Building a New Media Landscape

Infinite Patterns

In episode 6, we’re diving into an area that is both incredibly timely and critically important: the evolving landscape of journalism and its role in representing the diverse voices that make up the fabric of our society. Tia Oso, Principal at the ZEAL Cooperative, spoke to three publishers dedicated to disrupting the flat and authoritative (re: loud and wrong) voice of mainstream media.
Damaso Reyes is the Executive Editor of the NY Amsterdam News, a Black-owned newspaper founded in 1909 to provide a “counterweight to mainstream news,” offering “a more holistic perspective.” He joined the paper to reflect his experiences growing up in Brooklyn in the 1980s. “Were there drugs? Yes. Was there violence? Yes. But it was an exception, not the rule.”
This is the core of mainstream media harm: selective storytelling that distorts reality. MaiDamasom outlets have historically portrayed Black and Brown communities as defined by their struggles, instead of reflecting the rich complexity of their lives. As Damaso points out, a lack of diverse, quality information often leads to a situation where people are “at the whim of whoever can do the best job of manipulating you.”