The Impact of the Archewell Foundation – A Series – Part Two
Featuring – URL Media and PressPad
Introduction
Hello everyone. Ivy here. This weeks podcast looks at two media organisations that are working in partnership with the Archewell Foundation over the last two plus years. One is USA based and the other is based here in the UK. Both have increased their activity over the last couple of years or so, but like all small organisations, any help with promotion of their aims and objectives can never do any harm. Both have measurable data relating to the impact of their work with a variety of individuals and groups. Nothing on here is about any type of performative activity. Much ore detail on their respective websites – this is just an overview to show how when project leaders know what they are doing, and join forces with like minded people, and then can be blessed with additional resources this is how you uplift organisations and groups. Needs more than a handshake and an insincere smile. Everything about the research I have done has been so encouraging and uplifiting, I am proud to support those who are working hard at making a positive difference in the world.
URL Media
“A network created to uplift, respect and love the communities we serve.”
“We’re building a decentralised, multi-platform network of high-performing Black and Brown media organisations. We’ll share content, distribution and other resources to enhance reach, expand revenue and build long term sustainability.
Our members consist of fifteen exceptional news outlets representing a diverse mix of culture, format, geography and audience.
- Network Members
- WURD Black Talk Media 1FM
- Epicenture NYC – Doing Good for the Hood
- Documented – Immigration as it matters to New Yorkers
- Scalawag
- The Haitian Times – Bridging the Gap
- TBN 24
- me
- Palabra
- Sahan Journal
- Native News Online
- BVN Black Voice News
- Our Body Politic
- Outlier Media
- PushBack
- Prism
- Pulso
- The Oklahoma Eagle
- Immigrantly – Cross Cultural Conversations
- La Noticia
How Does this Work
- We distribute content through social media, newsletters and each other’s platforms
- We are a for-profit company and generate revenue through sponsorships, advertising, syndication and partnerships.
- We share those profits with the members of the network. Everything we do is with an eye toward their sustainability.
- We distribute our content, secure advertisers and sponsor, and form partnerships with media outlets.
URL Media, a for-profit company, has received funding from the International Women’s Media Foundation and Archewell, the nonprofit arm of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (aka Prince Harry and Meghan Markle).
There are so many facets to this media organisation and the wide variety of media groups that they interact with and assist in some way is impressive, and is part of their approach to building a foundation to something which has the potential to reach even more people, from groups of the population that mainstream media organisations deliberately ignore. All the organisations I mentioned earlier, and many more which you will see as you explore the websites of each organisation, and learn how they link with others to provide the outcomes sought. I am just giving an overview of these organisations, which come under the umbrella of the two founders. Both of the co founders have websites of their own, and each has so many strands of activity going on, and to see how they are committed to making a difference. Impact of their work is evident, and speaking as someone who has given up on mainstream media in the UK, both printed and televised I was heartened to learn about all these smaller organisations out here on the front line, delivering a service, delivered by none of the mainstream media organisations. To see these smaller organisations, come together when necessary to achieve certain goals, is so in keeping with what their website states, and what I quoted at the beginning of this podcast. This is just a tiny selection of information from the website of URL Media, but you will see very quickly the work done of the growing number of organisations who are part of URL Media, and who in their own right, are creating and developing a space for a target audience largely ignored by mainstream media to date. Those words are worth repeating again:-
“A network created to uplift, respect and love the communities we serve.”
“We’re building a decentralised, multi-platform network of high-performing Black and Brown media organisations. We’ll share content, distribution and other resources to enhance reach, expand revenue and build long term sustainability.”
Who Are the Creators of URL
We are:-
Sara Lomax-Reese
https://wurdradio.com/2021/02/11/sara-lomax-reese-ceo-of-wurd-speaks-on-her-stations-legacy/
“I believe deeply in the power and importance of media ownership, especially for Black and Brown people. I have been a media entrepreneur for almost 30 years, building, shaping and growing organisations created by, for and about Black people. I am the CEO of WURD Radio one of the few remaining Black owned talk radio stations in the nation. I am also the Program Lead for the Facebook BIPOC Sustainability Accelerator and a coach in the Major Metro Table Stakes program. I believe now is the time to radically reinvent the media industry by supporting Black and Brown owned/led and undervalued for far too long.”
S.Mitra Kalita
- Mitra Kalitais a veteran journalist, media executive, prolific commentator and author of two books.
She is the co-founder/ CEO of URL Media, a network of Black and Brown community news outlets that share content and revenue. URL Media works with mainstream newsrooms to syndicate content and partner on diversity initiatives in content, staffing and culture.
“It feels like I’ve worked everywhere (CNN, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, launched brands like Mint and Quartz), always with the purpose of trying to make coverage more inclusive and accessible. Over the last decade or so, as my career veered more into digital, I realised the most successful content on the internet is bottom-up, decentralized rooted in a place or a people. It is has a view from somewhere. I am the publisher of Epicenter-NYC a newsletter created to get my beloved community through the pandemic. URL Media is a culmination of our journeys so far.
Why Now?
As the U.S. enters a new chapter, we offer an alternative to business as usual. URL Media co-founder Sara Lomax-Reese wrote recently: “We must prioritize and support Black-owned media that have been doing this work for decades. …radical change is required. Continuing to pour money and resources into large white-owned/led media companies that target Black consumers but don’t empower them is unacceptable.”
“We know that it’s going to take years (maybe never?) for mainstream media to diversify staff and content quickly enough to meet this moment. We recognize the great work our partners already do and believe we are stronger together.
The next 4 years cannot look like the last 4 — or 400…
Our Philosophy
Our goal is simple: to help every organization truly committed to producing a diverse workforce, and celebrating all of the benefits that go along with it.
