July 29, 2010

My Memories With the L.A. Watts Times

BY MARSHALL LOWE

Perhaps if I had been closer to what was happening, the announcement would not have had such a surprising effect. But then, it could have been even more surprising.

I’ll just say simply: I was completely shocked.

The announcement was that the L.A. Watts Times was going to be sold to Bakewell Media. L.A. Watts Times Publisher Melanie Polk and Los Angeles Sentinel Publisher Danny Bakewell reported in their respective newspapers on June 10 that they were in the stages of final negotiations for Bakewell Media to purchase the Watts Times. (Polk’s parents acquired the newspaper in 1976 from its founders.)

That announcement affected me so much because I held the position of managing editor of the Watts Times for about two-and-a-half years (1998-2001) before going back into city government and, I guess, in my mind, it was always going to remain the same. True, I had edited many newspapers prior to then, but it was at the Watts Times that I realized such a tremendous feeling of fulfillment.

There was a sense of peace and calmness at the Watts Times when I was there that I had not experienced at other newspapers — both in the public and private sectors — where I had worked. This atmosphere enabled me — and the other writers — to write and edit the best stories possible under an atmosphere of professionalism and harmony.

Led by the quiet, professional direction of Polk — herself an editor/journalist — writers, columnists and freelancers who submitted material to the paper did not have to be concerned with someone who had obligations that conflicted with their duties as publisher, making it very difficult to get “news” articles placed in their newspapers.

An article submitted to the L.A. Watts Times for publication usually just had to meet the following criteria: Is it factual? Is it meaningful to our public? Is it well written? Is it timely? Is it objective? Does it serve a positive purpose?

All those other articles are considered op-ed (opinion-editorial) pieces. News should be simply news.

Sounds easy, right? But it is not, especially considering the fact that writers, like everyone else, bring all of their prejudices and backgrounds to any situation they encounter. As a result, it is difficult to simply “report” an incident or activity, to provide readers with all the information and let them draw their own conclusions.

A publisher also has to keep in mind the business end of the newspaper. Melanie Polk, I am sure, also has done that, but I am sure this has not prevented her from reporting to her readers all the “News You Can Use.”

I am also sure that the nationwide decline in newspaper advertising (and it has affected black-owned newspapers more than others), as well as increasing challenges from the electronic media, played a large part in her decision to sell.

In fact, she was quoted as saying: “The L.A. Watts Times has been a part of my life since I was very young, and while it is bittersweet for me to move on, it has been my commitment to see that the L.A. Watts Times lives on.”

And it will: In the hearts and minds of all those people, editors, writers, freelancers, salespersons and others who continue to put their talents and expertise into this publication, concentrating on providing useful information to the African American community in a professional, informative, truthful, respectful and timely manner.

Future L.A. Watts Times staff members need to keep in mind the achievements of those who were there before them and build on those successes; let it keep its own identity and not become a clone of its soon-to-be sister newspaper.

Each has its own readers, its own identity. If they can keep that in mind, then the L.A. Watts Times will continue to be the stable, professional, interesting and newsy newspaper that it is today.

Best of luck to all of you.

Marshall Lowe is a principal public relations representative for Los Angeles World Airports.

The L.A. Watts Times I Fondly Remember

BY JARRETTE FELLOWS JR.

Because the news is always spontaneous, you never know what you will get. That characterized my tenure at the L.A. Watts Times from 1995 to ’98, the period for which I served the newspaper as managing editor.

The Watts Times served an important role in gathering and publishing the news of what occurred in the South Los Angeles and adjoining communities, and gave subjective comment to news events from the unique perspective of the urban core.

The newspaper’s embrace of the colorful culture of the African American community distinguished it from other local newspapers. Its round-up of the art and music venues, like the annual Day of the Drum, Watts Summer festivals, Kwanzaa celebrations and the many Leimert Park festivities, set the Watts Times apart as a unique community newspaper with a vibrant editorial thrust. I took great pride in seeking out and publishing the stories pertaining to the black community that mainstream newspapers overlooked.

