During the Pitt Black Action Society’s Indaba Ceremony Sept. 12, keynote speaker Jacque Reid urged students to stay informed and use the media to their advantage.

“When you’re uninformed, you can be easily distracted,” Reid said. “You can tell folks like that that Barack Obama is a sexist and a Muslim. Those people are uninformed.”

JACQUE REID

Reid, who has been an anchor for “BET Nightly News” and the morning news at CNN’s “Headline News,” emphasized the important role the media plays in this year’s presidential election.

“We need to be informed of this political process because it’s going to be close,” Reid said. “When you get the information, make sure you double check it.”

Reid admitted the media has faults, but emphasized these are not always intentional. Above all, she pointed out that the media is a business and revenue is a very important factor in its decision-making.

Reid said most interviews are reduced to short sound bites a lot of the time, and the majority of what is said is not included. She told students to keep their remarks concise when speaking to the media.

WELCOME—Black Action Society 2007-2008 president Sheila Isong and programming chair Larry Miller welcome guests to the Indaba ceremony.

Throughout her career, Reid said there have been times when she felt African-American news stories were overlooked. She points to the lack of coverage about minority women involved in situations similar to those of Natalee Holloway and Lacy Peters as examples of media bias.

The stories of Holloway, a young woman who went missing while on vacation and Peters, a woman who was allegedly killed by her husband while pregnant with his child were both at the forefront of national media.

Though Reid said her producers re-thought their programming choices once she brought this bias to their attention, she told the students about an experience with Barbara Walters that did not go as smoothly.

During her time on the talk show, “The View,” Reid tried to incorporate several news stories about minorities, but she met with resistance from co-host Walters.

Reid said Walters argued against covering the minority stories. Even though the producers agreed with Reid, later when there was a time shortage, Walters allegedly dismissed one of the African-American stories.

“Barbara said, ‘Well, since we already covered one Black story,’ and I said ‘Is there a quota?’”

Despite some personal struggles, Reid still praised the media for its pursuit of keeping the public informed. She incorporated the ceremony’s theme of “A United People is the Catalyst for Change” into her message saying, “You have to make sure those united people are informed.”

The BAS is a University of Pittsburgh organization that works to address the needs of African-American students. The Indaba ceremony is held at the beginning of the school year to introduce students to the new steering committee. The ceremony featured performances from university dance and vocal groups.

“The BAS Indaba has sometimes been called an informal rap session for Black students,” 2007-2008 president Shelia Isong said. “It is a communal discussion about who we are.”

As this marks the BAS’s 40th anniversary, newly appointed president, Lesley Yemi Adewunmi encouraged the students to be as active in the university as their predecessors were.

“2008 also marks a historic year in politics,” Adewunmi said. “Don’t be left out. Be the catalyst for change. You are not alone. BAS is here to help you.”