By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
At the helm of Baltimore’s three Black news organizations are women who have sought to sustain the delivery of accurate and essential information to Black communities.
Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper leads the AFRO, founded by her great-grandfather, John H. Murphy Sr., in 1892. Paris Brown heads The Baltimore Times, a paper created by Publisher Emeritus Joy Bramble in 1986. Lisa Snowden steers content for the Baltimore Beat, a nonprofit media outlet she co-founded in 2017.
Each of the organizations differ in the coverage they produce. But, a common thread rests in their mission to carry on the legacy of the Black Press, an objective that’s become increasingly vital in the face of attacks against African Americans.
“The Black Press is the one communication that stays consistent. We are trusted by the community,” said Brown. “Now more than ever, our role is important.”
The Baltimore Times
The Baltimore Times was founded on a straightforward motto: positive stories about positive people. Bramble, a native of the Caribbean island, Montserrat, devised this mission after becoming frustrated with local news’ portrayal of Black Baltimoreans.
“I was always shocked and surprised that almost everything we listened to on the news was always bad news concerning Black people,” said Bramble. “We were always the perpetrators. All of the descriptions just really annoyed me.”
After continually complaining about this to her husband, he suggested that Bramble start her own newspaper. She wasn’t keen on the idea at first. She had no experience with writing and no knowledge of how the news industry worked. But, she decided to take the leap.
“I printed a paper, and my husband asked how I was going to pay for it. I had to go around and try to sell ads,” said Bramble. “By the second copy, people figured out what I was attempting, and I got better at speaking to people because I kept coming back.”
In her early days of running the paper, Bramble said she was upfront with reporters about her lack of funds to compensate them. They, however, didn’t mind. They continued to write and assured Bramble that she could pay them when she had the money.
The community also came together to support the paper.
“By that time I knew that this was something I was called to— that I had to do,” said Bramble. “I kept hearing about all of these wonderful stories in the Black community, and once folks figured out what we were doing, they would send stories to us.”
Through the decades, The Baltimore Times’ mission has remained the same, but now it’s under a different direction. Bramble stepped down from her post in 2024 just as she was honored as Publisher of the Year by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).
Brown now leads the organization, and like Bramble, her journey to the publisher’s seat was not a traditional one. She carries years of experience in entrepreneurship, marketing and business development.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown was Bramble’s interior designer. Bramble admired Brown’s business expertise and affinity for innovation and decided to make her associate publisher in 2021, a position she held until becoming publisher in 2024.
Her top priority since has been to bolster The Baltimore Times’ digital presence and diversify the publication’s income streams.
“The first thing I did was revamp the website. I have a digital-first approach,” said Brown. “My focus has been maintaining legacy while beginning to expand and create digital audiences and look at different revenue sources.”
For Brown, the key to keeping a news organization sustainable is offering unique products. The Baltimore Times does this through events, like Creatively Black Baltimore, Give Black 4 The Holidays and The Best of Black Baltimore.
Not only do these functions draw partnerships, they may engage new audiences, according to Brown.
Her next focus for The Baltimore Times is connecting with younger generations. With attempts to restrict Black history in schools and abolish diversity, equity and inclusion, Brown said the youth must understand how the country has reached this critical juncture.
“When we look at books being erased from schools and not telling our history, we have to step up as Black Press of America, begin to fill that gap and tell the stories,” said Brown. “We also can’t leave the next generation out, who have sought alternative means for news.”
The AFRO
As Draper explains it, she was born into “a newspaper family.” The AFRO has remained under the control of Murphy descendants for 132 years and counting, being passed down from generation to generation. Its coverage has spanned historical moments, like the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement.
However, Draper did not plan to become a publisher.
“That was not the career path I chose originally,” said Draper. “But, I always had an interest and a curiosity about the industry.”
As a teenager, she wrote stories for the paper on weekends and school and summer breaks. Her first beat was obituaries. She recalled using criss-cross directories to find contact information for families who lost a loved one.
In spite of her reporter experience, Draper went on to work in education, business and the clergy profession. Still, she remained heavily involved in the family business and even served as the president of the company in 1986.
In 2018, her family called on her to become publisher and CEO, and she accepted.
“You never really get away from it. We grew up with it,” said Draper. “We grew up knowing that we had to tell an engaging, fair story and that we needed to do our share of community service.”
For Draper, there are three elements that have kept the AFRO running for more than a century. The first is that the company takes care of its people.The second is publishing accurate, well-balanced information that illustrates the impact on Black communities. The third is driving revenue to compensate employees and grow the business.
“People come to me today, and they say, ‘Wow, newspapers are fading. We hear about them closing all of the time, how do you all stay in business?” said Draper. “I tell them that people aren’t picking up newspapers as medium, but we’re still picking up something to get our news—whether it’s our smartphone, tablet or computer.”
Draper wants the AFRO to be on the cutting edge of technology. Team members regularly participate in training to learn how to leverage artificial intelligence and other technologies to streamline the newsroom’s operation.
In these chaotic times, Draper said it’s become critical for the AFRO to stay focused.
“Don’t be distracted because there is a lot of noise out there now. We have to remember who we are and who we serve,” said Draper. “We can’t be all things to all people, but we have a very important market who’s looking to us to interpret what’s happening through the Black lens.”
The Baltimore Beat
Lisa Snowden describes the Baltimore Beat as an alternative weekly newspaper that is grounded in the Black Press’ legacy of calling out injustices in the world. She and Brandon Soderberg, former editor-in-chief of the Baltimore City Paper, co-founded the news outlet in 2017. This decision was sparked by the Baltimore Sun Media Group’s closing of the Baltimore City Paper.
“It wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing because we had been doing journalism in a way that talked about racism and the way it affects people’s lives and the policies that are created in the city,” said Snowden. “We thought that should still exist.”
Snowden came on as editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Beat, a position she never envisioned for herself. She had already spent years reporting and expected to secure a full-time job as a beat reporter at a newspaper.
In covering the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, she began to think more deeply about race. She believes this reflection put her on the path to where she is today. For Snowden, objectivity does not truly exist in journalism.
“Every human being brings all of their experiences and identities to the work they do. That does not mean that they are creating work that is untrue, but it means there’s a filter through which we view the world,” said Snowden. “The Black experience necessitates us being clear about the way that the world affects us. You can’t be clear about what’s happening in this country without talking about the way racism has affected all of our lives.”
Snowden thinks this filter should extend to mainstream newspapers too. Just 6 percent of journalists are Black, according to the Pew Research Center. Snowden explained that newsrooms need to be intentional in engaging diverse reporters to weigh in on content creation and story angles.
She also said there needs to be opportunities for Black people to serve in leadership positions.
“It’s not just hiring an entry-level Black reporter, which you should do,” said Snowden. “It’s making sure that you’re hiring along the different layers of power–hiring Black editors and Black managing editors. That way everybody can have a say.”
The post Three newsrooms, one purpose: The women defining Black Press in Baltimore appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
