TAMPA, Fla. — Since the 1827 founding of Freedom’s Journal, the nation’s first black-owned newspaper, the black press has historically served as the voice of the African American community.
Over the last few decades, however, a series of developments — from integration in the 1960s to the increase in the number of black journalists working in mainstream media, culminating with President Barack Obama’s ascension to the White House — have led many to question the viability and relevance of black media outlets.
During a workshop at the annual National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, held last week in Tampa, a small number of representatives from the black press told journalists and public relations specialists that their outlets should be treated as the go-to contact, rather than an alternative option, when one can’t get a story or a job in the mainstream media.
Elinor Tatum — publisher and editor of the New York Amsterdam News, a weekly newspaper geared toward New York City’s black community — said she was approached by former NABJ President Barbara Ciara a few months ago about having black press organizations play a larger role in the association, which has a membership of 3,300 journalists, students and media professionals.
Tatum said the NABJ is starting to see the value in building relationships with black media outlets.
“The black press has helped many careers for many well-known journalists,” she said. “The black press also knows how to tell our stories right.”
One example cited at the convention was Black Enterprise, which has been the premiere business magazine for African Americans since its founding in 1970 by Earl G. Graves Sr. The publication has earned praise for presenting an image of black life that many feel is largely ignored in the mainstream media.
“There is a need for Black Enterprise because not all black people are athletes and entertainers,” said Deborah Creighton Skinner, editorial director for the magazine. “We can show blacks from a wide variety of fields running their own businesses and taking charge of their lives.”
Despite its unique role, the black press is not immune to the changing media landscape, in which many newspapers have been forced to downsize or even close due to economic pressures and the growing popularity of social media. In Boston, the Bay State Banner briefly suspended publication last month due to declining advertising revenues.
John Oliver, publisher of the Baltimore-based Afro-American newspapers, said he worries about the viability of his publications all the time. However, realizing that he needs to change with the times, Oliver said his papers place a heavy emphasis on their Web sites and other social media tools like Twitter.
“We are suffering like any other newspaper, but technology has provided more opportunities to connect with our audience, especially with younger people,” he said.
In addition to the vibrant black blogosphere, the idea of what the black media looks like has also evolved over the years. For example, Essence magazine and Black Entertainment Television (BET) are black-operated media outlets geared toward black audiences; however, they now are both majority corporate entities, owned by Time Warner and Viacom, respectively.
Nonetheless, Keith Brown, senior vice president of BET News, said that his company is not “less black” because of its white ownership. In fact, he said, being part of a larger organization has actually helped the network enhance its news operations.
“We have former employees from the BBC, ABC [and] CBS, and graduates from Columbia [University] and [the University of California at] Berkeley working for us,” Brown said. “There is this stigma that working for black media is career suicide, but it’s really not true.”
While some question the future of journalism in general and the black press in particular, the Amsterdam News’ Tatum continues to look on the bright side.
“Black media has always been around, and we aren’t going anywhere soon,” she said.
