BIPOC Media: Building Local Power Through Reporting

What are the stories that will be driving news coverage in the coming year for communities of color and our network partners in the media that serve them? In this 2023 preview for our monthly Meet the BIPOC Press roundtable with URL Media, we consider issues involving the economy, community investment, reproductive justice, local government, environmental justice, LGBTQ+ rights, the aftermath of COVID, and more. How will our partners be reporting the stories — and angles — that matter most? Laura is joined by Mitra Kalita, the publisher of Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter based in Queens, New York, and the co-founder of URL Media, a network of Black and Brown community news outlets; Alexandra Martinez, Senior Reporter with Prism, whose reporting on such topics as immigration and the affordable housing crisis also appears in VICE, CNN, and other outlets; and Malak Silmi, the local government reporter for Outlier Media, a Detroit-based service journalism organization with a mission to empower Detroit residents to hold landlords, municipal government, and elected officials accountable for longstanding problems. What are some of their stories?“I think this is the year that much of mainstream America is accepting that we are either in or about to enter our recession. I think for communities of color, we've been there for the last year. You're seeing this with demand at food pantries, utilities, housing. One of the things I'm proudest of is that we covered the explosion of food insecurity.” - S. Mitra Kalita“[At] Prism, we are a BIPOC-led newsroom . . . So that allows us to bring nuance to the reporting that we do. Without that nuance, you really can't have honest, truthful storytelling.” - Alexandra Martinez“With our Documenters program, we employ citizens from across the city and the state to go into these local meetings, whether virtually or in person, and simply document . . . This has helped serve a lot of reporters as well as a lot of citizens.” - Malak SilmiGuests:S. Mitra Kalita: Co-Founder, URL Media; CEO & Publisher, Epicenter-NYCAlexandra Martinez: Senior News Reporter, PrismMalak Silmi: Reporter, Outlier MediaThe Show is listener and viewer supported.  That's thanks to you!  Please donate and become a member.Full conversation & show notes are available at Patreon.com/theLFShow Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel