Civil Rights Media Map - 1965
See how geography, social and political values, economics and history affected newspapers' exercise of freedom of press during the civil rights movement.
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The Dallas Morning News
In 1885, Alfred Horatio Belo founded the daily paper The Dallas Morning News. Belo used the paper to advocate for industrialization in Texas. In the 1920s, Belo expanded the paper’s reach by building the first networked radio station in Texas (WFAA, “Working for All Alike — A Radio Service of The Dallas Morning News”) and later through WFAA-TV, an ABC affiliate TV station. The newspaper continues to print today.
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The Atlanta Constitution
Founded in 1868, The Atlanta Constitution competed with The Atlanta Journal for readers. The Constitution was a daily morning paper that, like its rival, established a radio station in the 1920s. When Ralph McGill became editor of the Constitution in 1942, he began describing the racial injustices in the south. At first McGill called the “race problem” an economic one, but later saw it as a social issue. In 1959, McGill won a Pulitzer for coverage of a hate-bombing of a Jewish temple in the city. Eugene Patterson succeeded McGill as editor, and won a Pulitzer in 1967 for editorials against race crime. In 2001, the Constitution and the Journal merged to form The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Detroit Free Press
During the civil rights movement, when Michigan was 91 percent white, the Detroit Free Press competed with the Detroit Daily News for readers. Founded in 1831, the Free Press was the first American newspaper to have a European bureau (though the London edition lasted only from 1881 to 1899). In 1968, the Free Press won a Pulitzer Prize for “both the brilliance of its detailed spot news staff work and its swift and accurate investigation” into the causes of the 1967 Detroit race riots. The Detroit Free Press is still printed today.
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The Selma Times-Journal
Although Alabama in 1960 was a majority-white state, the city of Selma was majority-black. The Selma Times-Journal, founded in 1920, served white readers. Editorials denounced the Roosevelts, the New Deal and blacks who advocated for greater rights. Ed Fields, a member of the local Citizens’ Council, was the editor of the newspaper from 1938 to 1963. After his death, editor Roswell Falkenberry adopted a moderate, even progressive tone for a Southern newspaper. Falkenberry called for all citizens to obey federal laws and allow everyone to vote. The Times-Journal still prints today.
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The Augusta Courier
Roy Harris, a one-time president of the Augusta Citizens’ Council and a state legislator, founded the weekly Augusta Courier in 1946. As editor, Harris promoted segregation and supported local, state and regional politicians who shared his views, including Alabama Gov. George Wallace. However, Harris did not support anti-Semitic actions. The newspaper folded in 1974.
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