NRA Magazine's July Cover Girl Is Project 21 Co-Chairman Stacy Washington

Black Conservative Radio Host in the Spotlight After Her Pro-2ndAmendment Commentary Resulted in Column Suspension


Stacy Washington, the co-chairman of the National Center for Public Policy Research's Project 21 black leadership network, is the author and face of the cover story in the July issue of the National Rifle Association's America's 1stFreedom magazine.  In the article, Washington recounts the controversy surrounding her pro-gun commentary in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, why she broke off her relationship with the newspaper and how bias threatens the future of the media industry.
 
"I'm so excited to have written a number of columns for NRA's America's 1st Freedom website and now the magazine," said Washington.  "It's an opportunity that might never have come to fruition without my column's suspension by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  But moving on has been bittersweet, with so many readers sending cards and emails that shared how much they miss my writing."
 
Washington was recently selected to help guide Project 21, which promotes the diversity of political opinion within the black community, as one of its co-chairmen.  She also hosts the weekday "Stacy of the Right" talk radio program on WGNU-St. Louis that is syndicated by the Urban Family Talk network.
 
Washington began as a freelance contributor with the Post-Dispatch last November.  She was suspended on April 28 for a column on guns that her editor complained did not highlight her past affiliation with the NRA.  While she had worked on media programs and projects with the NRA in the past, Washington says  she was never paid and that the opinions in the disputed column were her own.  The column, which criticized other Missouri newspapers for commentaries speculating that gun owners favored guns over child safety and asked readers to compare the NRA to the ISIS terrorist network, was reviewed by the Post-Dispatch staff before publication. She subsequently broke off her freelance relationship with the newspaper.
 
 In her America's 1st Freedom article, Washington writes  about the controversy:
 
In the media furor surrounding this story, my original call has been almost lost – that [Missourian columnist George] Kennedy was permitted to malign the NRA and its membership, and retains the opportunity to do so since he has received no reprimand for his awful and baseless comparison. He will never be held to account or asked to prove that NRA members dismember, set on fire or otherwise terrorize politicians – or anyone else, for that matter. . .
My column was factual: It called out media bias and asked for introspection in media outlets for the sake of preserving printed newspapers. The irony of having my column suspended – under the guise of being a paid advocate for the NRA – for writing that is unjustified nonsense, which is what prompted me to terminate the contract with the Post-Dispatch. The distraction that has ensued over who pays me and why has served its purpose for those at the top of the food chain in the newspaper industry: No one is discussing their failure to remain neutral. Consequently, circulation numbers will continue to tumble.
 
To book an interview with Stacy Washington, contact Judy Kent at (703) 759-7476.
 
 Project 21 members have been quoted, interviewed or published over 40,000 times since the program was created in 1992. Project 21 is sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research. Contributions to the National Center are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated, and may be earmarked exclusively for the use of Project 21.
 
 Founded in 1982, the National Center for Public Policy Research is a non-partisan, free-market, independent conservative think-tank. Ninety-four percent of its support comes from some 60,000 individuals, less than four percent from foundations and less than two percent from corporations. Sign up for email updates here . Follow us on Twitter at @NationalCenter for general announcements. To be alerted to upcoming media appearances by National Center staff, follow our media appearances Twitter account at @NCPPRMedia.

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