Podcasts about url media

S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, reflects on the COVID shutdown, how it profoundly changed the city and which consequences from it are still lingering and affecting people's lives.

Cela s'appelle " fatigue informationnelle ". Une enquête réalisée pour la Fondation Jean Jaurès et Arte par LʹObSoCo (LʹObservatoire Société et Consommation) constate en France une " fatigue informationnelle " et évoque un véritable " exode informationnel " dans une société devenue " info-malade ". En clair, les citoyens en ont marre de l'info en général, et des médias en particulier : la confiance sʹeffondre, la fatigue et lʹévitement de lʹactualité augmentent, et la polarisation sʹintensifie. Les plateformes dépriorisent lʹinformation, le public sʹen détourne et les influenceurs captent lʹattention. " Quiconque nourrit une vision optimiste pour les médias en 2025 est dans lʹillusion ", affirme S. Mitra Kalita, CEO de URL Media, dans les prédictions annuelles du Nieman Lab, laboratoire de journalisme de Harvard. Comme le souligne Andrew Losowsky, head of community product chez Vox Media, " la situation est désormais si désespérée que le changement est la seule option ". Mais quel changement ? Pour en parler, Fathi Derder reçoit Guénaëlle Gault, directrice générale de LʹObSoCo (LʹObservatoire Société et Consommation). https://www.jean-jaures.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/exode-inform.pdf 

In this final episode of the season, I have a casual and meaningful conversation with a friend: essayist and National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, Leta McCollough Seletzky. Leta joins me to discuss the impact Black women had on this election, on Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, and we explore how the campaign affected us personally. We also discuss how the country's treatment of marginalized people, particularly Black women, is a bellwether for anti-democratic trends. This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. In this Episode The Kneeling Man: My Father's Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. KFF.org Report: Loneliness and Social Support Networks: Findings from the KFF Survey of Racism, Discrimination and Health Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's one week post election, so we start the show by asking listeners -- regardless of who you voted for -- what are you most happy about and most worried about in 2025? S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL-Media and a former CNN executive, discussed what might become of "the media" in Donald Trump's second presidency.Congressman Seth Moulton addressed his recent comments on trans athletes.Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses Donald Trump's healthcare proposals. Mike Madrid, author of Latino Century, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, discussed Trump's appeal to Latino voters across the map.Apparently “doom eating,” “doom spending,” “doom scrolling" and even doom rage is on the rise, regardless of political party. What's your indulgence and what are you doing to stave off a cycle of gloom around this season? 

Kelly Hall, the Executive Director of The Fairness Project, an organization focused on empowering voters through citizen-led ballot measures, has become the country's largest backers of abortion ballot measures, investing $30M to critical ballot campaigns like those in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Montana, and Nebraska. Ballot measures have become a critical lifeline to strengthening, restoring and expanding abortion rights across the country. Kelly discusses what's on this ballot this year, including what's going on in Nebraska—where a competing anti-abortion measure aims to mislead voters.  This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. In this Episode The Fairness Project Abortion Rights Leaders Set Sights on Nebraska Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pamela Smith, election security expert and President and CEO of Verified Voting, delves into the critical aspects of voting integrity, and gets into the weeds of voting equipment, voter purges, ballot audits, recount procedures, and the hand-counting process, while addressing every conceivable question on election security. We also revisit the historic 2000 Presidential Election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, exploring the notorious "hanging chad" incident. Finally, Pam offers practical advice on what to do if you encounter issues on Election Day—simply call or text 866-OUR-VOTE or visit 866OurVote.org for assistance. This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. In this Episode Call/Text: 866-Our-Vote 866OurVote.org Verified Voting Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political activist, and co-founder of the progressive organization Indivisible, Leah Greenberg, discusses the early days of the organization, and what she hoped would happen after publishing the first Indivisible Guide in 2016. We also discuss the big tent strategy embraced by the Harris-Walz campaign, and whether the coalition can hold after the election. Lastly, we discuss what you can do NOW, ahead of Tuesday's election, to help save democracy. (Hint: Vote, get your friends & family to vote, then visit AllInForHarris.org for volunteer opportunities) This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. All In For Harris.org Neighbor2Neighbor Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kelley Robinson, the President of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC.org), the nation's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, discusses the enthusiasm on the ground for the Harris-Walz campaign. Kelley and the folks at Human Rights Campaign have held GOTV events across the country, in battleground states, on college campuses, and at HBCUs. She provides an update on those events, talks Project 2025, and delivers a closing message to voters on what we should remember as we head toward the most consequential election of our lifetimes. This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. In this Episode Human Rights Campaign — Get Involved Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

