The National Association of Black Journalists of Los Angeles stands in solidarity with current and former Black journalists who have recently publicly disclosed their anti-Black and otherwise problematic experiences while working at KCRW.
For at least the last year, reporter Cerise Castle has detailed on social media the racist and anti-Black behavior she’s faced while working at KCRW. In a recent interview on LA Podcast, she further detailed a host of issues, including being yelled at by a white male colleague, her qualifications being questioned, and some of her colleagues policing her ability to enter their newsroom.
In a statement KCRW posted to their Twitter Tuesday, the station said they were made aware of Castle’s claims last year and that after a four-month investigation, her claims “were found to be unsubstantiated or not corroborated.”
Since KCRW’s statement, two other reporters and NABJLA members, former vice president Jerome Campbell and our current vice president (and incoming president) Jarrett Hill, have also detailed the ways in which KCRW’s work environment made them feel unsupported or otherwise unwelcome. Their experiences mirror some of what Castle has disclosed.
NABJLA first began conversations with KCRW last September when, due to unsupportive working conditions, Castle and Campbell, the station’s only Black reporters on staff, took an offered buyout. By leaving, the station had only one Black voice left on the editorial team.
While these ongoing conversations with KCRW have been frank and fruitful—with the company having already made various shifts and implemented relevant sensitivity and bias trainings—we continue to demand greater accountability as we work with them to make their workplace as safe and equitable as possible for Black journalists, and others.
Note: This statement has been updated to reflect that when Castle and Campbell left KCRW, there was only one Black voice left on the editorial team. We originally said that there were none.
Media Contact:
nabjlaofficial@gmail.com