Even though there has been a decline in the number of newspapers, and newsroom employees in the U.S. have been cut in half since 2008, a promising new development is on the rise in the form of nonprofit niche news outlets focused on specific issues such as racial justice. These niche news outlets drill down on one issue, which creates the opportunity for writers to cover topics deeply and broadly. By forming established partnerships with other media sources, the stories can be picked up by more mainstream outlets, which may not have devoted as much time or resources to the topic. These media sources are nonprofits that are supported through philanthropic efforts and donations.
Two soon to be launched media entities are The Emancipator and Capital B. These outlets have manifested during a time of racial reckoning in the United Stated and were created with the purpose of sharing news related to black communities and racial inequities. When evaluating a niche outlet – check out the journalism credentials of the people who are writing and editing it, which should be on the website.
The Emancipator, a periodical set to launch later in 2021, was co-founded by Bina Venkataraman, The Boston Globe’s editorial page editor, and Ibram X. Kendi, Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Each of the founders has incredible journalism experience that makes them trustworthy and credible.
The two are teaming up to reimagine The Emancipator, the first abolitionist newspaper in the United States founded more than 200 years ago. They plan to cover conversations about systemic racial inequalities in America and how we can reduce them by amplifying critical voices, ideas, and evidence-based opinions. As Kendi expressed in the announcement video, “We need to enrich our debates, enrich our conversations and so I think this is an opportunity for journalists to be engaged in something historic, to be part of forging a conversation on racial justice and antiracism today in a way that is really exciting.”
Capital B, a start-up nonprofit news organization set to go live in the fall of 2021, was co-founded by Lauren Williams and Akoto Ofori-Atta. Williams, the CEO and Editor-in-Chief, is currently SVP and Editor-in-Chief of Vox and previously served as an editor at Mother Jones and Deputy Editor of The Root. Ofori-Atta, the acting Executive Editor, was Managing Editor at The Trace, Associate Editor and Social Media Manager at The Root, and a Senior Editor at Essence Magazine. Capital B will be aimed at a black audience and will cover health, education, politics, criminal justice, safety, housing, and economics. As Williams stated in a recent webinar with Venkataraman, “We felt like this was a moment to give something to the audience that has been left behind by news media.” In the same conversation, Williams expressed her hope that Capital B will be a place for black journalists to work, grow, learn, and be empowered in an environment that honors their opinion.
There are many other outlets that have been around and tackling the same conversations as these emerging sources. The Marshall Project, founded in 2014 by Neil Barsky, award winning reporter who worked for the New York Daily News and the Wall Street Journal, is a nonprofit online journalism organization that focuses on issues related to criminal justice in the United States. Blavity was created in the same year as The Marshall Project by and for black millennials with the mission to economically and creatively support each other so they can pursue the work they love and change the world in the process.
These outlets are being created for a reason. Representation in the news covered and, by the professionals writing the coverage impacts the way communities perceive the media. These conversations need to be had and, while it has taken too long to get here, it is encouraging to see this progress being made. Our media and society will benefit as a result.
