Don’t Believe the Hype: Black History, the Media, and Fake News

Fake news has become an essential part of the national lexicon. I argue that fake news is not a new concept. In fact, Black people has been experiencing fake news for generations. I will explore fake news and use several theoretical concepts to expand the growing literature base of critical race media literacy. To do this, I will combine theoretical concepts such as the Afterlife of slavery, anti-Blackness, the racial contract, as well as critical media literacy, and Critical Race Theory to continue to push critical race media literacy as an intellectual concept. I will then present a case study on the media, Black Founders, a history centric show created in 2010 by conservative media personality Glenn Beck, to explore how these concepts work together. Here, I want to engage how history, particularly Black history, is used to spread fake news about Black people. I will then close with some theoretical ideas to consider sifting through media outlets’ racial grammar.