What follows is a list of our favorite original NewsOne pieces in 2011. We hope you enjoyed them as much as we liked creating them.

SEE ALSO: America’s Drunkest Cities

REPORTING

When the North River Sewage Treatment Plant in Harlem burst into flames this summer, NewsOne decided to do an expose of how that nasty bit of public works got to be placed in Harlem in the first place.

In the spring, the New York Daily News reported that a genius 13-year-old girl had been accepted to the University of Connecticut, only to have her acceptance rescinded. As it turned out, with some digging by NewsOne reporter Gerren Gaynor, the story was completely bogus. Representatives at UConn refuted the alleged “confirmation” that Daily News claimed that they received from college officials. The Daily News told us that they “stood by” their story.

When New York police rioted against the patrons of a peaceful hip-hop concert, NewsOne captured the aftermath.

In a world gone media mad, NewsOne found sanity in the story of two little girls from Baltimore who called out Lil Wayne for his misogynistic lyrics; and the father who decided that it was better to turn his daughters into soldiers against bad influences than to shield them.

OPINION/ANALYSIS

Not many folks would have the guts to come out and say it, but our West Coast Editor Adisa Banjoko did. In this controversial piece, Banjoko basically said that Kwanzaa’s weak foothold in among African Americans can be traced directly to the spiritual bankruptcy of its founder, Dr. Maulana Karenga.

Gene Marks, for those that don’t know, is a freelancer for Forbes.com who drew very strong criticism for a very weak piece about what he would do if he were a “poor, Black child.” In the days following the article’s publication, commentators from around the Web heaped invective on Marks. But none, for our money, were more poignant than that of our very own contributor Terrell Jermaine Starr, who drew on his own impoverished upbringing in the streets of Detroit to slay — point by point — Marks’ specious argument.

Most of us at NewsOne may not agree with this piece — still believing as we do that Ron Paul is at the very least a latent white supremacist. But nothing beats the chutzpa of Johan Thomas’ rational argument here, that Paul’s policies and his status as a third party candidate make for a lot of common ground with African Americans.

Elon James White isn’t all humor and sarcasm (though we do love him for it). In this piece, Elon describes his poignant “aha” moment at the 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference, realizing that there actually is a “there” there.

INFOGRAPHICS/LISTS

Johan Thomas researched, wrote, and designed this centerpiece for our “Prisons & Projects” exploration.

America’s Worst 9 Urban Food Deserts

Johan Thomas used U.S. Census and other government data to calculate a list of American cities featuring the neighborhoods with the worst access to fresh, healthy food.

HUMOR

What do you get when you combine the latest anti-capitalist movement with the ultimate day in American consumerism? This very funny satire from contributor Sia Barnes.

SEE ALSO:

Obama To Bomb Iran?

Ron Paul’s Surge Invites Scrutiny

As detailed in a piece in today’s New York Times, the two sites will collaborate editorially and in the area of advertising sales, creating the largest Black news organization on the Web.

“Now, for the first time, you have a news-gathering and producing organization solely dedicated to African-Americans at scale, and that really has not happened for decades,” said Tom Newman, the president of Interactive One, a digital subsidiary of Radio One.

According to comScore, from May 2010 to May 2011, the total audience for TheGrio grew 300 percent, to 1.3 million viewers from 319,000. NewsOne also had significant growth in the same period, increasing its viewership to 881,000 from 356,000.

“They are basically offering a more robust sales proposition, bigger audiences and the opportunity to get ads in front of more eyeballs,” said Steve Capus, the president of NBC News. “We instantly grew the business as a result of this partnership.”

Read more at the New York Times.

RELATED:

NAACP Blasts CNN: No African-American Anchors In Prime Time

Dr. Boyce: Ebony’s Sale Is Latest Black Media Ownership Giveaway

Black Journalists Qutting Mainstream, Return To Black Press

AP Sports Editors To Improve Hiring Practices, Train Black Journalists

“Every journalist who is not too stupid or full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible.”

