000			01480pab a2200193 454500
008			180718b1999 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aJacobs, Ronald N.
245			_aRace, media and civil society
260			_c1999
300			_ap.355-72
362			_aSep
520			_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
650			_aRace
650			_aCivil society
650			_aMedia
650			_aEthnic groups
773			_aInternational Sociology
909			_a42844
999			_c42844 _d42844