Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Introduction 1
4. 1. Reverend Al and Me 9
5. 2. Les Payne Sounds the “Death Knell” on the Tawana Brawley Story 17
6. 3. The Early ’80s: Sharpton Enters the Realm Where White Newspapers Ruled 33
7. 4. Black Women and the Embedded Racism of the Realm 56
8. 5. Rev. Al, Wayne Barrett, and Old Black Brooklyn 69
9. 6. Enter James Brown and Don King 85
10. 7. Roots of a Preacher’s Strength 97
11. 8. “I Know Jews from Italians” 117
12. 9. The ’90s: Climbing the Ladder in Politics 124
13. 10. A New Day, a New Journalism, a King Emerges 133
14. 11. Confessions of a Hack (i.e., Old- time Tabloid Reporter) 142
15. Acknowledgments 151
16. Tools That Made the Book 153
17. Index 157