01429pab a2200169 454500008004000000100002200040245003400062260000900096300001300105362000800118520105000126650000901176650001801185650001001203650001801213773002801231180718b1999   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aJacobs, Ronald N.  aRace, media and civil society  c1999  ap.355-72  aSep  aThis article examines current theoretical debates about the public sphere by looking through the prism of race and the media. The history of the black public sphere in the United States illustrates why the publicity strategies of marginalized groups cannot concentrate solely on `mainstream' media and dominant publics, but must also include active participation in, and cultivation of, alternative public spheres. Historically, the black press has served three important functions: providing a forum for debate and self-improvement; monitoring the mainstream press; and increasing black visibility in white civil society. Because a tolerant and inclusive civil society is most likely when there is a differentiated and diverse set of communications media, the current crisis of the black press is a crisis for American civil society. Those in the `mainstream' media have a responsibility to respond to this crisis by recognizing the importance of alternative publics and increasing their engagement with the African-American press. - Reproduced  aRace  aCivil society  aMedia  aEthnic groups  aInternational Sociology