I want to pause really quick to be sure that I am crystal clear about my sentiments about media. Despite feeling like as individuals, we are community activists, I recognize the outward perception is that we are media who reports and often perception is reality. (1/14)
As such, I take a lot of the criticism about media to heart and instead of taking it personally, I use it as a reality check of my own behaviors and tendencies. I hope others do the same because there are so many individual reporters that I love and respect. Especially (2/14)
locally here in Richmond. Please take criticisms as an opportunity to be and do better. A lot of the criticisms I have read come down to providing basic respect. Unfortunately, giving respect doesn’t always lend itself to the best headlines in a world of soundbite news. (3/14)
What do I mean when I say respect?
👏🏻 give 👏🏻 people 👏🏻 space 👏🏻
Coming off as foaming at the mouth to capture the moment of tragedy is not a good look. How can you do that? Ask yourself, are you trying to sell headlines or report facts? If the answer is truly (4/14)
👏🏻 give 👏🏻 people 👏🏻 space 👏🏻
Coming off as foaming at the mouth to capture the moment of tragedy is not a good look. How can you do that? Ask yourself, are you trying to sell headlines or report facts? If the answer is truly (4/14)
the latter, please examine the words you use and if you are fully portraying the entire picture. While yes, you are using words that are definitionally correct, many have connotations that invoke certain images for people. Are there synonyms you could use? Could describing (5/14)
the situation to EXPLAIN the circumstances instead of using words almost as short hand give a clearer image? An example of this would be using the word “chaos.” What makes a situation chaos? Explain what you are seeing. Not your filtered summation of what you are seeing. (6/14)
When I say report the full picture, what I mean is are you adding in context? Are you reporting on everything that is going on? For example, yesterday in DC, the majority of the mainstream coverage was following Kessler et al; therefore, most of what people saw were the (7/14)
small flashpoints. That type of coverage entirely ignored the HUNDREDS of people who had been peacefully assembled for HOURS. It ignored the speeches about gentrification, violence against marginalized communities, and more. When people boo-ed the media who (8/14)
were covering the speeches of white supremacists, it wasn’t JUST about the fact that media was giving credence to hateful platforms. It was about coverage they were neglecting so they could said they gave “fair” coverage to “both sides” when all it produced was a biased (9/14)
skewed version of events to satiate the need for clicks. I had friends texting me freaking out that I was in danger because of the flashpoint shown on the news when reality was the majority of people were blocks away unaware of what was happening. (10/14)
Instead of covering the 70+ police and more than a dozen horse police that were facing counter protestors, media decided to cover what white supremacists wanted to say. So when I say the media created this false narrative about ANTIFA being terrorists... that is why. (11/14)
Because of narrow coverage that falsely claims to cover a fair assessment of the situation. When this happens, it contributes to this idea of “fake news” and delegitimization of your own industry. (12/14)
In conclusion, please don’t take these attacks on the media personally but take them to heart. Be respectful and if you don’t know, ask first. Activists are human and we all have a breaking point. With constant police helicopters overhead, loud chanting, cops everywhere, (13/14)
cameras at every turn... there is a limit to what humans can endure. ESPECIALLY when you factor in trauma from previous events that have taken place. (14/14) ❤️🧜🏻♀️
