Source: Isabel Pavia / Getty
Black media outlets are an important part of the news market, especially for making sure our stories are told and represented in a way that’s not only for us but also by us. Unfortunately, the fate of those publications specifically is being threatened by a decline in advertisers, investors, and subscribers.
Thankfully, 10 Black newspapers from across the nation have come together to launch Word In Black, a collective platform that will aim to tell stories on the Black experience from different perspectives throughout the country.
The veteran publications that’ve come together to make this happen include New York Amsterdam News, Houston Defender, The Washington Informer, The Dallas Weekly, AFRO News out of Baltimore, The Michigan Chronicle, The Seattle Medium, The Sacramento Observer, The St. Louis American, and The Atlanta Voice. Each newspaper will see its content published on Word In Black, including reporting and exclusives using the power of media consolidation.
Get a look at why a move like this is so important to both the world of news media and our culture in general:
“At one point, there were hundreds of Black newspapers scattered across the country, offering extensive coverage on the stories like the Emmett Till lynching, Brown v. Board of Education and the Montgomery bus boycotts, while also covering local weddings, births, church news, and cotillions that major local papers ignored.
Today there are fewer than 250.
In 2012, Atlanta’s oldest Black newspaper, The Atlanta Daily World, merged with Real Times Media, the Chicago Defender’s owner and publisher. Real Times Media publishes six Black newspapers, including the Pittsburgh Courier.
[Nick] Charles said the new partnership is part of the Fund for Black Journalism, which was founded in 2020 by the Local Media Association and the same 10 newspapers to support coverage and create solutions around issues that affect Black communities.”
The combined effort doesn’t mean each publication will act in full unison. Each of the 10 different publishers has different political views and mindsets based on being in different parts of the country. However, veteran journalist Nick Charles says they’re all bound together through a shared “affection and love for communities,” also adding, “collaboration is going on because people realize that to survive and to meet our mission as journalists, we have to band together.”
Word In Black had its soft launch back in May, and you can officially visit the new platform by clicking here.
See Also:
If Black Media Doesn’t Tell The Truth About This Nation, It Won’t Be Told
A Handful Of Nationwide Black Newspapers Unite For New Online Platform was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
