Posts tagged with "Magazine"

RIHANNA x ESSENCE

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ESSENCE, the leading media, technology and commerce company serving Black women, kicks off 2021 with a stunning January + February cover art exclusive. Legendary artist Lorna Simpson collaborates with global fashion and beauty founder Robyn Rihanna Fenty, who recently launched Fenty Skin globally in stores in the U.S. and the U.K.

Their goal was to reinterpret the narrative of modern-day beauty in the gorgeous photographic cover collage, Of Earth & Sky, and in images comprising a 12-page portfolio feature inside the January + February issue. Over the past 15 years of her acclaimed three-decade career, Simpson has created collages that recontextualize images of Black women from vintage pages ofEbony and Jet magazines. Like all of Simpson’s celebrated works, these original pieces are more than what meets the eye.

Simpson channels Rihanna as her muse throughout the spectacular artistic rendering—reimagining the artist in a way that has neverbeenseen before. Rihanna looks ethereal in designer pieces including from her signature Savage X Fenty line as well as Prada, Givenchy, Hood by Air, Thelma West, Rick Owens and more.

“…I needed to create images of Rihanna to place within the environments of source materials from my archive,” said Simpson. “For the project to have the same kind of dramatic visual intensity as my collage work to date, I had to consider the atmosphere and lighting of specific source materials before arriving to set. Knowing Rihanna’s charisma and commanding presence, my effort was then to be as present and prepared as possible to capture her exquisite performance for the camera…”

The package also features the piece, Anthems of Possibility, written by Simpson’s daughter, writer and actor Zora Simpson Casebere. She weighs in on how Rihanna helped shape her womanhood at an early age and how serving as a stand-in model on set for her mother was a full-circle moment.

“…At 13, I was deeply grateful that at a formative time in my life, it was Rihanna’s voice and art that became my portals to so many questions about sexuality, sexual exploration and sexual autonomy,” expressed Casebere. “Now, on set, I assisted my mother as a model as she explored how she might later place Rihanna within the visual contexts she’d selected from vintage Ebony magazines, old Associated Press photographs and 19th-century lithographs of mineral specimens.”

“When Rihanna arrived at the set—my first time seeing her in real life—I was mesmerized. She was the very definition of grace, charisma and influence,” continued Casebere. “Wearing a magnificent Maximilian black headdress, she requested the song ‘Thick’ by DJ Chose, then met the camera with power and possibility—power in how she moved her body through space, and possibility in how she dismantled and moved beyond institutional boundaries…”

The gorgeous issue will also pay homage to Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris’ historic win with reflections by five influential Black women: Donna Brazile, Leah Daughtry, Karen Finney, Star Jones and Minyon Moore. In addition, the issue features an interview with Barack Obama talking about his new book and journey as the nation’s first Black president. Plus, iconic actress Cicely Tysonshares an eye-opening excerpt from her new memoir.

For more on this issue, visit ESSENCE.com or pick up the January + February 2021 issue on newsstands next week. (Photographic Collages, Lorna Simpson)

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

Essence Communications is the number one media, technology and commerce company dedicated to Black women and inspires a global audience of more than 31 million through diverse storytelling and immersive original content. With a multi-platform presence in publishing, experiential and online, ESSENCE encompasses its signature magazine; digital, video and social platforms; television specials; books; as well as live events, including Black Women in Music, Black Women in Hollywood, Street Style and the ESSENCE Festival. Essence Communications is owned by Essence Ventures, an independent Black-owned, consumer technology company merging content, community and commerce to meet the evolving cultural and lifestyle needs of people of color.

STREAMING PLATFORMS LEADING THE WAY

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IN ON-SCREEN DIVERSE REPRESENTATION

Diversity at all-time high due to growing television landscape but notable disparities persist

The explosion of new television platforms across broadcast, streaming and cable has led to an increase in on-screen representation of diverse identity groups, according to Nielsen’s latest Diverse Intelligence Series report: Being Seen on Screen: Diverse Representation and Inclusion on TV.