Working with Charles Cook, who along with his wife, Beverly, purchased the newspaper in 1976 and fashioned its Afrocentric imprint on the news, made it a fulfilling place to work.

Cook, a Marine Corps veteran, relished the stories the newspaper published on black servicemen who were never heralded for their heroism and valor in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. As managing editor, I considered those stories critically important in telling the “whole story” of American history, and Cook concurred.

I don’t know if Charles Cook knew it or not, but to me, he was a man’s man — the gravelly voice, unapologetic machismo and grasp of what was important to the community — to black males, in particular. It’s something that black men understand between one another. No slight to black women, but the men know.

Most memorable were the stories on African Americans at war; the World War II veterans whose Silver Star commendations for “extraordinary valor” were upgraded to Medals of Honor by then-President Bill Clinton in 1997 — exactly what they should have been all along.

The other story was about Army Capt. Charles Bussey, the Korean War veteran who demonstrated valor beyond the call of duty but never received the military’s highest honor as promised for bravery he showed in one particular battle campaign outside Yechon. That was a common experience for black soldiers, sailors and Marines during America’s wars, but the Watts Times wasn’t going to overlook them. That was our responsibility.

As managing editor, I took particular delight, and considered it an honor, to share these stories with the public. Others included a series of ongoing features and articles on the controversy involving the crack cocaine epidemic in South L.A., and Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ crusade to put pressure on a porous U.S. federal government policy that allowed a tidal wave of illicit street drugs — namely cocaine — to flow into inner-city streets and neighborhoods. That flow ignited horrid levels of murder and mayhem between rival street gangs competing to ply the dark trade, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of “crack babies” that it created, born into addiction from this scourge that continues to burden the community to this day.

Suburbanites didn’t understand the community and Waters’ rage at the time, evident by their criticisms of Waters, but the Watts Times helped them understand.

In another big story for the newspaper, I recall the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Clinton Cabinet officer Ron Brown, the Department of Commerce secretary who died amid mysterious circumstances in an air crash in Europe. Some evidence pointed to Brown being murdered. The Watts Times didn’t dismiss the story as sheer “conspiracy theory” but followed it to its end because the community had a right to know.

We received a mysterious letter from a supposed White House source about Brown, which appeared credible. But it was a road the newspaper rightly avoided. Another “Watergate” wasn’t in our script.

These were the kinds of stories the Watts Times published during my time there. The experience working with Charles Cook and his daughter Melanie Polk, who succeeded him as publisher upon his death, had a rich impact on who I’ve become as a 37-year veteran journalist and newspaper publisher in my own right.

Driving the editorial thrust of the Watts Times was (and still is) a critically important job. To know and identify what news and information is important for local consumption, underscored by the public’s right to know per the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution — freedom of speech and freedom of the press — is a weighty responsibility.

The Watts Times became a critically important voice for the community when mainstream media wanted to know the “urban spin” on certain issues and stories that impacted the community.

The staff — from editorial to sales to distribution — performed our concerted role with aplomb. The weekly deadlines, the stress, the final product on the street, the gracious calls and letters of support that came in from the local readership, will never be forgotten.

It is a rich journalistic legacy of an icon in the community of South L.A. and beyond. It will always be “News You Can Use.”

That’s the L.A. Watts Times I remember.

Jarrette Fellows Jr. currently publishes Metropolis, a weekly newspaper serving Los Angeles, and teaches journalism at Frederick Price High, a private school in South L.A.

Mori Coleman Reflects on  L.A. Watts Times Editorship

BY AISHA MORI COLEMAN

When I joined the L.A. Watts Times in 2002 as the assistant editor, I worked with a prolific, fascinating and highly intelligent force of nature named Joe Nazel.

Together we were able to reinvent the newspaper by expanding features such as the What’s Going On calendar, as well as health, community, entertainment and business briefs.

We believed in the motto of “News You Can Use” and we believed that readers deserved more — more information to help them navigate all aspects of their lives and to understand the world; and more discussion to keep them engaged in the broader community.

