Black newspapers as a tool for cancer education in African American communities.

Background: Despite the long history, wide reach and unique influence of Black newspapers in many African American communities, no national studies have examined how these newspapers cover health and cancer issues, or reader perceptions of their coverage.

Design And Participants: A two-year national sample of Black newspapers (n=24) and community-matched general audience newspapers (n=12) was reviewed, and 8,690 health and cancer stories were identified and content analyzed. A survey of 783 Black newspaper readers in the same 24 communities assessed reading frequency and perceptions of reporting for both types of newspapers, as well as readers' health concerns and cancer screening behaviors.