In the interview with Kast, Dr. Draper discussed the series’ portrayal of AFRO, its coverage of the real-life Lady in the Lake saga, and the unequal treatment of black victims and black media.
Dr. Draper, who was a young journalist with AFRO at the time of Parker’s disappearance, recounted the time she spent covering the story and described the intense interest of the black community every step of the way.
“We didn’t call it Lady in the Lake, but Shirley in the Lake. Shirley in the Lake fascinated the black community in Baltimoresaid Dr. Draper. “On Tuesdays and Fridays, people would line up outside the AFRO building waiting for the next episode of Shirley in the Lake. It was the talk of the town.”
While black residents of Baltimore criticized AFRO’s coverage of Shirley Parker Major media outlets overlooked the story with great interest.
“AFRO was the only media outlet covering this story at the time,” Draper added.
While acknowledging that progress has been made since Shirley in the Lake, Dr. Draper also noted that the series provides viewers with important insights into black media stories and black citizens.
“The complete disregard for black lives and the disrespect for the black press is obvious and comes across very loud and clear in the series,” said Dr. Draper. “However, today the black community relies on news outlets like AFRO to truly report truthfully and accurately on what is happening.
“There is an overarching theme, which is the different treatment of these two crimes by the mainstream press and society in general,” she said.
The full interview is available on WYPR’s website at https://www.wypr.org/show/on-the-record
To learn more about AFRO, visit: https://afro.com
About AFRO
AFRO is the oldest black business in DC, Maryland and Virginiaand the third oldest in the United StatesFor over 130 years, AFRO has provided a platform for images and stories that advance the black community and fulfill the vision John H. Murphy Sr.a former slave who founded the publication with his wife, Martha Howard MurphyToday, under the leadership of Murphy’s great-granddaughter, Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, AFRO continues to be the authority on black media, providing readers with good news about the black community that cannot be found elsewhere.
Media contact
Nick Jones
Abel Communications for the AFRO
(email protected)
Media contact
Nick JonesAbel Communications for AFRO, 908 458 2094, (email protected)https://afro.com
SOURCE Abel Communications for AFRO
