KING
KING 5
KING 5 HAS BEEN GRAPPLING WITH SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT SYSTEMIC RACISM, HOW IT SHOWS UP IN THE
WORKPLACE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT.
AND TONIGHT CHRIS BLACK HAS A
RARE GLIMPSE INSIDE SOME
OF THOSE CONVERSATION AND HOW
THEY IMPACTED THOSE OF US IN
FRONT OF THE CAMERA AND BEHIND
THE SCENES PROTéGéES IN THE
STREETS, ANGER IN THE AIR.
THE REACTION LAST SUMMER TO THE
DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD BY
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE.
WELL, TONIGHT A SECOND ROUND
OF PROTESTS ACROSS MINNEAPOLIS
AFTER THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD
THE SAME WEEK OF GEORGE FLOYDS
KILLING IN MAY.
BY COINCIDENCE, KING 5
MANAGEMENT HELD A LONG PLANNED
DIVERSITY WORKSHOP FOR STATION
EMPLOYEES.
WHILE WE USUALLY TALK ON TV
ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S STORIES
OF RACIAL BIAS, A SERIES
OF ZUNE SESSIONS WAS ABOUT
HOURS.
WHAT WERE THE MESSAGES THAT YOU
RECEIVED ABOUT RACE?
IT WAS MORE OR LESS AWARENESS
OF HOW THE WORLD SEES ME AND
THE THREATS THAT COME ALONG
WITH IT BECAUSE I'M A BLACK
MALE.
JESSIE WILSON, AN ACCOUNT
EXECUTIVE IN FIVE SALES
DEPARENT, GREW UP IN A MOSTLY
WHITE WORLD AND IS NOW THE ONLY
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ON THE
STATION'S SALES STAFF.
A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES, A
LOT OF DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, A
LOT OF DIFFERENT TIMES WHERE
PEOPLE AREN'T COMFORTABLE AND
THAT HAPPENS THAT KING 5 AS
WELL.
RYAN BEARD IS A NEWS
PHOTOGRAPHER RAISED IN FLORIDA
,GREW UP IN A HOUSEHOLD WHERE
MY DAD IS BASICALLY WOULD
EXPLAIN TO ME EVERY RACE THAT
COULD BE AND ALWAYS BE LIKE A
NEGATIVE TONE TO IT.
DO YOU THINK YOUR FATHER IS
RACIST?
YEAH.
RACIST? YEAH. WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL TO
HAVE TO SAY THAT TO SAY IT OUT
LOUD AND TO SAY IT'S HARD AND
TO ACTUALLY HEAR MYSELF SAY IT
IT'S THE GOAL OF THE TRAINING
SESSIONS IS TO OPEN OUR EYES TO
BIAS IN HOW WE VIEW OTHER
PEOPLE WHETHER THEY'RE
COWORKERS OR THE PEOPLE WE
CHOOSE TO PUT ON TELEVISION.
I THINK OVERALL WE CAN BE
BETTER AT TELLING THE STORIES
OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN OUR
COMMUNITIES.
ANCHOR MANAGEMENT SAYS WE DO A
POOR JOB OF INCLUDING PEOPLE
OF COLOR IN STORIES THAT AREN'T
ABOUT RACE.
IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT OUR
AIRCHECKS YOU TELL ME HOW MANY
PEOPLE WHO ARE ASIAN-AMERICAN
PEOPLE OF COLOR IN GENERAL.
BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT
ASIAN-AMERICANS WHO ARE ON TV.
SO I'M GOING TO PUT WHAT MEIMI
SAYS THERE TO THE TEST AND I'M
DOING THAT BY WATCHING A WEEK'S
WORTH OF KING FIVE NEWSCASTS
AIRCHECKS WE CALL THEM TO SEE
HOW MANY ASIANS WE ACTUALLY
INTERVIEWED IN OUR STORIES
DURING THAT WEEK.
AND I'M WATCHING STORIES FROM
THE WEEK BEFORE GEORGE FLOYD
DIED BEFORE THERE WAS THIS BIG
EMPHASIS ON RACE.
I MEAN SOUNDBYTES PUTS YOU IN A
DIFFERENT WORLD FOR A MINUTE.
