- By Allison Joyner
- NABJ Black News & Views
- Posted September 4, 2025
ATLANTA — As journalism and journalists face attacks around the world from government censorship, disinformation, legal harassment, and physical harm, a national organization is being recognized for advocating for responsible journalism for more than 50 years.
The newly released film “Beyond the Headlines: The NABJ Journey” documents the history of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), a nonprofit based in Maryland that supports Black journalists by offering professional development and career advancement opportunities, and advocating for fair journalism.
“In 1975, 44 mighty, bold founders came together with this vision to speak truth to power, and to make sure that we were not going to be silenced, that our voices were not going to be erased,” Errin Haines, NABJ president, said at a recent screening of the documentary in Atlanta.
“That is a message that is a mission 50 years later that matters more than ever,” added Haines, who is the editor-at-large for The 19th News.
Haines made the comments at the BronzeLens Film Festival last month.
The documentary recounts the organization’s development through the Ronald Reagan era, the crossing into the new millennium, the rise of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and, now, the attack against it, and the group’s ongoing influence on American media.
The documentary sends a message that “the power of Black journalism matters, that our journalists matter, that representation in journalism is part of what it means to have a free press and a healthy, and truly representative democracy,” Haines said.