By: MMM Editorial Team
Media 2070 is on an ongoing mission to transform the American media landscape.
"We launched in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd's [death]," explained Anshantia Oso, Senior Director. "The group that we're a part of, Free Press, does a lot of work around media systems and so we dreamed up the goal of media reparations and really developed a campaign that discusses how the media has harmed Black communities, both in modern times and throughout history."
Oso explained that the white media system is heavily rooted in enslavement, pointing to how news editors funded their outlets by listing ads for enslaved people or playing a direct role in the selling of Black, enslaved people. She then went on to discuss how news can also play a role in mass violence, digging into the background of the Tulsa Massacre:
"For those who don't know, Dick Rowland, a Black man had some sort of an interaction with a white woman at a hotel and the details vary, even the accounts of the incident vary from 'he disrespected her' to 'he manhandled her.' said Oso. "By the time, it got to the white community, an angry mob formed and over a couple days they killed hundreds of Black residents and burned 35 city blocks to the ground. But none of that was true."
More than 100 years later, the city is exploring reparations but Media 2070 organizers say this should include media as well, given the local newspaper's role in inciting violence.
"There were headlines, including in the Tulsa Tribune, saying 'Get this Negro!'"said Oso. "So, we need to talk about the ways the media talked about the riot, and even set the stage for it, even focusing on white injuries. If it hadn't been for Black newspapers, we'd never know what actually happened..."
Oso then explores how this pattern of attacking Black communities in local news continued across the country, setting the foundation for mass violence, before discussing accountability for news today and what needs to change.
You can listen to the full episode below:
Are you interested in featuring Media 2070 in your outlet or partnering with our team? Email publicist Tianna Mañón at tmanon@tiannamanon.com
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