Black Entertainment Television (BET) has removed all digital articles from its website, a move that critics say obliterates a significant record of Black culture and history. The decision, made without prior warning, has left many writers unable to access their previously published work.
While multimedia content and BET's social media presence remain active, the removal of written articles has effectively erased years of reporting from the digital platform. This action comes at a time when the preservation of Black journalism is particularly critical, given historical underrepresentation and recent challenges to press freedom and diversity in media.
The Black press has historically played a vital role in sharing Black stories with nuance and context, often outside the scope of mainstream outlets. However, data from the Pew Research Center indicates a significant disparity, with Black journalists representing only 6% of U.S. journalists despite comprising about 12% of the population. Compounding this issue, Black reporters and other journalists of color have reportedly faced significant layoffs from newsrooms.
Njera Perkins, a culture reporter for HuffPost who previously contributed to BET, confirmed that her articles are no longer available online. She expressed dismay at the ease with which years of reporting could be deleted, highlighting the increasing instability of digital media and the burden placed on writers to protect their work from erasure. Perkins also voiced concern that this action could set a precedent for other publications to dismantle digital archives, thereby erasing valuable documentation of Black culture and history.
The removal of articles follows BET's announcement of the return of the Soul Train Awards and a new BET Digital Community Reporting initiative, which aims to invest in multimedia journalists for video-first reporting focused on Black culture and community issues. This initiative was detailed in a press release that emphasized its "video-first" approach.
BET's parent company, Paramount, has been involved in several controversies. Recently, an aerial banner criticizing Paramount CEO David Ellison was flown over the company's offices. Ellison is noted as a friend of former President Donald Trump, and both attended a dinner honoring Trump and the First Amendment earlier this year.
This decision by BET is the latest in a series of editorial choices made by Paramount that have drawn scrutiny. In July 2025, Paramount settled a lawsuit with Trump for $16 million regarding edits made to a CBS News "60 Minutes" interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, a settlement that critics argued undermined press freedom.
Earlier this year, CBS News faced backlash when its editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, pulled an episode of "60 Minutes" that focused on El Salvador's CECOT prison, an action described by critics as politically motivated. The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) condemned CBS News with its "Thumbs Down Award" last month.
NABJ President Errin Haines stated that the elimination of CBS News' race and culture unit was discouraging, questioning the implications for editorial independence and the ability to pursue stories without interference. Haines also noted that weakening editorial independence and removing the infrastructure needed to cover Black communities ultimately harms the public's right to information by reducing representation and accountability.
Furthermore, Paramount is currently facing an $111 billion merger attempt with Warner Bros. Discovery, which is being challenged by a lawsuit from California and 11 other states over antitrust concerns.