On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Leslie ‘Les’ Payne, former associate managing editor at Newsday, co-founder and past president of the National Association of Black Journalists and a Pulitzer Prize winner. Payne died on March 29, 2018. He was 76.
In 1975, he helped establish the National Association of Black Journalists and served as the fourth president of the organization.
Throughout his 38-year career at Newsday, Payne covered issues regarding racial equality, including the forced sterilization of African-American women, the Black Panther Party, criticisms of New York City Mayor Ed Koch, the Tawana Brawley case and racially-biased housing covenants.
In the Fall of 2005, Payne spoke with In Black America. He talked about becoming a journalist and author, why he helped form the National Association of Black Journalists, winning a Pulitzer Prize and why people of color are important in our newsrooms.
