Book Review

Black Journalists
The NABJ STORY
By
Wayne Dawkins


In the book Black Journalists, The NABJ Story, Wayne Dawkins answers this basic question: why did The NABJ form as an organization? The author does a great job of giving a historical background to help the reader understand the motivation of forming this organization. Throughout the book, the author thoroughly documents the social complexities of the past and weaves it to the profession of journalism for Blacks from the Civil Rights Movement up until December 12, 1975 when the organization was officially formed by forty-four journalists in Washington , D.C. The author, a Black journalist and member felt compelled to write this book so that people just learning about this organization for the first time can learn about how far the organization has come.

From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most prominent figures to lead the Civil Rights Movement in America , a fight to end legal racial discrimination. During the 1960s, many laws were passed, such as voting rights, fair housing, and equal employment. These laws changed the landscape of America and helped to facilitate Black Americans’ career expansion. Blacks were beginning to move beyond preaching, teaching, and undertaking- the only jobs that were available to well educated Blacks during this time era. When legal segregation ended in this country, Blacks were given the opportunity to compete in the workplace. Many Blacks felt that they needed to maximize their potential to survive in the job market. In order to cultivate more Black professionals, and offer support to one another, Black professionals started to organize themselves into dozens of national associations.

According to the author, the news media played a very significant role in the civil rights revolution. “The pictures on the evening news of black demonstrators in the South being assaulted by police with guard dogs, nightclubs and water cannons exposed America and the rest of the world to the disgrace of legal segregation (page 2).” Although the media exposed many racial injustices of the time, ironically it was the mainstream news media that perpetuated segregation and racism. For example, the 1968 report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Disorders (appointed by President Johnson and led by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner) examined the causes and symptoms that set off the explosion of riots by Blacks in American cities in the mid-to-late 1960s. The report concluded that America was moving toward two societies, and that much of the media maintained segregation and discrimination in the newsroom while they were exposing segregation and discrimination in other institutions.

According to the author, Black reporters who worked and got their stories published in the newspapers battled with their white editors over objectivity. Many Black reporters attempted to cover Black Americans with more depth and breadth than just crime reports or riots, but they were dismissed by Whites as advocacy reporting. The Black perspective was mostly ignored. Black journalists during this time era were mostly politicized because of constant exposure to racism and bigotry; they felt that the journalistic doctrine of objectivity was a farce. Black journalists felt the heat in the Black communities they tried to cover. White editors criticized them for being “pro-black,” while some community activists and spokesmen dismissed them as “Uncle Toms” and “sellouts” to the Black struggle. Black journalists struggled with the constant pressure and frustration of how to deal in a daily newsroom culture while staying true to themselves and the Black community.

This book is vital in regards to exploring the journalism/mass communication canon in regards to studying the history of Black journalists in America and the struggles they endured to get their stories published. When I think of my own scholarly pursuits as an educator and journalist, I am vexed at how the media ignores marginalized people’s perspectives. I am even more vexed that as an African-American woman that it is likely that I will not get a job in journalism upon graduation. I feel that a journalism program should arm minority students with enough knowledge and practical training to help them overcome these obstacles that still exist in the newsroom. I suggest this book for any scholar to read because it reinforces the power of the media to affect how people think and feel about other minority groups.

Dawkins, W. (1997). Black Journalists, The NABJ Story. August Press.


Additional Readings:

Dawkins, W. (2003). Rugged Waters: Black Journalists Swim in the Mainstream.

Ainely, B. (1998). Black Journalists White Media.

Image taken from: http://www.augustpress.net/nabj.html