NBCUniversal’s Commitment to ‘Black Voices’ Questioned by NABJ After Joy Reid Exit

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has met with NBCUniversal to discuss the treatment of  Black talent at the media giant.

Specifically, the meeting with the company’s head of diversity centered on the removal of Joy Reid from her nightly MSNBC show, The ReidOut, which was a major political commentary program.

It is unclear whether Lester Holt’s announcement this week of his plans to step down from NBC Nightly News were also referenced.

In a statement on Tuesday, Feb. 25, NABJ underlined the organization’s concerns.

“While we congratulate Symone Sanders-Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez on their new roles in Reid’s former time slot, we remain concerned about industry-wide patterns in which Black talent is disproportionately affected by corporate changes,” NABJ said.

RELATED:  Joy Reid Addresses MSNBC Exit: ‘My Show Had Value’

According to NABJ, NBCUniversal leadership assured the organization that they are committed to elevating Black voices.

The group also put other media outlets on notice that they’re monitoring how African American journalists are treated.

“As we continue examining this issue and working with NBCUniversal on their commitments to diversity, we urge news leaders across the board to recognize that removing Black voices affects how networks shed light on issues of great importance to our communities,” NABJ said. “Reducing those voices also limits the diversity of content and viewpoints.”

The group additionally called for more  opportunitities for Black journalists throughout the industry.

“We urge all news platforms to add rather than subtract from the diversity of their talent—both on-camera and behind the scenes,” NABJ said.

The final episode of The ReidOut aired on Monday, Feb. 24.

Reid opened the show by encouraging her viewers to resist the changes happening under Donald Trump’s administration.

“The first rule is to fight back, to never stop resisting,” Reid said. “Even if it’s scary or uncomfortable or inconvenient, just say ‘no’ or find creative ways to say ‘no’ in small ways or large. You don’t always win, but the whole thing is about resisting.”