A Word on Words; 2621; Barbara Reynolds

a billion brian johnson you know once again welcome to word on words no i won't shut up and say that she did and that's barbara reynolds who's an old friend was a writer and a journalist and also a teacher or a doctor or a preacher welcome to word on words at the right dad here to talk about no i won't shut up thirty years of telling it like it when they're done when you decided to put together this collection of your writing and why did you decide one side to put this collection together a couple years ago right after i left usa today and i begin to reflect

on how women are treated in america and adam i was trying to talk to those who are being told at the disappeared to go away but they're not important and out what where i was coming from was as a child i remember at the dinner table or we were discussing different entertainers and i gave my view and my grandfather said you know show up to yours which you think you know girls are to be seen in them heard and this is how i grew up with people in my family tell me that nobody cares what you think as so then when i went to arm how state university it occurred to be that maybe i could write because i had been writing is a talent putting my writings and hit the bed and that the professor the dean of the of the ohio state university said you know you name a woman you can't be a journalist and so you know i am saying to to all of them

to the people in my childhood in my own family who thought a woman a girl should be seen not heard but to the journalism professor professor that told me i could make it into later my trials and tribulations as a syndicated columnist both in and out of usa today that no i'm not gonna shed out i want to have a voice and my slice of life as important moment make a contribution and so i'm now going to weigh in on national cause i know what my causes poor people to people i care about the disappear now it seems to me that so when you say have said from town is the white convert mean i can remember when you're not work together on the authority of usa today and we will have those board meetings and the only time i

wish you to shut up and go anyway i'm teasing but i am but i know you are going to the one who put this together and they gave us the freedom to stand for some well i am getting married but the truth is that man is this and you take our coverage though with an awful lot of people and you took some heat for leaders of about that and it was with grace but it didn't he didn't make it didn't seem to me at the time to make much difference what other people said well you say now is that you are concerned about what other people say and you'll in iowa showed up and so you know to show bb very concerned because after putting thirty years of my life into journalism now i see a conservative takeover of the media i'll wear

on people like me who are a progressive and i'm not ashamed to to be on a liberal leave you know jesus himself was was a liberal what would i like maybe the american ceremonies yeah well i mean that house on this is i really am especially of scandals you know the scandals that they're touching the white house right now was one of the first to come out and call on the president to resign and let out or run the country and people's unlocking you talk like that but as a feminist well you don't put a label or only because us now that's not who i am i think you can be a feminist and you can be a mile is still a moral person and we know there weren't with what's going on with allegations proven true crime you know you're not going to think that they any council bold what would would have

sex with his tunes are the preachers would have sex with their parishioners need neither should you think that a president should have sex of all things with the white house and to her and these are these are things that people don't want to say that that they have to you know that are read the book and i'm all of people who the report of many many many many many of these a lesson is previously as they appeared to be in us and i and i entered the exact number but let me just ask you about one issue you and i have had many many discussions in that editorial board setting up from which released these essays come we had many many discussions about the issue abortion and i always thought that you hedge i mean you i always thought of borrowers who've never owned two thirds one issue was

onto science in this issue i don't think so he may look inconsistent for me to be against capital punishment for example but for porsche but it makes sense to me because i'm in it if a woman can that i don't have control of whether she was to have a challenge actually become such a sexual slaves she becomes no more than oh wren the wall and you know when we can leave of america look at some other countries where women are under house arrest like and saudi arabian countries like that so you have to be free to say what you will do with your money and i did write a couple wants an ice is talking about how essential are treated down abused weller that moment is in a rather whether you wrote a column and hillary's not knowing his up is that in no option out there is a

warrior cities in which i thought you hit it again because what you did was not right to borrow soil huge huge the lawyers but if it isn't alone in benefits in the womb said just what you were about this which is that in your opinion in many cases life is worth and death right right lesson you know that you know we know we've got to talk about that involve the accused a child's voice so the fetus is what i was trying to hear the voice to two to someone who doesn't get one that that's my mind i wanted to about the release felt that that and still failed some cases that that that death is a better choice than life in certain situations but i'm telling i received a letter from a reader that coupled with really i'm at me thinking another of the writers said you know

you said that the death is better for some people who are abused and treated so harshly you know i came up an orphanage and i was abuse and i was beaten but now you know i'm running our city and he appealed to me that way and it made me think but after all the thoughts and after all the baby thinking about position i still believe that a woman must decide whether she's going to give birth not and i can say that then what you do choose to have an abortion they could break your heart when you realize that some something great god's greatest gift if you chose to give back to but i still believe that it is the woman to be sat in acting work more chill of things out of the open adoption and all of that that you know you can't make us actual slave of all of the womanizing you don't have this challenge is to have the same people of color have the children they don't want to give them health insurance ten million children don't have the show which are whether people talking about

