Under One Roof, Washington, DC 2001
Partners:
Black Entertainment Television (BET),
BET.com
After decades of reporting about the African-American family by white news organizations or think tanks, BET – Black Entertainment Television – tackled the subject in a civic journalism project that combined the forces of the popular cable service’s new newscast and its online division, BET.com. “Under One Roof” was a year-long project that included weekly reports on BET Nightly News tied to interactive features on the Web site.
The project kicked off in November 2001 with a national poll of 724 African-American adults on a wide range of issues from educational aspirations to rap music. The sometimes surprising results won national attention. A majority of those polled agreed with the statement that black men have failed their families, and more than two-thirds said American blacks place too much importance on material possessions. The poll generated stories about the project in the San Francisco Chronicle and other papers and prompted the group 100 Black Men of America to build a town hall forum around the project. Several hundred people, including elected officials and community leaders, attended the forum in Orlando in June 2002. It was taped for broadcast on the Minority Broadcast Company (MBC) cable network.
Weekly reports covered topics such as the impact of high rates of incarceration on black families and black students who were the first in their families to attend college. The Web site hosted message boards where dozens of viewers reacted to the reports. BET.com also previewed topics being explored on the Nightly News and asked users to share their own stories on the issues, which helped guide the television reports. In April and May, the Web site conducted a pop up poll on the Under One Roof page that asked users to rank their top priorities on a number of issues such as education and economic development. Some 30,000 responses were received. The results of the poll were sent to the Congressional Black Caucus.
The project finale was an interactive map the Web site launched in October 2002. Users could navigate it to judge the quality of life for black families in 22 major American cities. The map was assembled over six months using statistics from the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Justice and 2000 census data. Online researchers concluded Columbus, OH and Houston, TX had the highest quality of life for blacks, with Baltimore and St. Louis at the bottom. The map allowed users to see how the ratings were decided and comment on them. Dozens of users wrote in, many either to question Boston’s high ranking in third place or defend Chicago, which tied with Milwaukee for 18th.
The project won Best Online News Project from the National Association of Black Journalists and a Cable Positive Award. Its success encouraged BET online and the Nightly News to continue to collaborate on civic journalism projects, including a look at black wealth and a discussion of reparations for slavery.
Contact:
Retha Hill
Vice President, Content, BET.com
BET
2000 M Street, NW – Suite 602
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 533-1914
Email: retha.hill@bet.net