Stephen A. Smith Calls NABJ ‘Thumbs Down Award’ ‘bullsh—t’ as organization defends decision
TheGrio...
While Stephen A. Smith rejects NABJ’s Thumbs Down award, the organization’s current president says it a question of accountability.
Since news broke that Stephen A. Smith was among the 5 recipients of the National Association of Black Journalists’ “Thumbs Down Award,” social media has been filled with mixed reactions to the decision. Every year, the controversial award is presented to “an individual or organization for especially insensitive, racist or stereotypical reporting, commentary, photography or cartooning about the Black community or for engaging in practices at odds with the goals of NABJ” during the organization’s national convention.
This year, in addition to Smith, the recipients included: Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission; DuJuan A. McCoy, the owner, President, & CEO of Circle City Broadcasting, parent company of WISH-TV; CBS, and The Washington Post. Calling out various practices/instances of discrimination, concerns of journalistic freedom for each recipient, the organization specifically explained that Smith’s nomination stemmed from “a recurring pattern of disparaging commentary directed at prominent Black women across politics, sports and media” noting that his comments reinforce harmful narratives, undermine the fair and respectful representation of Black women in public discourse and stands in direct conflict with NABJ’s long-standing commitment to accurate, responsible and inclusive portrayals of Black communities.
“This year, I believe it is especially important to understand this award in a larger context. At a moment when journalism is facing growing political, economic, and institutional pressure, the state extends beyond any single offensive statement, newsroom decision, or individual journalist,” NABJ president Errin Haines said during the award presentation. “Decisions about who owns media, who controls newsrooms, which journalists and beats receive investment, and which reporters can work without political or corporate interference, shape what stories get told, whose experiences matter, and whether journalism can hold powerful institutions accountable. These are not abstract questions, because they determine who gets to tell the stories of America, and at a time when the public needs rigorous reporting on the forces that are shaping people’s lives, eliminating journalists and subject matter expertise weakened journalism’s ability to serve the public and hold power accountable.”
“Now, look, I know the Thumbs Down award can make people uncomfortable. Good, because accountability is not supposed to be comfortable,” she continued.
While Smith responded to the award on X hours later, on Monday the ESPN host took to his YouTube channel to address the situation fully. Entilting the video “I Was Blindsided by NABJ – Now I’m Responding,” Smith went on to explain his grievances with the award.
“I want to tell you, first off, before I say anything, I heard them loud and clear. I’m listening. I’m far from perfect. And I will always strive to do better on behalf of my community, for the journalism community, and beyond. In the days and the weeks and the years to come. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to address what was said about me with the fervor that it deserves. Because even though I heard you, even though I am listening, even though I will always strive to do better, that doesn’t negate the bulls—t that the NABJ did,” he shared.
Smith appeared specifically frustrated by the organization’s appointment, given his history with NABJ. As an active member, regular conference attendee who even did a live taping of ESPN’s “First Take” at NABJ’s 2025 conference, Smith says his career began at NABJ.
“I also stood in the booth for over an hour doing the jobs fair. I also gave a speech. I also mentored and talked to, as I continue to do, young aspiring black journalists, and I have done that religiously for decades,” Smith said. “In 1994, I began my career at the Philadelphia Inquirer, courtesy of Sandra Long, a longtime executive for the Philadelphia Inquirer, synonymous with the NABJ, whom I first met at the jobs fair of the NABJ. My career started because I was at the NABJ job fair.”
“And yet, Saturday night, I saw the president of the organization, Errin Haines, go up on stage and give me a Thumbs Down Award for disparaging Black women. I received a lot of insults in my day, that might be the lowest,” he added.
In addition to a 44-minute-long video on his platform, Smith appeared on a number of shows, including Fox News’ “Hannity” with Sean Hannity and Chris Cuomo’s eponymous show on News Nation, to share further comments.
“I find it highly offensive that they would label me in this way, give me a thumbs down award specifically for disparaging Black women. I want everybody out there to know, there’s no such thing. That did not happen. That is a flat-out lie,” Smith told Hannity.
And while he argues that he simply reacted to comments or actions from or by Black women like Serena Williams, Kamala Harris, Jasmine Crockett, Michelle Obama, Monica McNutt, Joy Reid, Jemele Hill, Sunny Hostin, and Cari Champion, NABJ’s current president emphasized that the award hoped to spark change rather than insult.
“NABJ was among the institutions that was hoping, that he would not continue with these kinds of remarks, and with this kind of rhetoric specifically against Black women…There is a pattern here,” Haines told Don Lemon. “NABJ did not make this decision casually. We definitely stand behind the award and the concerns behind it, and I am willing to discuss those concerns directly with him, but the pattern speaks for itself, and it’s a pattern that we felt compelled to address because of what this kind of rhetoric enables and really normalizes. This recognition wasn’t about one comment or one moment. This is about a broader pattern and the responsibility that really comes with having a significant platform.
“Our hope is that this leads to a meaningful dialogue, and meaningful change, not just as it pertains to Stephen A. [Smith], but really for anybody who has a platform that is disrespecting or diminishing or undermining Black women. This is somebody who has been around in NABJ for a long time, who has gotten from and has given back to our beloved organization. And I hear that this landed differently because it came from us. That matters to me, and that’s why I feel like there’s an opportunity here. So, if it matters to him, when we celebrate his success, I hope we matter to him, when we say, ‘Look, Stephen, we need you to hear us on this.’ [because] that’s what community is supposed to be able to do. I don’t take any pleasure in him feeling some type of way. That wasn’t the purpose of this; sometimes, hopefully, accountability from people who respect matters to you is uncomfortable. And the question is really, what do you do with that discomfort?”
With both parties claiming to be open to further conversation, only time will tell whether that discomfort will spark the dialogue Haines envisioned or create a deeper rift.