001: It's time to reimagine, everything.
Welcome to the new news.
Over the past few weeks, it feels as if the world has been flipped upside down.
I am not mad at that, at all. Sometimes the only way to wake someone up is to shake them, and that’s exactly what has happened.
I’d like to be the first to welcome you to News, Now, Nxt… my first phase of a reimagining of the newsroom. Like we’re doing with so many other things right now, I think it’s beyond time for a refresh on the media industry. But Why?
Well, honestly, it’s too white.
According to a 2018 study conducted by the Columbia Journalism Review, 83% of the journalists in America are white. This might be passable if this were reflective of the demographics in our country but, even then that would mean that only 63% of the newsroom should be white. The disparity is real.
I’m looking forward to being a part of the wave of change. It starts here.
Each Wednesday, expect a newsletter filled with news you should know, a look at what’s happening now, and what you should look forward to coming next.
Welcome to the revolution!
NEWS
Despite fading coverage from the national broadcast news, protests are still happening in cities across America. In fact, protesters in Philadelphia have been marching every day since George Floyd was killed, more than three weeks straight.
The most recent viral video of police violence showcases what transpired when officers attempted to arrest 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks in the parking lot of an Atlanta Wendy’s last Friday. Since then, the officer responsible for Brooks’ death has been fired, the ATL police chief has resigned, and Mayor Keshia Lance Bottoms has called for new policies for use of force.
In the wake of all of the uprisings, Donald Trump signed an executive order incentivizing the adoption of use of force standards in police departments. In an address in the Rose Garden prior to the signing, he also took time to explain how much he’s done for “the Blacks.”
Coronavirus is still on the rise and Texas governor Greg Abbott has zeroed in on “the youth” as a major source of the problem, despite his role in reopening restaurants and bars. It’s safe to say that it’s time to reimagine life post-quarantine. We have a new normal.
The Supreme Court ruled that employers can not discriminate against people for being gay, bisexual, or transgender, in what has now been called a landmark moment for LGBTQ+ rights.
NOW & NXT
There’s an ongoing battle to get rid of relics of the past. In Kentucky today, courts will decide whether or not a statue of Robert E. Lee will be removed. This comes after a plethora of statues honoring people with racist histories have been toppled by protesters in cities around the world.
North Korea is re-deploying the military along its southern border. We might want to watch how that goes as the tensions in Korea rise.
Right now, there’s a great deal of discussion around reimagining an America with defunded police departments. Over the coming weeks, expect the conversations to continue, especially since some cities are already pushing legislation to make it happen.
J. Cole is facing scrutiny after releasing a new track which listeners assume subliminally addresses rapper turned activist Noname. Noname happens to be a Black woman. This is on the heels of increased cries for Black men to protect Black women following the deaths of women like Oluwatoyin Salu and Breonna Taylor.
In a complete 180, Roger Goodell says NFL teams should consider signing Colin Kaepernick. It will be up to the teams to decide whether or not they will give him a shot to make a team.
The NBA is preparing to re-start their season at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, but Nets star Kyrie Irving suggests that the players themselves should start their own league if their concerns aren’t addressed by the NBA. Decisions are coming this week.
Twitter is rolling out a new function on iOS that will allow you to add audio to your tweets. In other words, soon you’ll be able to hear people trolling you, as well.
Next Wednesday, in addition to this newsletter, you’ll get an opportunity to join me on the News, Now, Nxt podcast, where we’ll be able to dive a little bit deeper into what’s happening in the world around us.
Until then… keep your eyes open.
Love this, thank you for your vision.