# Any African-American news anchors who speak on air with an African-American Vernacular accent? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016 "2019-06-04T15:36:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/1 "2019-06-04T15:36:26Z")
Whenever I see black news anchors, they speak entirely without any [African-American vernacular English accent.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Vernacular_English) In some cases it sounds natural (e.g. Lester Holt of NBC News), but in other cases it sounds like they are speaking in a very forced way, as though they may be deliberately suppressing a natural AAVE accent. Are there any black news anchors that speak _with_ a definite AAVE accent? Or is it really not possible for black people to get hired as mainstream, on-air news personalities unless they speak “white”? ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/2 "2019-06-04T15:45:07Z")
Well, [this guy did](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8MNH7JuR7I), at least for a few seconds. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/3 "2019-06-04T15:51:29Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Are there any black news anchors that speak _with_ a definite AAVE accent? Or is it really not possible for black people to get hired as mainstream, on-air news personalities unless they speak “white”? It’s hard for anyone to be hired as a news anchor unless they speak with a pretty neutral accent. But NPR’s Ayesha Roscoe speaks in a style you typically don’t hear on serious news channels - [Trump Arrives In Japan : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2019/05/25/726941861/trump-arrives-in-japan) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/4 "2019-06-04T15:54:04Z")
Do you know of any _non-black_ news anchors on mainstream, general audience news outlets who regularly speak in strong regional, ethnic, sub-cultural, or other non-prestige accents or dialects? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/5 "2019-06-04T15:59:04Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It’s hard for anyone to be hired as a news anchor unless they speak with a pretty neutral accent. > > But NPR’s Ayesha Roscoe speaks in a style you typically don’t hear on serious news channels - [Trump Arrives In Japan : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2019/05/25/726941861/trump-arrives-in-japan) I opened this thread to mention Ayesha Rascoe. She’s a great reporter, and I find her manner of speaking refreshing to hear. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/6 "2019-06-04T16:14:27Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It’s hard for anyone to be hired as a news anchor unless they speak with a pretty neutral accent. > > But NPR’s Ayesha Roscoe speaks in a style you typically don’t hear on serious news channels - [Trump Arrives In Japan : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2019/05/25/726941861/trump-arrives-in-japan) This was whom I thought of when I read the OP. I realize it’s just my decades of conditioning in how “real” reporters speak, but to me she sounds like a college intern— it’s slightly distracting. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/7 "2019-06-04T16:15:02Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > Well, [this guy did](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8MNH7JuR7I), at least for a few seconds. 😃 I knew which video _that_ would be. Not to be confused with [this guy](https://youtube.com/watch?v=y4ML5ymlCFA), who briefly spoke something that sounded more like Hebrew. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/8 "2019-06-04T16:17:16Z")
I swear I once heard a BBC announcer speak with a bit of a northern accent; perhaps someone with better audio-Google skills can find a sample clip. ETA this was the radio, so no idea if she was black… ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/9 "2019-06-04T17:05:25Z")
I hear reporters speaking with a slight blaccent all the time…but that may be due to the fact that my ears are quite sensitive to blaccents. It isn’t diction. It is 100% inflection. Ayesha Roscoe does not speak in AAVE when she is reporting, but she does speak with a pronounced blaccent. Michelle Norris and Audie Cornish do not, though. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/10 "2019-06-04T17:22:51Z")
A couple of years ago, a black announcer on the BBC was criticised for speaking in a “London” accent (“f” instead of “th”), but the BBC had his back. There is also [Kathy Clogston](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlNCiRC2Jc4) with her Northern Irish accent. So it seems safe to say that these days, at the BBC at least, you can get away with a “strong regional, ethnic, sub-cultural, or other non-prestige accents or dialect”. Good for them (as long as they don’t discriminate against people who talk like Charlotte Green!) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/11 "2019-06-04T17:32:10Z")
[Askia Muhammad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Askia_Muhammad) the news director of [WPFW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhBI1TQDX_s) 89.3-FM Jazz and Justice. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/12 "2019-06-04T18:04:53Z")
Rev. Al Sharpton has a politics show on MSNBC. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/13 "2019-06-04T20:01:00Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > This was whom I thought of when I read the OP. I realize it’s just my decades of conditioning in how “real” reporters speak, but to me she sounds like a college intern— it’s slightly distracting. Her’s certainly stands out from other voices. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/14 "2019-06-04T20:28:04Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > It isn’t diction. It is 100% inflection. Ayesha Roscoe does not speak in AAVE when she is reporting, but she does speak with a pronounced blaccent. ISTM that there’s a bit of diction as well, in particular pronouncing an “e” more similar to an “i”. “imperor”. “attind”. But I agree that it’s mostly inflection. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/15 "2019-06-04T20:41:33Z")
Ana Navarro has a Latina accent which she doesn’t try to hide, but she’s an analyst, not an anchor. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/16 "2019-06-04T22:04:18Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Rev. Al Sharpton has a politics show on MSNBC. I’ve never heard Al Sharpton speak in AAVE on his show. He has a voice that is distinctly “black”, but his diction is pretty much SAVE except for maybe some Brooklynisms. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/17 "2019-06-04T22:25:46Z")
When you talk about an “AAVE accent,” which accent is that: AAVE Atlanta, AAVE New York, or AAVE Oakland? Never mind, I just had a great idea for the CBS evening lineup! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/18 "2019-06-04T22:51:37Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I’ve never heard Al Sharpton speak in AAVE on his show. He has a voice that is distinctly “black”, but his diction is pretty much SAVE except for maybe some Brooklynisms. Accent is not the same as vernacular. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/19 "2019-06-04T22:59:24Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Accent is not the same as vernacular. Sorry, I thought you were saying he speaks AAVE. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016/20 "2019-06-05T01:34:53Z")
Subcultural Vernacular English is more of a dialect than an accent. When your job is to read the words you’ve been given to read, using dialectal versions of them is not doing your job correctly. The people writing the words are going to be writing in Standard English because they know everyone learns to listen to it, even if they trouble producing it themselves. When I worked with some lower-class people, there were elements to their dialect that I didn’t understand right away, and if they had been using them on TV I would be confused. By using Standard forms, you make sure you’re not scaring away people. I agree that there definitely is a certain “black” accent apart from vernacular language, and that some black people are able to hide their skin color while only being audible, but there are plenty that cannot. I think most of it has to do with early upbringing; I went to high school with quite a lot of black folks from various socioeconomic classes, and you could tell how rich their parents were by their accent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-african-american-news-anchors-who-speak-on-air-with-an-african-american-vernacular-accent/835016.md?page=2)