WBAL to launch 10 p.m. newscast with Kate Amara

Welcome to the inVocus media blog – our chronicle of major changes and trends in North American media. Produced by experts with decades of experience creating content for print, broadcast and Web environments, inVocus is your resource for breaking industry news. Follow us on Twitter @inVocus.

May 18, 1896: The U.S. Supreme Court made its infamous “separate but equal” ruling in deciding Plessy v. Ferguson. In the seven to one ruling, the court held that racial segregation was not a form of discrimination as long as equal accommodations are provided. The case was brought forth by a citizen’s group after the State of Louisiana passed a law requiring separate accommodations for black and white train passengers, including “whites only” railway cars. One member of the citizen’s group, Homer Plessy, agreed to attempt an illegal boarding of the “whites only” car in order to spur the lawsuit, which would eventually reach the country’s highest court. The ruling would come to justify racial separations in hospitals, schools, restaurants, and other public and private facilities. It wasn’t until 1954’s Brown v. Board of Education that Plessy v. Ferguson would be struck down, and the “separate but equal” doctrine ruled as an unconstitutional violation of the 14th Amendment.