SDABJ Applauds Local TV, Print, and Digital Media Outlets

The San Diego Association of Black Journalists (SDABJ) recognizes several prominent media outlets for hiring or promoting diverse media professionals in recent months.

NBC 7 San Diego, KFMB CBS 8, and ABC 10 added several new reporters and anchors of color to their on-air teams:

• Dana Griffin joined NBC 7 San Diego in April 2021 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Griffin came to San Diego from WYFF in Greenville, S.C. and served stints in Sacramento, Providence, R.I., and Eureka.
• Keristen Holmes is KFMB CBS 8’s newest anchor hire. She started in early June 2021 as the new weekend co-anchor on “News 8 Weekends” with longtime anchor Steve Price. Holmes recently worked at ABC 10 News in Sacramento and before that worked at stations in Arkansas and Louisiana.
• Evan Noorani joined KFMB CBS 8 in September 2020 as a morning and mid-day reporter and weather anchor. He is pursuing his certification as a broadcast meteorologist through Mississippi State University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and a double major in Political Science from Chapman University.
• LaMonica Peters started working for KFMB CBS 8 in October 2020 as a reporter. Peters is a graduate of UCLA and worked in Mississippi at WXVT in Greenville and worked at stations in Buffalo, N.Y., and Seattle.
• Jesse Pagan joined KFMB in April 2021 and joins Marcella Lee in the evenings, anchoring the 10 p.m. news on the CW and CBS8. Pagan is a graduate of the University of Florida and worked in Ohio at WSYX-TV and in Florida at WBBH-TV.

“It’s a breath of fresh air to see more diverse faces on-air, especially in prominent roles like Karlene Chavis of KFMB CBS 8 who is the only Black Chief Meteorologist in San Diego,” says Keith Bryant, SDABJ’s board president. “These journalists will represent our community well.”

SDABJ acknowledges inewsource, The San Diego Union-Tribune

SDABJ leadership also recognizes inewsource, the nonprofit investigative media outlet which hired Mark J. Rochester as their managing editor in April 2021. Rochester previously served as editor in chief at Type Investigations, a nonprofit investigative newsroom in Manhattan.

Earlier this year, Charles T. Clark, who joined The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2018, became one of the youngest columnists in the history of the paper. He writes about how identity intersects with civic life and local news in San Diego from politics and business to arts, sports, and entertainment.

Bryant, who is a morning producer at NBC 7 San Diego, adds: “SDABJ acknowledges these outlets who clearly show an interest and commitment to diversity. This demonstrates their commitment to reflecting the communities they serve. We hope other local media outlets – TV, radio, print, and digital – will follow their example, to add more diverse media professionals to their teams, whether it is in front of the camera, in operations, and in management positions.”

SDABJ is a chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), which is the largest journalism group of color. NABJ was founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C. by 44 journalists. Its purpose is to provide quality programs and services and to advocate on behalf of Black journalists.

SDABJ was founded in February 2000 by a dozen journalists mainly from the newsroom of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Its mission is to bridge the gap between African-Americans and the media. Among its programming is “Pro for a Day” a popular journalism boot camp held in conjunction with Southwestern College in Chula Vista and its annual scholarship reception, which has awarded approximately $75,000 worth of scholarships to deserving students who want to enter the field of journalism and communications. The group also advocates hiring media and communications professionals of diverse backgrounds, to ensure representation in local newsrooms and affiliated communication fields.

Learn more at www.sdabj.org.