BROOKE: The events of recent years have underscored how poorly, Americans, divided by race or income or neighborhood, understand each other. It’s a disconnect the mainstream media can no longer afford to ignore.
AJAM: “A prominent newspaper has added a new reporter to its staff. That’s not usually news, but what he is covering, is causing a bit of a sensation. He’s covering Black Twitter.”
BROOKE: Dexter Thomas, who has written on the internet, youth culture, and social justice, who’s also a scholar of Japanese hip-hop, joined the LA Times to report on - among other things - this nebulous space in the Twitterverse. Media outlets often portray Black Twitter with a kind of distant curiosity:
CNN Brian Stelter: There’s this concept called black twitter - the african american community is especially prominent on twitter. There’s a very active community there...
BROOKE: Or treat it largely as a platform for politics
NPR David Greene: So-called Black Twitter has become a space for news, activism and challenging conversations about race.
BROOKE: But black twitter paints a skewed picture, says Thomas. What’s more, it gives journalists an easy way out of talking to actual black people.
THOMAS: the thing is, and we have to face this, black people are scary…
