During the Jim Crow era, the Chicago Defender was a trailblazing newspaper that reached over a million African-Americans and advocated for Black people by calling for the end of racial discrimination.When the white media ignored photos of lynchings, the Chicago Defender kept them on their front pages— in the name of human rights and freedom of the press. During WWII, The Pittsburg Courier, the first national Black newspaper, published a letter by James Thompson. The letter highlighted the attitude many Black people had towards the war. Thompson wrote, “Shall I sacrifice my life to live half American?” Meaning, why should Black people fight for a country they’re not even considered equal in? He presented the concept that winning the war will yield one victory, but Black people shouldn’t lose sight of the second victory: defeating racism at home — in the name of human rights and freedom of the press.
As articulated in the film “One Tenth of a Nation: The Press,” the national Black press is what stimulated social change. There were even journalists high up in government positions, like Alice Dunnigan, the first Black, female White Hours correspondent.
To be a Black reporter in this current state of of media and press is to carry out the same roles of the Black press and to “plead causes” that otherwise wouldn’t be voiced. This role becomes imperative for Black journalists during times of civil unrest in the Black community. In the same way, my passion for being a journalist is fueled by the reporters that came before me and the reporters today that are continuing to fulfill the unique role of a Black journalist. Due to it being “personal” and having this connection to race-related topics, civil unrest and injustice, I feel as though it is my duty to report on this beat. As a journalism major and Afro-studies minor I have learned and firmly believe that no one can tell our stories better than we can.
Under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, an 11-member National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders in July 1967 to explain the riots that plagued cities each summer since 1964 and to provide recommendations for the future was formed. The Commission’s 1968 report, informally known as the Kerner Report, concluded that the nation was “moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.” As articulated by the video, “The Black Press and the Civil Rights Movement,” one of the places the divide was most apparent was the nation’s newsrooms. A component of the Commission assessed media coverage of the riots and criticized newspapers and television for failing to adequately report on African-American life or to employ more than a token number of Black people.
The report stated:
“The journalistic profession has been shockingly backward in seeking out, hiring, training, and promoting Negroes. Fewer than 5 percent of the people employed by the news business in editorial jobs in the United States today are Negroes. Fewer than 1 percent of editors and supervisors are Negroes, and most of them work for Negro-owned organization…The plaint is “We can’t find qualified Negroes.” But this rings hollow from an industry where, only yesterday, jobs were scarce and promotion unthinkable for a man whose skin was black.”
The Kerner Commission 53 Years Later
And yet today, over 50 years later, there is still a lack of newsroom diversity and adequate coverage of the Black community in the United States. According to a study done by Pew Research, more than three-quarters of newsroom employees – those who work as reporters, editors, photographers and videographers in the newspaper – are non-Hispanic whites, according to the analysis of 2012-2016 American Community Survey data. That is true of 65% of U.S. workers in all occupations and industries combined. Newsrooms lack the most diversity out of all U.S. occupations.
As shown by the graph presented below by Statista, distribution of employees in TV newsrooms in the United States from 2017 to 2021, still show that there is a dearth of Black reporters compared to white ones.
Despite this lack of newsroom diversity, there are still Black people in newsrooms representing our causes and the Black press is still alive and well, making sure Black voices are being amplified. njustice in government policies and legislations. I’ve come to understand that my specific role as a Black reporter in the state of media today is to uncover injustice in government policies and legislations. Now, as I realize where a journalist stands in the Freedoms granted in the First Amendment, I want to be a journalist that shines a spotlight on the personal side of politics and the policies impacting Black and Brown America. From social justice to structural reform, voting rights to corporate accountability, I’ve realized my place in public affairs reporting is to educate, inform and empower my audience with insights on the ground game of politics and have conversations with sources that examine the inner workings of our legislative process. Who knows, one day I even might become a White House correspondent. As Thomas Jefferson contended, if I had to choose to side between the government and the press, I would choose the press, because it represents the people. To simply put, my willingness to represent the people, particularly Black communities, even in times when I have to go against the government—and the inspiration I draw from the early Black press—is what guides my future outlook as a Black reporter.
Comments