State of Black Media: If White America has a head cold—in the Black Community we need a heart transplant

Black History Month is behind us, and Women's History Month is here.

- Thera Martin

Pictured here, a gentleman enjoying reading his SCOOP Newspaper

The beauty of working for Black-owned media is that we observe and celebrate Black history 365 days a year. So, just because Black History Month is over for this year, we keep the history-telling and sharing going. Before the month of March is over, we plan to shine the spotlight on a couple of amazing Black women who are making great strides in their area of work and lifting up others along the way.However, for today, in this article, we want to take another look at Black-owned media and the state of Black-owned media in 2026. If White America Has a Head Cold, In The Black Community, We Need a Heart Transplant.

Let's start with the SCOOP USA Media Newspapers. Under the leadership of Sherri Darden, we're still standing. In 2025, the SCOOP Newspaper turned 65. R. Sonny Driver was the owner and publisher for over 55 years, up until he passed. Sherri Darden had already been working for Sonny Driver for over 20 years when he made the transition, and well before his passing, the two had sealed a deal in which she would take over ownership of the Scoop.

Sonny Driver taught Sherri many things about owning and operating a newspaper from top to bottom. One thing he didn't think about that he needed to teach her was how to survive operating a business through a pandemic and stay afloat. Sherri Darden had to learn those lessons on her own. She learned what she needed to do, along with some fancy footwork, to make sure that the SCOOP Newspaper did not disappear during the pandemic, never to be heard from again.

Keeping in mind that newspapers, radio stations, and even television stations largely stay on the air because of advertisers and sponsors. If you don't have money being spent on buying space in your newspaper, or on time on your radio or TV station, you can be up the creek without a paddle.