Journalist Roland Martin took to Twitter this afternoon to chastise HBCU presidents and chancellors for a lack of media outreach from the campuses, specifically to his digital media outlets.
In a lengthy thread, Martin said that his efforts to find research on HBCU social media channels did not prove helpful in finding black college expertise.
To all of my HBCU presidents: PLEASE do a better job promoting the innovative work your professors are doing! I am working on a video project and it has been difficult to find interesting story angles based on the research and focus of your professors. My team has scoured social
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
Media of a lot of HBCUs, and their websites, and they are devoid of this type of stuff. Every HBCU should have their top 10-20 professors who are subject matter experts on their website. You can’t make it hard for media to find folks.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
I’ve said this too many times before: HBCU presidents, I don’t know what your university relations/PR folks are doing, but they are NOT pitching your professors properly. I have been doing #RolandMartinUnfiltered since Sept. 4, and not one HBCU has pitched their professors to
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
Discuss current events. Look at all of the Black candidates who were running. I didn’t get one pitch from an HBCU to have their professors on my show. I’ve done @TJMShow for 10 years, and I rarely have had an HBCU pitch their professors.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
Now numerous HBCU presidents have wanted to do @TJMShow @tvonetv #NewsOneNow and #RolandMartinUnfiltered, but we do so many topics, and it would be great to have subject matter experts from HBCUs. I can’t put you on if I don’t know you exist. I’m 100% serious!
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
It’s the job of the university relations/PR departments at HBCUs to be doing this. They should be blowing up my email and that of my producers. This is free branding, and HBCUs overall are NOT doing it. Here you had the Mississippi race with @espyforsenate.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
NOT ONE HBCU in Miss. hit me to have their political science professors on to discuss @espyforsenate, Black voters or turnout. NOT ONE HBCU in Florida did the same about @AndrewGillum. NOT ONE in Georgia did to talk @staceyabrams. HBCU presidents, you should be asking why?
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
Lastly HBCU PR folks: if Inhitntiu today for a guest, I need to to hit me back TODAY. Tomorrow is too late. EVERY HBCU should have a go-to list of professsors they are pitching to talk politics and law. Why?… https://t.co/fU8YfpvOBw
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
The Trump White House climate change report was all the rage since Friday. Where are the HBCU climate change experts? Why weren’t the colleges pitching them for National Media? Radio? TV? Digital?
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
I want to use HBCU experts. But the schools MUST be pushing them. This is not a criticism. It’s a constructive critique.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 29, 2018
Martin’s most recent broadcasts with HBCU topics include a response to a Twitter follower about his attending Texas A&M University, an alleged prostitution ring at Fort Valley State University, gerrymandering impacts on North Carolina A&T State University and voter suppression at Prairie View A&M University’s campus-based polling sites.
Really???
Mr.. Martin, Thank you for your constructive critique. HBCUs have a lot of good material. Take a look at the college\universities where the three political candidates you mentioned received their undergraduate degrees. Stacey Abrams: Spelman College; Mike Espy: Howard University; Andrew Gillum: Florida A& M. These are HBCU graduates. Many HBCU’s are Research level institutions with an array of funded projects.many have professional schools in education, social and health sciences and strong undergraduate and graduate STEM programs. Some, like Howard even have named endowed chairs and named endowed professorships as well as subject- area focused Centers. It is an honor to hold these named chairs and professorships, and the holders are expected to appear in forums such as yours and are happy to do so. But they do need assistance in making the connections. Enter the University’s PR folks. Also, HBCU could list\rotate their outstanding alumni who could serve as subject area experts. Your piece is a resounding wakeup call. HBCULover IV
e.g., Donna Brazile, “veteran political strategist” is the 2018-2019 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I King Endowed Chair in Public Policy at Howard University. Howard also has the Ron W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center. A stroll through an HBCU’s NewRoom and Archive is usually guaranteed to turn up some excellent gems. However, one should not go just to the University’s main website, especially at larger HBCUs one MUST go to the individual website of a particular school\college within that HBCU on a deeper dive to find more info, stories, and subject area experts. One would go to the School of Law, or the College of Engineering, College of Medicine, etc. at an HBCU. The schools and colleges are usually listed under “academics” on the main website. We’re in this together.
HBCUloverIV.
Wonderful and much needed critique and suggestion. Heavy teaching loads are true impediments to active research at most HBCUS but serious research and insights are available!!!
Thank you Roland Martin.
Go Martin!!! Truth!