What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
Giving Compass' Take:
• The Democracy Fund shares the historical importance of the Black press, the current landscape of the industry, and how philanthropy can support Black journalism going forward.
• How can you best support the Black press? How does this work align with your philanthropic goals and values?
• Learn about the importance of local journalism in an age of fake news.
Since its creation in the early 19th century, the Black press has played a crucial role in the broader journalism industry — reporting on relevant issues within the African-American community, shining a light on both its challenges and triumphs and providing a nuanced portrait of the lives of Black Americans when mainstream media would not. Today, Black legacy press faces many of the same struggles of the news industry overall, namely adapting to major losses of advertising revenue and an increasingly digital information landscape. Some legacy outlets are reimagining how they work and connect with their communities, while several young entrepreneurs of color are building digital-first organizations that tap into today’s news landscape. Both uniquely function to deliver news to Black audiences and tell the multitude of stories that exist in the Black community.
As a journalism funder, Democracy Fund is dedicated to increasing the diversity of sources, stories, and staff in newsrooms. This includes supporting mainstream newsrooms as they work to better reflect the communities they serve, but also importantly, media that are both by and for diverse communities in the United States. That’s why we’ve commissioned this report on the state of African-American media today, which takes a look at its past, current trends and challenges, and opportunities for Black press today.
This report is the second in a series of reports on ethnic media in the United States. This report was completed by the Obsidian Collection, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago that partners with Black legacy press to help digitize their countless photos and documents chronicling African American life over time. They’re working to preserve this rich history for generations to come, while also monetizing these archives in the digital age. Obsidian Collection is a current grantee of Democracy Fund, and it is just one partner in our efforts to ensure a media landscape as diverse as American communities today.
Originating in the 1800s to advocate for the abolition of slavery, African-American and Black media in the United States has throughout its history been a powerful voice for and to the African-American community. Today, even amid struggles brought about by losses in advertising revenue, the Black press continues to be a voice for the African-American community, particularly online. This report is a landscape analysis, providing a brief history of the Black press, an overview of the current state of Black newspapers and digital media, and recommendations for maintaining and strengthening Black media.
The 21st century has been challenging for newspapers of all sorts including the Black press. Some publications have shuttered. Others have moved completely online, while others have reduced their frequency to cut costs. Embracing the internet as an opportunity rather than a threat has given other publications a chance at new life and the prospect of reaching wider audiences. Social media, in particular, has given scrappy Black press outlets a platform to disseminate information and to advocate for societal change.