This month, on Laura Flanders & Friends, we turn to the state of journalism—at a moment of deep disruption, consolidation, and consequence. But journalists aren’t simply standing by—they’re pushing back, reimagining their work, and, in many cases, taking matters into their own hands. This week we explore whether worker-owned media might offer a path forward, as reporters and editors respond to industry collapse by building new models rooted in accountability and collective power.

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Description:  The business of media is in danger — but it sure isn’t dead. Many of the rising stars that were poised to “save journalism” like Vice and Buzzfeed have either entered bankruptcy or stopped reporting on news. There have been layoffs across the industry and many newsrooms have cut back on the resources available to journalists. But workers have also organized unions, including high-profile campaigns at Condé Nast and The New Yorker, and started worker-owned media like Hell Gate and Defector. This month on “Meet the BIPOC Press”, Laura Flanders is joined by three journalists who have lived through the struggles and are a part of the solutions. Alex Sujong Laughlin is a supervising producer and co-owner at Defector; Esther Wang is a worker-owner at Hell Gate; and Tammy Kim helped organize unions at Al Jazeera America and The New Yorker, where she is a contributing writer. How do they think about the future of journalism, and what difference does it make when journalists have the freedom to speak truth to power — especially when it comes to reporting on policing and Palestine?

Guests:

• Tammy Kim: Contributing Writer, The New Yorker;  Contributing Editor, Lux Magazine

• Alex Sujong Laughlin: Supervising Producer & Co-Owner, Defector Media

• Esther Wang: Co-Founder, Hell Gate; Former Senior Political Reporter, Jezebel

 

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RESOURCES:

Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:

•. Jumaane Williams & Hell Gate on Rikers: Why is it So Hard to Close a Jail? Subscribe:  YouTube to Watch and/or Listen on Major Podcast Platforms

•. BIPOC Press for the People: Bursting the Corporate Media Bubble

Subscribe:  YouTube to Watch and/or Listen on Major Podcast Platforms

•. BIPOC Media on the Fight for Fair Wages — & Anti-Racist Unions

Subscribe:  YouTube to Watch and/or Listen on Major Podcast Platforms

 

Related Articles and Resources:

• Unionizing the Digital Newsroom, by Tammy Kim, Dissent Magazine,  Read Here

• The Freelance Solidarity Project is the Digital Media Division of the National Writers Union.  Learn More Here

• Opinion:  It’s possible to be a journalist and a human, by Alex Sujong Laughlin, Poynter, Read Here

• Report:  Why ‘Affordable Housing’ Is Rarely Affordable in NYC, by Esther Wang, May 7, 2024, Hell Gate, Read Here

Featured ‘Music in the Middle’ of the Podcast:

Pleasure, Joy & Happiness by Galliano, released on Brownswood Records. Listen & Learn More

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