Black History Month: Representation in media & news

WMDT –  Over 50 years ago, black Americans began to inform the public as journalists and news anchors. Some breaking barriers and redefining representation in media especially the news. “It’s good to have people that look like you that you can see on television because they inspire you to say look if he can do it then I can do it too,” says Paul Butler, a former news anchor, sportscaster, and reporter.

Butler is a familiar face here on the Eastern Shore, spending over 20 years in an industry where he says he’s seen it grow exponentially in regards to black representation. “A lot of people nowadays will just see people on the air and say hey they’re on the air but they don’t see the struggle to get to this point.”

Butler tells us that TV personalities such as the late Jim Vance and Donnie Simpson were ones he consistently looked up to while he made the transition from radio to television. “He was one of the first that I saw when I was in middle school and high school, he was the person that I saw on the air and he was one of the people that I’d say if he can do it, then I could do it.”

However, his journey didn’t come without hurdles as he explains a previous news station said “You should just give this up, you’re never going to go anywhere.” What many could have seen as a setback – changed when Butler realized he was representing a group of people, and wanted to make a name for himself to encourage others. “You have no control over how or what I do or where I go, that made me even work harder.” He goes on to say, “I knew that I also had a responsibility to be my best, to always act my best, and just to inspire future generations.”

Now in 2025, seeing a person of color on television, nationally and locally is becoming the norm. “It’s inspiring to see that we have broken ceilings and starting to not only be reporters and anchors, but also news directors and general managers,” says Butler. “You want not only your people to say, man, he’s good, I think I can do that but you also want to say that listen, I can do any job that anybody else can do.”

However, Butler says Black History Month is not only a time to reflect on how far we’ve come but also see where we’re lacking and how far we still have to go in some regards. “There was a station that I watched and I didn’t see anybody and I was saying wait a minute, what’s going on? There used to be a lot but now there’s a very small amount of representation.”

Beyond lack of representation in areas, the training to succeed is something Butler says is also lacking. “I saw a lot of us getting into the business but we weren’t getting the mentoring, we weren’t getting the consulting that we should be getting from the management.”

While there’s still more work to be done, he emphasizes the need to keep pushing to share space in every industry and continue bettering ourselves. “One of my favorite sayings is if you know better, you can do better. But if you don’t, you can’t get to the next level.” He adds, “If somebody tells me I can’t do anything, I’m going to do it.”

Although Butler is now a spokesperson for Wicomico County schools, he mentors other up-and-coming reporters and news anchors. Which he says is crucial so you’re always giving back to your community and people.