Prominent sports journalist Jemele Hill spoke at the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference in Grapevine on Saturday afternoon, discussing her transitions between print and broadcast journalism and the challenges of celebrity as a journalist.
Hill spoke about her experiences in covering race, sports and culture on The Undefeated with the platform’s editor-in-chief, Kevin Merida.
She said race, culture, sports and politics always have been “mashed together” in this country. Her work on The Undefeated explores that mash-up.
Hill gained additional prominence after a tweet from September 2017 in which she called President Donald Trump a white supremacist. The tweet was followed by tweeted responses from press secretary Sarah Sanders and Trump.
Merida began the discussion with reference to Hill’s celebrity status, which has inspired public recognition, TMZ attention and a variety of articles on her.
Hill said the fame has widened her following to extend outside of sports fans, making people approach her in a different way. She said the attention can be uncomfortable at times, with people calling her a “crusader or activist.”
Those aren’t typically things said about journalists, Hill said, and it can feel like a lie because her statements are fact-based and not solely emotional.
Hill began her career as a print journalist and moved to broadcast before returning to being a writer. Merida asked about her transitions, specifically about…
