Well hereâs some interesting, hot tea you sip on. It seems BET and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Robin Givhan are not on the same page. No, not at all. In fact, they are so far apart that the network kicked her out of the BETher conference featuring Michelle Obama, that it produced in Florida.
So why would BET have a confrontation with Givhan, the highly respected fashion columnist for the Washington Post? According to Page Six, the network invited her to its âLeading Women Definedâ conference in Bal Harbour and it was all love until Givhan made the unpardonable sin of writing about Obamaâs talk, which they claim had been conducted in a âsacred space.â In other words, theyâre pissed that she wrote about it.
Givhanâs piece on Wednesday quoted the former FLOTUS discussing her campaign experiences in 2008. Hereâs some of what she wrote:
âI couldnât count on my husbandâs campaign to protect me; I had to protect myself.â
Despite her qualifications, Obama was dismayed at being asked if she could handle being First Lady.
âThe garden was a subversive act,â she said. âYou canât go in with guns blazing until people trust you.â
And just before welcoming Donald and Melania Trump to the White House, Obama said, she cried saying goodbye to the staff.
So when the BET bosses saw the story had been posted, they pointed Givhan in the direction of the door and then canceled a panel she was due to moderate.
Wait a minute. Whatâs that we smell? Why itâs the familiar scent of hypocrisy. You see, while castigating Givhan for posting a story about the Obama talk, the network also posted portions of the Obama talk on its website.
Meanwhile, Valerie Jarrett, who conducted the chat, hyped fans on social media, telling them they should âtune in to BETâ to hear and see all of what Michelle Obama said.
It seems to us that the only reason they could be mad at her is if they told her specifically not to post and stories about Mrs. Obama or the event. If thatâs the case, maybe they are justified in their actions. If they didnât, itâs just stupid sour grapes and pettiness.
In any event, the incident spiraled into a messy social media screaming match, and Givhan was subjected to a barrage of abuse, Page Six says, with one tweeter saying she âviolated a sacred trust between women, black women.â
This Robin Givhan fiasco is complicated…and not. Iâve been in intimate conversations with newsmakers, privy to newsworthy information, and though âoff-the-recordâ was never uttered, I was in community with-not reporting on-these people. I never broke that trust and never will.
â Kirsten West Savali (@KWestSavali) March 25, 2018
Writer Jamilah Lemieux posted: âThis is a complete violation of journalistic ethics and Black girl code,â while other journalists defended Givhan.
I feel what I feel about Robin Gihvanâs choice to write that article, but she should not be subject to harassment. Folks who were there responded, there isnât a need for a pile-on.
Iâm also uncomfortable with some of the things being said (by other non-attendees) to defend her
â Jamilah Lemieux (@JamilahLemieux) March 24, 2018
A BET rep insisted Givhan was âinvited as a guest (not working press) to moderate a fashion panel,â and her travel and hotel were paid for by BET.
âShe was made aware that it was an intimate conversation in a sacred space of sisterhood and fellowship.â
Yes, but was she told she could not write about it? Thatâs what we wanna know.
You can read what Givhan wrote, here and what BET posted, here.
Meanwhile, its been radio silence from the Givhan and Obama camps regarding the matter.
PHOTO: AP
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