Clearly, these figures do not reflect the death of the black press. I n the final section of Soldiers Without Swords , Putting Itself Out of Business , the producers note that black newspaper circulation declined, yet there is no discussion beyond 1965. Circulation fluctuated from 1.7 million in 1957 to a high of 4.6 million in 1970. In 1973 circulation soared to 10 million, then to another peak of 13 million in 1976. F or the next eighteen years, circulation would go up and down from the 1976 high until 1994 when the number again would reach 13 million.
S hifts in the circulation and the numbers of black publications are typical of the black press.
Changing political and economic concerns of African Americans greatly contribute to this fluctuation. A longitudinal study of the black press is the best way to begin to understand its complex behavior. Although there is a decline in print readership across the board, Editor and Publisher reports there is actually an increase in circulation of weekly and ethnic media. W e need to get away from simplistic analyses of the black press that focus mostly on the protest or advocacy role of African American newspapers. As a functioning institution in the black social structure, the role of the African American press is more complex.