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There is no such thing in America as race transcendence, and Obama's going to find that out real soon," said talk show host Tavis Smiley in an interview Monday with the Associated Press.
The veteran journalist has been in the eye of an Internet firestorm after making comments about the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee that were perceived as negative.
After criticizing Obama on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" for choosing not to appear on Smiley's annual State of the Black Union gathering in February, the TV host was put on blast by a large contingent of the African-American community, who questioned his loyalty, motives and ego.
"Just because Barack Obama is black, doesn't mean he gets a pass on being held accountable on issues that matter to black people," Smiley maintains. "I'm not an Obama critic or a McCain critic. The term itself is dismissive and insulting."
Smiley will broadcast his talk show live to select markets from the Democratic convention in Denver from Aug. 25-28 and the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 1-4.
"I want to do what I always try to do, which is to be authentic in my coverage," Smiley says. "I'm an advocacy journalist, not a journalist in the traditional sense. I believe my role in the media is to get people to re-examine the assumptions they hold."
