Leading from Behind the Lens
Just because you tell a story, doesn’t make you a journalist,” is a philosophy Carol Gantt stands behind.
Carol didn’t grow up with aspirations of being a journalist. As a college student at the University of Louisiana Lafayette, she was preparing to enter the world of criminal law, but that plan changed once she secured a tv production internship. Through the internship, she discovered she had a passion and talent for TV production, and it served as the launch pad to her decades long media career. Her name and face are not as known as other personalities within the TV industry, yet her impact and influence are highly lauded as an Emmy nominated producer and within the vast communities she serves through her journalistic work.
For over two decades, Carol has influenced the things people see on TV every day from local news, to CNN, and now at Black Star Network, an independent journalism platform. In her producer roles, she has served as the final eyes and ethics check for thousands of segments. This has not always been an easy role, in fact, being the standard bearer for journalistic integrity has come with a high cost. Throughout the first part of her career, she was pushed to dim her light, code switch, shrink herself and her abilities, and was made to feel like she didn’t always belong just for being herself. Carol was raised to stand up for what she believes in, speak her mind, and never waver from her moral compass. However, her moral compass and the demands of cable news didn’t always align.
One defining moment of tension between who she was and who she was being pushed to become occurred during the production of a news segment at CNN when Carol advocated to remove photos of deceased Black bodies laying on the deck of a ship. She wasn’t comfortable sharing the images because they evoked the trauma of Black bodies on slave trade ships for her, and she knew it would affect the minds of the millions of people on the other side of the screen, including people who look like her. Her bosses rebutted her decision and continued to push for it to be included, stating that it was integral to the story. She knew what was right and kept pushing for this section to be taken out, even refusing to put it on air, despite the threat of losing her job for insubordination. Carol’s integrity extended far beyond the control room, the story, and even the global media network. Eventually, the issue was brought to the attention of CNN’s general council which resulted in significant amendments to how the network shared the information. This level of thoughtfulness and bravery makes Carol the unsung hero she continues to be day in and day out.
Now, Carol Gantt works at an independent media company, Black Star Media, that focuses on social justice and community issues facing Black people around the country and shares their stories real and raw. Daily, she manages a team of student interns who help write, edit, and produce stories and scripts for the network. She’s the right hand and person behind the lens working with the company’s founder, journalist and media entrepreneur Roland Martin, as a catalyst for the network’s mission and purpose to dive deeply into news stories affecting the Black Community. Focusing on Black media and telling the stories that matter to her the most has allowed Carrol to be her authentic self and not get pushed down or pushed into become something she’s not.
Carol’s story illustrates that with faith and effort everyday choices to do what’s right, no matter how small, can make differences that change and shape the world. It serves as an inspiration to find people who believe in the good you believe in, because doing good is easier with support. Carol Gantt is a Changemaker because she proves that even from behind the lens or movement or network or whatever cause you have a light the world needs to see.