–Janet Malcolm

“There is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms.”

–Hunter S. Thompson

The fact is, if you’re reading on this site, you probably aren’t a kid. At least not intellectually.

You should know by now and quite well that “news” reporting is all a hustle. You should have figured that out years ago.

The first time you heard the word “slant” in relation to news, you should have realized that this implied that something was crooked.

The fact that Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly have, what can only extremely loosely be termed “news” shows and that even Rush Limbaugh dabbles in “news” should demonstrate that people either know in advance what kind of “news” they want, or they know how they want the news they’ll get reported to them.

THANK GOD you guys come to NewsOne because I love it. I love it when anyone responds to anything I’ve written even if it’s only to say, “Byers, you’re an idiot” cause the truth is, I agree with that as much and as often as I do with any compliments that I may receive.

And you know what else?

Casey loves it and Reverend Al loves it and Stephanie loves it and Dr. Boyce loves it and Kevin loves it and Elon loves it and Charisse loves it.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that we plan on ever telling you the truth. Maybe you can or maybe you can’t handle the truth.

Maybe we don’t even know the truth.

But we’re here because some “slant” has to be working against some of the other ones that are already in place, if only to attempt to restore some sort of balance to the world of “news”.

And if Anais Nin was right when she said, “We don’t see things they way they are, we see them the way we are,” then maybe, for my sake at least, it’s better not even to try to be objective.

Click here to view photos:

RELATED:

Is there a conspiracy against Black women

Why Black people don’t tip

Vernon Forrest, Lorenzen Wright, and Stephen Jackson have all been victims of gun violence. Forrest was murdered while being robbed, Wright’s murder is still in question, and Stephen Jackson’s home was burglarized while his wife was home.

Numerous professional athletes have ran in trouble with the law for carrying un-licensed weapons, carrying the weapons to protect themselves from burglars.

Since the fear is prevalent for many athletes, should they carry guns or simply hire body guards?

You be the judge.

Text continues after Athletes Behaving Badly gallery:

RELATED:

Lorenzen Wright’s Body Suffered Multiple Gunshot Wounds

Boxer Killed In Robbery Attempt

NBA Star’s Wife Robbed At Gunpoint In Home Invasion

This Monday’s poll on whether NewsOne readers accept or deny the public apologies has produced interesting results. The poll consisted of 10 questions scored on a dichotomous scale; respondents either choosing “Accept” or “Deny”.

With 97 unique respondents providing 1,307 total responses to the poll, Michael Richards “N-Word” rant apology resulted with 93% of the respondents choosing “Deny”, the most significant amount of apology denials. Don Imus’ apology resulted in 87% “Deny” responses, and Dr. Laura Schlessinger not to far behind with 84% “Deny” responses.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s was the most accepted apology amongst “N-Word” rant responses. The responses for the apologies issued to Shirley Sherrod were nearly split even, 55% choosing to deny. Tiger Wood’s apology also nearly broke even, with 51% of respondents choosing to accept his apology. 84% of respondents denied Officer Johannes Mehserle apology, while 64% denied Detective Marc Cooper’s apology.

Poll Results:

If these results are an indication of our sentiments, why are more people accepting of Dr. Laura Schlessinger than others in the past? In regards to the Sean Bell and Oscar Grant cases, why is Marc Cooper’s apology more accepted? Is genuineness of the apology a stronger factor in your decision?

Text continues after Pictures of the Week gallery:

RELATED:

Should We Accept Their Apologies? [POLL]

Senate Passes Apology For Slavery And Segregation

Younger D.C. Sniper Writes Apology Letter To Victim

Since the inception of NewsOne.com and over the ten-plus year history of BlackPlanet.com, we have striven to provide Black America with an engaging forum and network, to provoke thoughtful as well as positively engaging material for Black people. Due to our efforts at NewsOne.com, BlackPlanet.com, and HelloBeautiful.com; our sites have all recently joined an elite group competing in this year’s Black Web Awards!

