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'Love Black People' And Other Lessons For Amplifying Black Voices

(Photo by Jonathan Velasquez on Unsplash)
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Austin Cross, a producer for our newsroom's local news and culture show Take Two, reflects on what it really takes to amplify Black voices on public radio.

He writes:

"During this time, when the voice of Black America is too loud for any newsroom to ignore, it is my prayer that the practice of journalism will not emerge from this chapter unchanged and that we too will become part of the history we write."

To make good on that prayer, Cross learned to he became his own critic to "develop a mental rubric for booking guests and writing interview questions that were free from the vestiges of inherent white supremacy."

He has three key lessons: times change, let the story tell how you tell it, love Black people.

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