Program Rise of Minority Affairs reporting in the United States Program is the first of two focusing on African American media and its function in the community. Host Barbara Barrow speaks with Ron Hutson (head of the Urban 'Team' at the Boston Globe), Mel Miller (publisher of the Bay State Banner), and Sarah-Ann Shaw (reporter for WBZ News and host of the television program Mzizi Roots) about the definition of news, if there is a difference between white news and Black news and how they are covered, if the white media's "commitment" to objectivity affects the coverage of African American news stories, if white reporters and Black reporters bring back different news stories, and the resources needed to cover African American community issues. Additional segments include the "Say Brother News" with reporters Leah Fletcher, Eric Sampedro, Justina Chu, and WNAC TV arts critic Tanya Hart, and the "Community Calendar." Produced by Barbara Barrow. Directed by Conrad White.
Series Say Brother is WGBH's longest running public affairs television program by, for and about African Americans, and is now known as Basic Black. Since its inception in 1968, Say Brother has featured the voices of both locally and nationally known African American artists, athletes, performers, politicians, professionals, and writers including: Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Thomas Atkins, Amiri Baraka, Doris Bunte, Julian Bond, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farrakhan, Nikki Giovanni, Odetta Gordon, Henry Hampton, Benjamin Hooks, Jesse Jackson, Hubie Jones, Mel King, Eartha Kitt, Elma Lewis, Haki Madhubuti, Wallace D. Muhammad, Charles Ogletree, Byron Rushing, Owusu Sadaukai, and Sonia Sanchez.
