The History of Black Journalism Is the Future for All Journalism

Abstract

This chapter examines how journalism programs at historically Black colleges and universities inform the future of majoritarian media programs. Only after a series of highly publicized cases of police abuse were caught on camera did many mainstream journalism schools reconsider whether students should be more skeptical of the official stories of police encounters with the public. Because more people of color lack an interest in maintaining the status quo, HBCU students can more effectively interrogate elected officials and investigate/report on institutional racism than journalism programs at primarily white mainstream universities. The chapter intersects with the George Floyd case and weaves through the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement on its way to wondering whether all future journalists who report on police would be better served being trained by outsiders.