Among the 300 most-viewed programs in 2019, 92% had some level of diversity in the cast (i.e. women, people of color or LGBTQ+). Whites, African Americans and LGBTQ+ had the largest overall share of screen while Women, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans were underrepresented relative to their population estimates. The report uncovers notable differences in identity group representation across different platforms; with streaming over-indexing on representation for certain identity groups versus traditional broadcast and cable.

In this report, Being Seen on Screen: Diverse Representation and Inclusion on TV, Nielsen reports on scripted, reality, variety and news programming on key metrics:

Share of Screen (SOS): composition of the top 10 recurring cast members in a program
Inclusion Opportunity Index (IOI): compares the SOS of an identity group (e.g. women) to their representation in population estimates
Inclusion Audience Index (IAI): compares the SOS of an identity group to their representation in a program’s audience.

The report is powered by Gracenote Inclusion Analytics, a new solution delivering cutting-edge metrics created from Gracenote content metadata and Nielsen audience measurement data, providing the industry with consistent and reliable measurement of granular viewing. The report also leverages Gracenote Video Descriptors, metadata relating to story, mood, character, theme and scenario in each program.

Key insights from the report include:

Overall, representation of diverse identity groups in on-screen programming is low across all media platforms. Streaming fares better for inclusion followed by broadcast and cable. Viewing audiences are increasingly seeking content that tells their stories. As a result, people are migrating to platforms that have broad and more diverse content offerings.

Representation by platform (Broadcast, Cable, Streaming): Nearly one-third of the content on cable doesn’t have parity representation of Indigenous, People of Color (Black, Native American, Asian & Pacific islander, Hispanic/Latinx, Middle eastern/ North African, Multiracial), Women or LGBTQ talent.
Subscription video on demand (SVOD) programming represents several identity groups e.g. Blacks, Hispanic and Asians well, helping us understand, in part, why more diverse audiences are subscribing to streaming services than the general population.
Representation of identity groups by genre (e.g. comedy, drama, news):
- While women are not well represented in any single genre, the highest representation for women is in science fiction, drama, comedy and horror.
- Women have the lowest representation in news.
- People of color representation is at parity in music and drama, followed by science fiction and action and adventure.
- People of color have least relative representation in news.
- News does prominently feature LGBTQ talent on-screen.
- Reality and horror programming also prominently feature LGBTQ talent.

All audiences, regardless of how they identify, like to see diversity in the content they view on TV. Programs that represent multiple identity groups evenly yield higher overall audience ratings for all viewers when compared to shows that have a significant over or under representation of any one identity group.

Quality of representation matters too. The themes and narratives depicted on-screen can contribute to identity formation and social perceptions. As the industry seeks to improve diversity on-screen, content creators and publishers should consider the context in which women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ talent are presented. Equally important is investing in marketing those diverse programs so that they are watched.

Women insights
- Comprise 52% of the U.S. population; show up on screen only 38% of the time
- Women 50+ years old
  - 60% less likely to see themselves in programming than in the general population, and 2x the representation of men 50+
  - Women 50+ comprise 20% of the population and 20% of all TV viewers, but have a SOS of less than 8%
  - Men 50+ years old are 17% of the total population and have SOS of 14%
LGBTQ+ insights
- 1 out of 4 top performing programs across cable, broadcast and streaming have relative representation of LGBTQ+ cast members
- Total SOS for LGBTQ was 7%. LGBTQ people are 4.5% of the population so across all platforms we see fair representation
- The highest level of representation is on SVOD (8% SOS), followed by cable (7%) then broadcast (5%).

Aligning representative casting and content themes is an area of opportunity. In the programming where identity groups see themselves represented at parity, these are the themes that are most present:

Latinas: dysfunction, emotional, suspenseful, melodramatic, police stations
Black women: emotional, personal relationships, sons, investigation, rivalry
Black men: investigation, thrilling, streets, pursuit, teamwork, discovery
East Asians: challenge, courage and bravery, justice, sons, discovery
South/Southeast Asian males: thrilling, awakening, offices, courtrooms
White women: friendship, family, love, husbands, daughters

Nielsen’s findings aim to show media owners the degree to which their programming is inclusive, coupled with the diversity of the audience they draw. Additionally, brands and agencies will now be able to measure their advertising investment and alignment to inclusive content. The identity groups measured included: Female, Male & Expansive Gender Identities, Black/African American, Hispanic, Asian & Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/North African, Multiracial, White, Native American/Native Alaskan, and Sexual Orientation. The data, which was both intersectional and granular, enables Nielsen to look at specific identity subsegments like Afro-Latino or Southeast Asian.

