CHAPTER VIPRESENT DAY PAPERS
250 Secular Weeklies
Today over 250 secular Negro newspapers are being published in the United States, with a total circulation of over one million five hundred thousand copies. These papers are published in 34 states and in the district of Columbia.
Papers Have Journalistic Appearance
Papers published in the larger centers where the Negro population is large, such as New York City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, St. Louis, Washington, Detroit, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Atlanta have developed to a high degree. Their make-up on the whole is good; their news stories for the most part conform with accepted journalistic style; their leads are of the summary type; their headlines, although somewhat sensational, are usually well constructed; their news treatment is becoming more impersonal; on the whole they are a great improvement over the Negro papers of the past.
Defender Housed in $200,000 Plant
Negro newspaper offices are being transformed from mere receiving stations for news to newspaper plants. During May, 1921,The Chicago Defender, one of the leading Negro newspapers, moved into a new building fitted up by its owner, Robert S. Abbott, at an expense of over $200,000. The newDefenderplant compares favorably with that of any paper of its size in the United States.Its equipment includes four linotype machines, each equipped with two magazines, geared to cast seven lines per minute. The press on whichThe Defenderis printed is a 32-page and color machine, made by the celebrated Goss Printing Press Company. It is driven by a 30 H.P. motor and six men are required for its operation. It prints, folds and counts the papers all in one operation at a speed of 35,000 copies per hour. The paper’s circulation is over 200,000.
Abbott, Editor and Owner of The Chicago Defender, Chicago, Illinois
Abbott, Editor and Owner of The Chicago Defender, Chicago, Illinois
Afro-American Employs 21
Another paper which is representative of the new order of things in Negro Journalism isThe Afro-Americanof Baltimore, Md.The Afro-Americanwas among the first Negro papers to own and operate its own plant. Today the plant consists of a three-story building, Goss Press, three linotype machines, etc. The paper has twenty-one active employees and over two hundred agents in the state. The sworn circulation of the paper for 1920-21 was twenty thousand and one hundred copies weekly.
Tribune Owns $100,000 Plant
From a humble beginning in 1884,The Philadelphia Tribunehas grown until today it has its own hundred thousand dollar plant, fully equipped to do modern job and commercial work in addition to printing the paper. Christopher J. Perry remained sole owner of the paper from its founding to the time of his death. Today the paper is being published by his children, and is continuing along the conservative lines which have characterized the paper for more than 35 years.
First page of the Chicago Defender, a leading Negro weekly newspaper with a $200,000 plant and a subscription list which is over 175,000. A view of the plant is also shown.
First page of the Chicago Defender, a leading Negro weekly newspaper with a $200,000 plant and a subscription list which is over 175,000. A view of the plant is also shown.
Better Staffs and News
In the past, the editorial page has been the one redeeming feature of the average Negro newspaper. Today the papers are beginning to have well-balanced staffs, reporters, city editors, cartoonists, etc. News stories are being better written, copy is being handled more carefully, accuracy is being insisted upon, and make-up in general is being improved.
Sectional Differences in Development
Papers printed in different parts of the country vary quite significantly in their make-up and quality. The best papers are probably published in the Middle West and the East. The Southern press is still in the rear, although signs are evident that it is beginning to wake up. At the present four Southern papers have a very high national rating. They areThe Afro-American,The Atlanta Independent,The Nashville GlobeandThe Dallas Express.
Papers Having Over 30,000
Seven papers have over 30,000 subscribers. The list includes the following papers in the order named:The Chicago Defender,The Negro World,The Indianapolis Ledger,The Atlanta Independent,The New York News,The Pittsburgh CourierandThe Birmingham Reporter.
Twelve Leading Negro Weeklies
Any attempt to select the leading Negro newspapers of necessity must be more or less arbitrary, and dependent upon prejudices toward certain types of journalism. A probable list of the best twelve weeklies might include:The Chicago Defender,The Afro-American,The Cleveland Advocate,The Philadelphia Tribune,The New York Age,The Pittsburgh Courier,The Chicago Whip,The St. Louis Argus,The Indianapolis Ledger,The Atlanta Independent,The Detroit LeaderandThe Boston Guardian.