HOT TOPICS | LIVE From The NAN Convention: Fighting MAGA Media Lies

Don Lemon details his ongoing legal challenges, asserting they are 'cooked-up charges' designed to embarrass and suppress journalism. He frames these attacks as racist, specifically noting the use of civil rights laws against Black journalists to deter them from reporting the truth without fear or favor.

Don Lemon states, 'These are cooked-up charges to, I believe, embarrass, to well, to really suppress journalism, to make journalists afraid and fearful and to second- and third-guess themselves about telling the truth. And I think it's also to embarrass people. And I think it's racist. Because they're using laws that were meant for people who were truly oppressed... to prosecute and persecute African Americans.' He mentions his cell phone being confiscated and the threat of prison for reporting.

Ashley Allison, publisher of The Root, emphasizes that ownership of media outlets is crucial for Black communities to control their narratives and ensure their stories are told accurately. She highlights how monetization from these stories can be reinvested into the community, and announces The Root's expansion as a direct counter to newsroom gutting.

Ashley Allison states, 'Ownership allows us to tell it our way. And when monetization, meaning we live in a capitalist society, when people make money off our story, we get to bring it back into our community and improve our community.' She adds, 'We are expanding our newsroom. It is hard. I don't sleep at night... but we are hiring a CEO... hiring new editor in chief... We have to grow now.'

Symone Sanders Townes identifies key deceptive narratives. First, the lie that targeting individuals (like Don Lemon or Lisa Cook) is isolated, rather than an attack on the broader institution (journalism, Federal Reserve independence). Second, the lie that people are powerless to effect change, which she counters by highlighting ongoing resistance and the inherent power of the people in a democracy.

Symone Sanders states, 'The first big lie is that when someone is being targeted... that that targeting is just about them... The targeting of Don is not just about Don Lemon, it's about journalism.' She continues, 'The other biggest lie... is that there's very little we can do about what's happening. And there's a lot we can do about what is happening right now.'

Dr. Benjamin Chavis traces the Black press's history back to Freedom's Journal in 1827, emphasizing its mission to 'plead our own cause.' He notes a significant decline in sales for Black newspapers during the Trump administration, attributing some of this to the Black community not valuing its own media. He calls for the largest Black voter turnout in American history in November 2026 (likely meaning 2024) as a 'fight back year.'

Dr. Chavis states, 'The black press was started here in New York City with Freedom's Journal. March 16th, 1827. And on the cover... it says, 'We must plead our own cause. And we must not others speak for us.'' He also notes, 'When Trump came in, the annual sales are less than a million dollars... Sometimes we let ourselves down. We don't see our own value.' He calls for 'the largest black voter turnout in American history in November 2026.'

Jonathan Capehart argues that journalism, particularly in challenging times, is a 'calling' rather than merely a job for wealth or fame. He highlights that the press is the only profession explicitly protected by the U.S. Constitution, underscoring its vital role in keeping the citizenry informed and thus safeguarding democracy.

Jonathan Capehart states, 'There is only one profession protected in the Constitution of the United States, and that is the press.' He adds, 'This job is not so much a job now... I now understand that being in these jobs is a calling.' He concludes, 'Without a free and unfettered press, you, the American electorate, will not be informed.'