Jemele Hill Touts Stephen A. Smith’s ‘Commitment to Black Journalism’ Following NABJ ‘Thumbs Down’ Award

Sportswriter Jemele Hill rose to the defense of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith after he earned the dubious distinction of getting the National Association of Black Journalists’ “Thumbs Down” award.

Appearing on Don Lemon’s podcast, The Don Lemon Show, on Monday, Hill, 50, touted the 58-year-old Smith’s track record of helping other black journalists to enter the industry.

“So, I’m going to try to attempt to do something that isn’t always appreciated, and that is have a little nuance,” Hill said.

“Now, has Stephen A been– have the criticisms of Stephen A been unfair? The answer is no,” she said.

“I think they’ve been completely fair, and I think a lot of them have been valid in terms of as I was talking about, that different energy and trying to understand where that comes from. And I think politically people definitely have a problem with how he’s used his platform, and who he has platformed on his platform, and you know kind of the circles that he seems to be ingratiating himself with.

“It leaves a little, you know, it leaves one to raise the eyebrows and say okay, what’s really going on here?”

Hill went on to recall Smith’s credentials as a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, an Historically Black College or University, or H.B.C.U, and noted his efforts to help others:

Part of that is because Stephen A has exhibited an actual commitment to black journalism. He’s an H.B.C.U graduate.

He’s taken the show on the road as in First Take to many H.B.CU. And while he wasn’t the first show at ESPN to do that, my show actually was, but when I had his and hers, we went to Howard’s Homecoming and did a big show.

But that’s okay. That’s neither here nor there. Uh it’s not about me. But he has done that. And knowing how he, knowing a little bit with how he operates his show, there are black people that work on his show that he is actively intentionally hired to bring black folks at the producer level, at other levels in our industry to bring them into the fold.

There are a lot of black people who can say, ‘Stephen A helped me with my career.’ That ‘Stephen A, he elevated me in this way’ when he had a show quite frankly on ESPN.

It is true he created a segment strictly for black voices on his show because there wasn’t a lot of black columnists. I was one of the black columnists that appeared on his show. Me, Rob Parker, Gary Howard, it was very few of us.

Stephen A, it is true gave us a platform to do those things.

So while I do understand that how he has done and moved and operated in certain ways has gone against the mission of NABJ and that Thumbs Down award that is what it is supposed to address.

I do think the body of work should matter and Stephen A does not have a lengthy track record, I think, of going against the core and the root of what black journalism is.

And while I don’t like a lot of the things that he has said, I’m also, I also cannot absolve or cannot erase the contributions he’s made both as a black journalist himself, and also as somebody who has tried in many instances to use his position to help other black journalists.

Smith accused the NABJ on Monday of being politically motivated in its decision to give him a “Thumbs Down” award.

The NABJ claimed Smith had a “recurring public pattern” of disparaging prominent Black women in politics, sports, and media when it anointed him with its “Thumbs Down” recognition Saturday at its annual convention in Atlanta.

A woman in the audience can be heard saying, “Tell it! I’m sick of him!” in video from the event.

Watch above via YouTube.

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