August 17, 2016 To Ben Sherwood, James Goldston, and ABC News Management: We come to you as one of the largest groups of black on-air talent in ABC News history, a fact that not only makes the news division stronger, but also reflects the growing diversity in our audience. This is an exceptional accomplishment of which we should all be proud. While we recognize our numbers in front of the camera, we are frustrated, demoralized, and angered by the lack of black voices in our newsrooms: No black Senior Producers at World News Tonight; No black Senior Producers at Nightline; Only one black Senior Producer at Good Morning Americ Only one black Senior Producer at 20/20. eooe The lack of African-American representation in key editorial positions is not only unacceptable, it is also bad for the news division, as is often painfully clear in our coverage. Most recently, we felt that the network's, town hall on race with President Obama failed completely in its effort to foster a meaningful dialogue on issues of race, a sentiment echoed in our community. But this was a preventable failure. Had just one senior- level black person been involved in a special about black people, the outcome certainly would have been different. While black voices matter in our coverage, they are largely absent in our newsroom. ‘We will no longer accept the tired and trite refrain that management simply cannot find qualified black candidates for these positions, particularly given a pattern of unearned ascents we've seen time and time again: non-black candidates essentially provided on-the-job training, promoted or hired with little to no direct experience in a particular role. Seniors with zero senioring experience. Executive producers who have never been in a control room. Where black candidates are asked to have a proven track record of excellence, for ‘others, mere potential is enough. Where others walk, we are asked to fly. Itis a state that we see among this group of an-air talent as well. Again, while our numbers and presence are laudable, we often feel disrespected in ways we do not see in our non-black colleagues: almost always relegated to overnights and weekends; inquiries about professional advancement dismissed as “complaining”; performing jobs without being given the accompanying titles. To that end, we respectfully request the following changes be implemented immediately (to assist where hiring matters are concerned, enclosed please find a list of exceptional candidates): The addition of one black Senior Producer at World News Tonight; The addition of one black Senior Producer per shift at Good Morning America; The addition of one black Senior Producer at Nightline; Kendis Gibson to be officially named the Anchor of World News Now and America This Morning, a role he has been performing for more than a year, with great success (ratings increase of more than 30%); Sunny Hostin to be named an official Co-host of The View, a role she has been performing ‘exceptionally, seamlessly becoming one of the most important voices at the table; @ Ron Claiborne to be named News Anchor for Good Morning America Weekend, as he remains the only unnamed member on the show, though he has been a stellar member of the team for more than a decade;‘© The implementation of an annual two-way performance review for alll on-air talent, allowing for a respectful conversation about individual goals, future opportunity, strengths and areas of improvement. This would also allow on-air talent to provide feedback about their experience with management, a useful mechanism for strengthening our news division. We trust that your commitment to diversity will be reflected in the urgency of your response to these issues. Sincerely, Ron Claiborne Linsey Davis Kendis Gibson Ti Holmes Sunny Hostin Steve Osunsami Byron Pitts Deborah Roberts Robin Roberts ‘Mara Schiavocampo Ryan Smith Pierre Thomas -