“At Nielsen, we believe that the audience is everything and that inclusion is a prerequisite of a healthy media ecosystem, ensuring all communities and individuals are heard and seen,” stated Tina Wilson, Nielsen EVP, Media Analytics and Marketing Outcomes. “The call for inclusive programming that breaks traditional stereotypes and gives a voice to underrepresented groups has never been louder.”

“This work underscores the essential importance of on-screen representation in an increasingly diverse audience landscape,” said Sandra Sims-Williams, Nielsen SVP, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “Not only is the business case for inclusion made but it also provides practical recommendations on how media companies can address inclusion gaps. This is a must-read for any media professional who wants to be part of the change that today’s television viewers demand.”

For more details and insights, download Being Seen On Screen: Diverse Representation & Inclusion on TV. Please visit nielsen.com/inclusionanalytics to learn more. Join the discussion on Facebook (Nielsen Community) and follow us on Twitter (@NielsenKnows).

ABOUT NIELSEN

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets worldwide. Our approach marries proprietary Nielsen data with other data sources to help clients around the world understand what’s happening now, what’s happening next, and how to best act on this knowledge. For more than 90 years Nielsen has provided data and analytics based on scientific rigor and innovation, continually developing new ways to answer the most important questions facing the media, advertising, retail and fast-moving consumer goods industries. An S&P 500 company, Nielsen has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world’s population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

KO Média reveals Nov. issue of ELLE Canada

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KO Média is proud to unveil the November issue of ELLE Canada featuring the much-anticipated results of the 2020 Beauty Grand Prix.

This edition of the highly-regarded annual event invited 550 jurors to blind-test 229 products in order to crown only the very best in every category — from skincare to hair-care, from makeup to body-care.
Find out which of your favourite brands made the cut this year — and which new innovators are must-haves!

The issue features more than just hero products: Rising star Florence Pugh, the phenomenon who recently joined the Marvel universe for the upcoming Black Widow, graces the cover. The 24-year old actor who was awarded for her performance in last year’s beloved Little Women opens up about how she’s learned to balance the pressure that comes with starring in a blockbuster franchise. “I wanted to know whether it would be them or me calling the shots,” she explains. “I didn’t want to be part of something where I was constantly checked on and people were making sure I was in the ‘right’ shape.”

Sought-after actor Jodie Turner-Smith also speaks frankly in an intimate feature in the November issue. “There have been so many times in my life when I’ve experienced microaggressions that caused me to say ‘Right, so that’s not acceptable,” she says. “When someone is suffering, their suffering belongs to all of us.”

That search for equity is further considered in the issue via an investigative feature that weighs the risks of so-called ethical AI programs that are being rolled out across Canada. The algorithms are being designed to help companies eliminate harmful racial biases that can affect the hiring process — but, finds journalist Melissa Vincent, there are flaws in the system that aren’t being addressed.

Plus: Have we reached peak skincare?; An intimate tour of designers Byron and Dexter Peart’s iconic Montreal homes and the season’s best minimalist and maximalist shapes.

The November issue of ELLE Canada will hit stands on Monday, October 12th.

KO Média also publishes ELLE Québec, Magazine VÉRO, di Stasio,and K pour Katrine magazines.

About ELLE:

The ELLE network today, including France and the international editions, reaches more than 33 million readers worldwide: 45 editions of ELLE in 43 countries, 25 editions of ELLE Decoration, 5 editions of ELLE à Table, 2 editions of ELLE Men and 1 edition of ELLE Girl. It also represents 45 ELLE local websites, gathering nearly 100 million unique visitors per month. Lagardère Group, owner of ELLE & ELLE Decoration brands, partners with prestigious publishing houses worldwide, through licence contracts: With Hearst Magazines, publishing 15 editions of ELLE and 12 editions of ELLE Decoration, in 14 countries. With Burda, Aller, Ringier and 21 other partners in 29 countries, publishing 30 editions of ELLE and 13 editions of ELLE Decoration. The Lagardère Group is a global leader in content publishing, production, broadcasting and distribution.

