“I Saw a Modern-Day Lynching”: Black Journalists’ Experiences of Trauma #ReportingWhileBlack

Black journalists covering protests and the pandemic in 2020 faced dueling tragedies. Through the lens of standpoint theory, Black journalists share their experiences of covering Black death, specifically the death of George Floyd—caught on cellphone camera. They reflect on how the historic nature of Black death connecting to Emmett Till intersects with their identity as journalists, who are Black, and the cost of covering traumatic events. Six themes are uncovered to include Black journalists as “insiders-outsiders” and messengers stuck in the middle. Practical and theoretical findings for journalists, researchers, and professors are discussed.