how great it is to have a child they when it's time to take care that cap no if you want to watch is that it's a lot about is a lot about you in the end in this book that whole series of essays that deal with the difficulties of what you should be tuning part of a throwaway children and i mean i know that that you have a m son john ehrich and and i know how you love the job goes no knowledge of a long time but i did i just well it might be interesting to discuss over the usual bowl of abortion side those columns and you with how society treated few i think that's how we are to be dead shot thank you with humphrey once talked about it's not to arm how

we have they were bombs and we could go jump on that you know how we could done take care of that the least of these and that that is our children and dunk you know they'd be in washington you know where you sat in the seat of power and you see that you see you know what it can to nine eleven and the books yet his cv on the drugs is just torn down our communities but you know you don't you don't see this all in the the top tip of their tongues of many politicians would hilary would wear around and she did a book on it it takes a village and she shook the scandal of children dying because they couldn't get into the hospital and so the reporters looking at this and following her to see the scandal of children dying in the greatest medical technological rich country in the world they still won the morris angle on hillary so you know i

think we have to do better with their children that we know when you look at that there's a new report coming out for the kerner report and ended talks about how many as stage of putting more investment into prisons now and then into schools and we know what we invest you know it we we seem to have given up so often on children especially people of color look at affirmative action and then as an extension of a love of a child how do you take care of your children or you know say no they can't get into graduate schools can get a better education stand at the door of black education of black opportunity why don't we do that look on a legacy would lead to no no no no if you watched the long shot obviously idea how do economists he won't he won't shut up talk about to talk about the role of the journalist as you see it

now that you once debbie and you were pushed out to be a new work for usa today and i saw a thousand sense lies and you had that you'd york originally fled chicago publication that were designed to appeal to the minority community in that that the enterprise died i remember when i call your telephone a week we talk about their working as an editorialist wants even left the caribbean i'm only going back into journalism now insured so heavily involved in religion or new graduate and divinities do but we'll talk about the role of journalists from the perspective of one who is along with them looks bored and i'm really talking about whether it has a some people say long held by letting tabloid influences take over legitimate

i'm never you know if i have anything to do with and i would never get out of journalist and thirty years of my blood sweat and tears into journalism i want to make it a to a free enterprise i went the first amendment to mean something two different groups of people not just to be the sacred a sanctuary of a love of white men and no offense but i mean i'm not that you know what we knew when you look at their editorial boards narrative if i'm right right now usa today's editorial board no no black person they nation's newspaper forty eight percent of the newspapers don't hire blacks or on people of color you know you have that voice or underground you have and not welcome in the newsroom so in a b j nash association by journalist came

with a report they set that one far know more of the journalism call in the newsrooms are even afraid to mention race because they're afraid of flooding so you know what would i want to do and i'm working on several programs seldom one is to build a new cable network where i am african americans can decide what is news and what is not news for example you have people you know would go off to war now you know were commentators do you see this cussing are out there and they're all white men usually yet black soldiers and dying in this country says with since the civil war ended and many twenty to thirty percent of the troops are african americans but we don't have a voice to express our views but we can't you know like for example if i looked out there and all the news room to run by african american women all they enter the major editors that the major beat i say willamette something's wrong here shouldn't somebody else have a view show to somebody else b in the road

and this is what you do in usa today you created in an editorial board which every view was well we were not you journalism was a post debate and i love that they're and i would not be happy until it's like that again you write about how it out of wood back in the group once you were out of the end and i guess that they've done it was an emotional at home avoid but you also write about how much religion has meant in your life me that i know you took on the identity which is also protected by the first amendment free religion as well as for the present i know you loved book on the village who thought you're working journalist and you and anne you have a number of

essays in here on on the religious experience you know to a usa today's credit is that they did allow me the freedom to write out from a religious perspective not proselytizing i wasn't trying to sell any denomination and religion is very important people ninety percent of the public according to the gallup polls they go to church they pray oh we're religious party in in america and to me i mean people i realize how racist and sexist journalism is i mean i write in my book about several journalists who have committed suicide not just really the mclean and chicago but sam washington newsday shooting himself in the year because of the extreme races of pressure on a black journalist to conform and named it is as if we're all supposed to be white male clones i don't wanna be like a

white man no no not be able to talk from from where i started out to the left of my culture and to say what was important eyes wide bring us all into the newsroom and then said okay he'll make it but here's how you have to think as it is we're fighting about now we have we should be able to come and an improved that didn't that the product because we are different then you know you don't even hear diversity talked about at all about how for jail and how people can get copies of no i won't shut out of by the number for that is one eighty eight it won a shrewd fifty five the truth when he made a truth fifty five and fifty five is for money that even though i would never say you are do you write