About the Group KO:

The Group KO is made up of Productions KOTV, Productions KO Scène, KO 24, KO Média and KO Éditions. Run by the screenwriter-humourist-comedian-producer Louis Morissette, the group is motivated by the desire to tell stories that captivate the public, and to do so by mastering each creative aspect that goes into doing that. Whether it’s television shows, performances, films or magazines, the mission of the group is very simple: conquer the world, and then entertain them. In an industry full of possibilities, the KO Group sees opportunities and takes them.

Adwoa Aboah × ELLE Canada

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KO Média proudly unveils the October issue of ELLE Canada featuring activist, model and optimist Adwoa Aboah, who opens her heart and shares frank advice for students navigating these strange times.

“For me, school was a roller coaster. On the one hand, I was fortunate to have a supportive family and a close circle of friends,” Adwoa explains in the intimate piece.

“On the other hand, I was extremely shy and insecure about almost everything… I quietly hid my insecurities and internalized my shame.” Now, after founding an online community dedicated largely to mental health, Aboah explains how she rebuilt her life after hitting rock bottom. “Why did I feel so much loneliness and shame about having messy feelings when they are so common and natural?”

In addition to Adwoa’s feature and fresh advice, the October issue will discuss navigating your career during the pandemic, fall accessory trends, and how frizz is in for hair styles this season. Also, this issue has ELLE and UNESCO joining forces and inviting noted thinkers from around the world to imagine what our post-pandemic new-normal will hold.

Check out the October issue of ELLE Canada when it hits the stands on Monday, September 14th.

DUA LIPA × ELLE

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KO Media reveals the Summer issue of Elle Canada

KO Media is pleased to unveil the Summer issue of ELLE Canada, covered by chart-topping talent Dua Lipa, who released her much-anticipated new album during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering a crop of hits able to make audiences both dance and cry. “I think it’s important to talk about your emotions and to be vulnerable and to show that you’re human,” says the artist in the candid conversation, also opening up about her isolation uniform and cooking-at-home adventures.

The escapist Summer issue equips readers with all the fashion, celebrity, style, beauty, health, and political conversations readers crave. The issue includes a primer on Canadian designers changing the industry, an intimate chat with Canadian powerhouse Shay Mitchell, the best ways to protect our skin this summer, a horoscope special to help navigate the season and a dreamy assortment of easy pastels and crisp whites fit for hot summer dressing. But the Summer issue also grapples with stuff-of-life questions: How do you manage relationships between two ambitious alpha partners? How can the COVID-19 slowdown present an opportunity for us to reassess breakneck-speed spending?

Vitally, ELLE Canada remains dedicated to showcasing diverse voices and reflecting the lived experiences of all Canadians. Though the Summer issue went to print prior to the global protests against anti-black racism, readers can turn to ElleCanada.com for up-to-the-minute coverage of the civil rights movement unfolding across the country and engage with difficult, frank and thought-provoking discussions about how White silence is tantamount to violence against BIPOC Canadians, why Canadian media continues to shirk its responsibility to showcase Indigenous voices, and how we can come together to grapple with freeing our society from the burdens of systemic racism and oppression. “Activism and allyship are defined by effort and by taking action,” says Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Craft. “We will continue to do the work necessary to honour and support all Canadians.”

The Summer issue of ELLE Canada will hit stands on Monday, June 29th, and the digital edition can be bought here.

Paloma Ford Cover

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Paloma Ford covers the June Issue of Nude Magazine. She touches on music, motherhood, & the fight against injustice and inequality.

