Black Journalists on Journalism

We’re back from hiatus. We talk about the importance of Black representation in journalism and evaluate how the media fared covering the Claudine Gay debacle, Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis, the appointment of Raheem Morris as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and layoffs in journalism.

Interested in being on the show? Email [email protected].

More about Donnell Suggs: Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Donnell Suggs is the Editor in Chief of The Atlanta Voice, the city's longest-running Black-owned newspaper. A father and husband, Donnell has wasted years of his life supporting the New York Mets and Jets. Follow Donnell on Twitter @suggswriter.

More about Zuri Berry: Zuri is the owner and principal producer of ZMC Podcasts. He has been a journalist for two decades, working as a reporter, producer, and editor, with stops in California, Boston, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C. He’s originally from San Francisco. Find Zuri online at https://zuriberry.com.

Keith Pompey was born and raised in Philly, and he’s been watching the Sixers his whole life. But it took him a long time to get an opportunity to cover his hometown team.

In the first episode of Black Journalists on Journalism, Keith tells the story of how he became the 76ers beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, weighs in on the state of sports journalism, and offers some advice for journalists trying to establish themselves.

Follow Keith on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers.

Interested in being on the show? Email [email protected].

More about Donnell Suggs: Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Donnell Suggs is the Editor in Chief of The Atlanta Voice, the city's longest-running Black-owned newspaper. A father and husband, Donnell has wasted years of his life supporting the New York Mets and Jets. Follow him on Twitter @suggswriter.

More about Zuri Berry: Zuri is the owner and principal producer of ZMC Podcasts. He has been a journalist for two decades, working as a reporter, producer, and editor, with stops in California, Boston, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C. He’s originally from San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter @zuriberry.

Don't forget to support this podcast by visiting https://www.buymeacoffee.com/blackjournos and buying Zuri and Donnell a cup of coffee. It goes a long way! And thanks for listening!

Corey Johnson is an investigative reporter for ProPublica and a Pulitzer Prize winner for a series of stories on lead for the Tampa Bay Times. Corey is also a co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting.

In this episode, he shares his unorthodox journey into journalism, from his early days in Atlanta to his first opportunity in North Carolina. He discusses the importance of curiosity, resilience, and cultural competency in investigative reporting. Corey also highlights the need for more Black investigative journalists and the work being done by the Ida B. Wells Society to support and mentor aspiring journalists.

Follow Corey on X/Twitter @CoreyGJohnson.

Interested in being on the show? Email [email protected].

More about Donnell Suggs: Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Donnell Suggs is the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlanta Voice, the city's longest-running Black-owned newspaper. A father and husband, Donnell has wasted years of his life supporting the New York Mets and Jets. Follow Donnell on Twitter @suggswriter.

More about Zuri Berry: Zuri is the owner and principal producer of ZMC Podcasts. He has been a journalist for two decades, working as a reporter, producer, and editor, with stops in California, Boston, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C. He’s originally from San Francisco. Find Zuri online at https://zuriberry.com.

Don't forget to support this podcast by visiting https://www.buymeacoffee.com/blackjournos and buying Zuri and Donnell a cup of coffee. It goes a long way! And thanks for listening!

Tracie Powell is the founder and CEO of The Pivot Fund, a venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news.

Earlier this month, Tracie’s organization invested $150,000 into the Baltimore Beat, a black-owned and woman-lead alternative newspaper. The investment comes after The Pivot Fund has already committed to providing $2 million to news organizations serving Black, Hispanic, and Asian American audiences in Georgia.

In this episode of Black Journalists on Journalism, she talks with Zuri about how she came to be a professional journalist, her background covering media policy and legislative issues, and when she developed the idea for The Pivot Fund.

We also dig into why she invested in the Baltimore Beat. (Full disclosure: Zuri works in Baltimore at The Baltimore Banner.) And we talk about the advice she finds herself giving to news publishers trying to survive this media environment.

Follow Tracie on X @TMPowell or on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traciepowell/.

Interested in being on the show? Email [email protected].

More about Donnell Suggs: Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Donnell Suggs is the Editor in Chief of The Atlanta Voice, the city's longest-running Black-owned newspaper. A father and husband, Donnell has wasted years of his life supporting the New York Mets and Jets.

More about Zuri Berry: Zuri is the owner and principal producer of ZMC Podcasts. He has been a journalist for two decades, working as a reporter, producer, and editor, with stops in California, Boston, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and now Baltimore. He’s originally from San Francisco.

Don't forget to support this podcast by visiting https://www.buymeacoffee.com/blackjournos and buying Zuri and Donnell a cup of coffee. It goes a long way! And thanks for listening!

Nicki Mayo is the Editor-at-large for Black Women Unmuted, a digital publication that focuses on the power of Black women in U.S. politics.

In the second episode of Black Journalists on Journalism, she walks us through her career as a reporter and editor, including stints in broadcast TV and radio, and her new venture at Black Women Unmuted.

We discuss:

• Her work with NABJ
• The role of activism in the profession
• Black Women Unmuted
• Her appearances on true crime shows like “Snapped” and “Fatal Attraction”
• Journalists' relationship with Twitter

Follow Nicki on Twitter @nickimayonews.

Interested in being on the show? Email [email protected].

More about Donnell Suggs: Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Donnell Suggs is the Editor in Chief of The Atlanta Voice, the city's longest-running Black-owned newspaper. A father and husband, Donnell has wasted years of his life supporting the New York Mets and Jets. Follow him on Twitter @suggswriter.

More about Zuri Berry: Zuri is the owner and principal producer of ZMC Podcasts. He has been a journalist for two decades, working as a reporter, producer, and editor, with stops in California, Boston, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C. He’s originally from San Francisco. Find him online at https://zuriberry.com.

Don't forget to support this podcast by visiting https://www.buymeacoffee.com/blackjournos and buying Zuri and Donnell a cup of coffee. It goes a long way! And thanks for listening!