'We Shall Overcome': The Civil Rights Movement & the Media

Television became a catalyst for change on a major scale. The Civil Rights Movement came to a head around the same time as televisions began to be a permanent feature in people’s homes. The media brought the inequalities and atrocities of the South into focus. By 1960, 90% of American homes had a television. It was this platform that arguably played a major part in the success of the movement. 

Exposing the Violence

Television was a powerful force for change. TV would nationally broadcast images of police dogs and fire hoses (especially in Birmingham) and generate support for the movement. These broadcasts were key turning points. When Americans witnessed violence, repression and hatred directed at African Americans, it began to change their mind about the South and segregation. For the many extra-legal violent activities, it was the first time that they were exposed. The Ku Klux Klan and other racists also knew the importance of the media coverage of the movement. As a result, reporters were often targets of violence as well as African Americans.

Public Awareness

Politicians seemed to recognise the power of television and they scrambled to understand it. How was it to work in the context of the political and social change that was happening in the 1960s? On the other side, Southern governors tried to use the news to reinforce segregation in the Southern states.  Television gave space for African American news, arguments and opinions. Many of those in the North were unaware of the atrocities that were happening in the South. However, once the media began their coverage of events, it became increasingly difficult for those to ignore what was happening.

Black Images

The civil rights movement was the first time that American media portrayed blacks in a positive fashion. Television helped Southern blacks to unify. While local Southern media outlets rarely covered news involving racial issues, they now had access to national newscasts that were witnessing and documenting this spreading revolution. These images portrayed in the media helped to create a narrative of the civil rights movement.

Hollywood

Unless you were famous like Joe Louis or Louis Armstrong, a black person might not make it into most white newspapers unless they committed a crime. It took Hollywood a while to address the racist nature of its films. It wasn’t until the early 1960s with films such as To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), that films began to aggressively address the question of prejudice. However, television took much longer to keep up. Very few blacks appeared on television until the late 1960s. 

Sophie Worrall