How the Bus Boycotts of the '50s Used the Media?

Abstract

An event of great significance in American History occurred in 1955 and the event was The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. The Boycott was the forerunner of the African American Civil Rights Movement. It is also said to be the last nail in the coffin for segregation against African-Americans. The Movement started when Rosa Parks was put behind bars for not giving up her seat to a white individual while riding in a bus. The African Americans needed their voices against this discrimination to be heard. The fourth pillar of the State, i.e. the Media played a definite role in spreading the news and the story behind the Movement.

Table of Contents

Abstract2

Introduction4

Discussion5

Background5

Events of the Boycott6

Media Coverage8

Birmingham World10

The Gazette10

The Nation11

The Pittsburgh Courier12

Conclusion14

How the Bus Boycotts of the '50s Used the Media?

Introduction

The date was December 1, 1955, an African American woman fully conscious of her rights, Rosa Parks, challenged the order. The bus she was riding used a segregated seating pattern. The section for the Whites filled and she had to sit in the front of the section for the blacks. A white person came in and the driver told the front black row to get down from the bus. Whereas the rest of the row did as told, Parks refused and was arrested. The court fined Rosa Parks for the insubordination. That was the incident that forced prominent personalities like Jo Ann Robinson, E.D. Nixon and Martin Luther King Jr. to spring into action.

The event was very significant because the segregation laws were in their dying days and needed a catalyst to put them to sleep for good. The Movement was essentially a social one, but it was going to have a bearing that spread across all walks of life in the United States. After the States, the effects took on a global shape and found their way into the U.K and other countries faced with the issue of segregation and assimilation of non-natives. This movement also saw the rise of Martin Luther King Jr. After about eight years from the incident, he led the biggest demonstration the United States had ever seen. He became an activist for the rights of the African-Americans and forced the annulment of many segregationist laws.

The object of the paper is to see the role of the press and the mass media during that time and evaluate how they projected the story. The media which is rightly called the fourth Estate is responsible for bringing to the people, news and happenings from around the world in an objective and non-biased manner. The term 'Fourth Estate' is attributed to Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797) who once said, “there were three Estates in Parliament, but in the Reporters Gallery yonder, there sat a fourth Estate more important far than they all”. There was great wisdom and foresight in what Burke said about the media. Today, the media is playing the role of the social watch ...