The State of Black History and Journalism in 2026
The State of Black History and Journalism in 2026
Simply teaching the facts in and out of the classroom has become an act of courage, and sometimes, real risk. Former history teacher Ernest Crim joins Sharon McMahon to talk about why Black history, civics, and knowing your rights are crucial to navigating power abuses, injustice, and democracy. He tells us why he keeps speaking up even when the system falls short. Plus, is reporting the facts partisan? Sharon speaks with Katie Couric about the changes in journalism over the last few years, and how polarization, paywalls, and fear of retaliation are reshaping news coverage.
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Listen on your favorite platform:
- Host: Sharon McMahon
- Supervising Producer: Melanie Buck Parks
- Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon
- Audio Producer: Craig Thompson
- Host: Sharon McMahon
- Supervising Producer: Melanie Buck Parks
- Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon
- Audio Producer: Craig Thompson
Guests
Guests
Ernest Crim III
Ernest Crim III is an Emmy-nominated producer, public teacher, antiracist educator and hate crime victor, who uses (Black) historical narratives to empower and educate through a culturally equitable lens. Mr. Crim, a south side of Chicago native and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate, is a former high school history educator of 12 years, who now also advocates for social justice issues and teaches Black History to the world through social media with a platform that reaches roughly 4 million people each month (as of 2024).
Katie Couric
Katie Couric is an award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times best-selling author of her memoir, Going There, which was published in October 2021. She is also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). Since its launch in 2008, Stand Up To Cancer has raised nearly $800 million to support cutting-edge collaborative science and its research has contributed to more than 10 scientific breakthroughs.
