About This Episode
In this important conversation, Vanessa is joined by Tracie Powell, CEO and Founder of The Pivot Fund, which works to shift power through equitable journalism funding by investing in independent community-led news organizations.
About Tracie Powell
Tracie Powell, the founder of The Pivot Fund, is committed to ensuring the digital transformation of the news industry makes it more equitable and inclusive. She is the former board chair of journalism support organization, LION Publishers, and the founding fund manager of the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund at Borealis Philanthropy. She has been a fellow at Harvard, Stanford, and the Democracy Fund, and holds degrees from the University of Georgia and the Georgetown University Law Center.
In her words…
“When you talk about information ecosystems, you can’t talk about it without including nonprofits and community-based organizations as trusted messengers.”
“Storytelling shifts power when it’s produced by people with lived experience, produced with ethical standards, and amplified through durable channels that reach decision makers as well as neighbors.”
“Today, civic news and information is mutual aid. It’s conversations, it’s dialogue, it’s representation. All these things that traditional media has not been.”
“What we are seeing is that traditional news media are no longer gatekeeping. They can’t. They’re not in that position anymore.”
“We need to prioritize civic literacy, explain how systems work, why something matters for everyday life, and how readers can act. And we need to build resilience against disinformation by amplifying trusted local messengers.”
Questions Answered on this Episode
- Who shapes the story, and what is their responsibility to the public?
- How do you see community-based outlets changing the who and the how of storytelling?
- Do you see a role of nonprofits in the ecosystem of newsrooms and infrastructure for sharing news?
- When community organizations are telling news, do you see a shift in how people are telling the story?
- If you were in front of an audience of your peers and foundations, what would you recommend them to do based on what you are seeing and the needs of the community in terms of the way the news cycle and the media cycle is happening today?
- Is it a worthwhile investment (in terms of time, resources, etc.) to attempt to improve the way some legacy outlets are looking at news? Or, is it better that we focus the investment on the smaller community-based institutions?