By Antonio R. Harvey | OBSERVER STAFF WRITER

Serious questions on how the media decides when and when not to identify people by race, why it seems there are only bad stories about the ‘hood and how some missing people get in news coverage while others don’t, were at the center stage of a special meeting recently.

Anzio Williams, the news director of KCRA 3, was one of the panelists in a town hall meeting that discussed how news coverage of local minorities is handled. Photo (c) Observer / Larry V. Dalton

And the Sacramento public had the chance to meet face-to-face with people who are responsible for making those decisions.

The Sacramento Black Journalists Association hosted a town hall meeting to address news coverage of minorities and the issues facing Sacramento area communities. Community groups from the area and residents had an opportunity to question news executives and learn what goes into deciding and covering news.

The panelists included Stacy Owen, news director for News10; Joyce Terhaar, managing editor for The Sacramento Bee; Anzio Williams, news director for KCRA 3; and Brent Baader, news director for CW31.

Topics of discussion included “Why and when to identify people by race,” “Creating balance in stories in our various neighborhoods,” “Inequalities in media coverage” and the “education achievement gap.”