The Issue can be found HERE

About Paloma Ford:

Born in Los Angeles, Paloma Ford — singer, songwriter, designer, and mother exemplifies the feminine ideal from multiple angles. On the microphone, her sultry and soulful delivery consistently captivates listeners, while her relatable stories of love, passion, and heartbreak keep us coming back for more. It should be no surprise Palomacites her primary influences as Aaliyah, Sade and Janet Jackson, as she also bends R&B to fit and express her individual style.

Off the mic, Paloma describes herself as simply, “A mother and a girl from Los Angeles who has been through a lot of relatable experiences.” “I’m very optimistic, I try to see the good in others. I love being able to help and heal people. I’m a private person, so I don’t show everything on my social media. In my music, you can recognize moments of sensuality and strength. It’s all part of being a woman. That’s the message. It’s important for me to talk about other situations I’ve been in that other women can relate to.”

In 2006, she serendipitously met Macy Gray before a House of Blues gig. As it turned out, a background singer fell ill, so Macy asked Palomato to step in. Numerous live performances followed as Palomaalso contributed vocals to three tracks from the star’s 2007 release Big—joining an esteemed cast of collaborators such as Justin Timberlake and will.i.am. As she built a following on YouTube via independent tracks “Dollars,” “Ménage àTrois,” and “Hit of You,” Meek Mill enlisted her for his 2014 single “I Don’t Know,” which rose fast on the BillboardR&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Charts. During 2017, she unveiled her Nearly Civilized EP powered by a series of standout singles: “W.E.T.” [2.4 million Spotify streams], “Hit Of You” [1.6 million Spotify streams], and “Jada” [1.6 Million Spotify streams]. She appeared alongside Fabolousand Davoon “Connection” from Tory Lanez’s chart-topping Memories Don’t Die in 2018.

At the same time, she carefully assembled what would become her 2020 independent EP, X Tapes.

So You Want a Career in Journalism?

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Journalism is an exciting, fast-paced, and interesting career where no two days are the same. Journalists can work for newspapers, TV stations, websites, magazines and radio stations. Most of the time, the best way to get into a career as a journalist is to earn a relevant degree, although you might be able to get into the field through an apprenticeship. If you’ve decided that a career in journalism is a good fit for you, here’s the experience and qualifications you’ll need to beat the competition.

Qualifications:

There are two common routes into journalism, which include earning an undergraduate journalism degree, or taking an undergraduate degree in a different subject, followed by a master’s degree in journalism. You can search journalism courses at University Compare; a website where you can look at all the different degree options available, where to study them, and the differences between them. When you choose where to do your degree from this list, make sure that you opt for a course that is NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) accredited if you want to eventually work for a news organisation based in the UK. You can also choose a degree with an area of specialisation, such as newspaper journalism, multimedia journalism, or broadcast journalism.

Blogging:

While studying for your degree in journalism, using your spare time to start a blog can be a great way to get relevant experience in your career and make valuable connections that will help you when looking for work in the future. A strong blog and a large Twitter following will help you get noticed by potential employers who are looking for new hires that have a solid understanding of online journalism. And, many postgraduate degree courses will expect applicants to have blogging experience and an active Twitter account with a large following, so this will be extremely helpful if you want to go on to get a master’s in journalism in the future.

Choosing the Right University:

Most universities in the UK will offer a course in journalism, but not all of them are created equal. Along with making sure that you are only applying to NCTJ accredited courses, you might want to consider other accreditations, such as the BJTC (Broadcast Journalism Training Council) if you are considering a career in radio journalism. You should also look at the facilities, reputation, teaching staff, course content, and where journalism graduates from a particular university go on to study further or work. Bear in mind that journalism graduates who have a wide range of skills tend to have more options in the job market, so it’s worth considering a course that teaches extra skills such as data journalism, financial reporting, or video production.

Getting Work Experience:

While there will be plenty of opportunities for you to get valuable work experience as you study, the experience that matters the most is that you get after graduating. Typically, your first job will be working as a junior reporter, covering any stories that are allocated to you. Generally, these jobs are long-term contracts rather than short-term, which is great if you’re looking for a position with plenty of security, which isn’t always the case when working in the media. However, starting salaries are low, so you might want to consider freelancing for more than one news organisation, something that will become more accessible to you as you build up your experience and contacts.

