Texas Shame

Journalism Under Threat

Some stories hit close to home. Literally. And figuratively. 

When I saw news that a newly appointed head of the Texas A&M journalism school had essentially been run out of town because of back-room political pressure swirling around issues of race, gender, and intellectual freedom, I was deeply disappointed and had to fight back feelings of anger. That has not abated. I am also ashamed of my home state and the toxic politics that have engulfed it. And I am disgusted that a good, eminently qualified journalist and decent, hardworking person has been so thoroughly mistreated. 

In full disclosure, I know Dr. Kathleen McElroy through her current position as a tenured professor at the University of Texas-Austin. Her resume and reputation speak for themselves, or at least they should. She herself graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in broadcast journalism and worked for a number of newspapers, including the Austin American-Statesman, and eventually spent 20 years at a little paper up north called The New York Times. She has a masters from NYU and a PhD from UT in journalism. Heck, she even has a background in sports reporting, which should have been a nice bonus at sport-obsessed A&M. 

Indeed, all the qualifications listed above led to a lot of pomp when the university announced Dr. McElroy would be coming to College Station. An article in The Texas Tribune, which first brought the issue to my attention, described the scene: “The university set up maroon, silver and white balloons around a table outside its Academic Building for an official signing ceremony.” The Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications put out a release titled “Aggie With Distinguished Career Selected To Lead Texas A&M Journalism Program.” 

Then, suddenly, everything changed, except of course Dr. McElroy’s qualifications. She said the university’s interim dean of liberal arts, José Luis Bermúdez, let her know that reactionary political forces were challenging her appointment. “I said, ‘What’s wrong?’” Dr. McElroy stated in an interview with The New York Times. “He said, ‘You’re a Black woman who was at The New York Times and, to these folks, that’s like working for Pravda.’” 

A conservative Texas publication with the tagline “Real News for Real Texans” jumped on Dr. McElroy’s appointment with a post titled “Aggies Hire NY Times ‘Diversity’ Advocate To Head Journalism Program.” At the time, A&M issued a statement standing by its choice:

“Texas A&M kicks off its expanded journalism program in the fall. We hired Dr. Kathleen McElroy, who is a superb professor, veteran journalist and proven leader, as well as an Aggie. She has worked for newsrooms for 30 years, and has led journalism programs at two Tier 1 research institutions. Her track record of building a successful curriculum — coupled with her deep understanding of the media landscape — positions her uniquely to lead the new program.”

But behind the scenes, the ground was shifting. Within a few weeks, a heralded position leading a journalism school into the future had become a one-year non-tenured contract. In other words, an insult meant to make sure Dr. McElroy didn’t come to A&M. It worked — she’s staying at her job at the University of Texas-Austin. “This offer letter on Sunday really makes it clear that they don’t want me there,” she told The Texas Tribune. “I feel damaged by this entire process,” she added. “I’m being judged by race, maybe gender. And I don’t think other folks would face the same bars or challenges. And it seems that my being an Aggie, wanting to lead an Aggie program to what I thought would be prosperity, wasn’t enough.” 

Unfortunately, this is Texas today, and too much of America. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other red state governments have made laws targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion instruction and programs at state universities and public schools. It’s all under the banner of “anti-woke,” nevermind few can explain what that even means with any semblance of intellectual coherence. 

One of the critics of Dr. McElroy’s appointment was Dr. Matthew Poling, who heads a conservative A&M alumni group. “We felt she wasn’t a good fit,” he told The Times. “I think identity politics have done a lot of damage to our country, and the manifestation of that on campus, the D.E.I. ideology, has done damage to our culture at A&M.”

Identity politics???? What could be more identity politics than forcing out a qualified candidate because of her race and gender and the fact she worked for one of the most prestigious news organizations in the world? This is brazen hypocrisy fortified by shameless privilege. And that’s the entire point. You hear a lot about free speech on the right, but it is a cynical smokescreen for just this type of abuse. 

Journalism is about getting as close to the truth as is humanly possible. And a core truth about our beloved country, its history and its current incarnation, is injustice around race. It is an undercurrent of many issues on which journalists are called to report, from the economy, to education, to our criminal justice system, to health care, to voting rights. We need reporters who understand that. That is part of what needs to be taught. 

Dr. McElroy was hired to revive a defunct program. She was celebrated by her new employer and her peers as a passionate and effective leader. She is just the type of person we need inspiring young journalists to enter a fraught industry. She has the experience. And the credentials. But in the end, they weren’t enough. Or perhaps more accurately, they were too much. 

Shame on all who have behaved so egregiously. 

I am an optimist by nature and experience, and I believe this incident can be a warning to everyone in journalism about the dangerous forces of bias and discrimination permeating society. We can learn. We can fight for the truth. And we cannot, must not, back down. 

This story needs to be amplified and widely spread. The world needs to know and reckon with what has happened.

Note: For those who are wondering: Yes, I live in Austin, but I have never attended the University of Texas or Texas A&M. Born and raised in Texas, I graduated from small Sam Houston State Teachers College in Huntsville (now a much larger Sam Houston State University). Over the years I have supported in various ways both UT and A&M. I cheer for both and am proud of their world-class standing. Each is a national as well as world treasure. All among the reasons I am so disappointed that A&M has been damaged by this case — and by the damage done to Dr. McElroy.

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