How the Press Covered Elaine
Like any important news story, reporters covered the Elaine Massacre. The Arkansas dailies gave its readers regular updates about the killings, Governor Charles Hillman Brough's reaction, and the trial of the Elaine 12. But based on historical perspective, journalists of the time neglected the deaths, imprisonment, and destruction of private property of hundreds of African-Americans in Elaine. In fact, newspapers placed the blame solely on the city's black population.