Essay, Research Paper: Media's Role In The Civil Rights Movement

When we think of those who have played key roles in the Civil Rights movement, we quite often think of Rosa Parks, or the Martin Luther King. But we seem to forgetwho else had a huge role in the determining what was going to happen to our countries African-American population. And who is the forgotten soul? Why the media of course. Reporters and Newscasters played an enormous role during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. They helped to depict the atrocities that were occurring in race relations. They helped prove to those who had never witnessed the injustices personally that what was occurring in our country was so overwhelmingly immoral and that something had to be done. The inequalities and mistreatments that were transpiring were brought to the entire nation's attention. Raw film footage of police brutality and other shocking news was played out in the living rooms and coffee tables of millions America's families. Americans young and old were forced to view images of police dogs attacking black protesters and police officers spraying protesters with firehouses that were powerful enough to tear the clothes of the people's backs. With our country's domestic problems being displayed to the world, the nation was forced to realize how wrong all of the racism was. Perhaps this is one of the most positive things that media could have done for civil rights. It was time for America to stop ignoring the injustices. Finally, positive change was occurring more rapidly than ever before. However, much work is yet to be done.
The media help to initiate change on numerous occasions. In 1963 when SCLC associates launched massive demonstrations to protest racial discrimination in Alabama. Police used dogs and fire hoses to drive back peaceful protesters, including children. Heavy news coverage of the violence produced a national outcry against segregation. Soon afterward, Kennedy proposed a wide-ranging civil rights bill to Congress. In 1965 protesters rallied against the efforts of white officials there to deny most black citizens the chance to register and vote. Several hundred protesters attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery, the state capital, but police officers used tear gas and clubs to break up the group. The bloody attack, broadcast nationwide on television news shows, shocked the public. Because of this President Johnson went before Congress to