The National Association of Black Journalists canceled an upcoming webinar after it received backlash as a result of one of the event’s sponsors.
Huawei, a Chinese-based telecommunications firm that has been indicted for racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets, was partnering with the NABJ on an event called “The Rise of Misinformation,” which was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. After receiving pushback for the partnership, the NABJ released a statement on Tuesday announcing the webinar’s cancellation after it had “become a distraction.”
“It had come under attack because controversial technology giant Huawei was planning to sponsor the webinar though it had no editorial control,” the statement read. “NABJ always retains editorial control over all such content along with final say over moderators and panelists. Huawei knew all of this in advance. Additionally, Huawei officials were not part of the scheduled webinar.”
The NABJ also said that it has not “accepted funding from Huawei.”
CNN’s Van Jones, one of the scheduled panelists for the event, praised the decision to cancel it.
“I accepted invite to participate in NABJ webinar, warning black community about #COVID misinformation,” he tweeted. “I said ‘yes’ without knowing sponsor. Glad NABJ canceled; I wouldn’t have participated. I’ll keep raising alarm about pandemic’s impact on vulnerable people.”
I accepted invite to participate in NABJ webinar, warning black community about #COVID misinformation. I said “yes” without knowing sponsor. Glad NABJ canceled; I wouldn’t have participated. I’ll keep raising alarm about pandemic’s impact on vulnerable people. #StaySafe #StayHome https://t.co/CtIodwQfzZ
— Van Jones (@VanJones68) May 12, 2020
The Department of Justice has been wary of Huawei and has urged allies not to work with the company, which the United States alleges violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. In its February indictment, the DOJ pointed to the company’s “long-running practice of using fraud and deception to misappropriate sophisticated technology” from U.S. counterparts and revealed new details about Huawei’s deceptive efforts to evade U.S. sanctions when doing business in North Korea and Iran.
The U.S. has long sought to convince allies not to use Huawei, and the recent crackdown is part of the DOJ’s larger effort to stem China’s activities.
