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July 28th, 2008 at 11:16 am

Video & Photos: Barack Obama at the UNITY: Journalists of Color Conference 7-27-08

Barack Obama at the UNITY Journalists of color convention, July 27, 2008
Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama made an appearance at the UNITY: Journalists of Color Conference at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois on July 27, 2008.

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois addressed a convention of thousands of journalists of color here Sunday, mixing foreign policy analysis with his views on topics like affirmative action and immigration in an environment that was closely watched for signs of favoritism toward the presumptive Democratic candidate.

Barack Obama at the UNITY Journalists of color convention, July 27, 2008

Coming on the heels of a whirlwind trip through the Middle East and Europe, Mr. Obama’s sit-down conversation on stage at the Unity ’08 Convention, was the finale to a five-day conference that brought together black, Latino, Native American and Asian journalists in his hometown. As many eyes seemed to be on the members of the news media as the candidate, and the group was reminded of this before the address that was shown live on CNN and recorded for rebroadcast tonight. Convention leaders urged the group to adhere to nonpartisan standards.

Barack Obama at the UNITY Journalists of color convention, July 27, 2008

And by any typical measure, they did – giving an enthusiastic ovation that stopped short of the kind of excessive adulation that drew criticism in 2004 when Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, then a Democratic candidate for president, spoke before the group.

A consuming topic of conversation in the days leading up to Mr. Obama’s appearance was how the audience of journalists would, or should, react.

Many argued that the 7,000 or so media members were off duty on a Sunday morning and therefore free to express their preferences as independent voters. Some said it was impossible to ignore the exciting, historic significance of a man of color – Mr. Obama is biracial and identifies as black – addressing a crowd of minority journalists for the first time as the presumptive Democratic candidate for president.

Barack Obama at the UNITY Journalists of color convention, July 27, 2008

But the overwhelming sentiment was that the audience’s response should be one of proper detachment, in line with the usual professional media standards. A panel discussion of such topics preceded Mr. Obama’s appearance.

Les Payne, a columnist and one of the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists, said, “African American reporters should be mindful that they are not lapdogs. They should be watchdogs.”

But Mr. Payne also said he resented the notion that black journalists could not cover Mr. Obama dispassionately, calling it libel.

“They make this charge without support,” he said.

Ernie Suggs, a vice president of the black journalists’ group, added: “I don’t see a problem with clapping when he comes in; that’s civility and shows respect. I think I’d draw a line at cheering or showing overwhelming support. Because of where we are and who we are, we should conduct ourselves as journalists.”

The presumed Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, was also invited, but declined an invitation from the convention.

Barack Obama at the UNITY Journalists of color convention, July 27, 2008

Mr. Obama spent most of his time talking about lasting impressions from his trip overseas, where he met with foreign leaders and American troops. The visits left him seeing “our common challenges but also our common opportunities,” he said, noting that the rest of the world seems hungry for a new, more humble version of American leadership.

“The world is waiting for the United States to reengage,” Mr. Obama said, adding later, “One of the key insights that I come away with is, it is very difficult for us to meet these 21st century challenges unless we get more effective partnerships with our allies in other countries overseas. And I think they are ready for it.”

Source: Obama at Convention for Journalists

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