The Black Web Awards is a global celebration of African, African American and Caribbean themed excellence online.  The BlackPlanet Universe as a collection has been nominated for 3 awards; BlackPlanet is nominated for Most Important Site for Black America,  NewsOne has been nominated for Best News Site,  and HelloBeautiful.com has been nominated for Best Lifestyle & Entertainment E-Zine.  (If you want to write in TheUrbanDaily.com, as best entertainment site, you can here.)

Much of our success could have not been achieved without our readers and our BlackPlanet community, for that we thank you all.  Please show your appreciation of our sites by VOTING for your favorite sites on The Black Web Awards website.

Vote now for BlackPlanet

Vote now for HelloBeautiful

Vote now for NewsOne

Write-in TheUrbanDaily

RELATED:
Welcome To NewsOne 2.0!

Since NewsOne.com first launched in 2008, we’ve been committed to delivering the most comprehensive, 24-7 conduit of news and opinion by and for Black America. Today, we debut the first thorough update of our site. Welcome to the new NewsOne.com!

In addition to a stunning redesign of our pages, we’ve increased the frequency of our daily posts, and continue to bring you the features that our visitors have come to expect, including:

• Up-to-the-minute coverage of breaking news of interest to Black America
• Original opinion from bloggers like Rev. Al Sharpton, Roland Martin, Casey Gane-McCalla, Dr. Boyce Watkins, and more
• “Just Curious”: Our regular double-take on images of race in the mainstream media
• The online home of TV One’s Washington Watch
• NewsOne Discussions
• “The Good News”: Uplifting, positive, progressive news about African-Americans and the African Diaspora

We’re interested in your feedback. Would you take the time to comment below? Our editors will be answering questions and responding to suggestions below.

Sincerely,

The NewsOne Editorial Team

Last week, Newsweek featured the legendary Rev. Al Sharpton on their front cover. The article focused on the reinvention of the Reverend. It speaks on everything from his controversial Tawana Brawley episode, to race in the age of a Black President. We attached the link below so you can read his feature if you haven’t already.

Click here: The Reinvention Of The Reverend Al

RELATED:

Obama Writes Letter To Al Sharpton Praising National Action Conference

Sharpton Compares Arizona Immigration Law To Apartheid And Nazi Germany

In our continued effort to improve this site for our readers, we at News One want to know what you feel the site can improve on and what you already like.

We also want to thank you for commenting on these daily News One discussions. We have received great feedback on them.

Have a great weekend.

RELATED:

Newsone Discussion: What Is The Best Black Vacation Destination?

Newsone Discussion: What’s The Best City For African-Americans?

We at News One have decided to provide our readers with a post to discuss your thoughts on  daily at 1 p.m.

You can provide your thoughts through our comment boards.

Today’s question will be: “What’s The Best City For African-Americans?”

We will provide you with a few options in Atlanta, New Orleans, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit,  New York, and D.C.

Feel free to nominate any of your own choices.

Today, and every Friday, NewsOne editor Ashton Lattimore joins the Rev. Al Sharpton on his radio show, “Keeping It Real,” for the NewsOne news hour. We’ll be discussing all of this week’s hot topics in news, from Obama’s Gulf Coast visit to the racial gap in swimming ability that’s endangering Black children. Click here to listen to the live broadcast.

You come to News One to see all the latest news but you can also join this group, Black Planet News, to see news members like yourself, submit for others to see. Check out the group here.

Radio One owner Cathy Hughes is trying hard to keep her company above water in the midst of this recession, having already cut folks’ pay by as much as 10 percent and reduced office hours at the company’s Maryland headquarters, reports Redding News.

