Business

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Highlights President’s Commitment to Black Community in Exclusive Interview

In an exclusive telephone interview, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre underscored President Biden’s unwavering commitment to addressing the Black community’s critical issues. Reflecting on promises made during the 2020 campaign, Jean-Pierre outlined key achievements and ongoing initiatives directly impacting African Americans and other historically underserved communities.

Published

9 months ago

January 2, 2024

Oakland Post

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

By Stacy M. Brown,
NNPA Newswire

“At the onset of President Biden’s term, the country faced economic turmoil and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The President, true to his campaign commitment, prioritized equity, ensuring the Black community received fair access to COVID-19 vaccines,” remarked Jean-Pierre.

“He made sure that small businesses got back on their feet, our schools reopened, and the child tax credit put money into people’s pockets. All those things were important to our community.”

The more than 10-minute discussion also delved into the significance of the American Rescue Plan, which was pivotal in supporting various facets of the Black community. The first Black woman to serve as White House Press Secretary, Jean-Pierre, highlighted the impact of the Biden-Harris administration’s policies on economic recovery, small business revival, and other measures that directly provided essential financial relief to individuals.

“Economic indicators demonstrate significant progress since President Biden took office. Black unemployment, which stood at 9.2 percent, has notably declined to 5.9 percent as of October,” said Jean-Pierre, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to economic revitalization.

Jean-Pierre also noted the importance of net worth, noting a remarkable 60 percent increase for African Americans. She highlighted the historic investment of $7 billion in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and the doubling of Black business ownership since the onset of the pandemic.

“The President has consistently prioritized equity across various policy areas, including healthcare, education, and police reform,” said Jean-Pierre, also the first openly gay person to helm the White House briefing room. “Executive orders were issued to ban chokeholds and implement strong use-of-force policies when congressional action stalled,” Jean-Pierre stated.

She noted that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have regularly worked to uplift Black and Brown communities, including their fight for voting rights, police reform, and cutting prices at the cash register.

“Lowering prices is what the president works on every day,” the press secretary asserted. “The prices of eggs, milk, and [other items] are lower than last year. Used cars and truck prices are down, and we will do everything we can to continue to lower prices. The work continues.” The conversation extended to Biden’s recognition of the Black Press’s significance, with Jean-Pierre assuring ongoing access to the president for regular engagement and discussions.

“The President understands the credibility and importance of the Black Press in conveying messages directly to the community. We are committed to ensuring continuous access and engagement,” affirmed Jean-Pierre. “We’re going to ensure [The Black Press] has access to the president. That’s what he wants—he wants to speak directly to you. This president understands the importance of speaking to the Black Press, and he wants to have regular engagement with all of you, and we’re going to make sure that happens.”

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Google’s New Deal with California Lawmakers and Publishers Will Fund Newsrooms, Explore AI

Gov. Gavin Newsom, California lawmakers and some newspaper publishers last week finalized a $172 million deal with tech giant Google to support local news outlets and artificial intelligence innovation. This deal, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to invest in local journalism statewide over the next five years. However, the initiative is different from a bill proposed by two legislators, news publishers and media employee unions requiring tech giants Google and Meta to split a percentage of ad revenue generated from news stories with publishers and media outlets.

Published

4 days ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

iStock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

This deal, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to invest in local journalism statewide over the next five years. However, the initiative is different from a bill proposed by two legislators, news publishers and media employee unions requiring tech giants Google and Meta to split a percentage of ad revenue generated from news stories with publishers and media outlets. Under this new deal, Google will commit $55 million over five years into a new fund administered by the University of California, Berkeley to distribute to local newsrooms. In this partnership, the State is expected to provide $70 over five years toward this initiative. Google also has to pay a lump sum of $10 million annually toward existing grant programs that fund local newsrooms.

The State Legislature and the governor will have to approve the state funds each year. Google has agreed to invest an additional $12.5 million each year in an artificial intelligence program. However, labor advocates are concerned about the threat of job losses as a result of AI being used in newsrooms.

Julie Makinen, board chairperson of the California News Publishers Association, acknowledged that the deal is a sign of progress.

“This is a first step toward what we hope will become a comprehensive program to sustain local news in the long term, and we will push to see it grow in future years,” said Makinen.

However, the deal is “not what we had hoped for when set out, but it is a start and it will begin to provide some help to newsrooms across the state,” she said.

Regina Brown Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, said the deal is a commendable first step that beats the alternative: litigation, legislation or Google walking from the deal altogether or getting nothing.

“This kind of public-private partnership is unprecedented. California is leading the way by investing in protecting the press and sustaining quality journalism in our state,” said Brown Wilson. “This fund will help news outlets adapt to a changing landscape and provide some relief. This is especially true for ethnic and community media journalists who have strong connections to their communities.”

Although the state partnered with media outlets and publishers to secure the multi-year deal, unions advocating for media workers argued that the news companies and lawmakers were settling for too little.

Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) proposed a bill earlier this year that aimed to hold tech companies accountable for money they made off news articles. But big tech companies pushed back on bills that tried to force them to share profits with media companies.

McGuire continues to back efforts that require tech companies to pay media outlets to help save jobs in the news industry. He argued that this new deal, “lacks sufficient funding for newspapers and local media, and doesn’t fully address the inequities facing the industry.”