Top 5 Stories You Missed While You Were Sleeping

“Boomerang” TV Series in the Works: The classic romantic comedy starring Eddie Murphy will become a TV series thanks to BET. According to Hollywood Reporter, the new half-hour series will explore “contemporary workplace dynamics, including the changing role of gender, office politics, relationships and the conflicts between Generation X and millennials.”

Ted Cruz Grills Mark Zuckerberg About Facebook’s Bias at Court Hearing: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of Congress about the data privacy controversy. Most senators and lawmakers asked the CEO data privacy questions but Ted Cruz asked about the multiple conservative-themed Facebook pages and whether his company took note of employees political views.

Meek Mill Receives Jail Visit from Robert Kraft and 76ers Owner: Patriots owner Robert Kraft and 76ers owner Michael Rubin visited Meek Mill at the Chester State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. Both are pushing for his early release from a 2-4 prison term for probation violation. Kraft told reporters outside of the facility, “Amazing young man. I know how I’d feel if I was in the situation he is. Every time I see him, I just come away more impressed. He’s very intelligent. And makes it clear to me we have to do something with criminal justice reform.”

Coachella is being Sued by the Family of Woman Who was Killed on Campsite: According to a lawsuit, Coachella’s negligence caused a woman to be hit by a Jeep Cherokee on her way to the campsite. The parents of the victim said the festival failed to provide temporary pedestrian barricades, fences, lighting, warning signs and other safety provisions.

Chris Paul Becomes a Part Owner of a Minor League Baseball Team: NBA all-star Chris Paul will be a part owner of Winston-Salem Dash, a Class High-A team. The Dash is also affiliated with the Chicago White Sox.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

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