The ''Indianapolis Recorder'' is an American

weekly newspaper A weekly newspaper is a general-news or current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspaper is published once every two weeks. Weekly ne ...

based in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

. First published in 1895, the ''Recorder'' is the longest-running

African-American newspaper African-American newspapers (also known as the Black press or Black newspapers) are news publications in the United States serving African-American communities. Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African-American perio ...

in Indiana and fourth in the U.S.

History

The newspaper was first established by George P. Stewart and William H. Porter as a two-page

church bulletin A parish magazine is a periodical produced by and for an ecclesiastical parish, generally within the Anglican Church. It usually comprises a mixture of religious articles, community contributions, and parish notices, including the previous month� ...

. Although they began the ''Recorder'' together, Porter sold his share of the newspaper to Stewart in 1899. By 1916, the two-page church bulletin had become a four-page newspaper. During this time, the ''Recorder'' urged African-Americans to be moral, proud of their heritage, and combat stereotypes. Popular sermons were excerpted, and biographical sketches were also published with a moral focus. In the 1920s and 1930s, the paper encouraged economic growth in its readership. The weekly also pressed for the end of racial discrimination in employment practices, spoke out against the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...

, and publicly endorsed anti-Klan politicians. During World War II, the paper supported the war effort and like many publications of the time, recognized the contributions of community members. The ''Recorder'' also reported on the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.& ...

’s drive to integrate the armed services and proudly reported on the success of the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the ...

. In the 1940s, circulation reached 40,000. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the ''Recorder'' pushed for action in regards to civil rights and desegregation. During this time, the paper reported on

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

and

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...

while continuing to report on local church activities and marriages. It was during this troubling period that William Raspberry came to work for the ''Recorder''. Raspberry would go on to achieve national prominence as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

''. By 1987, George Stewart's era had come to an end. Eunice M. Trotter, a journalist for ''

The Indianapolis Star ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the '' Indiana ...

'', bought the weekly and brought in a new management style. Trotter also introduced an internship program that still exists today, brought in computers, organized the paper into separate four-color sections, and revised the ''Recorder''s charity program. The paper's circulation was audited by ABC during this period and was recorded at more than 13,000. Trotter sold the paper to William G. Mays, an Indianapolis chemical company executive, in 1991. Under his management, Mays increased the number of staff and updated equipment. He also wanted the paper to be more positive and within six years, the paper's circulation began a decline. It was no longer audited by ABC. By 1998, the ''Recorder'' had a staff of 24. Mays's niece,

Carolene Mays Carolene Mays is the executive director of the White River State Park (WRSP) Development Commission. She was appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb having first been appointed in 2016 by Governor Mike Pence (later vice president). She is also co-ho ...

, became the general manager of the ''Recorder'' in 1998. Carolene served as the general manager of the ''Recorder'' for 12 years before returning to public office. In 2010, Carolene was succeeded by long-time ''Recorder'' employee, Shannon Williams. Shortly after stepping into the role of president and general manager, Williams created the Recorder Media Group, which houses the ''Indianapolis Recorder'' newspaper and the Indiana Minority Business Magazine.

Today

William G. Mays publishes the ''Indianapolis Recorder'' and Shannon Williams serves as president and general manager. The ''Recorders sections include News, Opinion, Around Town, Health, Business, Religion, Sports, and Education. The paper continues to be published and delivered weekly. In addition to the newspaper, the ''Recorder'' also serves clients through the Recorder Media Group. The Recorder Media Group offers customized services in order to meet the specific needs of each client. These services include marketing, public relations, collaterals, graphic design, newsletter, publishing, script writing, strategy development, promotional advertising, and photography.

JAWS

The Journalism and Writing Seminars (JAWS) program, which was created by Trotter, is part of the ''Recorder''s nonprofit branch and gives minority high-school students hands-on experience in the field of journalism. Students go through training sessions yearly from September to May, where they develop

professional communication Professional communication, encompasses written, oral, visual and digital communication within a workplace context. This discipline blends together pedagogical principles of rhetoric, technology, software, and learning theory to improve and del ...

skills with the help of industry professionals. JAWS participants also write news and feature stories that are published in the newspaper and on the ''Recorder''s official website. The goal of the JAWS program is to encourage students to major in communications and pursue a career in journalism.

Future plans

The ''Recorder'' is focusing on electronic expansion in order to reach younger audiences who are not as likely to read a printed newspaper. The ''Recorder'' continues to serve the community through Indianapolis Recorder Charities and seeks to grow its collaborations with other media outlets.

Awards

The ''Recorder'' received the Indiana Journalism Award in 2000. The

National Newspaper Publishers Association The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), formerly the National Negro Publishers Association, is an association of African American newspaper publishers from across the United States. History The NNPA was founded in 1940 when John H ...

has honored the ''Indianapolis Recorder'' with many Merit Awards over the years. The following is a list of some awards that the ''Recorder'' has received in recent years: * Phillip Randolph Messenger Award - 1st place * General Excellence Award - 1st place * Best Original Advertising - 1st place * Best Layout & Design - 1st place * Best Layout/Design Other Than Page One - 1st place * Best Editorial Cartoon - 1st place * Best Church Page - 1st place * Best Print Feature - 1st place * Best Investigative Reporting - 1st place * Best Column Writing - 2nd place * Best Entertainment Section - 2nd place * Best Church Page - 2nd place * Best Circulation Promotion - 2nd place * Best Sports Section - 2nd place * Best Lifestyle Section - 2nd place * Best News Pictures - 3rd place * Best Special Edition - 3rd place * Best Editorial Cartoon - 3rd place * Best Use of Photography Award - 3rd place * Community Service Award - 3rd place * Best Circulation Promotion - 3rd place * General Excellence - 3rd place * Best Practices Award * Champions of Diversity Award * Indiana Minority AIDS Coalition Media Award * Indianapolis Black Chamber of Commerce Pioneer Award * Governor’s Award * Mozel Sanders Foundation Humanitarian Award * State of Indiana Business Award * World AIDS Day Media Award

References

External links

''The Indianapolis Recorder''

''The Indianapolis Recorder'' Online, 1899-2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indianapolis Recorder African-American history of Indianapolis Newspapers published in Indiana Mass media in Indianapolis Newspapers established in 1896 African-American newspapers 1896 establishments in Indiana