Collective Memory as Paradigm Reconsideration: Celebration and Endorsement of Multiculturalism Through Black Journalists’ Obituaries

Based on a textual analysis of 172 obituaries covering forty-four Black journalists who served as firsts in the mainstream American press, and a broadened definition of a journalistic paradigm, this study argues that in the history of journalism, this remembrance is a form of paradigm reconsideration. This is because, according to the study’s findings, the remembrance redefines journalists’ identity, expands the boundaries of news, news subjects, news sources, and news audiences, as well as journalism’s roles and norms of practice.