The complex history of African Americans and the news

Fewer than half of Black Americans say the news covers the things they want to see, according to the Pew Research Center.

The news is in when it comes to Black Americans' view of the media, and it isn't good. Just 14% say they are highly confident that Black people will be covered fairly in their lifetimes. 

After the death of George Floyd, U.S. institutions made a lot of promises to change, from the way Black people were treated by police to the way they were portrayed in the news.

But four years later, Black news consumers say the images they see aren't delivering on the promises.

Fewer than half of Black Americans say the news covers the things they want to see, like economic stories about the gap between the rich and the poor, and issues related to crime like police brutality and missing women of color, according to Pew Research.

Of the 5000 Black adults surveyed, "two-thirds say news about Black people is often more negative than news about other racial and ethnic groups."