Draft:USC Annenberg Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab

USC Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab

The USC Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab (referred to as the Bass Lab) is an innovative research center housed at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Named after Charlotta Bass, a pioneering Black journalist and activist, the Bass Lab serves as a hub for critical research, education, and public engagement on issues of racial and social justice. The Lab’s mission is to create a new generation of journalists who are equipped to produce impactful, justice-oriented reporting that addresses systemic inequities and amplifies the voices of marginalized communities.

History and Establishment

The Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab was founded by Dr. Allissa Richardson, a renowned scholar and advocate for mobile journalism, Black media activism, and reparative journalism. Officially launched in 2022, the Lab honors the legacy of Charlotta Bass, the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States. Bass was a trailblazer in the fight for racial justice and used her platform, the California EagleCalifornia_Eagle, to advocate for civil rights, labor equality, and the empowerment of Black communities in Los Angeles and beyond.

Dr. Richardson, who has extensively studied mobile journalism and citizen-led news reporting, created the Bass Lab to foster innovation and justice-driven media practices that confront racial injustice. The Lab operates as a multi-faceted research and teaching facility, offering students opportunities to engage in hands-on journalism projects, public scholarship, and community outreach. It aims to reshape the landscape of American journalism by ensuring that future generations of reporters and media makers center justice, equity, and truth in their work.

Mission

The Bass Lab’s mission is rooted in the principles of reparative journalism. This emerging field of journalism seeks to repair historical and systemic harms done to marginalized communities through more accurate, ethical, and community-centered storytelling. The Lab strives to prepare students and scholars to practice journalism that challenges racial bias in traditional media narratives and promotes an equitable, inclusive public discourse.

Specifically, the Lab’s work focuses on: • Justice-Oriented Reporting: Encouraging journalism that highlights and addresses systemic inequalities, particularly those impacting Black, Indigenous and other communities of color (BIPOC).

• Community-Centered Storytelling: Amplifying the voices of individuals and groups historically excluded from mainstream media coverage.

• Media Literacy and Accountability: Promoting an understanding of how media shapes public perception and holding media institutions accountable for biased or harmful reporting.

• Archival and Historical Work: Preserving the legacies of underrepresented journalists and documenting their contributions to the history of social justice movements.

The Lab seeks to disrupt entrenched narratives within the media industry by offering new perspectives that prioritize the lived experiences of marginalized groups, making the media landscape more democratic, just, and truthful.

Leadership

Dr. Allissa Richardson is an award-winning journalist, professor, and advocate for social justice in the media. Her research focuses on the use of mobile devices for reporting and how marginalized communities have adopted technology to create alternative media narratives, particularly in times of social unrest. Dr. Richardson’s work is widely known for its impact on the study of mobile journalism, Black media activism, and citizen journalism.

Prior to founding the Bass Lab, Dr. Richardson taught mobile journalism in 20 countries and trained young people to become citizen journalists, empowering them to tell their own stories through digital platforms. She has received several awards for her contributions to journalism education, including recognition from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).

Dr. Richardson is also the author of Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones and the New Protest #Journalism, a book that explores how Black citizen journalists used smartphones to capture incidents of police violence and shape the discourse around social justice movements like Black Lives Matter.

Academic Programs and Research Initiatives

The USC Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab provides students with rigorous academic training, research opportunities, and practical experience in journalism. Through a variety of programs, the Lab empowers students to develop skills in investigative reporting, mobile journalism, multimedia storytelling, and media advocacy, all with a justice-centered focus.

The Second Draft Project

The Second Draft Project is an innovative initiative designed to re-examine and correct media narratives that have historically misrepresented or maligned marginalized figures. Central to this project are Interactive Interviews with individuals like Lora King, daughter of Rodney King, and Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X. Powered by natural language processing (NLP) technology, these interviews allow users to engage in real-time, dynamic conversations with virtual representations of Ms. King and Dr. Shabazz. Through this immersive experience, audiences can ask questions, learn about the subjects’ personal stories, and gain deeper insights into the events that have shaped their lives. The NLP technology ensures that responses are contextually accurate, offering a seamless and engaging interaction. The Second Draft Project collaborates closely with the USC Digital Repository, which plays a critical role in preserving and managing the vast array of archival materials and media used to create these immersive experiences. By combining cutting-edge technology with historical preservation, the partnership allows the Lab to offer a transformative form of reparative journalism, which both educates and empowers the public to reframe how key historical moments are understood.

The Second Draft Project Podcast

Another key initiative within the Bass Lab is a podcast series produced by students that explores stories of injustice, media bias, and community resilience. The Second Draft Project podcast serves as a training ground for students to learn about audio journalism, scriptwriting, and interview techniques. Each season of the podcast delves into the life of a public figure who has been maligned by the press, and revisits what the media may have missed.

Reparative Journalism Training

JOUR 499: The Second Draft Project and JOUR 580: Reporting on Race and Justice are two dynamic courses the Bass Lab created for USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. These classes are designed to equip students with critical skills in reparative and justice-centered journalism.

JOUR 499 empowers students to revisit and correct historically biased media coverage by engaging in hands-on projects that use immersive technologies, such as Interactive Interviews powered by natural language processing. Students work closely with figures like Lora King and Ilyasah Shabazz, deepening their understanding of how misrepresentation in the media has lasting consequences. By the end of the course, students produce podcasts, digital zines, and other multimedia projects that highlight their research and storytelling.

JOUR 580 focuses on the complex relationship between race, social justice, and media, teaching students to analyze and report on systemic inequalities with sensitivity and accuracy. Structured into four-week units, the course explores media representation across different racial and ethnic groups, including Indigenous communities, African Americans, Asian Americans, and the Latinx community. Through lectures, guest speakers, and practical assignments, students learn to navigate the ethical challenges of reporting on race while developing a deeper empathy for underrepresented communities.

