Award-winning journalist, Soledad O’Brien, has teamed up with Hearst Media for a conversation on race, equality, and justice. Airing on MatterofFact.tv and various media sites, “The Hard Truth about Bias: Images and Reality is the first installment of the Matter of Fact series aimed at engaging in a more inclusive dialogue.
“This is a critical conversation for our country, and we are proud to launch this project, expanding the Matter of Fact brand and leveraging journalism resources from across the country,” said Hearst President and CEO Steven R. Swartz.
Matter of Fact’s, The Hard Truth about Bias: Images and Reality will include conversations about the relationship of race, privilege, racial stress, the impact of bias in the images and language in our news and information, and how the creation of stereotypes influence how we think. The segment will also discuss the 1968 Esquire interview with iconic novelist, poet, and activist, James Baldwin, where he speaks on race in America after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, JR. The Hard Truth about Bias: Images and Reality will also bring together individuals involved in public confrontations that went viral.
“The first step toward understanding each other is to listen to each other, especially when it comes to the issue of race,” said O’Brien. “We need to hear from people of different perspectives so we can bring the challenges of equality and justice into full view where they can be scrutinized, confronted, and addressed. We need to understand how each of us participates in creating biases and stereotypes and own our responsibility to dismantle them.”
Guest appearing on The Hard Truth about Bias: Images and Reality, cross a spectrum of emerging voices from the worlds of Journalism, academia, sports, entertainment, and more.
- Mahzarin Banaji, Ph.D., Professor of Social Ethics, Harvard University
- Genesis Be, musical artist and activist
- Brenda White Bull, great, great-granddaughter of Lakota leader Sitting Bull
- Joie Chen, Matter of Fact journalist
- Trae Crowder, writer and comedian
- Robin DiAngelo, Ph.D., Affiliate Associate Professor of Education, University of Washington
- Jennifer Eberhardt, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Stanford University
- Alicia Garza, Black Lives Matter co-founder
- Eddie Glaude, Ph.D., Chair of the Center for African American Studies, Princeton University
- Jemele Hill, VICE journalist
- Wes Lowery, CBS News journalist
- Alfred Martin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Media Studies, The University of Iowa
- Mia Mask, Ph.D., Professor of Film, Vassar College
- Wes Moore, CEO, the Robin Hood Foundation
- Rashawn Ray, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland
- John Ridley, Oscar-winning screenwriter
- Michael Sebastian, Esquire editor-in-chief
- Etan Thomas, ESPN Radio host, and former NBA player
- Dorothy Tucker, WBBM-TV, president of the National Association of Black Journalists
Soledad will also answer audience questions in a segment entitled, Matter of Fact: After the Fact. The Hard Truth about Bias: Images and Reality airs October 8 via Livestream at matteroffact.tv. The program will also stream via the Matter of Fact YouTube and Facebook Channels.
For more on Matter of Fact, visit their website at www.matteroffact.tv.
Danielle Sanders is a writer and journalist living in Chicago. Find her on social media @daniesandersofficial.