Talibah Chikwendu

Executive Editor

Talibah Chikwendu is the executive editor of the AFRO American Newspapers. She oversees the content production for the newspaper’s three editions – Washington, Prince George’s and Baltimore – special publications and the website, AFRO.com.

Chikwendu has worked with the AFRO for 13 years, in a variety of positions including Baltimore editor, Washington editor, special publications editor, web editor, director of operations integration, radio show host and consultant. She is an award-winning columnist and photographer, with credits including the Baltimore Sun and Urban Influence, a publication of the National Urban League. She is serving her third non-consecutive term on the Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association’s board of directors. Chikwendu holds a bachelor’s of fine arts in digital design and a master’s of business administration with a concentration in project management.

[MD 0201] - Part 1: Intro and Contribution (6:48)

Talibah Chikwendu, executive editor, Afro-American Newspapers, says, “We provide people the information they need to navigate the environment they find themselves in.” And because of its “perspective,” The Afro provides “information they may not get anywhere else.” Because of The Afro’s 118-year history, Chikwendu also covers what people “100 years from now” may need to know to understand the African American community’s experience at this time.

[MD 0202] - Part 2: Ethics & Content (5:38)

Talibah Chikwendu, executive editor, Afro-American Newspapers, says The Afro uses the SPJ Code of Ethics. Chikwendu says her role is “to make sure reporters are aware of our standards and are living by these rules.”

[MD 0203] - Part 3: Strategic Changes (4:44)

Talibah Chikwendu, executive editor, Afro-American Newspapers, says The Afro is enlisting “community journalists” to provide the small stories of engagements, weddings and births the newspaper needs to stay local.

[MD 0204] - Part 4: Adaptation & the Future (6:44)

Talibah Chikwendu, executive editor, Afro-American Newspapers, says that journalists need to reaffirm the fact that, “we follow a code of ethics … we have standards … and that they [the public] can trust us.” “If we think of ourselves as journalists and all these [new platforms] are just ways to deliver what we know is important to the public: I think we can navigate the change,” says Chikwendu.

[MD 0205] - Part 5: Prospects & Preparation (2:11)

Talibah Chikwendu, executive editor, Afro-American Newspapers, says that the new crop of journalists need to practice “out-of-the box thinking” and learn effective “time-management” skills to succeed because reporting today is “a juggling game.”