2 chapters across the catalog
The civil rights movement is described as a calculated media production designed to dramatize social issues for a national audience. Activists like John Lewis intentionally put themselves in harm's way in places like Selma, Alabama, to ensure violent responses were captured by television cameras. This strategy successfully reached white Americans in the North by highlighting the "good versus evil" narrative of the struggle.
Congressman John Lewis and author Hank Klibanoff discuss how the Civil Rights Movement used the media to dramatize racial injustice for a national audience. By putting their bodies on the line in places like Selma, activists forced northern newspapers and television networks to cover the violent response of southern authorities. The hosts contrast this era of "good vs. evil" drama with the more cynical media tactics used today.
