photo by steed media service

The Chicago Defender is one of the oldest African American newspapers in the United States. The nationally distributed publication was for many years one of the few daily newspapers in the black community. The Chicago Defender remains an institution in black media — even as the publication undergoes changes.

“We are now a weekly publication in Chicago,” explains House. “As I tell many people, our role today is very similar to the founders of Freedom’s Journal back in 1827. We must state our own cause and our own case. Today more than ever we need a voice in our community to speak to the issues that affect black people in this country.” Black newspapers are still very relevant to the community. They cover the depth and breadth of black life that never sees the light of day in mainstream media.

In this day of multimedia, print media is no longer the exclusive distributor of information. Publications such as the Defender must be aware of the alternative ways that people get their news, and cater to that. House notes that the publication is already available in a myriad of forms for readers. “Today there are a lot of choices for people to get their information,” he says. “We feel that our challenge is to not only have a weekly newspaper, but to have a presence on the Internet.”

“At the end of the day the thing that makes me strive to put out the best paper we can put out, is seeing the results,” says House. “The impact that [the paper] has on our community [offsets] some of the negative views that [you see] in the majority newspapers. Our kids and our students — we show that they’re not all hoodlums and thugs. They’re achieving great things in their chosen fields and being great American citizens.” -todd williams

Send this Article to a Friend
facebook