Eva Paterson at UNITY Journalists of Color
2008 Convention in Chicago

July 26 Panel on 'Uncovering Unconscious Bias
to Improve Coverage of Race'


EJS President Eva Paterson joins a distinguished panel of speakers on a panel during the UNITY '08 Convention, the nation's largest gathering of journalists of color, taking place July 23-27 in Chicago. Nearly 10,000 journalists and media executives will meet to discuss timely issues affecting journalism and the media industry.

Panel: Uncovering Unconscious Bias to
Improve Coverage of Race

Saturday, July 26, 2008
1:15 PM - 2:45 PM

(Panel open only to registered convention attendees. Click here to see panel location if you're attending.)

Carole Simpson, Anchor, World News Tonight Sunday, ABC News
Melissa Cornick, Investigative Producer, Independent
John Dovidio, Professor of Psychology, Yale University
Roosevelt Thomas, President, The American Institute for Managing Diversity

Eva Paterson, President, Equal Justice Society
Panel Description: Is your news executive aware that unconscious bias can affect political coverage, create faulty editorial decisions on a range of stories and hamper the career development of people of color who work in the newsrooms? Come hear about the theory of unconscious bias, a social science discipline that can help to modernize methods used by news organizations seeking to cover American race relations and related topics, such as: How much does the fate of the Presidential election hang on unconscious bias in the newsroom? Join veteran journalists, social psychologist and social justice experts in a lively discussion of both the theory of unconscious bias, and how reporters and editors can tap into research to inform and improve internal relationships, as well as news coverage.



Televised Forum with Barack Obama and John McCain on CNN, Thursday, July 24

UNITY: Journalists of Color and CNN will broadcast live a historic discussion with presumptive presidential nominees Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain at the UNITY ’08 Convention in Chicago. The forum will air live on CNN from 8 to 10 p.m. ET (7 to 9 p.m. CT) on Thursday, July 24, and is expected to reach more than two million viewers worldwide.

The forum, co-sponsored by CNN and TIME Magazine, will provide attendees a rare look into the candidates’ positions on a wide variety of topics. During the forum, the presidential candidates are expected to address questions from a panel of working journalists representing all four alliance partners. The presidential candidates from both parties have been invited and UNITY is working with their staffs to arrange for their attendance.
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“The live broadcast of this major event is unprecedented for UNITY,” said UNITY ’08 Convention Chair Bryan Monroe, vice president and editorial director of Ebony and Jet magazines in Chicago. “The forum will bring the major candidates to the stage shortly before the DNC and RNC conventions this summer, and give readers and viewers a unique chance to hear where they stand on issues facing an increasingly diverse America.”