This commentary’s title gives the impression that I’m writing about the 1971 film, “The French Connection,” starring Gene Hackman.
I’m not.
This is about the utterly insulting relationship between the newspaper and former alderman and newspaper publisher, Antonio French.
Since the [St. Louis Post Dispatch] newspaper has been called out for its sexist, demeaning, and scandal-seeking coverage of Jones, it is searching for another way to take her down. Enter Antonio French, who serves as a part-time editorial writer for the publication.
The region’s daily newspaper, via Tod Robberson, its editorial page editor, has demonstrated a vexing animosity toward Mayor Tishaura Jones, even before she was elected in 2021. The incendiary coverage of Jones as a mayoral candidate and elected official has received humongous backlash, mostly because Jones has had the chutzpah and talent to fight back and call the newspaper out through national media outlets. As mayor, Jones has publicly committed to upset the apple cart that has, for centuries, benefitted powerful white men. I suspect that the P-D, which survives off the city’s old, white establishment guard, feels obligated to protect its interests.
Since the newspaper has been called out for its sexist, demeaning, and scandal-seeking coverage of Jones, it is searching for another way to take her down. Enter Antonio French, who serves as a part-time editorial writer for the publication.
Through French’s words in personal commentaries, the newspaper itself is claiming Mayor Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green are blocking efforts to send millions of dollars in federal aid to “some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city.”
French dismisses Jones’ and Green’s concerns that federal guidelines must be met before dispersing funds.
Many readers were critical of the newspaper’s coverage of the death of former state lawmaker and St. Louis County official, Cora Faith Walker. This newspaper – the city’s largest Black weekly – accused the Post-Dispatch of “fabricating controversy” with a “vile web of unsubstantiated rumors and lies.”
To beat back criticism from Black readers, the Post trotted out its Black editorial voice, French, to justify its coverage. He did so by targeting the mayor’s father and former comptroller, Virvus Jones, who bluntly lambasted the P-D and some other local media outlets for respective displays of “gutter journalism.” Jones is a former member of the St. Louis American editorial board.
To these charges, French wrote: “A message to Mr. Jones: Your threats and attempts to intimidate will not stop reporters from doing their jobs.”
This was just one example of French doing his job as the P-D.’s Black go-to guy.
Through my experience as a former newspaper publisher and editor, I find French to be a self-serving, opportunist who would go to great lengths to get his face in the press. This was the guy who, in 2014, made national news during the protests that followed Mike Brown’s death by positioning himself as a leader with plans to bring about needed change in Ferguson.
He wasn’t and he didn’t.
French has been a long-time supporter of and consultant to Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed. French allowed his ego to convince him to run against Jones, Reed and two other Black candidates in the 2017 mayoral race. He received the endorsement of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which bolstered his decision to remain in the race. With four Black candidates running against one well-known, well-funded white candidate, Lyda Krewson, the outcome was inevitable: Krewson won.
After giving up his aldermanic position to run for mayor, French resurrected his newspaper, the Northsider, adding a companion publication, the Southsider.
By early 2020, the newspapers were no longer in print and were online-only. A few months later, French joined the Post-Dispatch editorial staff as a writer, columnist, and Editorial Board member. Coincidence? I think not.
French, who was stomped in the mayoral contest against Jones and has a close connection with Reed, serves as the perfect candidate – the newspaper’s Black writer who will happily support its nasty coverage of the city’s first Black female mayor.
French may be a perfect fit for the newspaper but he’s an insult to the Black community.
Take for example his March 25 commentary “North St. Louis continues to wait as Jones, Green again delay funds.” In this piece, French did what his white bosses could not. He directly claimed that Jones and the city’s Black female comptroller, Green, were impeding progress in North St. Louis.
His condescending commentary alleged that Jones and Green are the sole reason that more than half a billion dollars in federal aid through the American Rescue Plan has been stalled, therefore not reaching Black neighborhoods in need of immediate “rescue.” The entire piece ignores legitimate disagreements between Jones, Green, Reed, and the board of aldermen. French dismisses Jones’ and Green’s concerns that federal guidelines must be met before dispersing funds. He offered a juvenile response claiming that other places like Alabama, Colorado Springs and Florida have taken advantage of the federal government’s “loose” guidelines to do things like build new prisons, boost tourism, and build golf courses and high-end hotels.
French’s examples had nothing to do with investing in Black neighborhoods which would surely invite more government and media scrutiny. But, as a Black face in a high journalistic place, he attempts to undermine the credibility of two intelligent, Black female elected officials with purposeful misinformation.
French, like his boss Robberson, willingly engages in false narratives to spite Jones. But unlike Robberson, French camouflages his missives as “concern” for the Black community. He pretends that Jones did not clearly lay out how she planned to spend the first $80 million-plus on social service programs which include summer jobs, direct cash payments and housing assistance for seniors and residents facing eviction and vaccination programs. Just because Jones wisely didn’t use the word “Black” doesn’t mean that her public commitment to provide $6.5 million for public health infrastructure, $58 million for economic relief and $11.5 million for public safety and wellbeing have nothing to do with Black people or Black neighborhoods.
Yes, there are disagreements between Jones, Green and the aldermanic board about how federal money should be distributed. But as Green mentioned during the March 23 Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting, she wants elected officials to “work together” behind the scenes before going public with their grievances. Another fact apparently missed by French and the Post-Dispatch.
There was a time when I proudly supported French as an alderman and journalist. Not anymore. Today he insults me. The “French Connection” has further cemented my opinion of the former politician as just another egotistical opportunist for hire.
Sylvester Brown is the former publisher of Take 5 magazine.
