{"id":1007917,"date":"2026-08-18T04:29:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T04:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1007917\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T04:29:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T04:29:26","slug":"stephen-a-smith-calls-nabjs-thumbs-down-award-a-hit-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1007917\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith calls NABJ’s ‘Thumbs Down’ award a ‘hit job’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stephen A. Smith fired back at the National Assn. of Black Journalists on Monday, calling its decision to give him a \u201cThumbs Down\u201d award<\/a>, because of his consistent criticism of Black female politicians, a political and \u201cpersonal hit job.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a 44-minute address on his YouTube channel<\/a>, the outspoken sports commentator said that while he was \u201cfar from perfect and … will always try to do better on behalf of my community and for the journalism community and beyond, that does not negate the bulls\u2014 that the NABJ did.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cI\u2019ve received a lot of insults in my day, but that might be the lowest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said the award, which was given Saturday at the organization\u2019s gala, had nothing to do with journalism, attributing the dishonor to board members unhappy with his political opinions. \u201cThey did not engage in journalism when it came to critiquing me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are scared,\u201d he added, calling himself a registered independent. \u201cSee, I talk too much and I don\u2019t speak glowingly enough about the Democratic party.\u201d He called out NABJ President Errin Haines, who is editor-at-large for the nonprofit news outlet the 19th, saying she and other board members did not reach out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you did to me was beneath the organization,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

He said he invited Haines to discuss the award on the air but she declined, saying she would prefer a private conversation off the air.<\/p>\n

The NABJ pushed back on Smith\u2018s account of the conversation. \u201cPresident Haines welcomed the opportunity to speak with Mr. Smith and proposed that they begin with a private conversation focused on listening, accountability and meaningful dialogue, with the opportunity for public engagement to follow,\u201d it said Monday in a statement. \u201cAt no point did President Haines decline a conversation with Mr. Smith or rule out a future public conversation.\u201d <\/p>\n

Other recipients of the \u201cThumbs Down\u201d award included Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission; DuJuan McCoy, Circle City Broadcasting president and chief executive; CBS News and the Washington Post.<\/p>\n

The statement continued: \u201cAs President Haines emphasized in her remarks Saturday night, the purpose of the Thumbs Down Award is not permanent condemnation or criticism for criticism\u2019s sake. Accountability should create an opportunity for reflection, dialogue and progress. NABJ remains open to meaningful engagement with any of this year\u2019s recipients and will continue fulfilling its responsibility to advocate for Black journalists, fair and accurate coverage of Black communities, and a strong and independent press.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its presentation of the award, the NABJ said Smith \u201chas established a recurring public pattern of disparaging commentary directed at prominent Black women across politics, sports and media.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement continued, \u201cSuch commentary reinforces harmful narratives, undermines the fair and respectful representation of Black women in public discourse and stands in direct conflict with NABJ\u2019s longstanding commitment to accurate, responsible and inclusive portrayals of Black communities.\u201d <\/p>\n

Smith then took to social media<\/a> vowing he would strike back: \u201cThis is the epitome of Christmas arriving early. The NABJ wants to call folks out, fine! You had your turn, now mine is coming. And make no mistake\u2026..,I\u2019m coming,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Smith has been increasingly vocal about his politics <\/a>as he hints at a possible presidential run. His statements, bombastic delivery and occasional praise for President Trump have come under fire in Black media and with celebrities. He accused Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas last September of using \u201cstreet verbiage\u201d in her frequent criticisms of Trump. He also has been critical of former First Lady Michelle Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris, tennis star Serena Williams and others.<\/p>\n

Smith defended those remarks Monday, saying he felt he was being fair and was supportive of the women. He declared that supporting Black women always has been a priority in his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything I am, everything that I have achieved, everything that has lifted me up in my life has been associated with Black women. They have been my strength, my source of inspiration and so much more my entire life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that he would not have been targeted by the Black media if he made the same sort of comments about conservative figures.<\/p>\n

During his speech, he noted how the \u201cThumbs Down\u201d award marked a reversal of NABJ\u2019s previous embrace of him and his ESPN show \u201cFirst Take,\u201d when it hosted live broadcasts of the program during its 2024 and 2025 conventions. Smith also implied that instead of being hammered by the NABJ, he should be celebrated because he is about to be inducted into the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

The NABJ statement further outlined the history of the \u201cThumbs Down\u201d award, saying it has been handed out 44 times since it was first presented in 1989. The designation holds \u201cindividuals and institutions across the media landscape accountable when their reporting, commentary or practices have conflicted with the organization\u2019s mission and values. Recipients over the years have included Black and non-Black individuals and institutions. NABJ calls balls and strikes based on the conduct and issues before us, not the identity of the recipient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite his anger, Smith told listeners he had no ill will toward the organization. \u201cPlease continue to support the NABJ,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith fired back at the National Assn. of Black Journalists on Monday, calling its decision to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1007918,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[23781,18550,1582,276,11890,403478,19381,9360,2961,224,5337,16430,403475,7484,12632,403477,12848,4157,11004,403476],"class_list":["post-1007917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-award","tag-black-community","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-commentary","tag-consistent-criticism","tag-haines","tag-institution","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-medium","tag-nabj","tag-opportunity","tag-organization","tag-prominent-black-woman","tag-recipient","tag-smith","tag-statement","tag-thumbs-down"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117114633145178622","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1007917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007917\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1007918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1007917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1007917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1007917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}