News of Baltimore (Routledge Research in Journalism) by Linda Steiner

Author:Linda Steiner [Steiner, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Media, USA
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2017-05-25T07:00:00+00:00

8 The Black Press and Baltimore

The Continuing Importance of African American Journalism During Urban Uprisings

Sarah J. Jackson

Abstract

In this chapter I consider how members of the black press covered, debated, and made sense of the events in Baltimore following the 2015 arrest and death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. I illustrate how coverage from black-run and -targeted media outlets extends the work of the historical black press while responding to contemporary challenges and evolutions in journalism. The traditional work of the black public sphere, which has long existed to legitimize the experiences of African Americans and to challenge mainstream narratives about race, violence, and national belonging, continues despite concerns from scholars about the decline of black newspapers after the 1970s. In particular, members of the black public sphere play a crucial role in offering Americans of all backgrounds counternormative ways of interpreting news. By highlighting how the black press reported on and contributed to narratives about Baltimore, I suggest that increased (but certainly not representative) mainstream integration, technology, and the decentering of journalism from elite forms and spaces has brought about a resurgence in the reach and diversity of African American narratives and news.

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