Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>In the new media age, the Black press has undergone significant changes in content, ownership, and audience. Some digital Black press outlets are foregrounding entertainment over hard-news stories, others are not Black owned, many are attracting non-Black audiences, and audience engagement is taking place online. These developments raise the questions: How does entertainment content work for or against the goals of the Black press? In what ways does ownership affect the Black press’ content? Who is the audience for the digital Black press? And how do Black press journalists interact with their audience? The Blackish Press uses interviews with Black press journalists, focus groups with readers, and analysis of web metrics to argue that the digital Black press is adapting to meet the current needs of the Black community. Legacy publications with an online presence and digital-native Black press outlets are advocating for African Americans via both entertainment and hard-news content. Also, readers and journalists prefer Black ownership, but they include mainstream-owned, Black-targeted verticals in their conceptions of the Black press. Although the digital Black press has a significant non-Black audience, Black press editors intentionally target their Black audience and employ organizational codeswitching to signal authenticity. The Blackish press’ content continues to counter mainstream narratives and contributes to a digital Black public sphere. As such, digital Black press outlets operate both similarly and differently from their historical predecessors. The Blackish Press provides an in-depth analysis of what it means when the Black press acclimates to the new media landscape and questions what is gained and lost in the process.</jats:p>