Two veteran journalists come together to investigate the role played by the media during the Civil Rights era. Hank Klibanoff and Gene Roberts are both seasoned award winning journalists whose familiarity with south side journalism proves valuable in “The Race Beat”. The two journalists have done a tremendous job in arranging the history of the press activities over the Civil Rights era.
“The Race Beat” covers several aspects concerning the history of the black press. This history dates as far back as the nineteenth century. This paper proves that although the black press started the push for Civil Rights in the south, the integration of the nation’s press turned the tables on segregation.
“The Race Beat” outlines the progress of media coverage in the South. At the beginning of the book, the authors paint a picture of a zealous black press agitating for equality. During these early times, it was customary to expect a story about racial inequality to be emphasized only by the black media. Any Civil Rights stories by the rest of the media came as a surprise to the general population.
After this initial push by dedicated African American newsmen, the southern editors entered the arena. Most of these southerners were composed of liberal newspaper and magazine editors. The bravery and energy exhibited by some of these editors served as motivation for most southern reporters. According to the authors, the south was soon flocked by national news reporters and photographers.
The book’s climax has the nation’s attention tuned to events surrounding the Civil Rights. For instance, the book details an event in which Robert Schakne a CBS reporter forced the crowd to give a synthetic reaction just so he could film it. This event shows that the demand for Civil Rights stories was at an all time high.
The interest in Civil Rights coverage was mostly fueled by increased national demand for segregation related stories. An example of such a story includes the trial for the murder of Emmett Till. This trial was covered extensively by the national media.
The turning point in the press coverage of the Civil Rights is most likely the division among southern editors. At the beginning, most southern editors were contented with observing events from far away. However, at one point in the book the southern editors started taking Civil Rights issues more personally. For instance, some editors from the south started calling for mass resistance.
In addition, the editors from the south were forming partnerships with segregationists. These behaviors were countered by the fearless acts of other southern editors who were sympathetic of the Civil Rights Movement. The push and pull between southern editors acted as the invitation to the national media.
Eventually, the voice of the segregationists was becoming overwhelmed by the presence of national media. The presence of the national media proved to be a major advantage for the Civil Rights Movement.
The competition factor between national media acted as the final push against Civil Rights. At one point, reporters from all parts of the country were fighting for opportunities to portray injustices.
The authors give an overview of the situation in Little Rock School where reporters from all parts of the country had gathered. This fanaticism eventually turned into real compassion. The book indicates that without realizing it the reporters’ hearts were already won over by the Civil Rights Movement.