Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Heroes
Heroes

Roland Martin Named Journalist of the Year by NABJ

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Roland Martin, the affable, opinionated political analyst who is in his last days at CNN, has been named “Journalist of the Year” by the National Association of Black Journalists.

The organization announced the award on Wednesday. NABJ President Gregory Lee, Jr. praised Martin for his “well-rounded coverage of the African-American community,” in a statement on Wednesday.

The announcement comes a week before Martin’s last day at CNN on April 6. “New boss wants his own peeps,” the CNN contributor tweeted earlier this month, when asked why he was leaving.

Martin said that he was “thankful and humbled” by the award from the NABJ.

“I hope this honor serves as a lesson to any young or veteran journalist that black media platforms are just as essential and important to us today as they have always been,” he said.

He also acknowledged his impending departure from CNN, saying, “Before CNN, TV One offered me a TV platform for my commentaries, as well my own show. After CNN, TV One and Tom Joyner, are still there. It pleases me greatly to be at a place where our voices and images are the norm, and not the exception.”

Martin hosts TV One’s “Washington Watch,” and is an analyst for “The Tom Joyner Morning Show”…

Read More: huffingtonpost.com

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top