MSNBC has created an exciting website for the African -American community called the Grio. The Grio, which translates to “a storyteller in western Africa who maintains the oral tradition and history of a village or family,” gives an African -American voice and perspective to the Internet. Recent articles covered topics as diverse as Black Actors and Drag, the enhanced ebook version of Roots, and racial issues in Alabama. Pages dedicated to Politics, Opinions, Entertainment, Health, Money, Travel, Black History and News supply a unique Afro-American centric approach.
For those who would wonder if a site specifically focused on one ethnic or racial group is necessary, I say one word: bias. I use this word, minus any negative connotation, and suggest one scan the MSNBC’s main page, and then the Grio’s page. The differences are considerable.
I commend MSNBC’s outreach to the African-American community, and look forward to other media outlets reaching diverse populations online.