The Southern Courier.

The Southern Courier.. 1965 ~ 1968. , For several critical years during the 1960s, a biracial group of young journalists published a newspaper dedicated to covering the civil rights movement, War on Poverty initiatives, other issues of concern to Black and poor communities, and to southerners. , The paper came about through the efforts of two undergraduate journalists from Harvard College, after encountering Black voters eager for objective reporting of the political and economic news happening around them. White-owned southern newspapers routinely ignored or sensationalized local organizing efforts, including political rallies, voter registration drives, and demonstrations. This was particularly true in the spring of 1965, following the conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March and Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson's push for passage of the Voting Rights Act. , The young journalists raised money and recruited a biracial staff of writers, editors, and photographers for a weekly newspaper called The Southern Courter. Publishing their first issue in July 1965, the Courier staff pledged to be "A Paper for the People," and promised to be independent of advertisers, politicians, dogma, and any particular group or organization. The Southern Courier was headquartered on this site, in the Frank Leu Building, which was demolished in 1997. , Dedicated to providing accurate, unbiased reporting for and about the southern way of life, The Southern Courier made an essential contribution to the civil rights movement. Reporters interviewed not only activists and victims but also the businesspeople or government officials who were the targets of complaints. The pages of each Courier edition were filled with articles on politics, education, sports and entertainment, as well as acts of discrimination, brutality, and the day-to-day humiliations which often went unreported in other newspapers. With a staff comprised of seasoned journalists from major cities, cub reporters, and local high school students, the Courier's office was a training ground for many young Black men and women who aspired to journalism careers. , Reporters were based in the Montgomery office and in one-person "bureaus" located in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Selma, Troy, and Tuskegee. Although headquartered in Alabama, the paper often reported stories from Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. , Weekly circulation of the Courter was 30,000. Copies were sent to independent distributors, who sold them for 10¢ a copy, with 5¢ being sent back to Montgomery. Other income came from advertising, donations, and grants, which eventually declined. The Southern Courier ceased publication in December 1968.