Tennyson Donyea Coleman’s public plea for change at NJ.com marks a pivotal moment for New Jersey news media
I could feel the frustration and pain in Tennyson Donyea Coleman’s words and certainly through his video.
Last week, Tennyson — who is a reporter for NJ Advance Media/NJ.com—publicly posted a lengthy essay and short video about his struggles as a Black journalist working for a news organization that is overwhelmingly white-led and focused on wealthy white readers. He asked for an independent review of his company’s internal practices, public town halls, and declared that “racism in leadership must go.”
It was a bold move. But Tennyson, clearly a gifted storyteller, felt he had no other choice.
“This is an industry wide problem. We are tired. Racism in corporate America, and in the news industry as a whole, is exhausting,” he wrote.
“I think it’s fair to have these conversations. And I think it’s essential in building trust. The time for running is over. Believe that.”
He’s right.
The nationwide reckoning with systemic racism and white supremacy that was sparked after the murder of George Floyd never quite got inside New Jersey news media—not in a public way, anyhow. Most of the state’s news organizations have indeed developed diversity committees, provided anti-bias and anti-racism training and declared DEI commitments.
However we haven’t talked about it out in the open. Together. Exactly like Tennyson is asking for.
There is clear precedent for this. In its essay about how anti-Black racism has been a core part of the U.S. media industry since colonial times, Media 2070 documents several instances (page 70, “Upending White Supremacy in Newsrooms”) where journalists of color spoke publicly about racism in their news organizations and how it led to apologies and change.
New Jersey is an incredibly diverse state. Readers (and future readers, more importantly) of NJ.com deserve to be part of the conversation when it comes to DEI issues that impact its coverage.
In full disclosure, I recently agreed to serve on a diversity, equity and inclusion committee advisory committee for NJ.com. Nearly everything in this post mirrors what I said during a committee meeting earlier this week.
I encourage the leadership at NJ.com to view Tennyson’s plea as an opportunity, not a threat. Please don’t gaslight him and other Black reporters by picking apart his statements for facts to dispute. Set aside corporate social media policies, because this is bigger than that. Look at his message: Ending systemic racism in journalism will require deep, lasting commitments inside the newsroom and out.
This is a pivotal moment in New Jersey journalism. How NJ.com handles Tennyson’s plea could be a groundbreaking example for the entire nation to follow.
It’s also important not to limit Tennyson’s message to only his employer. What he says should resonate with every single newsroom in this state. This is a moment to build a movement among news outlets in our state to publicly discuss and address racism and inequity in New Jersey journalism.
If you’re interested in that, let me know (email murrayst@montclair.edu). There’s a group of people who just started working on a collective vision for the future of New Jersey news, and I know open and honest conversations about racism will be a central element to our discussions. I’d love to add you to that group.
In the meantime, I encourage you to watch Tennyson’s video and sit with its message.
Stefanie Murray is director of the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. Contact her at murrayst@montclair.edu.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism, and in doing so serve New Jersey residents. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Local News Lab (a partnership of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Community Foundation of New Jersey), and the Abrams Foundation. For more information, visit CenterforCooperativeMedia.org.
