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Stephen A. Smith was the recipient of an unflattering “honor” at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention in Atlanta this weekend.
At the NABJ’s Salute to Excellence dinner Saturday night, Smith was presented with a “Thumbs Down Award.” The organization accused the sports and political pundit of “a recurring public pattern of disparaging commentary directed at prominent black women across politics, sports, and media.”
“Such commentary reinforces harmful narratives, undermines the fair and respectful representation of black women in public discourse, and stands in direct conflict with NABJ’s longstanding commitment to accurate, responsible, and inclusive portrayals of black communities,” an unidentified voice narrated over the public address system at the dinner.
Smith responded to the slight on X/Twitter, vowing a lengthier reaction to come.
“This is the epitome of Christmas arriving early,” Smith wrote. “The @NABJ wants to call folks out, fine! You had your turn, now mine is coming. And make no mistake…..,I’m coming. Let’s see who REALLY deserves a Thumbs Down award when it comes to the Black Community, afterI [sic] say my peace! Remember @NABJ, you asked for it. I’ve shut my mouth for years. Now y’all started something.”
Smith did not immediately respond to an email seeking further comment. NABJ president Errin Haines and VPs Walter Smith Randolph and Roland Martin did not respond to an inquiry asking about specific examples of Smith’s “disparaging commentary,” the process for determining the Thumbs Down recipients, or what has changed since last year when Smith hosted ESPN’s First Take at the NABJ conference in Cleveland.
Last fall, Smith took issue with Texas U.S. representative Jasmine Crockett’s communications, saying that she “is an educated, brilliant Black woman, representing 750,000 people, [who] is engaging in verbiage and rhetoric for the streets.” Martin, the NABJ official and former CNN contributor, castigated Smith for the remarks. Smith later apologized for the comments. Last November, Smith also had a public dispute with his former ESPN colleague Cari Champion.
Nevertheless, the decision to pick a fight with Smith at the NABJ dinner was polarizing. Ameshia Cross, a Democratic strategist and media pundit, tweeted, “Damn. I was at that dinner. The entire room knew this would go left. I have my thoughts but imma wait to see how this plays out.”
“I think NABJ wanted to trend again because that was messy for no damn reason. I left the awards dinner, which was otherwise a ceremony dedicated to great journalism across multiple regions and descended into petty,” Cross continued.
Other recipients of the NABJ’s Thumbs Down Award Saturday included The Washington Post, CBS News, and FCC chairman Brendan Carr.
