Ali Velshi Upholds Journalistic Integrity and Celebrates 'Small Acts of Courage'
There are TV anchors who ask loaded questions pandering to their proprietors' whims. A notable exception is Ali Velshi. Like his predecessor and fellow Canadian, Peter Jennings, Velshi has a deep knowledge of world affairs and the strength of character to avoid pandering to herd-think.
CommPRO Industry Members and guests joined Foreign Press Association journalists for the launch event of MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi’s book, “Small Acts of Courage,” hosted by industry member and marketing technology leader PRophet, a Stagwell Marketing Cloud company. Velshi shared how he arrived in New York from Canada to take up a new position with CNN as the 9-11 bombings brought down the twin towers. Poignantly, on the 66th floor of One World Trade Center 23 years later, Velshi discussed his new book.
The book is an entertaining and informative work that ties his extended family history to geopolitics, exemplifying how journalists should view the world. Velshi’s family history does not determine his worldview, but it certainly informs and illustrates it.
Velshi’s life is a cross-section of British Imperial history. His family was originally from British India and involved with Gandhi in the struggle for civil rights for Indian subjects in South Africa. It is indicative of Ali’s objectivity that he carefully notes that the struggle did not then extend to rights for black South Africans.
The family’s political activity was a good try, but as Apartheid developed, they were removed from their property. They moved on to British East Africa and then to British North America, or Canada, which, under the premiership of Pierre Trudeau, had become the spiritual head of the Commonwealth. Canada established standards of genuine multicultural cohabitation both internally and internationally. The UK, of course, had retreated into xenophobic isolation from which it has only occasionally emerged.
Velshi has brought genuine journalism to the small screen with CNN, Al Jazeera, and MSNBC. He even elevated financial journalism above stock pumping. When he went to Minneapolis to cover the Black Lives Matter protests stemming from the death of George Floyd, he did not lazily and pejoratively call them “riots.” He was covering what he stresses was a non-violent demonstration when a police rubber bullet hit him in the leg, bringing him down to the enthusiastic applause of Donald Trump.
In recognition of Velshi’s exemplary journalism, his book, and his "purple heart" for the rubber bullet he took in Minneapolis, the FPA presented him with its Sharp Pen Award at the event.
He concludes his book with the prescription, “Citizenship is something you have to practice. It’s a muscle that atrophies if you don’t use it, and if it does, other people will be willing to take advantage of its weakness.”
To pastiche an imperial poet: if you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs, then you might win the FPA’s Sharp Pen Award.
The FPA would like to thank marketing technology leader PRophet and Stagwell for hosting the event and underwriting the reception. We would also like to thank CommPRO for partnering with the FPA to organize the event.
