What I learned from Presentations in Class

What I Learned About the National Negro Press Association

By: Bria Henry

After listening to Saige’s presentation on the National Negro Press Association, I learned how important the Black press has been in giving a voice to African American communities. The organization was founded in 1940, when twenty Black publishers came together in Chicago to unify their efforts and strengthen Black journalism. This stood out to me because it showed how necessary it was to create spaces where Black stories could be told accurately, especially when mainstream media often ignored or misrepresented them.

                                                                      Photo By: CNN
Black Journalist Working

I also learned about John H. Sengstacke, who led the creation of the organization. He was the publisher of the Chicago Defender, one of the most influential Black newspapers at the time. What I found especially meaningful is that the founding conference happened on the same day his uncle, Robert Sengstacke Abbott, passed away. His uncle had always wanted to unite Black publishers, so Sengstacke continuing that vision made the moment even more powerful.

Another thing I learned is that this wasn’t the first attempt to organize Black journalists. An earlier version of the association existed in 1909, but the 1940 organization created a stronger and more lasting foundation. This showed me that progress builds over time.

What stood out to me the most was the impact of the organization. Black newspapers covered civil rights issues, shared community stories, and highlighted achievements that were often ignored by other media. Today, the organization, now known as the National Newspaper Publishers Association, still continues that mission.

Overall, this presentation helped me understand that journalism is not just about reporting news, but also about making sure every voice is heard.

Selling the Story

 My Thoughts on Five Star Final

By: Bria Henry

After watching Five Star Final, I noticed how the film reflects many of the concepts we have been learning about in journalism history. One of the biggest ideas shown in the movie is yellow journalism, which focuses on sensational and emotional stories in order to attract readers and increase newspaper sales. In the film, editor Joseph Randall works for the newspaper The New York Evening Graphic and is pressured by the publisher to boost circulation. Because of this pressure, Randall agrees to reopen an old scandal about Nancy Voorhees, a woman who had been involved in a murder case years earlier. Even though Nancy has rebuilt her life and is now married to Michael Townsend, the newspaper decides to publish her past again in order to create a shocking headline that will sell more papers. This reflects how newspapers during that time often prioritized dramatic stories over the well-being of the people involved.

Photo By: imdb

Five Star Final Movie Poster

Another character who represents unethical journalism is reporter T. Vernon Isopod. While watching the movie, it became clear that Isopod is willing to do almost anything to get information for a story. He follows Nancy, pressures people connected to her, and even brings in Jenny Townsend, Nancy’s daughter from her earlier life, to expose the truth publicly. His actions show very little concern for how the story might affect Nancy and her family. Instead, his main focus is getting the story published and creating a headline that will attract readers. This behavior reflects the competitive nature of newspapers at the time and how some reporters ignored ethical responsibilities in order to succeed.

The film also made me think about the ethical obligations journalists have toward both the people they write about and the people who read their work. Journalists have a responsibility to report the truth, but they also need to consider the impact their stories may have on individuals’ lives. In Five Star Final, the newspaper staff initially seems more focused on profits and circulation than on ethics. However, as the consequences of the story unfold, Joseph Randall begins to realize that publishing Nancy’s past has caused serious harm.

Overall, watching Five Star Final showed me how powerful journalism can be and how dangerous it can become when profit and sensationalism are prioritized over ethics. The movie highlights the importance of responsible reporting and reminds viewers that journalists must balance informing the public with protecting people from unnecessary harm.

Truth Against Terror

 Ida B. Wells

Photo By: Black Dollar and Culture

Portrait of Ida B. Wells

By: Bria Henry

In the late nineteenth century, journalism in the United States was dominated by white male voices, and many of the stories affecting Black communities were ignored or distorted by the mainstream press. At the same time, racial violence especially lynching was spreading across the South. One journalist refused to let those stories go untold. Ida B. Wells, a Black woman born into slavery, used investigative reporting to expose the truth behind lynching and challenge the silence surrounding racial terror in America.

                                      Photo By: US National Archives
The Emancipation Proclamation

Ida Bell Wells was born on July 16, 1862, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She was born into slavery but gained her freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation. Her childhood was marked by hardship. When she was only fourteen years old, a yellow fever epidemic killed both of her parents and one of her siblings. Determined to keep her remaining brothers and sisters together, Wells became a teacher to support them rather than allowing the family to be separated. That determination and sense of responsibility would define her future career.

Wells eventually moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she began writing for Black newspapers under the pen name “Iola.” Her articles focused on racial injustice and discrimination in the South. Over time, she became co-owner and editor of The Memphis Free Speech and Headlight, making her the first woman to co-own a Black newspaper in the United States. Through this platform, Wells began using journalism not just to report events but to challenge injustice.

Her work became deeply personal in 1892 when her friend Thomas Moss and two other Black businessmen were lynched after their successful grocery store competed with a white-owned business. Instead of accepting the violence as an isolated event, Wells began investigating lynching across the South. She examined newspaper reports, gathered statistics, and interviewed witnesses to uncover the real reasons behind these killings.

Her findings challenged the narrative that lynchings were primarily punishments for crimes against white women. Wells discovered that many victims were targeted for economic competition, minor disputes, or simply challenging racial hierarchies. She published her research in her pamphlet Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases in 1892, directly confronting the lies used to justify racial violence.

Photo By: Good Reads

A Copy of The Red Record 

The response was immediate and dangerous. While Wells was away from Memphis, a white mob destroyed her newspaper office and burned her printing press. She received threats warning her never to return to the city. Although she was forced to leave Memphis, Wells refused to stop reporting. She continued her work from New York and later Chicago, expanding her research and advocacy.

In 1895, Wells published The Red Record, the first major statistical analysis of lynching in American
history. By documenting cases and presenting data, she created one of the earliest examples of what would later be known as investigative and data-driven journalism. Her work helped expose racial violence to a wider national and international audience.

Wells’ activism extended beyond journalism. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and played an important role in the civil rights and women’s suffrage movements. She spent the rest of her life advocating for justice and equality until her death in 1931.

Decades later, her impact on journalism and civil rights continues to be recognized. In 2020, Columbia University awarded Wells a special Pulitzer Prize citation for her courageous reporting during the lynching era, acknowledging the importance of her work in exposing one of the darkest chapters of American history.

Today, Ida B. Wells is remembered as a pioneer of investigative journalism and a fearless advocate for truth. At a time when speaking out could cost her life, she continued to write, investigate, and challenge injustice. Her legacy reminds journalists that reporting is not only about sharing information it is about holding power accountable and refusing to look away from the truth.

AI Disclosure:

I used Claude AI to help organize and refine my writing based on research and the speech I prepared for class.