The Clapback Mailbag: Baltimoreans

Each week, we reach into our mailbag to respond to emails, tweets, comments and DMs from readers.

On Thursday, the Harvard Kennedy School announced that I had received the 2024–2025 David Nyhan Prizes for Public Policy Journalism.

Named after the legendary Boston Globe columnist, the award is supposed to “celebrate journalists whose compelling reporting elevates public understanding of policy, politics, and the impact of government on people’s lives—especially those often left unheard by the halls of power.” Since the announcement, ContrabandCamp has received an influx of questions, messages and statements that we will address today.

The first set of messages concerns our story about Trump’s visit to the University of Alabama.

Tonight, You Will See the Future of Trump's MAGA America

Specifically, they question the journalistic integrity of my reporting because of my alma mater, Auburn University.

From: Robert
Subject: Roll Tide, nigger!

Your supposed to be a journalist but your bias as a Auburn Fan is showing. Trump has done more for this state than you have. Maybe you stop hating America and take your woke nonsense to the cow college.

From: Lisa (Facebook comments)

You are the bigot, sir. Please look in the mirror and see your hate

From: Jerry
Subject: Faggot.

A graduation speech is not a racial issue. 95% of Alabama supports Trump policies. Maybe he should deport you and all your transgender faggot Auburn crybabies, faggot.

Dear Robert, Lisa and Jerry,

You make some good points. I readily admit that I am biased — not against the University of Alabama or Donald Trump. But I am a bigot.

Allow me to explain.

While some journalists adhere to the false notion of objectivity, I do not. I know that morality and integrity are subjective and depends on each individual’s personal values, but impartiality is something that should be reserved for judges, juries and food critics. But as a journalist, it is not my job to mete out judgments, it is my job to get to the truth.

When I heard about Trump’s speech at the University of Alabama, I did not reach out to the faculty’s Democratic Black Caucus or students for Kamala Harris, I contacted Black people. But here’s the thing: The Black people of Alabama are “woke.” In Alabama’s 2020 election, 89% of the state’s Black voters supported Joe Biden over Donald Trump. If you combine that with the fact that 54% of Alabamians age 18-44 voted against Trump, you’d understand that finding a young, Black college-educated Trump supporter is damn near impossible. In fact, since Reconstruction, only one Black Republican has ever been elected to the Alabama Legislature — Kenneth Paschal in 2021.

It’s not the job of a journalist to cover both sides of an issue, especially when one side is wrong. Do you think Egyptologists should include the perspective of ancient aliens? No one expects journalists who write about space travel to acknowledge flat earthers. So why would anyone include white people’s perspective on racial issues when one thing is perfectly clear:

White people are always wrong.

Can you name one issue on race that white people were objectively right about? They were wrong about the Indian removal. They were wrong about separate but equal. They were wrong about poll taxes and grandfather clauses. Although they used Manifest Destiny, Jesus and their moral values to defend themselves, when each of these cases was adjudicated, the U.S. Supreme Court — a judicial system created by white people — determined that white people were wrong the whole time.

So yes, I am biased against white people.

And racism.

And inequality.

And injustice.

And the University of Alabama.

And Donald Trump.

And the moral judgment and racial values of the vast majority of white people who have ever claimed American citizenship.

But it has nothing to do with where I went to school or hating white people.

I want to be right.