Crown Heights riots in 1991, as well as denounced them publicly. He has also been accused of inciting a firebombing of a Jewish-owned clothing store in Harlem in 1995.

Sharptonhas lately appealed for black-Jewish unity and has been critical of entertainer Ye (Kanye West) and basketball player Kyrie Irving for their antisemitic statements.

The meeting became an educational session largely, according to Klein. Although Sharpton visited Israel in 2001 and met with then-Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and, controversially, Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat, much of what Klein told him last week surprised Sharpton, according to the ZOA head.

I showed him an emblem of the Palestinian Authoritya picture of all of Israel with a keffiyeh over it, with a picture of Arafat and a Kalashnikov rifle. He was horrified, Klein told JNS.

He also showed Sharpton posters of Jew-killing terrorists, which the P.A. put up in high schools and colleges. He told JNS that he had also thought the day before about what he could ask Sharpton to do, which would be uncontroversial, which wont offend his supporters, that he has no choice but to support.

National president of the Zionist Organization of America Mort Klein speaking at an event in West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2018 Credit: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

Klein decided to ask Sharpton to condemn the P.A.s pay-for-slay policy, which pays salaries to terrorists, who kill and maim Jews, and to their familiesincreasing the amount of money based on the severity of the crimes and the casualty toll.

He also showed Sharpton literature on the Taylor Force Act, a U.S. law that withholds U.S. funding for the P.A. until it stops such terror payments.

His eyes came out of his head. He said, How can this be that I never heard of this? recounted Klein.

Sharpton told Kleinand has posted on Twitter and Instagramthat he will contact House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus to find out more about the policy and what could be done.

The two also discussed a joint Israel trip and have a follow-up meeting planned, according to Klein.

The National Action Network did not respond to JNS queries about the meeting.

Read the rest here:
Al Sharpton said to be appalled by Palestinian pay-for-slay policy - JNS.org

Days after he was dropped from CNN, Don Lemon is gaining some allies.

Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, who heads the National Action Network and hosts the MSNBC show PoliticsNation, voiced his support for Lemon on Wednesday, alongside Marc Morial, the president and chief executive of the Urban National League.

In a statement, Sharpton and Morial questioned what Lemon was referring to when the former anchor said there are some larger issues at play in his firing announcement posted on Twitter.

After praising Lemon for being a superb journalist who was very open to the civil rights community on issues others wouldnt touch, the prominent activists demanded transparency from CNN for why the network let Lemon go. Lemon, CNNs highest profile Black anchor, has talked frankly about race and civil rights issues throughout his run at the network.

We would like to know what he alludes to when he said there are greater things at play, which is why we urge for a full explanation as to why he was let go in such a fashion, the statement said.

Dons voice has been invaluable to the conversation of how we become a more just nation, the statement continued. With the health of our democracy undergoing perhaps its greatest test, we cannot afford to silence his voice.

Lemon announced he had been fired by sharing a statement on Twitter, claiming he had been blindsided by management and that his agent had delivered the news.

At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network, Lemon wrote. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.

CNN dismissed Lemons statement as inaccurate and said he was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.

Lemon has already hired Hollywood attorney Bryan Freedman. The lawyer also represents Chris Cuomo, who was fired by CNN in 2021 and is seeking $125 million for wrongful termination, and helped Megyn Kelly secure a $69-million payout when she left NBC in 2019, according to the New York Times.

In the meantime, the unemployed Lemon was also offered some employment options from rapper Rick Ross. In an Instagram story on Monday, the rapper offered Lemon a job at one of his Wingstop restaurants. Ross reportedly owns nearly 30 of the chicken franchises across the United States.

Were hiring at Wingstop, and for some reason, I believe you know what you doing with the lemon pepper wings, so man, just send over your rsum, the Grammy-nominated rapper said while sitting next to his pool at his Atlanta-area mansion. Imma make sure I get you in front of the right grill, brother. Stay solid, brother.

The Money in the Grave performer also offered to reach out to Rapstar Energy Drink to start manufacturing its own Don Lemon flavor.

Lemons firing came as CNN began facing resistance from advertisers and potential guests for the morning news program CNN This Morning, which he co-anchored, according to people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment.

Lemon was briefly suspended in February after he made offensive comments about when a woman is past her prime while speaking about 51-year-old Republican former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is running for the partys presidential nomination for the 2024 election.

Soon after apologizing for the inartful comment, Lemon was accused in a Variety report of exhibiting misogynistic behavior in the workplace allegations he dismissed as 15-year-old gossip.

