NAACP Raises Possibility of Boycott

NAACP President and Chief Executive Kweisi Mfume on Wednesday once again raised the threat of an economic and advertiser boycott aimed at one of the major television networks, accusing the four broadcasters of making little progress in their promises to increase representation of minorities on series and in the executive ranks.

At a news conference presenting the civil rights organization’s annual report on the television industry, Mfume said that ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox have been too slow in honoring the commitments made in late 1999, when they pledged to a multiethnic coalition that they would endeavor to boost diversity in prime-time television. He added that news, public affairs and sports departments at the networks also remain predominantly white, and that little effort is being made to include minorities.

“There has been some relative progress among the networks, but none of them can be held up for sainthood,” Mfume said. He placed particular emphasis on ABC, saying that the network “was not even out of the starting gate” when it came to increasing diversity in front of and behind the camera.

He added that the networks’ four vice presidents of diversity, appointed as part of the agreement, were largely being second-guessed by high-ranking officials, and should be given greater latitude.

Mfume said he would make several recommendations to the NAACP board of directors during its regularly scheduled meeting in October that could include deciding on at least one major network for a “massive, targeted and sustained economic boycott” that would include that networks’ advertisers. Other options included the filing of a class-action lawsuit charging the networks with discrimination against minorities.

Josie Thomas, CBS’ head of diversity, and Mitzi Wilson, her counterpart at Fox, attended the news conference and said afterward that they felt significant progress toward diversity had been achieved at their networks. Both denied that they were being second-guessed and indicated that they had direct access to top executives at their networks.

“As far as being second-guessed, that’s [Mfume’s] opinion,” Wilson said.

Paula Madison, NBC’s head of diversity, and ABC President Alex Wallau, who has taken charge of that network’s diversity efforts, did not attend the news conference. However, an ABC spokeswoman said the network disputes the NAACP’s conclusions, noting that a third of characters in its series are minorities and that “the facts speak for themselves.”