“To Plead Our Own Cause”

Abstract

Studies have looked at the rise of alternative media in light of widespread cynicism about mainstream media. This article extends this research by examining African Americans' use of, and opinions toward, mainstream and alternative Black media. The article explores whether African Americans use Black media in place of mainstream media or consume both in a complementary fashion. It examines potential correlates of opinion toward mainstream and Black media, including trust in government. Analyzing results of a survey of 386 African Americans, the article finds a positive relationship between consumption of mainstream and Black media among African Americans, and a positive relationship between evaluations of the two sorts of media. Favorable evaluations of mainstream media are positively associated with preferring its version of a story, whereas favorable evaluations of Black media have no effect on media preferences. Distrust of government predicts preferring the Black media's version, suggesting that faith in the Black media is particularly strong among politically alienated African Americans.