Working as a journalist is a very exciting career choice. Finding the right university and course to study, however, is just the beginning; start focusing on building your network and experience as early as possible.

Helsinki Energy Challenge

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Helsinki wants to offer a platform for new, sustainable and innovative solutions, and, on 27 February, the City opened the international Helsinki Energy Challenge. The competition seeks to find solutions, by means of which the city can be heated in a sustainable way without coal and with as little biomass as possible during the upcoming decades. The grand prize of the competition is one million euros. The City of Helsinki lives up to its global responsibility in the fight against climate change and is committed to sharing the results of the competition openly, in order to allow other cities to benefit from them in their own climate work. The role of the cities in the fight against the climate crisis is decisive.

Despite the world situation caused by the coronavirus, the City of Helsinki keeps investing heavily in its climate work. The climate crisis has not been cancelled and the City is still working its way towards a carbon neutral Helsinki. In order to get the best possible result out of the Helsinki Energy Challenge even in this changed situation, it has been decided that the registration phase is prolonged. The prolonged registration phase ends on 30 September 2020. The finalist teams invited to the second phase of the competition are announced in the beginning of November and the winner of the competition will be revealed in March 2021.

“Our competition got off to a great start at the end of February, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive both in Finland and abroad. It is clear that we have started something unique. However, the changed world situation caused by the coronavirus comes at a difficult stage in respect to our competition. Innovators and potential competitors now need time to adapt to the new situation and prolonging the registration phase of the competition is necessary at this point. The competition process will remain otherwise unaltered. Despite the coronavirus, we need to stick to the climate goals. We still have to get rid of coal and we want to replace it with long-term sustainable solutions. We are fulfilling our responsibility in the fight against the global climate crisis and we will not let it wait until the coronavirus crisis has blown over. Both the Helsinki Energy Challenge and our other climate efforts continue at full strength”, notes Helsinki Mayor Jan Vapaavuori.

During the prolonged registration phase of the Helsinki Energy Challenge, there will be additional webinars and other virtual events, during which the competitors can learn more about the competition, but also look for members to their competition team. Interested parties are encouraged to enter the competition as diversified and cross-disciplinary teams.

The new competition schedule and further information about the Helsinki Energy Challenge can be found HERE.

(Photo courtesy of Jussi Hellsten)

HIGH TIMES GOES PUBLIC

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High Times, the most well-known brand in Cannabis, announced today that it received notification from FINRA that it was granted a trading symbol, clearing a final hurdle to begin trading. Company trading will commence with a planned listing date to be determined in the near future. The approval provides Hightimes Holding Corp. the ability to list on the public markets which will culminate the brand’s highly successful Regulation A + campaign.

“This is a big step for the company and the High Times brand. The listing of the company’s stock will give us a trading currency that will assist us in furthering our acquisitional goals. There is no better time to roll out this next evolution as we enter the cannabis retail space,” Adam Levin, Executive Chairman of Hightimes Holding Corp., noted. “With the lessons we’ve learned from other operator’s mistakes, great management, and the current state of the industry, now is the time for High Times to thrive!“

“With over 23,000 investors, this has been one of the most widely subscribed to offerings in history – across any industry,” Levin continued. “We’ve proven the strength of our brand, and of the community we represent. We’re excited for this next step.”

High Times is committed to continuing to connect cannabis to consumers with trusted products, across price points, and has introduced several plans this year to support that. High Times aims to cement its place as the largest name in cannabis and become the ultimate destination for all consumers from the canna-curious to marijuana lifers – both in-store and in person. The continued expansion in licensing and e-commerce, and now into retail stores, allow the globally recognized brand the unique opportunity to reach consumers wherever they may live. With the first two retail stores launching in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, High Times’s digital presence provides worldwide reach.

“This feels just like my early days in ecommerce – except in this case we already have audience, and we’re dealing with the most well-known brand in Cannabis,” Stormy Simon, the brand’s Chief Executive Officer, stated. “My history in ecommerce should help the company as we develop both our retail business as well as our direct to consumer delivery options in markets across the globe.”

