Upset about the way African Americans and especially women are portrayed in music and music videos, the NAACP is unveiling a campaign to get cable TV, radio and music companies and recording artists to “stop demeaning African American images in the media.”

The STOP campaign, an initiative of the NAACP’s Youth & College Division, was announced today in news conferences in Washington, New York and Los Angeles by NAACP officials including interim president-CEO Dennis C. Hayes. Its goal is to get a more positive picture of blacks in some of the music videos airing on MTV, BET and VH-1.

“There is nothing more influential than the images on radio, TV and the Internet,” Mr. Hayes said. “We want to end the demeaning images.”

Stefanie Brown, national director of the NAACP’s Youth & College Division, said the yearlong campaign will attempt to work with artists, recording companies and the media. She said the portrayal of women in rap music was a big target, suggesting they “objectivize” and demean women.

Mr. Hayes said the NAACP wasn’t blasting media companies because it hopes to work with them and with artists. NAACP wants the artists, record companies and media companies to pledge to do a better job of portraying African Americans.

(Editor: Horowitz)