Vault: Is there a media racial bias about Freaknic?

Summary

The Bert Show – Vault: Is There a Media Racial Bias about Freaknik?
Episode Date: July 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the media’s portrayal of Freaknik in Atlanta, questioning whether racial bias influenced coverage leading up to the event. The discussion examines media sensationalism, public paranoia, city politics, and the intersection of race and perception in news reporting. The conversation is candid and often humorous, reflecting the cast's trademark style while addressing serious underlying issues about race and representation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Media Bias and Sensationalism

• Carl starts by expressing frustration with local news coverage, feeling it disproportionately highlighted Freaknik in a negative light compared to other Atlanta events happening the same weekend.
  • Quote:
    “I really felt like it's never been more evident how the news can really freak you out. If they want to freak you out, they can freak you out.” (00:46)
• The panel notes that other large gatherings (Hawks, Braves, Dogwood Festival) were happening but did not receive the same negative focus.
• Melissa observes that media is often “damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” but agrees there was “an exploitation of the fact that Freaknik may be coming to town.” (01:39)

2. Why Did Freaknik Get Singled Out?

• The hosts discuss historical context, noting that Freaknik had, in its past, led to significant disruptions but so had other events, albeit without the same media panic.
  • Quote:
    “People go to Braves games...Dogwood every year...out of all the events...the one that shuts down the entire city was Freaknik.” (02:32)
• There’s debate on whether the panic was due to city management, the size of the event, or the racial makeup of its attendees.

3. Public Paranoia and Stereotypes

• Jeff shares a story about a volunteer who was too afraid to come downtown during Freaknik weekend, believing it was dangerous, highlighting how media-driven paranoia affects regular people.
  • Quote:
    “She said, ‘we are putting our life on the line to come downtown.’ … The organizer...was like, you've got to be kidding me, right?” (04:39)
• The group analyzes whether these fears are rooted in racism, media narratives, or a mix of both.

4. Dueling Narratives: City vs. Event

• Melissa points out that part of the drama came from a public clash between the city’s Black mayor, Kaseem Reed, and Freaknik organizers, which the media ran with.
  • Quote:
    “There was controversy that was stemming between a black mayor and Freaknik. So that fight wasn’t racial…it was just the fact that we can’t give you the cop support and the traffic support.” (03:26)
• The coverage, she says, ballooned due to racial tensions, turning a city management issue into a race-infused controversy.

5. Media Framing of Black Events

• Discussion about how events involving Black communities are often framed negatively:
  • Melissa: “If the Peachtree road race was nothing but a black event, I think the media would look at it differently...” (06:50)
  • Unidentified Host: “If you only show Black Folks acting a fool, then…people who’s not around Black folks, that’s what they’re gonna think that we do…” (06:15)
• The group points out that negative framing perpetuates stereotypes and affects public perception and policy.

6. Humor and Coping with Stereotypes

• The cast uses humor to deflate stereotypes and paranoia, with Carl joking he’ll use “Freaknik traffic” as an excuse for missing events for the rest of the year. (06:31)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Carl (On media fear-mongering):
  “I really felt like it's never been more evident how the news can really freak you out. If they want to freak you out, they can freak you out.” (00:46)
• Melissa (On media and drama):
  “We love drama. All media loves drama. It’s what people pay attention to…there was a little bit of drama going on because the city was saying we don’t want Freaknik and Freaknik wanted to come.” (03:26)
• Jeff (On paranoia):
  “That’s what this woman thought, that she was putting her life on the line to come downtown and volunteer.” (05:15)
• Melissa (On racial framing):
  “If the Peachtree road race was nothing but a black event, I think the media would look at it differently…” (06:50)
• Unidentified Host (On representation):
  “If you only show black Folks acting a fool, then that’s what people who’s not around black folks, that’s what they’re gonna think that we do…” (06:15)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:46 – Carl introduces the issue, describing media bias in Freaknik coverage.
• 01:39 – Melissa expands on how coverage shifted from general warnings to singling out Freaknik.
• 02:21-02:52 – Hosts debate if Freaknik’s past disruptions justify the media’s focus.
• 03:26 – Melissa provides political context, noting city vs. event controversy.
• 04:39 – Jeff recounts a story illustrating public paranoia.
• 06:15 – Discussion turns to media’s role in shaping stereotypes.
• 06:50 – Hypothetical comparison between media treatment of mostly Black and mostly white events.

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Conclusion

Through spirited debate, firsthand stories, humor, and pointed questions, the Bert Show cast critique how local media weaponized old narratives and racial undertones to paint Freaknik as uniquely threatening. The episode highlights the broader consequences of such coverage – increased public fear and reinforced stereotypes – and challenges listeners to consider how differently events are reported depending on who’s participating.

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Transcript

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[Carl]

show all right, let's talk about this weekend and let's talk about. I got a lot of crap in emails and on Facebook on Friday after I posted that. I really felt like going into the weekend that there was a serious, like, racial media, racial bias going into this weekend. I really did feel it. I felt like there were a whole bunch of different things going on in downtown Atlanta this weekend that could have possibly made traffic at a standstill. Yet I felt like the media, TV specifically, was knocking. Freaknik. Freaknik's coming back. They were showing you, you know, the worst of Freaknik from back in the day. And I realize how bad it got in those last couple of years, but I really felt like it's never been more evident how the news can really freak you out. If they want to freak you out, they can freak you out. And at the end of the day, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, there was no traffic. Cops broke up like a party of 200 people at underground Atlanta. There was nothing.

