CNN Weekend Anchor T.J. Holmes says Change in Newsrooms Happens Behind the Scenes
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photo by steed media service
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Sure,
T.J. Holmes is becoming a household name as the eloquent anchor for
CNN’s morning programs on Saturdays and Sundays. And yes, Holmes says,
the networks do need to increase the number of black faces gracing
electronic news. But, if there is to be a true exemplification of
seismic change in American news, it is imperative upon African
Americans to aspire to the decision-making positions that are behind
the scenes.
“You don’t have to be on camera. You can have more effect on the news
behind the [scenes]. People see us – four black anchors out of Atlanta
– but if everybody in the newsroom making decision about what we’re
going to say on the air is white, then what’s the difference? You can
really have an impact on the world and on the newsrooms in the
background making some of those managerial decisions,” says Holmes.
Careful caretaking of one’s image is also imperative to landing that
cherished newsroom gig. “There are no hard rules – you need dress like
this, talk like this, be like this. You need to do you, but you need to
represent yourself in a respectable way. You want people when you walk
in the door to take you seriously. Period. People say, ‘This is me,
this is who [I am].’ But who you are may not be giving a good
impression to the rest of the world. You have to present yourself and
carry yourself to where people will take you seriously and give you
credibility. –terry shropshire