Lemons prime comments were not the first some have called into question at CNN.

In December, Lemon is alleged to have screamed at co-host Kaitlan Collins off-camera following a Dec. 8 broadcast of This Morning, lambasting her for interrupting him on-air, according to a New York Post report that cited sources close to the situation.

After confirming Lemons termination on Monday, CNN Chief Executive Chris Licht said in the statement that Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years.

We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors, Licht added without giving any further explanation.

Lemons firing on Monday coincided with the termination of Fox News show host Tucker Carlson.

Staff writers Meg James and Stephen Battaglio contributed to this story.

See the rest here:
Don Lemon finds ally in the Rev. Al Sharpton who demands 'a full ... - Los Angeles Times

April 30, 2023

Fatiyn Muhammad: ... We want to talk with our special guest that's traveling, traveling back into New York City. And that is the 110th mayor of the City of New York, Mayor Eric Adams. Good morning, Mr. Mayor. How are you this morning?

Mayor Eric Adams: Hey. Good morning, brother and Sister Jones. Good to speak with both of you. Last night we were at TheGrio and the White House Correspondents Dinner and so we headed back down now.

Muhammad: That's right.

Mayor Adams: The National Day on May 4th. And we are going to be holding a series of events and we're going to be asking no matter what your faith is for everyone to spend the day doing something that will really emphasize and lean into our faith. And we believe this is a time that we're dealing with the unseen. And as we cycle out of Covid, we're watching people who are dealing with many issues who are facing mental health issues as well as just some of the issues that are facing our children and young people.

So we're holding a series of events throughout the entire city that day. Of course, the White House is doing their National Day of Prayer as well. But we're going to do things here in the city and we're going to make sure we really move people into a place of going inward and whichever faith they have to find a level of hope, of peace, and prosperity.

Jennifer Jones-Austin: Good morning, mayor. Good morning, mayor. You sound a little tired. It sounds like it was a good dinner. Hope that it was. So, one of the things that we appreciate about you is that you've let us know that your faith is a big part of who you are and how you move through the world. And so if you could just help us to appreciate how prayer is a part of your life and how it informs what you do.

Mayor Adams: So, so much, sister. And when you think about it, I say over and over again this journey, over 32 years journey, God has played a major role in my life and the life of my family. As a young man, as you know I had my trouble with the law as a child, arrested. I'm dyslexic, still dyslexic, and days have been rejected and I say all the time now I'm elected to be the mayor of the most important city in the world.

And when I look at it, I see the constant presence of God, of how much praying through these difficult times. And when you deeply pray, no matter again with faith you may have, but when you do that you come in, a level of confidence and a level of security. And that has played such a role in my life. And that's why you see a steady hand as I navigate this ship out of the crisis we're facing. Because each morning, each afternoon and each evening, it's just about prayer. And I participate in levels of prayer throughout today because I know the challenges we're facing and it's crucial to me. It is, I believe, that which underpins me.

Muhammad: Wow.

Jones-Austin: Wow. Now are there any specific activities or is there anything on the nyc.gov website where people can learn more?

Mayor Adams: Yes. We're going to be listing on our website the various locations. So we're asking others to reach out to us and let us know what they're doing in their houses of worship so they can have an opportunity to celebrate and pray in any manner they want and create prayer lines. I have a prayer line. I know many people have prayer lines with friends and family. They wake up in the morning and they get online with others and they pray together. There's power in joint prayer. We have a large event at the Christian Cultural Center with Reverend Bernard, a number of synagogues, Sikh temples, mosques, and other churches. And so we're going to be listing different places where people can go in their own communities or in their own location if they don't want to come to the one major event we're hosting.

Muhammad: Wow. This is good. And before you came on, Mr. Mayor, we got a chance to talk a little bit about the history of National Day of Prayer there when it came into existence back in 1952 and how every other president since then, since Harry S. Truman has signed it. Every president has signed a proclamation moving forward. So we talked about that. Before we let you go, Mayor Adams. We lost two giants this past week. We lost Harry Belafonte, actor and activist, but we also lost someone, a giant here in New York City, and he's known as the attorney at war, Attorney Alton Maddox, a fearless fighter warrior and legal scholar that took all those to school in his classroom, which was the courtroom. And Attorney Alton Maddox, in the past, hee represented the family of Michael Stewart, a Brooklyn man who died while in the custody of the New York City Transit Police. Attorney Maddox was their attorney for Cedric Sandiford and the family of manslaughter victim, Michael Griffin.

