Black Media Mavens, Revisting Malcolm X’s Murder, and Sippin’ Tea with Karen Attiah

Our Body Politic

Diaspora Farms, LLC

News Commentary, Documentary, Society & Culture, Government, News

4.8 • 658 Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2022

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, Farai speaks to co-founders Akoto Ofori-Atta and Lauren Williams of the new media initiative, Capital B– aimed at providing what’s lacking in Black communities across the country – reliable and trusted journalism. Also, she meets with Stephanie Wash a producer of “X/onerated,” a documentary about the men accused, and after decades, exonerated in the killing of Malcolm X. Lastly, Karen Attiah of the Washington Post and Farai discuss her upcoming book and opinion column, which in recent weeks has tackled the controversies surrounding Joe Rogan and Whoopi Goldberg.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, folks, we are so glad that you're listening to Our Body Politic.
0:19.0	If you have time, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcast.
0:23.6	It helps other listeners find us and we read them for your feedback.
0:27.6	We would also love you to join in financially supporting the show if you're able.
0:31.8	You can find out more at OurBodypolitic.com slash donate.
0:36.1	We are here for you, with you, and because of you. Thank you.
0:42.7	This is Our Body Politic. I'm Farai Chidea. The economic headwind stirred by the pandemic
0:48.8	accelerated the trend of local news outlets across the U.S. folding, leaving news deserts.
0:54.0	But not all local newsmakers are waving the.S. folding leaving news deserts, but not all local
0:55.3	newsmakers are waving the white flag. In fact, some are actually launching during a tough
1:00.0	market with innovations and new energy and focus. Among those are journalists Lauren Williams
1:05.7	and Akoto Aforiata. The two longtime friends just launched a new locally driven national nonprofit black news organization called Capital B News, their urgent mission to serve black news consumers better.
1:19.4	I spoke with the two entrepreneurs to mark their launch and hear more about their plans for their work ahead.
1:25.0	So I want to start with a big question, hopefully a short answer. Why this,
1:30.5	why now, and why you? Lauren, you first. Well, Akoto and I saw a need for more high quality,
1:39.1	high touch news for black audiences by black journalists out there. And why now is that mainstream media
1:49.4	has had chance after chance to get this right, to figure out how to cover black communities,
1:54.9	to figure out how to build trust with black people, to figure out how to treat black journalists in our nation's newsrooms
2:03.4	and just have not done it. And the events of 2020 from the George Floyd murder and its aftermath
2:12.3	to COVID and COVID's effects on black people around the country. It was really a spark for us that
2:22.1	not only in that moment, but after, black people were going to deserve quality news. And we just
2:29.2	didn't feel like our nation's newsrooms were equipped for it. And so that's why now. And why us? Why not us? If not us,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Diaspora Farms, LLC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Diaspora Farms, LLC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.