by Evan Da Silva, Hillary Avelino, and Kristofer Medina
Dr. Miya Williams Fayne is an associate professor at California State University, Fullerton. She is an extremely well-educated individual, having received a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in media, technology and society, an M.A. from Emerson College in publishing and writing, and a B.A from the University of Southern California in print journalism. In her study, The Great Digital Migration: Exploring What Constitutes the Black Press Online, Dr. Williams Fayne acknowledges that the Black Press has historically been defined as print publications that are published by and for African Americans in the United States. The Black Press was officially established as an institution in 1827. But, historically, there is not an outstanding definition of what the Black Press truly is. Being that most media is now consumed digitally, is attempting to reach wider audiences, and is primarily white-owned, Dr. Williams Fayne hypothesized that, in the opinions of modern journalists, black ownership and advocacy would no longer be requirements for publications of any medium to consider themselves a part of the Black Press. With that hypothesis in mind, Dr. Williams Fayne felt that it was important to find out how the Black Press was being defined in today’s journalism field.
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The Society for Communications Research 