''Black Star News'' is an African-American news outlet based in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

History

Milton Allimadi Milton Allimadi is a Ugandan-American author, journalist, professor, and a co-founder of ''Black Star News''. He is known for his critique of racist writing by white authors about Africa and Africans, in his 2003 book ''The Hearts of Darkness'' ...

and Mana Lumumba Kasongo, both recent graduates of the

Columbia School of Journalism Columbia most often refers to: * Columbia (personification), the historical personification of the United States * Columbia University, a private university in New York City * Columbia Pictures, an American film studio owned by Sony Pictures * ...

, launched the ''Black Star'' on October 1, 1997. Both were alumni of the weekly ''

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American conservative news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) online-only publisher of political and economic opinion pieces, as we ...

'', which had recently folded due to financial difficulties.

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

and Camille Cosby were the initial investors. The ''Black Star'' was one of 400 news organizations to receive a $5,000 grant from

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

to mitigate unexpected expenses due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Reporting

In addition to local coverage, the ''Black Star News'' has focused on Black Americans' connections to Africa. In 2019 Allimadi was a panelist on the topic of

HBCU Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

s sending students to Africa as part of their coursework. Its coverage of the Black community's disposition toward the candidacy of

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

was quoted in the 2012 book ''Independents Rising''. A 2020 story in the ''

Jackson Advocate ''Jackson Advocate'' is an African-American weekly newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. History The newspaper was founded in 1938 by Percy Greene. Greene, a veteran of World War I and a Civil Rights leader in the 1940s and 1950s, was determined ...

'' described the ''Black Star'' as a "top publication", listing it alongside the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'', '' The Hill'', and others.

Reception and influence

Though described as "small", its

investigative reporting Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend m ...

of a scandal involving

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients in ...

in 1999 was credited in major news organizations including ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' and '' Brill's Content''. Its reporting has also been picked up in local publications. In 2010, when republishing an editorial by Allimadi, the ''

San Francisco Bay View The ''San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper'' is an online and print newspaper, published in San Francisco, California. It covers events from an African-American perspective, with a focus on Black liberation and coverage of what it cl ...

'' described the ''Black Star'' as "New York's leading Pan African weekly investigative newspaper." The ''Black Star'' has been described as "one of the few news sources that regularly features African voices". Publisher Allimadi was among the signatories of an open letter that was widely circulated in African press in early 2021. Allimadi is quoted on African politics and social issues.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.blackstarnews.com/
Black Star News collection
at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History ''(Photographic History collection)'' African-American newspapers Newspapers published in New York City 1997 establishments in New York City Newspapers established in 1997