“We are closing every other Friday,” Hughes told XM 169′s Joe Madison during a radio interview last week. “We’ve all taken three, five, seven or 10 percent pay cuts depending on what category your annual compensation was. We’ve voluntarily turned in vacation time, we furloughed and now we’re closing corporate – we’re closing Lanham – every other Friday to stay afloat.”

Hughes made her remarks while speaking out against Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, who is behind a bill requiring all radio stations to pay performance royalties to artists for playing their music, which Satellite radio currently does.

Radio observers say that the performance royalties may put a third of black-owned stations out of business.

Source: EURweb.com

Full Disclosure: NewsOne is a Radio One subsidiary.

We here at NewsOne wouldn’t be much without the support and engagement of our BlackPlanet network. So let’s give some well-deserved props to some of the best comments of the week. Did yours get noticed? Check out the gallery below!

Pimp_Rider commented on Tell Obama to Go to the International Racism Conference
I undestand and Respect our Commander in Chief President Obama’s decision not to weigh heavily on that conference. One cannot and or should not focus so much on race relations until the American yard is free of debris. Meaning simply, the President has much more pressing duties to attend. I hope no one has forgotten his Prime Directive. His first duty to you and me is the attempt to make America whole and not full of holes. Opposition to Mr. Obama’s administration is hoping for failure. We cannot allow that to occur. Please support THE MAN. And he is THE MAN. I just wish he would stop jogging down the ramp of AIR FORCE ONE before he stumbles and falls.

BlackMiss62 commented on NY Gov Paterson Loses Support From Black Voters
LOL & SMH @187mafia:thats what happens when u just vote for anybody.. people that voted for em thats what they get…DEAL WIT IT LOL..
Mr_Spann:Actually, they didn’t vote for him. He got the job after Spitzer got indicted.
Thank you for correcting ignorance! The real test will come for Patterson when it’s re-election time. It’s a ’smart’ move on his part to get Sharpton in his back pocket…lol! And you know poverty pimps, Sharpton & Jesse don’t do nothing for ‘free.’ Gotta be something in it for them…

MK777 commented on Obama Reconsidering Boycott of U.N. Racism Conference

A move in the right direction. Tell Israel that this administration and the U.S. makes its own decisions. Its time for them to get off the umbilical cord anyway.The issues set forth in this conference are too important to ignore.

CoreyLDouglas commented on ACLU Claims Cali Cops Targeted Black Barber Shops
break their bank, everyone that was subjected to the abuse should file lawsuits

Summer_So_Fine commented on Video: Sharpton Marches For Elderly Black Man Killed By Cops
I can’t help but to ask, what is going to happen when God calls Sharpton home? As you can see, NOBODY else will step up and lead the many races for justice nor do they have the strength, willingness nor voice like Sharpton.ummh ummmh ummmmmmmh

1Nanavi1 commented on Just Curious: I Like Square Butts, and I Can Not Lie
women  butt= burgers…hmmm whatevea…no time  for taht … but that ad is for kids???

GhettoIndia02 commented on Just Curious: I Like Suare Butts, and I Cannot Lie
This commercial is so weird on many different levels…when I first saw it..it was sooo uncomfortable watching.

Lovey67 commented on Sunday School Teacher May Face Rape Charges in Killing of 8 Year Old
This is a very sad case, if you cant trust a 28 year old Sunday school teacher who is a mother…Who can you trust? I hope this woman gets what she has coming to her. This was a sick crime….

Arrielle2007 commented on Reading the Picture: Bo-Bama
LOL I never seen people so excited about a dog. lol Well he kept his promise to his girls.

Sunshyne_Defined commented on Will Georgia’s African-American s Support a Black Conservative For Governor
I’m not going to say that blacks wouldn’t support a conservative, because its still possible that they could represent whats best for us on some point. But, after reading the entire article, this particular black conservative is not someone i could see being supported by us. His views are not in support of ours

KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING BECAUSE WE ARE DEFINITELY LISTENING!

THE GOOD

Top 10 Sports Stories Of 2008 | Click here!

