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Expand Up @@ -14,23 +14,27 @@ In a [“Race Matters”](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-mc8r

> **Bessenger: “I heard from him the first time. We got to know who each other was a little bit, and it was the first time I heard someone on that side of the debate who didn’t describe me as a racist, fascist, or neo-Nazi. So it was refreshing to find people on the other side of the debate to pay attention to where we were coming from without jumping to conclusions.”**
>
> **Shakem: “It’s hard. When I look at a white person with a Confederate flag, it brings up a lot of emotions because that brings images of an enemy, and you know, in spite of the fact that all of them aren’t Klansmen or K.K.K. members, it’s something you have to get over psychologically in your head especially as being a black person. So that was something that really kind of, you know, took me a moment to get over, and also we, you know, we have a lot of issues with the Klan here in South Carolina. It was just something that really took something in me to sit down and say, okay, let’s see how this issue of race can actually be resolved without coming to blows.”**
> **Shakem: “It’s hard. When I look at a white person with a Confederate flag, it brings up a lot of emotions because that brings images of an enemy, and you know, in spite of the fact that all of them aren’t Klansmen or K.K.K. members, it’s something you have to get over psychologically in your head especially as being a Black person. So that was something that really kind of, you know, took me a moment to get over, and also we, you know, we have a lot of issues with the Klan here in South Carolina. It was just something that really took something in me to sit down and say, okay, let’s see how this issue of race can actually be resolved without coming to blows.”**
<table class="exhibit-image half-image">
<caption align="bottom" class="exhibit-caption">Fig 7. James Bessanger (left) and Shakem (right) during their interview with Hari Sreenivasan in a "Race Matters"(https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-mc8rb6x46p?start=972.62&end=1513.96) segment.</caption>
<tr><td><a href="https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-mc8rb6x46p?start=972.62&end=1513.96" target="_blank"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/americanarchive.org/exhibits/bessanger-shakem.png" class="big-image" alt="Fig 7. James Bessanger (left) and Shakem (right) during their interview with Hari Sreenivasan in a "Race Matters" segment."/></a></td></tr>
</table>

At the center of the Charlottesville incident was the debate over the preservation of Confederate monuments, of which the *NewsHour* did its own analysis. To provide context to these debates, correspondent William Brangham spoke with historian and author Edward Ayers, who provided some [history of the Civil War and of these Confederate monuments](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-z60bv7c66p?start=1510.86&end=1850.39). In [“Grappling with History”](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-0c4sj1bh9n?start=1070.47&end=1891.17), Brangham moderated a conversation on whether or not these monuments should be removed, getting perspectives from both sides of the controversy with guests debating their historical value. Correspondent Jeffrey Brown [continued this discussion](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-7s7hq3sx2g?start=2778.13&end=3262.4), reporting from Kentucky where he spoke to Professor Ricky Jones and Mayor Ronnie Joyner, two men with very different opinions on the tearing down of Kentucky’s 70-foot-tall monument commemorating Confederate soldiers. The other thread that came out of the Charlottesville coverage was the *NewsHour*’s investigation of the [increasing threat of domestic terrorism](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-ms3jw87s72?start=523.29&end=802.06) and efforts being made to [counter this extremism using social media](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-dj58c9s589?start=1998.22&end=2497.77).
At the center of the Charlottesville incident was the debate over the preservation of Confederate monuments, of which the *NewsHour* did its own analysis. To provide context to these debates, correspondent William Brangham spoke with historian and author Edward Ayers, who provided some [history of the Civil War and of Confederate monuments](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-z60bv7c66p?start=1510.86&end=1850.39). In [“Grappling with History”](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-0c4sj1bh9n?start=1070.47&end=1891.17), Brangham moderated a conversation on whether or not these monuments should be removed, getting perspectives from both sides of the controversy with guests debating their historical value. Correspondent Jeffrey Brown [continued this discussion](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-7s7hq3sx2g?start=2778.13&end=3262.4), reporting from Kentucky where he spoke to Professor Ricky Jones and Mayor Ronnie Joyner, two men with very different opinions on the tearing down of Kentucky’s 70-foot-tall monument commemorating Confederate soldiers. The other thread that came out of the Charlottesville coverage was the *NewsHour*’s investigation of the [increasing threat of domestic terrorism](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-ms3jw87s72?start=523.29&end=802.06) and efforts being made to [counter this extremism using social media](https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-525-dj58c9s589?start=1998.22&end=2497.77).

