The Sacramento NAACP has blasted the Sacramento News & Review, the same weekly newspaper that fought for the release of emails that Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson wanted kept secret, for running a cover featuring a cartoon of Johnson that the NAACP says is racist.
The NAACP is demanding an apology for the cover, which shows Johnson reading the SN&R while his forehead sweats and his brow is furrowed. The headline over the picture reads “K.J. Sues SN&R.”
Johnson sued the city of Sacramento and the Cosmo Garvin, a reporter for the newspaper, to prevent the release of some of the thousands of emails the city released. Many of the emails detail Johnson’s attempt to take control of the National Conference of Black Mayors.
According to CBS Sacramento, on Tuesday, the NAACP said the cover depicted “the Mayor with a crazed and violent look,” adding that the cover smacked of “racially biased news coverage” that “leads to the stereotypical perception of African-American males.”
The paper’s co-editor, Nick Miller, answered that the illustrations were based on a real photograph taken of Johnson, and simply portrays him as “sweaty and nervous” while he read about the battle between himself and those calling for the release of the emails.
Miller chastised the NAACP, terming their charges “unfounded and without merit,” and noting his newspaper has consistently backed the NAACP.
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