When organizations employ higher degrees of racially and ethnically diverse employees, they perform 35% better than companies that claim to rely on a “culture fit” that tends to trend white and monocultural, according to McKinsey & Company. We expose companies to larger talent pools and help them unlock new audiences and profitability.
Diverse organizations are 70% more likely to capture new markets than organizations that do not actively recruit and support talent from under-represented groups.
How Can You Get Involved or Help?
Thanks for asking! So many ways. Bottom line: Write to us at hello@url-media.com.
If you are a mainstream newsroom and would like to learn more, let us know.
If you are a community media outlet who would like to join our network, fill out this form.
If you are an advertiser, sponsor or funder who’d like to be aligned with our mission, we welcome the opportunity to tell you more about ourselves.
Finally, importantly, if you’d like to join our URL community, sign up for our newsletter and updates here.
PressPad Foundation
The mission of the Press Pad Foundation is:-
To advocate for, financially support and educate those from lower socio-economic backgrounds who aim for a career in the media. We want to work alongside and with the UK media to create an environment which provides real opportunities and representation for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
About us
“The PressPad Charitable Foundation is an organisation founded in February 2021 to improve social mobility in the media.
We created this organisation to work alongside, and not in place of, the pre-existing social enterprise PressPad Ltd founded by Olivia Crellin in 2018.
It was following great interest from multiple donors that we decided to create a hybrid structure with clear governance, oversight and transparency in both organisations to best carry out our mission and purpose. The foundation will allow charitable activities carried out by the social enterprise previously (including PressPad Remote) to be funded for by grants and donations, and overseen by a board of trustees.
The existence of the charitable foundation will also better enable us to pass on funding to smaller and more niche organisations whose missions align with ours in order to strengthen and raise up other organisations to join a coalition of projects working in this space.”
Mission & vision
Our mission is to help improve social mobility within and diversify the media industry; to advocate for, financially support and educate those from lower socio-economic backgrounds who aim for a career in the media.
Our vision is for the UK media to provide real opportunities and representation for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Our charity actively seeks to include underrepresented communities in our programme planning and delivery to ensure that people with direct experience are supported and safe to co-design and lead on the work we do.
Programmes
We have many ideas, and these are the ones we are focusing on in the coming months:
Training – Industry knowledge
Support
Advocacy
Impact
IMPACT
We measure our impact through regular data and testimonial collections from all those who take part.
They Need Your Help
There is much more information on the website, information is given about donating direct to the organisation, but it is one of many methods outlined. Here are a few of some of the options outlined on the website, which may give you food for thought if you are interested in ways you may be able to help, or to highlight these areas to others.
Become a volunteer
From PressPad Remote to our future events, you can play a crucial role in facilitating young people’s futures. Be that sharing your career journey through a Masterclass or one of our interactive Instagram Q&A sessions, or by directly mentoring a young journalist – volunteering on our programmes is a simple way to make a big difference.
We are also always looking for people with skills such as video editing, experience with design, social media, research, and fundraising to help us with our day-to-day tasks, too. If you feel that you have anything else to offer to our organisation, then we’d also love to hear from you.
Our sister social enterprise
Our sister social enterprise hosting platform, PressPad, links mentoring, networking, and accommodation to lower the financial barrier of entry into journalism.
Founded by Olivia Crellin in 2018, it was set up as a response to the well-known, but not often addressed, difficulty of breaking into journalism, media and broader creative industries. This means helping make internships and work experience more affordable to those living outside of expensive cities – initially London – and from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Aspiring journalists get a place to stay that doesn’t break the bank, as well as the opportunity for invaluable guidance and advice from their experienced hosts.
Closing Remarks
Once again we have here another two examples of organisations who are working in their communities, focusing on under represented groups, in this case, those who would like a career in the media. We all know from raw experience here in the UK that entry into UK media, printed or televised, is for an elite group of people, and it in no way represents the communities in the UK or the countries that they claim to care about and wish to have partnerships with. Entry into that very special elitist group is not based on talent or experience, or the communities that they write about and disparage daily in their various mediums of communication. I welcome Harry and Meghan’s inclusive approach to giving these under represented groups and their respective media organisations, a helping hand. Like I said, there are many ways of providing assistance, if you are interested – at a corporate or individual level. Ways that I had not even thought of, or knew anything about.
I hope you found this podcast, the 2nd in our series of people out there making a difference, and who have gone on to build their businesses further after a partnership with two organisations, one of which is the Archewell Foundation. I wish them further continued success, and hope that we can shine a light on their hopes and aspirations in any way that we can moving forward. Hope to see you all and hopefully new subscribers to the channel, where we highlight another two organisations, in Part Three of this series about Impact of the Archewell Foundation in less than 3 years.
Notice that one of these organisations is a UK company. Notice the stark difference of the approach of Archewell to helping and supporting a UK based organisation, and yet we have tax funded entities that have an entirely different approach to interacting with their UK organisations, and have yet to produce any identifiable impact over many years. Here we have an organisation working with others who have measurable outcomes and have identifiable growth in less than 3 years. This is why this channel is highlighting what can be and is being done, in the background of publicised campaigns to incite negativity against Harry and Meghan, whilst members of that particular group are doing nothing but photo opportunities for Public Relations, with no quantifiable outcome for their visits to their charities. They should all take a seat and watch and learn what can be achieved when you have your heart and soul into a cause, not just performative actions for camera shots.
All from me for this week.
Ivy Barrow
01 July 2023
Reference Sources
https://wurdradio.com/2021/02/11/sara-lomax-reese-ceo-of-wurd-speaks-on-her-stations-legacy/
https://presspadfoundation.com/who-we-are/
https://presspad.co.uk/for-mentors/