a love poignantly about one of the king amina met know i wanted to buy family and you have met them and you are right close to them i'm very close to eradicating know i sort of more pieces and there is sort of appeal to oliver stone to get to the bottom of the king assassination and my perception having seen jfk is that it's impossible follows don't get anything he's got his own perception of the world are suggesting that lyndon johnson had some and in it is a blood lab will suggest that lyndon johnson had some and rich and really great says i will hand in assassinating jfk i mean when he goes on to say man so again you know love the anti fta movie i loved and i will argue about that because i know you know i'm getting a much more than i'd be at an

absurdly barbecue you know come back and say this about king you know you would know that james earl ray he wasn't smart enough to their shrinking and goat ali's many countries and he was not a bright man it is saying now that he did not act alone and dexter king on the kings middle son is saying he didn't calm you win on that day that that that the king was killed two of his most trusted lieutenants or use the guardian the firemen worm moved lately that back the king i mean let's just say that james earl ray i mean i for me is almost were allowed one on the wanted to move to this that he conspired with with the with the us james earl ray although no allowance tony make them then they may come to that that i have that that was the conclusion that originally assessed the midst of it all a

conversation about gender rewarding in the crowd he wants a new trial so and dexter king wants a new trial so that we could have this old story told it is as if that's the king expects james already know the witness stand at his new trial which i think is not deliver her and profess bummed and confess to whatever it was that happened out what i can't figure out is that events are really was not involved in it and then they have nothing to hide it is a simple matter for him just a decoy air right now what happened i need to get out and three hours and if you would tell what people think is the truth and that is you know when they do it why we think you wouldn't do that like to go into all this legend elaine about oprah taylor when the senate thank you wants to be cross examined perhaps i think they would've said you don't have to like him testify anyone has is no longer of you knows what it is naive certainly know he will

show it i think dionne have a day in court that he never did get a chance to have his day in court and i think that you'll find that you know there were some other people and paul for example or some strange things happened there the gray gray in his book he talks about how the woman the landlord at the house he saw us she saw somebody running our pastor it was now and james are ryan they lacked that woman up an ad in the middle institute of a fifteen year and also the husband her husband was an alcoholic a quote he said it wasn't james oh well he's off in a year and i'm saying that that with time if we have nothing to hide and nine state law that let him say wouldn't necessarily agree with but he didn't want to an end and my thought about is that when he goes on falling into the ever sure you've noted that with them isn't there yet one is well this is what we have

to say that i am but i think you can't kiss these situations up because of some it could kill that became ah because of of of his leadership and now it is highly suspected that perhaps the government has some knew what the murderer run out or not i don't know i love these guys i mean you can expect in their area to get to the bottom of anything if he won't talk and he really wants to talk why would he and i mean you know it is one guy who has shot up well i'd say i think it should be allowed to talk and i think you know that what seventy eighty percent of the people who were polled believe that he didn't actually know why president have used his day in court it ought to be but the talk of who hate him would be if he would talk you an hour both olivia and right now we just get up off the set knowing that you not going to talk off off off the witness stand and they've not going on with them i don't know and here's another as an essay in their dealings with the cia and crack yes

in california yes and all of the senate they were created broke that story is backed up some you still believe that there is some truth yesterday military how the media and does not act like it normally does in situations not involving people of color there was a lot of documentation starting with the kerry report and has been the eighties that the drugs were brought into the and nine states i'm by cia operatives nobody really has the question a tumble where did they go so that the san jose merkley you know show the trail of the crack coming and and and going across the america america and the money is going out into a nicaragua is did the media saying oh this is so interesting to tell us more we won an award investigate that have a hearing that have a special prosecutor is the enemy until now that they say shot up and they jumped on the san jose

mercury and they caved in gary where the pool reporter at the courage tutti to to do this story thought a wonderful documentation it has been a sort of thrown out another journalist thrown out like you doing mayor just you don't think those mercury cave oh i believe they came to cable a new role not believe they came because the new york times in their washington post and the big boys jumped on them and they just became cup words and they shot up another subject in the book you know then you have some strong thing to say about the health delivery system in this country which you think is out of kilter well i didn't and i want to stay off from work for six months to do an investigation of how a doctor's com african americans women who ever served the poor were really being destroyed by our regulations by medicaid medicare and an unlimited k police and drug unfortunately i mean i i went to

across this country and i visited you woman who had two children she was a doctor just got out of medical school and she went into a clinic in detroit dan baum they ran a sting on her daily basis and drug addicts in to her clinic and they answer it you know they said they had all these things wrong with them so she ascribed tylenol three as and then the cops leaving an end sees the palm oil theory and said aha you're dispensing drugs to drug addict who's hell she ended up in prison and others in prison i went to see her her child was on suicide watch the stordahl family and i was convinced that the woman does did not know what works he bought same licenses taken away i'll on businesses clinics closed down ford for the fact that maybe that the clinic when all the government something like four hundred dollars and they were

sued them for that but yet they let large corporations get away with calling them millions in others there's been this this bomb no i