Chapter V · THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA (1900-⸺)
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Journalism Becoming a Profession
Without doubt the first two decades of the twentieth century mark the highest progress in Negro Journalism. More papers have been established, and better papers have been produced. A realization of the power of the press has grown as the period of freedom has increased and race consciousness has been developed. More men with capital have invested in newspapers. Publishers and editors began for the first time to consider Journalism a profession from which a living could be derived.
Lack Funds and Need Equipment
Lack of adequate funds to fully develop a well-balanced newspaper has been and still is the greatest drawback to the Negro publisher. Until in very recent years, no Negro newspaper did all of its mechanical work. In many cases the newspaper office merely collected and arranged the news, and then carried it to some publishing concern. In other cases, the paper was printed by a publishing house, although the “forms” were made-up in the paper’s own shop. Thus, Negro newspapers have not been independent concerns.
Lack of Live News Stories
In his effort to seriously make journalistic progress, the publisher of a Negro newspaper has always found it difficult to obtain sufficient live material to fill up his sheet. There have been no news bureaus or syndicates to supply him with the type of news needed to make his paper a real newsy sheet. In his endeavor to “pad out” in order to continually fill the standard size of his paper, the Negro publisher has been compelled to “clip” news previously featured by the daily newspapers or rewrite news from other Negro papers—a task rendered difficult by the corresponding dearth of real news in all Negro papers during “dull” seasons.
Poor Organization a Serious Handicap
Prior to and at the beginning of the twentieth century, the organization of the average Negro newspaper amounted to a printer-editor, perhaps an assistant whose duties were varied and manifold, an office girl, who in addition to keeping books, also performed the duties of copy-reader, and two or three agents who worked part time on a percentage basis. The typographical and grammatical structure of many of the papers suffered greatly through the lack of having a staff sufficiently trained and equipped with the proper facilities for turning out a well-edited, well-printed sheet.
Dependence on a small, under-paid and inefficient organization—a condition analogous, and in many instances worse than that which exists on the small town newspaper—has seriously handicapped the Negro newspaper of the past.
News Bureaus and Syndicates Founded
The past twenty years have witnessed the evolution of a new Negro press. Stronger papers have been begun, and news syndicates and news associations have been founded. Examples of the latter are: The Hampton Institute Service, The Tuskegee Institute Press Service, Allen’s News Agency, The R. W. Thompson News Agency, The National Negro Press Association and The Associated Negro Press. Especially is the last named organization rendering a great service and filling a great need.
Associated Negro Press
The Associated Negro Press has been in existence less than four years but during that time it has rapidly grown and achieved great success. Today it has a membership of more than 100 newspapers. The establishment of the A. N. P. was the first effort in Negro Journalism to assemble and distribute regularly general news from all sections of the United States and other countries affecting Colored people. Through the work of this organization big news stories now appear simultaneously in all of the leading Negro newspapers. The A. N. P. maintains executive offices in Chicago and permanent bureaus in Washington and New York.
Papers of the Period
Among the present day papers established in this period are: The Boston Guardian, The Nashville Globe, The Atlanta Independent, The Chicago Defender, The Detroit Leader, The Pittsburgh Courier, The St. Louis Argus, The Dallas Express, The Cleveland Advocate, The Negro World, The Indianapolis Ledger, The Indianapolis Recorder, and The Chicago Whip.