Top 5 Obama Campaign Moments | Click here!

2008 Tears For Obama | Click here!

Top 10 Athletes Of 2008 | Click here!

Top 10 Women Who Shaped 2008 | Click here!

Top 5 Obama Endorsements Of 2008 | Click here!

THE BAD

Top 5 Corrupt Politicians Of 2008 | Click here!

Top 10 Worst Predictions Of 2008 | Click here!

Top 10 Obama Player Haters Of 2008 | Click here!

THE FUNNY

Top 5 Sarah Palin Impersonations Of 2008 | Click here!

Top 10 Obama Songs Of 2008 | Click here!

Top 10 Funniest McCain/Obama Videos Of 2008 | Click here!

Top 10 Weirdest News Of 2008 | Click here!

IN PICTURES

From The Slave House To The White House | Click here!

Top 10 Obama Election Photos Of 2008 | Click here!

Celebrity Foreclosures In 2008 | Click here!

2008 Tears For Obama | Click here!

Barack Obama has taken on this uphill climb with ardent philosophical tools, and the impressive work ethic to push him past front-running candidates twice. It seems like a well-staged coup, but a brief one in the context of the stacked historical and social trends. While polls indicate that he will secure the most white support for any Democratic candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976, the evidence of concrete support (votes) has yet to be counted. He waded through the oft-neglected territories of our electorate, battling voluble mistrust, and opponents who egged the theory that black men should not be trusted so soon. They imputed that no one so young, so closely linked to our urban centers, so brazenly ruffling feathers with his competence, could ever appeal to the entire nation. However strident their notions of his upstart role, it seems Mr. Obama has carved a path to symbolic victory that delicately burnishes his historical insignia in the same stroke. While black Americans have been typically skeptical of this nation’s lawful ideals, shown through one outspoken Reverend’s calls for radical break from them, one presidential hopeful has made a daring groundswell of ideas into an iron-clad machine of liberal messaging.

In striving for a “more perfect union,” we have encountered our growing pains in a cataclysmic way. Hate rallies defined the tightening race, along with wholesale rejection of a new order defined by multiple faces and consensus opinions. The conservative esprit de corps abated noticeably when the mud could only sully the process, but not the ideals. In the same week that mob rule and epithets gained media attention, the Neo-Nazi Tom Metzger endorsed Mr. Obama on the grounds of his policies, and his willingness to stand up for them. Still, we wonder how it could all play out. 

For all of our American dreaming, we have issues to address as a country that go beyond identity. For instance, the supposed imprudence of arguing for change and progress will be met with fiercely resistant forces of tradition. Besides the obvious rates of imprisonment, college graduation woes, and biased crime enforcement, there are anecdotal moments to make us all the more frightened about learning the ropes of progressive nationalism. At the mere mention of a communal effort to rebuild our sore economy, we have bucked at the word socialism like its contagion could lead us down a battered path. After the nation’s banks accepted 250 billion dollars of federal money (with the promise of more coming), we still could not fully embrace that our economic leaders asked for the helping hand of a nation, regardless of color or tax bracket. We still view our weaknesses through an tenacious individual’s eyes, unwilling to see the value of teamwork when the world tests our moral failings. And to compound that sort of sluggish approach, we have a leader in our realm whose name and story still evoke mystery among the majority of us. Unbridled ambition and fundraising may be his proud body of work, one that seals his reputation as a marketing maven, but bridging the ideological gaps enough to create sound policies will be his direst duty.

Barack Obama has done what he can: ignited the cultural conversation; proved his grit; found humanity through shared experiences. The throne of power has not been demonstrably anyone’s claim as clearly as now. Whatever obstructions we have faced as a people, we held patriotism close as Buffalo soldiers, military men turned bus drivers, and West Indian nurses earning their credit as workers and citizens over time. Our problems loomed large, but we decided they were worth confronting. Racism and classism are our open secrets, and like any other nation attempting to figure disparate truths, we sometimes demur. Worse still, electing a synecdoche of change will not guarantee ingenuity or sustained morale. 