The Decline of Black Media

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Spokesperson for the Save Journalism Project, Nick Charles, has a new op-ed in the NY Daily News discussing the impact of Google and Facebook’s decimation of the news industry’s business model and specifically the decline of black media. What were traditionally spaces for communities of color to spread news and ideas are being forced to shutter their newsrooms because of big tech’s stranglehold on the industry, resulting in a lack of representation and a rapid decline of coverage for these communities.

As Charles explains, “revenue from digital advertising, which used to go to news publishers, is more often than not in big tech’s pockets, leading to an unchecked balance of power and gaping holes in local news coverage nationwide… Informing African-American communities should be put before Facebook and Google’s profits. People of color have worked and died so American democracy includes everyone. But there is no democracy, no freedom, without the fourth estate.”

Charles’ op-ed is below and available online.

Some remember well the world where events, issues, policies and histories impacting black people were rarely acknowledged or reported by the mainstream press. In New York City, if it happened above 96th St., it wasn’t news. That began to change after the urban riots of the late 1960s and the Kerner Commission, which prompted mainstream media to begin hiring African-American reporters. African-American media, which had always filled the breach, did hemorrhage talent, but continued invaluable community coverage.

With the emergence of the internet, as legacy media, newspapers, magazines, radio and television news were joined by newer platforms and social media, there was always space to cover disasters like Hurricane Katrina as well as enduring environmental, racial and social injustices. But now that space is shrinking rapidly. McClatchy filing for bankruptcy is just the latest and most ominous example.

An unfettered and thriving press is paramount, especially to otherwise forgotten communities. But what happens when outlets are forced to shutter because big tech chokes off advertising oxygen that is essential to the media’s survival?

Newspapers that adapted and survived the last digital revolution did so through advertising. But today’s digital ad market is dominated by Google and Facebook. Revenue from digital advertising, which used to go to news publishers, is more often than not in big tech’s pockets, leading to an unchecked balance of power and gaping holes in local news coverage nationwide.

Google recently announced it was doing away with third-party cookies by 2022, further jeopardizing the fate of the voices and publishers of communities of color. The move will hit smaller news outlets hard by substantially reducing the value of advertising on their websites. Most don’t have the kind of first-party information nor the kind of scale that will now be required to be valuable to digital advertisers.

Newsrooms across the country are experiencing layoffs at an alarming rate. In 2019, the media shed over 7,800 jobs. The number of black journalists and reporters in newsrooms has also been impacted, with the number of black journalists working at daily newspapers dropping by 40% since 1997. Countless colleagues have left the profession, taking with them their passion, expertise and the trust they amassed over years with community leaders, politicians and activists.

Unable to keep up with a business model steamrolled by the likes of Facebook and Google, the industry is reaching the point of no return. Big tech’s dominance over the digital ad market and unrivaled capacity to scale and monetize its platforms is having drastic effects on journalism as a whole — with especially profound impact on communities of color.

Black legacy outlets, home to some of the most committed journalists and activists in our country’s history, have been the bulwark of accountability for many when racial tensions kept even the government from its role in protecting its citizens. The Chicago Defender itself was one of the sparks in The Great Migration.

Alongside downsizing and retracting their print editions, examples like the Amsterdam News showed a 21% drop in circulation from 2014-2015; The Chicago Defender’s circulation fell by 18% in 2015. Not only are black communities losing their news outlets, black perspectives across the news industry are losing the spaces to voice their opinions.

Founded in 1943 and for decades a space for black communities to share the most pressing news and ideas of the time, Alabama’s longest-running black newspaper, the Mobile Beacon, reported it was planning to close its doors after 2019. It is one of many black legacy media icons in jeopardy.

Frederick Douglass once said: “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Informing African-American communities should be put before Facebook and Google’s profits. People of color have worked and died so American democracy includes everyone. But there is no democracy, no freedom, without the fourth estate.

Charles, a freelance writer, works with Save Journalism Project.

Journalism in America is facing an existential threat from the monopolistic control of tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Apple. Big tech’s dominance over the digital advertising market and their unrivaled capacity to monetize its platforms are having drastic effects on journalism as a whole.

http://savejournalism.org/