By Brandon Henry, The Monitor Digital
Presidential candidates for the National Association of Black Journalists pull out all the stops in their campaigns during the final days of the election this week.
The candidates, Errin Haines, Dion Rabouin and current NABJ President Ken Lemon talked with members this week about their platforms during the 50th anniversary of the NABJ convention in Cleveland.
Measurable impact and lasting change are two of the focus points of Lemon’s campaign to help Black journalists. He acknowledged that layoffs impacted journalists recently, and he is looking to help wherever he can.
“As newsrooms are shrinking, we are doing more to help our journalists who may be struggling, or facing some very difficult decisions,” Lemon said.
Lemon said NABJ’s partnerships with “power companies,” such as Apple and NHL, have helped NABJ fund programs such as scholarships and fellowships.
Lemon previously served as vice president of broadcast, and was a founding member and former President of the Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists. Lemon emphasized the importance of helping local chapters understand how to ensure their organization continues to thrive.
Meanwhile, Haines said she is looking to return to NABJ’s executive board, but this time she said she wants to be the leader she thinks the organization needs.
Haines said Black journalists are “at a moment in our profession and organization and we need leadership,” and being a leader is a natural extension of who she is.
Haines served as the vice president of print from 2011 to 2015. She is also a founding member and editor-at-large for The 19th, and serves as Atlanta Association of Black Journalists’ vice president of print.
Haines’ background as a leader within the local chapters she’s served in, as well as the current landscape of journalism, influenced her decision to run for president.
Haines said she feels she is “the person to be the fighter and the champion that NABJ needs in this moment in our profession, and for our organization, headed into our next 50 years.”
And for Rabouin, his campaign aspires to “lead, lift and unify” NABJ. Rabouin is a financial journalist who spent time at Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Yahoo Finances.
Rabouin said his time as a mentor on the print team for the 2024 NABJ Multimedia Student Project influenced his decision to run. He said that convention is what made him decide to run for president, specifically because of the way the student journalists were treated.
“I sent my reporters to cover the board meeting and they got kicked out. I sent my reporters to ask questions about the finances, and they were given the runaround,” Rabouin said.. “And what I found was when I started asking questions about the finances, I got the same thing.”
Rabouin said he wants to “reset” NABJ to ensure it supports all of its members. With “Leadership for Everyone,” Rabouin aims to put power back into the hands of the members.
NABJ hosted a Board of Directors candidates forum on Thursday, one day before voting ends. Lemon, Haines and Rabouin, each, stuck to the talking points of their campaigns during the forum, addressing voters at the same time.
NABJ members have until 5 p.m. EST Friday to vote. Click here for more information.
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