And Griffin and Sandiford were the victims of a racially motivated attack in December, 1986 in Howard Beach, Queens. Michael Griffin died. Maddox also represented 15-year-old Tawana Brawley. He also represented Yusef Hawkins who was murdered in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and Attorney Alton Maddox represented Reverend Al Sharpton where Reverend Sharpton faced a 67 count indictment where Reverend Sharpton was acquitted on all charges. Mr. Mayor, what is your reflection on Attorney Alton Maddox?

Mayor Adams: Well, both Attorney Alton Maddox and Harry Belafonte, they were not people that I read about, they were individuals that I knew. My relationship with Brother Maddox, of course, so far back in the part of a real freedom fighter. And I believe that when he lost his law license, we lost a real warrior in the courtroom. But he continued. Even without his law license, he continued to be an advisor on many legal issues and just had a real depth of knowledge of the law and how to use the law to fight on behalf of those who were unjustly untreated. He started so many movements and conversations throughout the year. And many people don't realize how much he has played a major role in the issues that they were facing in their lives. But he was a real fighter and we're going to miss him. That's a part of life as birth is a part of life. That transition happens. But in his time here, he was a real hero among many. And we'll be wishing him and his family just peace in this very difficult moment of losing this brother.

Muhammad: Wow. Okay. I really appreciate that, Mayor Eric Adams. Like I said to our listening audience, we doing a more in-depth conversation on Alton Maddox on Open Line online the second hour following Open Line. And coming up at 9:10, we have special guests, New York City Councilman Charles Barron and longtime political commentator, Dominic Carter. So they will be joining us on the second hour Open Line. Mr. Mayor, I want to thank you. I know you have a busy day ahead of you and that's what you ... You're not a spring chicken like we were when we were 18, 19 and able to hang out, come in late, and then get up at eight and keep rolling, brother. Got to get that rest.

Jones-Austin: I didn't say that. I didn't say that, Mayor Adams. Im just glad you had a good night.

Mayor Adams: [Inaudible], I know you lost your life. My heart goes out to you. You have been just a [inaudible], brother, for so many years. When you lose your queen, it's a part of us. So you're in our prayers and I wish you well.

Muhammad: Appreciate that, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Thank you for those kind words. Thank you. All right. Have a great day, my brother.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Take care.

Muhammad: All right. All right. All right.

More here:
Transcript: Mayor Adams Calls In Live To WBLS 107.5 FM's Open ... - nyc.gov

Tyrone Taborn, founding chief executive officer of Career Communications Group (CCG), hosted an insightful and thought-provoking panel discussion on The Metaverse as a Civil Rights Struggle at the National Action Network in New York. The event brought together experts from various fields to discuss the importance of minority engagement in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Joining Taborn on the panel were Keith Clinkscales, media entrepreneur and former chief executive officer of REVOLT Media & TV; the State University of New York Chancellor John King, former New York education commissioner, and U.S. education secretary; Dr. Colin Parris, senior vice president and chief technology officer at GE Digital; and Russell Frisby, an attorney specializing in communications and technology law.

The diverse panel explored the opportunities and challenges presented by the metaverse and emphasized the need for minorities to actively participate in shaping this new frontier.

The discussion focused on the potential for the metaverse to redefine social, economic, and educational landscapes, with panelists highlighting the risks of digital exclusion and the importance of ensuring equitable access to technology for all. The panelists also addressed the critical role that education, government, and private sectors play in fostering an inclusive digital environment, ensuring that underrepresented communities are not left behind.

Tyrone Taborn, a recognized advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM, emphasized the urgency of the matter: The metaverse presents incredible opportunities, but it also poses the risk of further widening the digital divide. We must ensure that minority communities have the tools, resources, and knowledge necessary to participate and thrive in this new digital realm.

The event, held at the National Action Network Conference, drew significant interest and attendance from local community leaders, educators, and technology professionals. The panels powerful message reinforced the importance of collective action in promoting equal opportunities in the rapidly growing metaverse.

Career Communications Group, Inc. has created an innovative and exciting virtual event platform called the STEM City USA Metaverse. The platform offers a unique and immersive experience for attendees to participate in events, conferences, and activities related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The STEM City USA Metaverse is a virtual world that can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection. http://www.stemcityusa.com

The National Action Network is a leading civil rights organization founded by Rev. Al Sharpton in 1991. The organization focuses on social justice issues, including racial discrimination, police brutality, and economic inequality.

Go here to read the rest:
Communities impacted by the digital divide cannot ignore innovation ... - BlackEngineer.com