By Damenica Ellis
A week ago, Ken Lemon was looking toward the end of his first year as NABJ president.
Now, his presidency may be defined by a controversial political interview: former President Donald Trump’s Q&A at the 2024 NABJ convention.
“I think this whole Trump invitation, unfortunately, is going to characterize his presidency for a lot of people,” Bob Butler, former NABJ president, said. “You can’t shy away from people like that. You have to expose them for who they are. So his first convention will be one to remember.”
Lemon hopes Trump’s visit reinforces the fact that journalism is a major pillar for the organization. “It is that when there is an opportunity to question those people who are going to have an enormous impact on the lives of others, that we’re doing that,” Lemon said.
One critique expressed by many NABJ members about the Trump Q&A is that the former president should not have been allowed to speak at what is seen as a safe space for Black journalists.
Lemon felt that this was an opportunity to give NABJ the power to ask questions. “Last night, this is what I saw: I saw several national news outlets taking video from the NABJ stage — here, this stage — and using that to shape what that narrative looks like,” he said.
Lemon confirmed to the NABJ Monitor that the delay in the start time of the discussion was due to Trump and his team refusing to take the stage if NABJ conducted live fact-checking.
“Behind the scenes, there was a fight on,” Lemon said. “There was a fight on to not have us fact-check him in real-time. I went backstage, and we stood our ground. I went back and I talked to the women who were going to be on that stage, and I said, ‘I’m going to protect you.’”
Lemon said the audio issues were part of the delay, but it wasn’t the whole reason, as Trump claimed on stage. “[Trump’s team] said, ‘He won’t take the stage if you’re going to fact check.’ I said, ‘Well, then he won’t take the stage.’”
Lemon added that it is important to NABJ to hold people accountable.
“I said no to this team over and over and over again about the conditions for which he would take that stage, and we control a narrative because the people listening to what he says in that moment, they’re counting on us to set this thing up so that we present the truth,” he said. “That matters.”
Regarding Vice President Kamala Harris not speaking at the NABJ Convention, Lemon understands she is busy with campaigning and had prior engagements, including Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s funeral. After negotiating, he said, Harris’ team provided an offer. “That offer is to do an interview with her, either virtual or in-person, in September.”
Lemon’s first year has certainly been unique, and longtime NABJ member and U.S. News & World Report columnist Rodney Brooks says he is leading the organization through unprecedented times.
“There’s a lot of news going on in the election cycle, but the [major] concern is basically: He is leading through a really troubling time when it comes to DEI and I don’t think it’s had a huge impact on NABJ resources and funding yet.”
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