Homewood native Jeff Ballou speaks about press freedoms at luncheon

The media’s integrity is under attack, but that just means it should remain steadfast in truth-telling.
Those are the words of National Press Club President Jeff Ballou, a Homewood native, who spoke in Pittsburgh, Sept. 23, about press freedoms and the growing number of media attacks in today’s divisive political climate.
[pullquote]“You have to be able to stand on your work, without fear or favor.”
JEFF BALLOU[/pullquote]“You have to be able to stand on your work, without fear or favor,” he told the crowd of about 60 at the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania building, Downtown. He was the guest speaker at the luncheon with the theme, “Freeing the Press: Why Journalism Matters.”
Ballou is a news editor at Al Jazeera Media Network and the 110th president of the National Press Club, a membership-based organization of more than 3,100 journalists and communications professionals.
He became the first African American man to hold the position of president in the Washington, D.C.-based club’s 108-year history when he was inaugurated in January.
A Penn State alumnus who resides in D.C., Ballou began his speech in Pittsburgh this past Saturday with a homecoming “thank you” to the people who helped raise him and gave him the tools he needed to succeed in the media industry.
One of those early supporters was William Fisher, a luncheon attendee who was the principal at Taylor Allderdice High School when Ballou was enrolled. Ballou is a 1985 graduate.
Fisher’s guidance helped mold him into who he is today, Ballou said.

When visiting Pittsburgh, Ballou usually travels to Homewood to see how it has changed. Much to his disappointment, he feels it has been left behind. He used that as an example on a larger scale of how the media should report on economically-disadvantaged areas, like Homewood, to inform the public about critical issues that affect people in urban communities.
Well-rounded, accurate coverage is more critical today than ever because “so many people are saying we are fake now,” Ballou said. “One mistake is multiplied a thousand times and it takes even longer to clean it up.”
His appearance in Pittsburgh this past Saturday was sponsored by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Black Media Federation and the Online News Association Pittsburgh.
“Ballou’s visit was inspiring because it called upon journalists to hold everyone accountable and he stressed the importance of telling important stories,” said Kim Palmiero, president of the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania. “We are honored that he made the trip to talk to us. He reminded us about our important role.”

Ballou’s first year at the helm of the National Press Club is running concurrently with the inaugural year of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has expressed displeasure in the media by using tumultuous rhetoric throughout his first nine months in office.
“I have been the standard bearer for protecting the Constitution because, frankly, my official neighbor two blocks down from the club refuses to do so—at least as it comes to freedom of the press,” Ballou said at the event, Sept. 23. He pressed attendees to “keep fighting” against those who wish to silence the media.
He often speaks proudly of his Pittsburgh roots. At Ballou’s inauguration in D.C. in January, the Steel City’s sports colors—black and yellow—were prominent as the approximately 300 people in attendance waved the Terrible Towels they had been gifted.
Ballou’s pride in his Pittsburgh roots and role as a leader of a national journalism group are motivational, said Stacey Federoff, president of the Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh.
“Jeff uses his position as National Press Club president to channel his passion for journalism and its role in our society with such expertise. And to know that a proud Pittsburgher holds such a visible platform inspired me—and hopefully others who attended the luncheon—to work harder to uphold those journalistic ideals,” she said.
Thus far in 2017, 65 journalists in the U.S. have been attacked, arrested, stopped at a border, or subjected to equipment searches and seizures, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a coalition of groups that advocate for an open press.
“Jeff’s words were timely given the current media climate that we are experiencing,” said Tory N. Parrish, president of the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation. “It was a much-needed and powerful message.”
 
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