National

Blacks Engage with Local News More than Whites

Published

11 years ago

March 18, 2015

By Jazelle Hunt
NNPA Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – A growing body of research indicates that Black people pay more attention to local news and digital media than other groups.

The Pew Research Center revisited this trend with its study titled, “Local News in a Digital Age.” The research surveys residents of Denver, Macon, Ga., and Sioux City, Iowa to examine news consumption and community involvement habits along racial lines.

“One of the greatest disparities occurs not across metro areas, but within them:

that of race and ethnicity,” the report finds. “Both Hispanics in Denver and Blacks in Macon closely follow local and neighborhood news at higher rates than their white counterparts.”

In Macon, where the researchers compared data between Black and White respondents, 70 percent of Black people followed local news closely, compared to 43 percent of White respondents, and 60 percent of Hispanic respondents in Denver.

People who pay attention to the news are interested in a variety of topics. But Black respondents gave particular attention to news about crime.

“In Macon, about half (51 percent) of residents follow crime news very closely, substantially higher than in the other two cities studied,” the report states. “Macon residents also stand out somewhat from the other two cities for their close attention to what is happening in local schools, the local economy, local government and politics, and local jobs and unemployment.”

Among respondents who focused on crime, Black peoples were also more likely to discuss crime news with others – 86 percent of Black respondents said they did, compared to 76 percent of White respondents.

The study notes that income and education also influences the interest in crime news; respondents with lower incomes and less education were likelier to be informed about the crime in their neighborhoods.

The Macon metropolitan area is 41 percent Black, which may also help explain another of the report’s findings: Black residents are more likely to “feel they can have a big impact on the city” than their White counterparts. This was also true for Hispanics in Denver, in comparison to White respondents there.

This optimism about their own capacity is in stark contrast to their outlook on the city –only 9 percent Macon respondents rated it an “excellent” city, and 43 percent rated it “fair to poor.”

Still, people in Macon, Black and otherwise, generally have the highest civic participation rates among the three cities surveyed. It is unclear whether the high news consumption causes people to be more involved in their communities, or whether it is the other way around.

Interestingly, Black people in the study engage with their local media more, and in different ways than do their White neighbors. Social media, for example, is a more important pathway to the news for Black respondents than for their White counterparts.

“For example, blacks in the Macon area who get local news from The Telegraph are more likely than whites to access the site via social media,” the report states.

“Among consumers of other print publications beside the major daily, blacks are nearly three times as likely to have gotten there via social media than whites (25% vs. 9%). And about twice as many blacks (13%) who get news on local radio access it through social media than do whites (6%).”

Black people in Macon are also more likely than Whites to interact with their local media outlets, as opposed to simply consuming the news. They were more likely to call into a live radio show, comment on a local news or local government blog or website, submit their own content to a news outlet.

Despite all of this interest in news, Macon is sorely lacking in media options geared toward Black people or their interests. The report lists the Georgia Informer, a monthly community paper, as the only Black-centric publication serving Macon. There are 17 outlets in Denver serving people of color.

“Overall interest in local news, meanwhile, is highest in the city with the most limited number of offerings and the lowest level of education and household income,” the report says, in reference to Macon.

“These three cities are not meant to be extrapolated to the nation as whole, but they do indicate the degree to which local factors – from digital infrastructure to economics to civic engagement to race, ethnicity and education – contribute to the mix of providers that emerge, the public that supports them and the ways they interact.”

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

17 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

19 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.