Trump invitation to conference for black journalists sets off intense debate

A scheduled appearance by former President Donald Trump at a conference for Black journalists in Chicago has generated fierce debate.

The National Association of Black Journalists, which is hosting the conference, announced Monday that Trump would take part in a question-and-answer session with political reporters Wednesday.

The conference's description says the session will "concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community." Harris Faulkner, a Fox News anchor; Kadia Goba, a politics reporter at Semafor; and Rachel Scott, an ABC News correspondent, will moderate the session. The event is expected to be livestreamed on the organization's YouTube and Facebook pages.

After the announcement of the event with Trump, a number of well-known Black journalists harshly criticized the group for arranging it, arguing that the organization was giving a platform to someone who had openly denigrated a number of reporters.

"The reports of attacks on Black women White House correspondents by the then-president of the United States are not myth or conjecture, but fact," April Ryan, the White House correspondent for The Grio, a media company geared toward Black Americans, wrote on the social platform X. She said the session was "a slap in the face" to Black female journalists "who had to protect themselves from the wrath of this Republican presidential nominee who is promoting an authoritarian agenda that plans to destroy this nation and her democracy with his Project 2025."

Jemele Hill, who hosts a podcast and is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, said that while she did not have a problem with Trump's appearance "under the right circumstances because he's a presidential candidate," she questioned the wisdom of the event.

"A sham of an interview will destroy the organization's credibility," she wrote on X. "If the majority of NABJ's membership is against Trump being there, the organization should listen."

Karen Attiah, a Washington Post columnist, said Tuesday on X that she was stepping down as co-chair of this year's NABJ convention. She added in another post: "While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format."

But the president of the NABJ, as well as some other journalists, argued that the group had a long tradition of inviting presidential nominees and it was a chance to hold them accountable through questioning. Former Presidents George W Bush Jr, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton had all previously attended, and the group had invited the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, to this year's convention.

In a statement on NABJ's website, its president, Ken Lemon, said the organization looked forward to conference attendees' hearing from Trump.

"While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know," Lemon said.

In a video posted Tuesday by NABJ Monitor, a student journalist-led outlet covering the convention, Lemon said discussions with both the Republican and Democratic teams had been happening for more than a month.

"We invited both of them; we got a yes from one of them," he said.

He continued: "This is a great opportunity for us to vet the candidate right here on our ground."

Lemon said NABJ was working to set up a fact-checking process for Trump's appearance.

Leroy Chapman Jr, the editor-in-chief of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said in a post on X that he looked forward to the Republican presidential nominee visiting the convention, and that he would welcome the presumptive Democratic nominee there, too.

"Here is what we need to 'normalize' -- candidates for office standing before journalists, answering questions," he wrote.

Rana Cash, the executive editor of the Charlotte Observer, said on X: "It's the National Association of Black 'Journalists' -- journalists who are experts at their craft, highly qualified and critical thinkers. To suggest they not interview a Presidential candidate on issues relevant to the organization's constituency is outrageous."

For nearly a decade, there have been furious journalistic debates about the degree to which Trump should be given a platform, given his propensity to make false claims in speeches. The appearance at a conference for Black journalists adds more complexity: Trump has frequently denigrated working journalists and has a history of racist comments about Black voters.

Trump's presidential campaign said in a news release Monday announcing his appearance at the NABJ convention that he had "accomplished more for Black Americans than any other president in recent history." The campaign also pointed to an April poll in The Wall Street Journal that showed increased support for Trump among Black men.

Janiyah Thomas, director of Black media for Trump's campaign, wrote in an email: "While Kamala Harris has ignored the invitation from the National Association of Black Journalists, President Trump is grateful for the opportunity to bring his message to their diverse audience. Team Trump believes it's important to give Black journalists more access to presidential candidates so they can better inform Black voters."