Baylor in black and white : a study of desegregation at a Texas University as it played out through the student newspaper.

Abstract

As social spaces began to desegregate, media organizations across the nation covered the process. This reporting left behind what we now use as the first draft of history. At Baylor University, the messy process of desegregating the campus was covered by the student newspaper, the Baylor Lariat. Using theories of press coverage, threshold theory, existing studies on the role of student media, and a blended content analysis of both quantitative measurements and qualitative narratives, this study constructs a deep understanding of important history, which has been left ultimately untouched. While studies on local civil rights are frequent, studies into the tactics and results of college student papers’ reporting are rare. The combination of the two allows for a unique look into an extremely important topic to preserve.