I took the reins as managing editor under difficult circumstances and limited resources upon Nazel’s untimely passing. I held fast to the idea that the black community is not monolithic and possessed viewpoints as multifaceted as the rainbow of shades its people come in.

Our job was not to tell readers what to think, but rather to present information in such a way that they could figure it out for themselves and decide what to do with that knowledge. We tried to be inclusive, open-minded and treat readers as not only black, but also as citizens of the world, with all the rights and responsibilities that come with that.

When I left the paper in 2008 after six-and-a-half years, I hoped that readers would continue to receive quality journalism that upheld the paper’s storied legacy.

My wish is the same as a new era begins. As the L.A. Watts Times morphs into a different entity under new leadership, may its spirit remain and its impact expand.

May readers forever use its news to improve themselves and their communities. Finally, may all those who have had and will continue to have a hand in its creation know that they have served the greater good in some small way.

The L.A. Watts Times — Looking Back and Looking Forward

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

When I got the word that the L.A. Watts Times was going to be sold, the flood of memories began instantly. And there are many.

I have written nearly 1,000 columns for the paper during my many years as one of their featured writers. I have written on nearly every issue under the sun. The criteria that I always used to choose an issue for my column was simple: Was it compelling, cutting edge, and could I use it to inform, cajole, challenge, and at times infuriate, but — most of all — make readers think?

Later, I used my column not just as a point of reference on the news and issues of the day that affected the African American community, but as a bully pulpit to spur action on problems and concerns that impacted the lives of those in the community. Those problems are towering: crime, gang violence, police misconduct, miserably failing public schools, unemployment, poverty, political indifference, the battle for political and economic empowerment, drugs, astronomical rates of prison incarceration, and a failed and flawed criminal justice system.

My one and only concern was always: Could I make a difference with my column?

I’m proud to say that, more often than not, the answer was yes. The Watts Times was the perfect forum and platform for me to make that happen. When the paper hit the streets on Thursday, I could always count on being stopped by a reader who would thank me for being their voice and expressing what they thought and felt about problems that confront the community.

There was, however, momentary sadness, at the thought that that platform might not be there any longer, particularly given the demise of many black newspapers, magazines and radio stations.

In these challenging times we need more, not less black media, to tell our story, fight for our causes, and be the strong resolute voice against injustice and the beacon of light that the black press has been historically. However, the sadness didn’t last. There is no cause for tears.

The Watts Times will not go the way of so many other black publications and cease publishing.

I’m confident under the strong, steady and committed guiding hand of Los Angeles Sentinel Publisher Danny Bakewell Sr., who understands better than anyone else the historic role that the black press has played in our fight for justice and the role it still must play in that fight, the Watts Times will continue to maintain excellence in the publishing and community influence that it has had for decades.

This is not a requiem for a great community paper, but a salute to the continuation of the proud tradition of excellence in journalism, and even greater excellence in being the true voice of our community that the Watts Times is. I’m proud to have been and continue to be a part of that ongoing tradition.

Lastly, I want to say a word about Melanie Polk, the publisher of the L.A. Watts Times. Melanie had the grit and the vision to weather the many storms that confronted her and the paper over the past two decades. She sustained and grew it into the paper that became a force in the community. I and the community owe her an eternal debt of gratitude. I wish her much success and happiness in her life and new endeavors. She did good by us all.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a political analyst and author of “How Obama Governed,” among other works. His nationally heard talk show is on KTYM-AM 1460 AM Los Angeles, Fridays, 9:30 a.m., and KPFK Pacifica Radio 90.7 Los Angeles, Saturdays, noon, Pacific Standard Time.

Hutchinson is also president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, which has weekly news, discussion and speaker forums. Attendees can come hear and dialogue with community leaders, elected officials and policymakers on Thursdays, 7 p.m., at the Lucy Florence Cultural Center, 3551 W. 43rd St., Los Angeles. Information: (323) 383-6145.