For the skeptics among us, however, this is a coup of terrific import. Black men and women can point to a moment in our lives when a friend or relative spurned even the idea of a Barack Obama, the usual refrain being: “Not in this lifetime.” Rather than blame them for egregious predictions, we should thank anyone who doubted this moment. We should thank them for questioning the limits of our social contract in the face of so much genocide. We should thank them for dispensing the retail advice of regular men and women intent on filling our cups with practical thinking, instead of blind projections. 

The hip-hop generation, in particular, has produced fleet-minded prophets like Nas and Tupac Shakur who, despite their displeasure with the establishment, offered their artistic rise as proof of a dream. (See: “If I Ruled the World” and “Changes”) On Nas’s “Black President” he issues caution about the Obama presidency, saying that it will meet both our highest expectations as a nation, and that it will expose our most resonant fears: 

What’s the black pres’ thinkin on election night?

Is it, “How can I protect my life? Protect my wife? Protect my rights?”

Every other president was nuttin’ less than white

‘cept Thomas Jefferson and mixed Indian blood and Calvin Coolidge

KKK is like, “What the f-ck?!”, loadin they guns up

Loadin up mines too, ready to ride

 

Yeah, but on the positive side

I think Obama provides hope, and challenges minds

of all races and colors to erase the hate

and try to LOVE one another

In other words, whether or not we are ready is an ongoing discussion. Our sentiments about social obligation, duty to our country and to our fellow men and women, will be in constant flux. Barack Obama’s candidacy represents a unique shift to a set of principles often heralded, rarely upheld. American have a chance to hold their breaths collectively, and possibly exhale the biggest therapeutic sigh in our short history.

NEWSONE.com PICTURE THIS CAPTION Giveaway

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

CONTEST DESCRIPTION:

The NEWSONE.com Giveaway PICTURE THIS CAPTION contest (“Contest”) will begin at 9:00 A.M. on MAY 20, 2009 and end at 12 Midnight DECEMBER 31, 2009 (“Contest Period”).  Each week, during the Contest Period, one (1) winner will be awarded a 1-year subscription to GIANT magazine.

HOW TO ENTER:

Legal residents of the U.S. who are 16 years of age or older and are members of BlackPlanet.com will be able to take part in this Contest. To participate in the Contest, participants must do the following:

1.    Go to NEWSONE.com and leave a caption submission in the comment section of the designated article of the day, (an article with a title beginning with “Picture This”), which will appear live on the web site every Monday  during the Contest Period.

2.    Contestants must be registered members of BlackPlanet.com to submit their comments at NEWSONE.com. Membership is free. To join, go to BlackPlanet.com and submit the requested information.

3.    Upon entering the Contest website, participants with a valid email address are to follow the on-screen instructions. Once a member becomes a winner, they will be contacted to confirm their name, address, phone number, email address, and additional contact information in order to mail the prize to the winner’s residence.

4.    All Internet entries/comments must be received by Midnight EST on the TUESDAY before the “Picture This” post goes live (which is on Wednesday), every week during the Contest Period, or they will be void.

5.    One entry per person per day during the Contest Period.

6.    In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of a participant’s online entry, the entry will be deemed to have been made by the authorized holder of the e-mail account at the time the entry was made.

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1.    The Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States who are registered members of BlackPlanet.com, and are 16 years of age or older at the time of Contest registration.

2.    Employees of Radio One, Inc., Community Connect, Inc. or Interactive One, LLC (together “Company”), its officers, directors, subsidiaries, affiliates, general sponsors, promotional partners, their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, parent companies, members of the immediate families (defined as spouse, child, sibling, parent, or grandparent), and members of the households (whether related or not) of any of the above are NOT eligible to participate or win in this Contest.

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One (1) prize package will be awarded each week during the Contest Period.

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