From 1991 to 2021, these incidents of civil unrest served as catalysts for the *NewsHour*’s critical exploration of the relevant social issues and controversies of the day. Starting in the early 2000s, the *NewsHour* increased the number of segments per episode in order to examine a greater number of newsworthy events each day, and the series was forced to shorten the length of each segment to fit them within the hour-long time frame. As a result, the *NewsHour* had fewer opportunities to provide in-depth analyses of civil unrest, which helps explains why, following the L.A. Riots, no other events received the same high level of coverage. As seen in some clips included in this exhibition, the *NewsHour* compensated for these shorter segments by encouraging viewers to visit its website and social media platforms, which featured articles and specials that further investigated the causes and effects of these events. (See the additional resources in this exhibit and the [*PBS NewsHour website*](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvaeJBhCvARIsABgTDM6zE5bORAHoG8jWMh4V5vSjCD8nW4zsNqpdQVJu5ZMU5oTTD7mZZrQaAuilEALw_wcB).) Even with these shorter timeframes, however, the *NewsHour* stayed true to its mission and continued to provide thorough news coverage that sought to explore these events in their entirety by getting the perspectives of people from all sides of the issue.
From 1991 to 2021, these incidents of civil unrest served as catalysts for the *NewsHour*’s critical exploration of the relevant social issues and controversies of the day. Starting in the early 2000s, the *NewsHour* increased the number of segments per episode in order to examine a greater number of newsworthy events each day, and the series was forced to shorten the length of each segment to fit them within the hour-long time frame. As a result, the *NewsHour* had fewer opportunities to provide in-depth analyses of civil unrest, which helps explains why, following the L.A. Riots, few other events received the same high level of in-depth coverage. As seen in some clips included in this exhibition, the *NewsHour* compensated for these shorter segments by encouraging viewers to visit its website and social media platforms, which featured articles and specials that further investigated the causes and effects of these events. (See the additional resources in this exhibit and the [*PBS NewsHour website*](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvaeJBhCvARIsABgTDM6zE5bORAHoG8jWMh4V5vSjCD8nW4zsNqpdQVJu5ZMU5oTTD7mZZrQaAuilEALw_wcB).) Even with these shorter timeframes, however, the *NewsHour* stayed true to its mission and continued to provide thorough news coverage that sought to explore these events in their entirety by getting the perspectives of people from all sides of the issue.

For a complete list of events included in the exhibition and the corresponding coverage, see the Annotated List of Events (ADD HYPERLINK).
The following Annotated List of Events provides a chronological listing of *NewsHour* coverage of civil unrest from the 1991 Crown Heights Riots to the January 6th U.S. Capitol Insurrection.

#### Next: [Annotated List of Events](/exhibits/after-the-fire/7-annotated-list-of-events)

## Resources

- [Documenting Hate: Charlottesville (Frontline)](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/documenting-hate-charlottesville/)
- [The Charlottesville Rally 5 Years Later (NPR)](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/12/1116942725/the-charlottesville-rally-5-years-later-its-what-youre-still-trying-to-forget)
- [Governor’s Task Force on Public Safety Preparedness and Response to Civil Unrest](https://www.pshs.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/secretary-of-public-safety-and-homeland-security/pdf/12617-task-force-on-public-safety-preparedness-and-response-to-civil-unrest-final-report_op2.pdf)
- [Exploring the Russian Social Media Campaign in Charlottesville (National Security Archive)](https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/news/cyber-vault/2019-02-14/exploring-russian-social-media-campaign-charlottesville)

## Cover

<img title="Cover Image" alt="James Bessanger and Shakem during their interview with Hari Sreenivasan in a Race Matters segment." src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/americanarchive.org/exhibits/bessanger-shakem.png">
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