| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Beatty Media LLC |
| Founder(s) | Robert G. Beatty |
| Publisher | Robert G. Beatty |
| Editor | CB Hanif |
| Founded | 1990 (as the Broward Times) |
| Language | English |
| Website | sfltimes |
The South Florida Times is a weekly newspaper covering the Black community in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in south Florida. [1] It publishes on Thursdays, with a circulation of about 35,000. [2]
Keith Clayborne founded the Broward Times in 1990. [3] It was seen as the voice of younger, educated, "up-and-coming" voices in the local Black community, largely from the Caribbean, as opposed to the older veterans of the civil rights era. [4] In 2000 the paper formed an editorial partnership with the Sun-Sentinel . [3] Clayborne hired a new editor, Utrice Leid, in 2004, to take the paper "to the next level." [5] At the time, the paper had a circulation of 24,000; hiring Leid reflected an effort to overcome a reputation for overusing unnamed sources. Clayborne, who did not have a background in journalism, had stepped away from his editing duties to run for political office. [5] He was later sued for libel by his opponent, Alcee Hastings. [6]
In 2007, Robert G. Beatty acquired Broward Times; the name was changed several months later to the South Florida Times, along with plans to expand to neighboring counties. [1] [7] [8] Beatty had a background as legal counsel to the Miami Herald, and has been a featured speaker at local business functions. [9] Bradley Bennett, who served as executive editor, also had a background with the Herald. [10] The paper's stated mission includes in-depth analysis of worldwide events relating to the African diaspora, and making connections to its local community. [1] The paper has partnered with the Miami Herald . The Times' reporting has been picked up by the Herald, [11] [12] and has been referenced in the Herald's own reporting. [13] [14] [15] As of 2010, a journalism professor at the Florida International University partnered with the Times, assigning his students to investigate and report stories for the paper. [16]
A publication called the South Florida Times, a monthly 4-color glossy magazine, was founded by Audrey S. Diamond, who was given a lifetime achievement award in 2003. (Unclear whether there is any relation between these publications.) [14] There was also a Democratic publication of the same name in the late 19th century. [17] [18] [19] There was also an earlier paper called the Broward Times in the 1980s. [20]