March 2016

[Commentary] For certain journalists, the age-old combination of breakfast and a newspaper doesn’t cut it any more. “I don’t know any black reporter who, the first thing in the morning, doesn’t check Black Twitter,” Jamilah King, a senior writer at Mic, said at a February conference on the topic. That term, as many by now know, unofficially refers to a sprawling network of African American Twitter users that has emerged as a serious media force in recent years. It has been a consistent megaphone for news and reactions to police killings, while hashtag campaigns such as #BlackLivesMatter and #OscarsSoWhite have led to wide-ranging public discussions on race and privilege. Users have not only highlighted a large, previously overlooked audience for coverage of issues affecting black communities, but also new talent for media organizations to recruit.

“Before Black Twitter’s rise, the coverage of African American culture and related news issues was up to the discretion of the individual publisher, and the audience really had to wait for a reporter to pay attention,” says Mark S. Luckie, head of journalism and media at Reddit and curator of the Today in Black Twitter feed. Users “are calling attention to the news organizations—who are finding stories that they might not have otherwise—and they are creating content that they know readers are interested in.” But this influence, firmly established as Twitter marked its 10th birthday this month, has simultaneously highlighted the limitations of this online community. Namely: It remains unlikely that Black Twitter alone can continue evolving to fill the same social role as the black press. African-American media, whose power was traditionally centered in print newspapers and magazines, has continued to decline despite a handful of digital newcomers springing up. While Black Twitter may aid in fulfilling the black press’ broader historical function, some argue that it can only do so in a supporting role.