Any Publicity is Good Publicity

The Black Panther Party (BPP) was an icon for counterculture in the 1960s. The group's image was constantly handled by the media; filtered through several scopes of interpretation. Considering the provocative rhetoric and militanistic qualities of the group, there was a no clear line betwee the image of "Negroes 'resorting to violence'" and "...Negroes defending themselves" (Rhodes 59). Unfortunately for BPP, during this time television was a suffering business and the industries had to focus on gaining an audience and advertising revenue. Race became televisions commodity; a tool for the success in the media. While BPP would be able to transmit ideas about race through public venues, it also meant the commodification of the black power movement and race itself. BPP gained coverage, although soon became part of the development of a racial identity that the media would continue to circulate.

The racial identity circulates, and is then recognized by its viewers as the representing identity of the black power movement, and ultimately black people in general. The media generated a racial identity, mass produced it and distributed it - further legitimizing race as a technology as it becomes integrated into our broadcast. The BPP was then caught in a dependent relationship with the media, as they thought it would give them the voice they needed to avoid sever punishment from government forces. On the other hand, the movement ultimately was a commodity, and was only worth as much as its controversy. BPP had an image, but unfortunately the media-generated identity was marketed as the racially other, violent and something to fear.