BlackPerspective.net
Discussing the Diaspora as seen through an internal Black lens
The Tug Of War Between Traditional and New Media - Black Style
July 28th, 2008
As The Nation noted in an article last week “…professional trade organizations for ethnic journalists–the Asian American Journalists Association; the National Association of Hispanic Journalists; the Native American Journalists Association; and the oldest, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)–are meeting jointly in Chicago beginning July 23. And that same week, a small association of ethnic minority bloggers is holding its first conference, in Atlanta.”
Reports that I’ve read from participant of the Bloggin While Brown in Atlanta, is that it was a productive event. Congratulations at having a successful gathering.
I’m not here to discuss either conference themselves though, but to examine some things said in The Nation article.
The Nation: “it is of major concern to minority journalists that the blogosphere, for all its kinetic energy and potential for progressive activism, has not produced significant numbers of high-profile nonwhite bloggers. Journalists of color look at the ascendance of the blogosphere and can’t help but think, This new boss looks an awful lot like the old boss.”
A little confused by the “boss” reference as there is no boss of the internet; anyone, with little to no entry cost, can publish themselves on the internet. Though I suppose she was using “boss” allegorically
Hmmm, well the first thing is that there was an internet connectivity gap due to the economics of Black verses white America where significant numbers of whites were online, and Blacks lagged behind. That gave the white-bloggosphere an almost 10 year head start. Black blog activism is only about 2 years old, and if you look at the level precipitously growing notoriety of some Black bloggers and Afrosphere organization (for instance ColorofChange) that has been gained relative to that time line; you see a rather quick burgeoning of Black blogger prominence.
But further to the issue, “high profile” to whom? If anyone hasn’t noticed, we’re still Black in America. Haley Berry was pretty high profile amongst Black audiences before white America finally discovered her. Will Smith was famous in our community for about 10 years before they decided he was somebody. New York Undercover was a top show in Black house holds, though it never gained a significant white view-ship. Anita Baker never became a big deal to white America, but she’s consider a classic artist amongst Black R&B fans from the time of her heyday.
Which my point is that this goes to the next thing brought up by The Nation: “And this situation raises some serious questions. Where will readers go for reliable, well-reported, well-documented news and information of particular relevance to people of color?
If you’re actually looking for reliable “information of particular relevance to people of color”, you don’t go by what or whom the mainstream white media anoints. Most people out in the popular culture do not know who Markos Moulitsas (dailykos) or Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post) are; just we political and news nerds; why because they’re notoriety is hyped by the white run news media. And as normal, just like with the other media figures I pointed out from other mediums, white run media doesn’t particularly take notice and give hype to those not of their own fold.
Nontheless, the likes of Black bloggers such as Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Dr. Boyce Watkins, Keith Boykin and even conservative LaShawn Barber have broken through as well known and regularly invited t.v. pundits.
Blogs like the Black Commentator, The Black Agenda Report (an out growth of Black Commentator) The Field Nego, Pam Spaulding, etc. have amassed grand readerships for their socio-political commentary and news updates.
There are many others of us just below the surface poised to break out with regular; national news coverage and invites to comment on issues from the largest media outlets in the land.
I mean how many traditional media news reporters are house hold names anyway. You’ve got two or three handfuls of Katie Courics or Bryant Gumbles out there. Let me know when Markos starts getting paid 20 million dollars a year.
And to the question of “Will the blogosphere accommodate the thousands of experienced journalists of color who fought for decades to gain access to mainstream newsrooms?”
I find that to be kind of a strange question seeing as though professional Black journalist can put up a blog as they wish, the same as non-professional journalist Black bloggers. It almost seems to be asking will the bloggers of color defer to professional journalist bloggers. Maybe she’s just asking is their room in the blogosphere for numerous journalist of color to transition to.
But going back to “where will readers go for reliable, well-reported, well-documented news and information of particular relevance to people of color?”
Are we looking to Black old media for the reliable information of particular relevance to Black folk. Since BET got rid of Ed Gordon, Tavis Smiley and almost all the rest of its news/public affair programming a few years ago and then sold to viacom; we’ve had no nationally televised nightly Black oriented news program. I think we only have one or two left that are even weekly. Then with major black media like Essence selling to white corporate interest, Black Voices being a property of AOL, TheRoot.com as noted really being the Washington Post’s ‘Black blog’; where are we supposed to be turning for independent Black oriented news from Black people; and likewise from other folks of color.
I’m not saying that content on the aforementioned sites have no authentic ethnic validity, I read stuff from those places, and know some of the writers; but the thing is that in the end, most of Black oriented old media is subject to the editorial power of white corporate America.
You’d like to think we could at least turn to Black writers within mainstream white media to represent us, but most of them shy away from pushing Black storylines, especially racially controversial ones to the editors, because they don’t want to be seen as “the Black writer” if they’re trying to climb the white corporate ladder.
Even for the ones who don’t mind going there, though they may be in the newsroom, we still aren’t running them. Columnist Eugene Robison having been promoted up to associate editor of the Washington Post is a relative rarity; especially for a Black guy writing openly about race from a not particularly accomidationist perspective.
I had a more concise point when I was writing all of this in my head as I read the article, before I actually started typing it. Don’t know what that point is now; but anyway…
Oh, I know what it is:
Blogging fills it’s own gap for the most part; and has it’s own place. Most of us Black bloggers would love it if we could look to BET for solid daily news reporting; but sadly we can’t.
If professional journalist have a “discomfort, with the pungent advocacy that characterizes much of the blogosphere” and “the professional identities of black journalists like myself developed under the strictures of “objective” journalism”; then they can set up “objective” Black oriented news sites and not participate in activism. At least still, our stories and concerns would presumably be covered, which is a major problem in traditional media. I don’t think that journalist or whomever prefer this type of format should be trying to move into the bloggosphere to displace the activist Black blogger, though. Everybody can play their position. There’s different work for different people.
It’s not as if Fox News isn’t a traditional-professional media outlet that’s also activist media. And many of it’s counter-parts, while maybe the whole organization may not be dedicated to a particular activist slant, have particular programs that are; like Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.
But then again maybe these are two good examples why we don’t want activist media 
posted in Cultural, MSNBC Videos, Social Commentary | | | View blog reactions |
3 Responses to “The Tug Of War Between Traditional and New Media - Black Style”
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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It’s pretty much on us bloggers to contribute coherent commentary for the black community. Our “channels” don’t do it, our “pundits” don’t do it, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be a championed perspective in mainstream media outlets.
Hopefully, as the digital divide decreases, those blogging right now will continue on an independently owned and operated mission to inform and encourage action from our people.
Yep Jarret, I agree its on us. And I too rue the day when corporate money starts getting thrown at the most popular bloggers.
But as long as we have netneutrality, there will always be more independent bloggers to rise to replace the ones who choose to sellout their view point for a dollar.
*note: I don’t care if bloggers get paid, as long as they’re not censoring themselves to get paid.