How They Got Their Start

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» Ed Bradley	» Earl Caldwell
» Claude Lewis	» Nancy Maynard
» Charlayne Hunter    Gault	» Wallace Terry

By Venise Wagner

They could be called the integrationists, the young African American men and women who pushed open the doors of mainstream media and paved the way for journalists of color. While the generation of black journalists before them broke the color barrier in mainstream newsrooms, young journalists such as Nancy Maynard, Ed Bradley, Earl Caldwell, Charlayne Hunter Gault, Claude Lewis and Wallace Terry made up the next wave of African Americans who in their numbers organized, mentored and raised the bar for generations after.

They also provided a new dimension to mainstream news coverage just as the United States was undergoing the large-scale social and political upheavals of the 60s and 70s that included urban race riots, the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nancy Maynard was both the youngest reporter and the first black female to work at a major New York daily newspaper. Later she and her husband, the late Bob Maynard would train journalists of color so no newsroom could say they couldn't find qualified journalists of color.

Earl Caldwell worked his way up from small newspaper to midsize and finally to the New York Times and New York Daily News. While covering the Black Panthers for the New York Times, he stood against the FBI and the Nixon Administration in refusing to disclose confidential information about his sources in the Panthers. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in the enactment of individual states' shield laws protecting reporters’ sources.

Wallace Terry, a young firebrand, broke the color barrier at Brown University's Daily Herald, becoming its first African American editor-in-chief. He went on to work at the Washington Post for whom he covered the Vietnam War. He later wrote a book, Bloods celebrating the heroism of African American soldiers in that war.

Claude Lewis broke into the white-dominated Newsweek Magazine to become a sports writer there in his early 20s. Because the magazine had no other black reporter he had the privelege of covering all issues dealing with blacks. He later started his own black paper and became a key organizer of black journalists on the East Coast.

Charlayne Hunter Gault, who is known for her courage in integrating the University of Georgia, rose to meteoric heights and just out of college became the first African American to work at the New Yorker. Her career took her out of print to broadcast on one of the premier news shows, the McNeil Lehrer News Hour.

Ed Bradley, whose original ambition was to become a radio DJ, worked his way from radio news to television news. He also covered the Vietnam War and made such a fine reputation for himself at CBS that the company ultimately assigned him on "60 Minutes."

Their mere presence and the increased presence of journalists of color in newsrooms across the country rankled some nerves over the years. Some critics even introduced the false polemic of sacrificing quality journalism for diversity as was the case in William McGowan's recently-published book, Coloring the News.

Even as efforts at improving diversity in coverage and newsrooms hires took on a higher priority at some newspapers, many felt these efforts were half-hearted and failed to meet parity with the larger community.

These young journalists stand tall in the history of American journalism. Their contributions to the profession not only made it possible for others, but they also set a standard of excellence that can not be denied.

Venise Wagner is on faculty of San Francisco State University's Journalism Department. She is a former reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner.