The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) made the right call when they gave Stephen A. Smith their annual "Thumbs Down" award. His "recurring public pattern of disparaging commentary directed at prominent Black women across politics, sports, and media" is undeniable and well-documented. From his tone-policing of Representative Jasmine Crockett's "street verbiage" to his bitter public feuds with Cari Champion and Joy Reid, Smith has repeatedly used his massive platform to tear down Black women in ways that reinforce harmful stereotypes. He absolutely deserved the rebuke.

The evidence against Smith is overwhelming. When he criticized Crockett for bringing "the streets to the negotiating table," he was employing coded language historically used to label Black women as unprofessional and aggressive. When he told Champion she "should be ashamed of herself" for calling out his pattern of behavior, he demonstrated the exact dismissiveness critics have pointed to for years. And when he took undue credit for the success of women like Monica McNutt, he revealed a pattern of patronizing behavior that undermines the achievements of his colleagues.

Smith's response to the award only confirmed the NABJ's assessment. Rather than reflecting on his actions, he immediately threatened retaliation, declaring, "You had your turn, now mine is coming. And make no mistake….., I'm coming." This defensive, combative reaction—promising to "expose" the organization—is exactly the kind of behavior that earned him the rebuke in the first place.

The Glaring Hypocrisy: Why Disney Was Spared

However, the NABJ's decision to single out Smith while completely ignoring the corporate entities that enable, profit from, and amplify his commentary is a glaring act of hypocrisy. While Smith's words are harmful, the structural damage done by Disney—ESPN's parent company—vastly outweighs the impact of any individual on-air talent. And yet, because Disney writes the biggest checks to the NABJ, the organization gave them a complete pass.

Disney's Structural Harm to Black Journalists
While the NABJ focused on Smith's commentary, his employer spent 2026 silently gutting the actual livelihoods of Black journalists, storytellers, and creatives. Disney has launched three massive rounds of layoffs in a single year, eliminating over 1,000 corporate and creative roles. These deep reductions have targeted areas like National Geographic and ABC News, severely thinning out the exact pipeline of Black newsroom professionals the NABJ claims to protect.

The Firing of Ryan Clark and Other Black Voices
Perhaps no incident better illustrates the corporate double standard than the abrupt, mid-broadcast firing of Ryan Clark from ESPN. Clark explicitly stated that he felt he "couldn't be too Black" at ESPN, and that his willingness to defend the Black community and athletes like Angel Reese made executives uncomfortable. Yet the NABJ issued no "Thumbs Down" to the executives who executed that firing.

The NABJ's financial dependency on Disney explains why the corporation escaped scrutiny. According to the organization's own disclosures, Disney and ABC News Group are the absolute top-tier funders of the NABJ. They maintain a massive, exclusive multi-year investment to fully bankroll the NABJ Leadership Academy, completely underwriting professional development for Black media professionals. In addition, ESPN acts as a premium elite-tier sponsor for the annual convention, routinely cutting six-figure checks to purchase massive recruitment spaces and high-profile branding lounges.

By accepting premium sponsorship dollars from the very corporation that is actively laying off journalists, diluting diverse storytelling, and pushing a corporate mandate that rewards compliance over independent thought, the NABJ is providing a "diversity shield" to a corporate giant. The organization can freely blast The Washington Post and CBS News for firing Black journalists because doing so carries zero financial consequence. However, because Disney cuts the biggest checks, the NABJ completely gave their upper management a pass.

Safe Targets vs. Protected Power

The disparity between who was penalized reveals an unbalanced double standard. The Washington Post received a "Thumbs Down" for implementing sweeping newsroom layoffs that "disproportionately affected Black and other journalists of color." CBS News was penalized for eliminating its specialized Race and Culture Unit. Both are corporate entities that do not provide major funding to the NABJ, making them "safe" targets.

Yet Disney and ESPN have done exactly the same things—on a vastly larger scale. They have launched massive corporate restructurings, decimated creative departments, and abruptly fired independent Black voices like Ryan Clark. But because Disney actively cuts six-figure checks to fully bankroll the NABJ Leadership Academy, the NABJ gave its upper management a complete pass.

• The Safest Target: Stephen A. Smith (individual employee, no financial leverage over the NABJ) — Received "Thumbs Down" for his harmful rhetoric. Which he deserved.
• The "Safe" Corporate Targets: The Washington Post & CBS News (no NABJ funding) — Received "Thumbs Down" for structural harm to Black journalists.
• The Protected Power: Disney, ABC, and ESPN (major NABJ funders) — Received no scrutiny despite identical, larger-scale structural harm.

The Paramount Contradiction

The NABJ's hypocrisy extends beyond Disney. Paramount Global—which owns CBS News—is another major corporate partner that escaped meaningful scrutiny despite its overt realignment with conservative politics. Paramount is controlled by Chairman and CEO David Ellison, whose family are close personal friends and major financial allies of Donald Trump. The company has been accused of pressuring CBS News to air pro-Trump content and agreed to pay a $16 million settlement to Trump's future presidential library. Yet the NABJ issued a "Thumbs Down" to CBS News while ignoring the parent company pulling the strings.

Right Call on Smith, Wrong Silence on Corporate Power

Stephen A. Smith absolutely deserved the "Thumbs Down" award. His pattern of disparaging Black women is clear, documented, and harmful. The NABJ made the right call on his behavior.

However, by targeting an individual commentator while remaining financially cozy with the exact corporate structures that dictate mainstream media—Paramount, which is settling lawsuits with Trump and ending DEI programs, and Disney, which is gutting Black journalism—the NABJ's stand becomes incomplete. It is a case of chasing an easy target while refusing to confront the true source of power.

If the NABJ truly wants to hold media accountable, it must be willing to jeopardize its corporate partnerships to stand up against the structural harm done by Disney and Paramount. Until then, their judgment of Stephen A. Smith will remain a right call that exposes a much larger, more uncomfortable truth about their own financial dependencies.