Internal chaos over Trump’s appearance at National Association of Black Journalists spills out into public
Former President Trump’s appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has created internal division among its members and the group is now in talks to hold a Q&A with Vice President Harris.
Former Ohio University journalism professor Justice B. Hill, who has been a member of the NABJ for nearly 50 years, told The Hollywood Reporter that he felt a sense of bewilderment and betrayal by his group after the Trump panel.
"It’s a mess," Hill told The Hollywood Reporter. "The whole thing came together in the past couple of days. And I hate things being not transparent. There’s controversy among members — one of the co-chairs of the Chicago convention resigned. You don’t surprise members this way. He has never spoken at our convention before. He was invited in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and he refused to come. So, why is he coming now? He’s coming now because he sees some advantage."
Hill described the panel as divisive, a sentiment echoed by other NABJ members on social media.
TRUMP CLASHES WITH ABC NEWS REPORTER OVER 'NASTY QUESTION,' BLASTS 'FAKE NEWS NETWORK' DURING HEATED Q&A
"Trump came into our home, a Black Press advocacy convention, and insulted us in our face. What is worse he was invited to do this by NABJ leadership," White House correspondent April Ryan tweeted on Wednesday.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson also weighed in on the event, writing, "To walk into a room full of Black journalists and attack someone’s ‘Blackness’ is another level of disrespect. To anyone who needs a reminder: we can’t change the color of our skin, and we don’t want to."
Hill further questioned why Trump attended the Chicago convention in his interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"I understand he is a candidate for