PEOPLE WHO ARE IN AUTHORITY
WE'RE REALLY ASKING FOR
PEOPLE'S VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE
MAN ON THE STREET IT'S ALMOST
KIND OF AN IRONY THAT THEY'RE
GOING TO PROTEST AT THEIR OWN
RISK ANYTHING FAMILIES THAT ARE
FEATURED KIDS, TEACHERS WE'RE
JUST NOT CONFIDENT THAT IF WE
HAD TO MAKE THE DECISION TODAY
THAT THEY'D BE ABLE TO, YOU
KNOW, KEEP THE KIDS SAFE.
ASIANS MAKE UP ABOUT 15 PERCENT
OF SEATTLE'S POPULATION BUT IS
THAT REFLECTED IN OUR TV
STORIES?
OK, THIS IS THE END OF DAY ONE
SIX HOURS OF NEWS ON CHANNEL
FIVE AND I DON'T SEE ONE ASIAN
THAT WE'VE INTERVIEWED ON THIS
DAY.
WE DID BETTER ON OTHER DAYS BUT
AT THE END OF THE WEEK I
COUNTED ONLY 11 STORIES IN
WHICH ASIANS WERE INTERVIEWED
IN SEVEN DAYS OF NEWS WE MOSTLY
FEATURED WHITE PEOPLE JUST AS
MANY SUSPECTED.
I MEAN JUST LOOK AT THAT.
IT'S LIKE WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT
DOING ENOUGH AND WE'RE NOT
PUSHING HARD ENOUGH.
AND MANY WHO GREW UP IN
PUYALLUP KNOWS HOW IT FEELS TO
BE INVISIBLE.
I THINK A LOT OF DISCRIMINATION
GROWING UP AS A KID AND I THINK
THE SORRY THE MESSAGE TO ME
CAME FROM MY FAMILY AND PARENTS
AND CULTURE WAS THAT YOU DIDN'T
SPEAK UP AND THAT IF YOU
SUFFERED YOU WERE IN SOMEBODY
ELSE'S COUNTRY.
THAT'S ME ME.
DURING KING'S EMPLOYEE ZOOME
SESSION LAST MAY WHEN THE KID
DOWN THE STREET WAS TRYING TO
FEED ME DOG FOOD AS A JOKE AND
I KNEW THEY WERE DOING THAT TO
MAKE FUN OF ME IN MY WHOLE
ADULT LIFE IF I HAD NEVER
TALKED WITH FRIENDS ABOUT IT,
WITH COLLEAGUES ABOUT IT IN IT,
IT'S ACTUALLY IT SHOCKED ME TO
REALIZE THAT MOMENT THIS WAS
THE FIRST TIME I'M TALKING
ABOUT MY OWN EXPERIENCES AND
WHEN ME, ME AND RYAN AND JESSE
ALL SPOKE FROM THE HEART DURING
OUR TRAINING SESSIONS THEY OPEN
MINDS AT KING 5.
JIM ROSE IS GENERAL MANAGER.
IT'S VERY EASY TO THINK ABOUT
THESE MATTERS OF RACE AND
RACISM AND BIGOTRY IN THE
ABSTRACT.
OH THAT'S NOT ME.
BUT WHEN YOU HEAR A COWORKER
SAY IT OR SOMEONE THAT YOU
REALLY CARE ABOUT SAY IT FORCES
YOU TO REALLY THINK LIKE WHAT
HAVE I BEEN DOING?
WHAT BY WHAT HAVE I BEEN
THINKING?
HAVE I DONE ENOUGH?
OUR STATION MANAGER SAYS THE
ANSWER IS NO.
KING LIVE IS NOT DOING ENOUGH.
SO THE COMPANY HAS ANNOUNCED A
NUMBER OF NEW INITIATIVES.
YOU SAW MY UNSCIENTIFIC ORTING
IN THAT STORY.
WELL, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE
PROFESSIONALS DO THAT.
OUR COMPANY HAS HIRED THE
RENOWNED POINTER INSTITUTE TO
CONDUCT AN AUDIT OF OUR CONTENT
FOR RACIAL BIAS AND ALSO TRAIN
US AND INCLUSIVE JOURNALISM.
THE STATION ALSO HAS A NEW
BYPASS COMMITTEE BLACK
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF COLOR
COMMITTEE THAT IS ADVISING OUR
MANAGERS.
AND JOYCE, AS YOU KNOW, WE ALSO
ASKED THE VIEWERS TO KEEP US
HONEST AND TELL US IF THEY SEE