Both courses offer students valuable opportunities to engage with contemporary issues in journalism, while honing the skills necessary to challenge biased narratives and foster more inclusive media landscapes.

Black Press and Media Archive

A key research initiative of the Bass Lab is the creation of a Black press and media archive, a digital repository that aggregates historical and contemporary examples of Black journalism in the U.S. The archive highlights the role of Black-owned newspapers, magazines, and radio stations in shaping the narrative of racial justice throughout American history. Students working on this project are trained in archival research, fact-checking, and the ethical responsibilities of preserving journalistic legacies. In addition, the Lab creates Interactive Interviews of Black social justice leaders who have used their media platforms to push for change. These immersive experiences allow audiences to engage with the personal stories and media contributions of these leaders, offering a dynamic way to explore their activism. Through the combination of cutting-edge technology and historical preservation, the Bass Lab empowers students to reimagine how history is told while honoring the legacies of influential Black media makers.

Signature Events and Public Engagement

Charlotta Bass Day

Charlotta Bass Day is an important annual event that honors the trailblazing legacy of Charlotta Bass while also marking a major accomplishment for the USC Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab. In 2023, the Lab, led by its founding director Dr. Allissa Richardson, successfully advocated for the Los Angeles City Council to proclaim February 14 as Charlotta Bass Day. After months of collaboration with Councilman Curren Price, the city officially recognized Bass’s immense contributions to journalism and civil rights. This victory not only celebrates Bass’s historic role in advocating for Black communities but also underscores the Lab’s mission to continue her work through justice-oriented media education and public engagement. The proclamation carried deep emotional significance, especially since Charlotta Bass’s nieces were present during the reading of the proclamation, making the recognition a personal and family milestone as well.

Now, each year on Charlotta Bass Day, the Bass Lab uses the occasion to showcase its latest Interactive Interviews, immersive journalism experiences that use natural language processing technology to bring the stories of Black social justice leaders to life. These interviews offer participants a unique opportunity to engage in dynamic, real-time conversations with virtual representations of leaders like Lora King and Ilyasah Shabazz, whose media platforms have been instrumental in advocating for change.

By unveiling these interviews, the Lab deepens its commitment to media justice and historical preservation, offering audiences new ways to explore the legacies of influential figures who have used journalism to challenge systemic injustice. Charlotta Bass Day serves as both a celebration of Bass’s pioneering work and a reflection on how journalism can continue to be a powerful tool for social change.

Charlotta Bass Media Trailblazer Awards

The Charlotta Bass Media Trailblazer Awards are a key event hosted annually by the USC Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab, during Black History Month. These awards honor Black storytellers who have made a significant impact on the media landscape. The inaugural awardees in 2023 were Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Darnella Frazier, who received a Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prizes for her brave documentation of George Floyd’s murder.

The event highlights not only these trailblazing figures but also the Lab’s dedication to amplifying Black voices in media. Each honoree delivers a lecture, sharing their insights and experiences in shaping narratives that address systemic injustice. In 2024, the award went to Common, a rapper, actor, and activist who packed USC’s Bovard Auditorium despite inclement weather, reflecting the significance of his message on love, self-care, and advocacy.

The awards, deeply aligned with the Lab’s mission, celebrate individuals who have used their platforms to push for change, much like Charlotta Bass did in her time. By recognizing contemporary media makers who challenge inequities and elevate Black stories, the event reinforces the Lab’s commitment to media justice, advocacy, and education.

Impact on Journalism and Media

Since its founding, the USC Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab has been at the forefront of conversations about how journalism can be used as a tool for social change. By training students to approach reporting through a lens of justice and equity, the Lab is preparing the next generation of journalists to be thoughtful, ethical, and engaged storytellers. Its focus on reparative journalism encourages a rethinking of traditional journalism practices, advocating for more inclusive narratives that repair the harms done by biased or inaccurate reporting. The Lab’s unique combination of research, education, and public engagement makes it a vital part of USC’s efforts to promote racial justice, both within the field of journalism and in the broader public discourse. The Bass Lab is not only shaping the future of journalism education but also contributing to the larger movement for media accountability and justice in the U.S.

Conclusion

Since its founding, the USC Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab has been at the forefront of using journalism as a tool for social change. By training students to approach reporting through a lens of justice and equity, the Lab is preparing the next generation of journalists to be thoughtful, ethical, and engaged storytellers. Its emphasis on reparative journalism encourages a critical rethinking of traditional practices, pushing for more inclusive narratives that address and repair the harm caused by biased or inaccurate reporting.

The Lab’s unique combination of research, education, and public engagement makes it a key contributor to USC’s efforts to promote racial justice—both in journalism and broader public discourse. Through immersive projects like the Second Draft Project and cutting-edge work with Interactive Interviews, the Lab teaches students how to challenge and reshape media narratives. By focusing on the historical and contemporary contributions of marginalized communities, it equips journalists with tools to tell more equitable stories.

Under the leadership of Dr. Allissa Richardson, who received the Dr. Betty Shabazz Changemaker Award for her groundbreaking work in Black citizen journalism, the Bass Lab has garnered national attention. Richardson’s focus on mobile journalism, citizen-led reporting, and innovative technologies have helped students become leaders in digital storytelling.

The Lab’s commitment to media justice and accountability positions it as a vital player in reshaping the future of journalism education. Its impact goes beyond the classroom—contributing to a larger movement for justice-driven media practices and fostering a generation of journalists dedicated to truth and equity.