[Melissa]

Well, I will say I think the news media is damned if you do, damned if you don't. Because if Freaknik did bring traffic and the news didn't tell anybody about it, then the news would be blamed for not warning people that there would be traffic. And then when the news tries to warn it. But I do think that what started, I do think that the initial reports were, look, you've got hawks, you've got Braves, you've got concerts, you've got Freaknik possibilities. Dogwood Festival. Dogwood Festival. You got all these things. And I think that's how it started. But then I do believe there was an exploitation of the fact that Freaknik may be coming to town.

[Jeff]

I agree with you because it could have just been like, hey, there's a ton of stuff going on this weekend. Be careful. You know, we're planning ahead for traffic, but it became this out of control paranoia.

[Unidentified Male (possibly a host or commentator)]

But is it because Freaknik playing devil's advocate. But is it because Freaknik in the past has been crippled the city before

[Jeff]

has created trips because Freaknik has black people who attend it?

[Unidentified Male (possibly a host or commentator)]

But you're saying I'm playing devil's advocate like I'm saying that people go to Braves games every, you know, five times a week. And that doesn't completely shut down the entire city. People go to Dogwood every year. They that doesn't shut down the entire city. Out of all the events listed that weekend, the one that shuts down the entire city was Freaknik.

[Unidentified Female (possibly a host or commentator)]

But I think the city shut the city down. It wasn't Freaknik that shut it down,

[Unidentified Male (possibly a host or commentator)]

but because of the people who came into town.

[Carl]

Right, but we're no smarter than anybody in news. I mean, we know it takes years and years and years to build up to the size of freak neck what it was that last year. And we've got our fingers on the pulse of the buzz of the city the same way that news stations do, right? So we felt in here collectively like this wasn't gonna be 500,000 people coming into the city and we knew that the traffic wasn't gonna be all that nasty because of Freaknik. So I personally think that there was some bias on the media part this weekend.

[Jeff]

And I agree.

[Melissa]

And just before you say that, I just wanna say that also in fairness, you know, kind of go along with Jeff's line is that, you know, we love drama. All media loves drama. It's what people pay attention to. So we get ready. And the fact that mayor Kaseem Reed came out and said, look, don't come, I will. You will get in trouble if you don't have a permit. There was a little bit of drama going on because the city was saying we don't want Freaknik and Fryknick wanted to come. And so there was a battle going on between mayor Reid and then the organizers of the two Freaknik parties. And so that may be also where it started, where instead of it just being. Look at all the events going on, there was controversy that was stemming between a black mayor and Freaknik. So that fight wasn't racial. It was just the fact that we can't give you the cop support and the traffic support. So that may be where all this started ballooning up. But I do agree that though that the racial tension then made it skyrocket.

[Unidentified Female (possibly a host or commentator)]

And it's just really. It's amazing. The other paranoia. I mean, I understand the. I understand the concern, but the paranoia of just. I've heard, you know, I've heard people say that they were. That they were scared to go downtown. I mean, what are you scared of? I mean, are you scared that you're going to get someone pulled out the car? And I understand things happen, but I mean, really, the paranoia is amazing when it comes surrounding black events.

[Jeff]

Yeah, I mean, I was participating in an event at Underground Atlanta Saturday morning, and it was a big volunteer event. And one of the organizers told me one participant did not come and called the organizer on the phone and said she was concerned about coming downtown for this big volunteer thing. I mean, it was Saturday morning. It wasn't like it was Saturday night or anything, like in the middle of the night where you'd run into people partying, of anybody partying. But she said, well, you know, we are putting our life on the line to come downtown. And the organizer of the event was like, you've got to be kidding me, right?

[Unidentified Female (possibly a host or commentator)]

Like, that's hilarious.

[Jeff]

But that's what this. That's what this woman thought, that she was putting her life on the line to come downtown and volunteer.

[Unidentified Female (possibly a host or commentator)]

And then I asked, like. Like, what happened in her life to her, to feel like she's putting her life on the line, like, what does she see? So. And then, I don't know, is it just racist or afraid of?

[Jeff]

But I think it's you, Carl. She's afraid of you.

[Melissa]

Well, no, let's talk about what we talked about on Friday, Carl, off air. And. And I'm. I certainly not endorsing what I'm saying, but let's just say that somebody. You know, let's blame the media for everything, since everybody does. But the media, when they do the one thing I do think they slant in any situation that deals with minorities is sometimes it's the most, you know, not necessarily in the nicest light, to put different groups of people. And in blacks in particular with Freaknik, there was the issue in Buckhead with shootings at clubs. And so, you know, and there's a lot of clubs who have this. This perception that if I have a black event there, that there may be some gun violence there. And we talked about that off air on Friday about how there's some people that do perceive that if you get a group of black people together partying, it's gonna turn violent.

[Unidentified Female (possibly a host or commentator)]

But then again, you know, I put that on the media because if you only show black Folks acting a fool, then that's what the people who's not around. Black folks, that's what they're gonna think that we do is act a fool all the time. I mean, I've never. Well, maybe once or twice. I mean, you know, that's not what we do. We don't act a fool.

[Carl]

Yeah, well, I'm gonna use Freaknik as an excuse all the time. Like, if I can't show up to somebody's, like, birthday party or something, I'm gonna say I was gonna go, but Freaknik. I heard the rumor of Freaknik and I wanted to avoid the traffic this weekend. I'm gonna use it for the next year.

[Jeff]

It's just like fear and paranoia. Melissa, I think you're coming off the air about the road race.

[Melissa]

Oh, yeah. I said if the Peachtree road race was nothing but a black event, I think the media would look at it differently than the Peachtree road race being always the biggest 10k in the world. And, you know, it was such a. And everybody's out there with their American flags and such a fun event. But if it was an all black event, would you feel the same way?

[Carl]

You gotta wonder.

[Unidentified Female (possibly a host or commentator)]

Have your red, black and green flags. That's what you'd have.

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