About This Episode:
In this discussion, Vanessa sits down with Amanda Zamora, Co-Founder of The 19th, and Founder & Principal of Agencia Media. Their conversation explores the power of story, who gets to be the narrator now that traditional media gatekeeping is no longer the norm, why nonprofits have an important role to play, and how identity and effective storytelling are inherently linked.
About Amanda Zamora:
Amanda Zamora is Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, a consultancy that partners with organizations to drive narrative change and civic engagement, especially with, and for, communities of color. She has more than 20 years of experience as a journalist, storyteller, editor, and disruptor in the news industry, most recently as founding publisher of The 19th and co-founder of the Latino Media Consortium. She is most interested in problem-solving around audience development, product development, and sustainability.
In her words…
“What nonprofits have, that many news organizations lack, is a clear understanding of who they serve. That’s where they begin, and it is an inherent strength.”
“Getting visibility for nonprofits’ messages is really just about partnering with the right people to show the results of your efforts and platforming the needs, the questions, the answers, and solutions that communities have, that everyone else needs to be paying attention to.”
“If mainstream media has been the gatekeeper, they are no more. What other kinds of partnerships can you forge within your community with those trusted storytellers, whose values align and who are seen as reliable?”
“A lot of things that are the most successful start small, but they succeed because people value them and because they’re consistently showing up to deliver that value.”
“Community organizations are flipping the script – they’re leading with the community’s observation of facts, instead of with a press release from law enforcement.”
Questions Answered on this Episode:
- What do you see as the biggest challenge in legacy media today that is impacting the stories that are being told?
- If you were leading a nonprofit considering launching an internal newsroom, what particular guardrails or considerations would you keep in mind?
- How do you approach identity and storytelling? Why do you see those two as essentially linked for effective and trustworthy media today?
- Are there any particular narratives that you see that could use a little extra love and attention through the lens of community-first journalism?
- If we were having this conversation in the future—two years from now—what would we be talking about?