USAFacts President, Poppy MacDonald, discusses their mission to provide solid, unbiased facts about the United States that are rooted in data. USAFacts is a nonprofit, founded by Steve Ballmer, who assembled a small team of economists, writers, and researchers to help comb through government data. Poppy MacDonald discusses how this data can then be used to shape policy, to inform constituents, and even, to strengthen our democracy. This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. In this Episode USAFacts.org Just the Facts Swing States Data Facts About the Economy Facts About Immigration Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2018, Liuba Grechen Shirley launched a historic congressional campaign to represent New York's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives—all while raising two young children under six-years-old. As her demanding campaign schedule clashed with limited access to affordable childcare, Liuba quickly realized the whole thing was untenable. So, six months into her campaign, Liuba petitioned the Federal Election Commission, making history as the first woman to receive federal approval to spend campaign funds for childcare. This experience inspired her to launch the Vote Mama Foundation, dedicated to empowering mothers to run for office. In this episode, Liuba discusses the importance of having pro-choice moms elected to office, the double standard that women candidates face, and how electing moms, up and down the ballot, benefits everyone. This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. In this Episode Vote Mama Candidates Vote Mama PAC Vote Mama Research Giving Circles Climate Power 2024 Election Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior Advisor for Black Engagement for Climate Power, Markeya Thomas, discusses the organization's $10 Million Black Engagement program, aimed at mobilizing Black voters around climate change, in battleground states. Climate Power is focus on educating voters on the differences between the two campaigns—one which has a track record of putting forth policies that create green jobs, with a history of holding big oil companies accountable, and the other, which has primarily denied climate science, and has a track record of supporting big oil's agenda. The conversation focuses on what climate messaging motivates Black voters ahead of the November election, and how Black communities are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. In this Episode Climate Power Research & Polling Climate Power 2024 Election Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian, educator, and author, Carol Anderson, discusses her book, "One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy." This episode replay is part of The Electorette 2024 Election Coverage series, and is a reply of an important conversation with voting rights scholar, Carol Anderson. Prof. Carol Anderson, the Charles Howard Candler Professor and Chair of African American Studies at Emory University and author of the bestseller, "White Rage," discusses her new book "One Person, No Vote," which chronicles the government's longstanding commitment to limiting democracy through voter suppression. From the passage of the 15th amendment to now, America's are still fighting to have full and equal access to the ballot.  This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. From this Episode Book: One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy by Carol Anderson Book: White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson Maceo Snipes Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're fresh off the heels of the DNC in Chicago, where we captured a powerful conversation between URL Media CEO Mitra Kalita and two trailblazing Indian American politicians: Arvind Venkat, Pennsylvania Representative, and Shekhar Krishnan, New York City Council Member. As the first Indian Americans to hold their offices, Arvind and Shekhar bring their identities and fresh perspectives to elected office. Their conversation focuses on the power of public service and what's really at stake in this year's election of Harris- Walz versus Trump- Vance. This podcast is a collaboration between Epicenter NYC and URL Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This show is made possible by you! Thank you for your continued support! Not a member? The business of media is in danger — but it sure isn't dead. Many of the rising stars that were poised to “save journalism” like Vice and Buzzfeed have either entered bankruptcy or stopped reporting on news. There have been layoffs across the industry and many newsrooms have cut back on the resources available to journalists. But workers have also organized unions, including high-profile campaigns at Condé Nast and The New Yorker, and started worker-owned media like Hell Gate and Defector. This month on “Meet the BIPOC Press”, Laura Flanders is joined by three journalists who have lived through the struggles and are a part of the solutions. Alex Sujong Laughlin is a supervising producer and co-owner at Defector; Esther Wang is a worker-owner at Hell Gate; and Tammy Kim helped organize unions at Al Jazeera America and The New Yorker, where she is a contributing writer. How do they think about the future of journalism, and what difference does it make when journalists have the freedom to speak truth to power — especially when it comes to reporting on policing and Palestine?“. . . One of the biggest reasons people mentioned wanting to work for Defector was actually citing the Palestine coverage because it was so refreshing for them to see journalists speaking frankly about their opinions about what's happening and not being beholden to really archaic rules of journalistic objectivity.” - Alex Sujong Laughlin“. . . In New York, Hellgate and other local news outlets were part of an initiative to get a new bill to support local news included as part of this year's budget . . . Much to our surprise, it actually was included. [It's] a tax credit for smaller outlets and a way to support local news in an environment where Google and Facebook have killed off all of the revenue streams. Those kinds of initiatives give me hope.” - Esther Wang". . . I think I'm still intoxicated by the dream of journalism, of being able to call anybody, of becoming an instant expert on something and then learning something else. I also think the three of us all believe that there is still a social justice component in this work . . . The existence of Hell Gate [and] Defector . . . are evidence that we're going to figure it out, that some form of journalism is going to exist and that we'll keep doing it.” - Tammy KimGuests:• Tammy Kim: Contributing Writer, The New Yorker• Alex Sujong Laughlin: Supervising Producer & Co-Owner, Defector Media• Esther Wang: Co-Founder, Hell Gate; Former Senior Political Reporter, Jezebel Full Episode Notes are posted the Wednesday following the podcast release and are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more.Music In the Middle:  "Pleasure, Joy & Happiness by Galliano", released on Brownswood Records..  And additional music included- "Steppin"  by Podington Bear. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, Sabrina Artel, David Neuman, Nat Needham, Rory O'Conner, Janet Hernandez, Sarah Miller, Jeannie Hopper, Nady Pina, and Jordan Flaherty FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LFAndFriendsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Thanks for taking the time to listen to the full conversation from our episode “Not Wanted at Harvard? BIPOC Media on Claudine Gay, Anti-Zionism & Diversity in Education.”   These full uncut conversations are made possible thanks to our member supporters. We are an independent media organization that is dependent on our members.  Please consider becoming a monthly supporter for a few dollars a month or more, go to https://Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends Description:  Dr. Claudine Gay, a widely esteemed scholar, made history as the first Black President of Harvard in the university's 387 years. Many saw her tenure as a step forward for diversity in higher education, but today, her resignation speaks volumes about the challenges Black women face in academia. Gay faced fierce backlash this winter over the school's statements on the Israel-Hamas War. A politically-motivated grilling in Congress followed by an organized campaign to attack Gay's credibility and intellect, led to her resignation on January 2. What does this all mean for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in education? In this timely installment of “Meet the BIPOC Press,” our monthly collaboration with URL Media, a network of independent media owned and operated by people of color, Laura is joined by co-host Amir Khafagy, labor and immigration reporter for Documented, which is a member of the URL Media network. We unpack the crusade against Gay, DEI and the lack of support that students and faculty of color, and especially women of color, receive from their universities. Also joining us are Zaire Dinzey-Flores, Professor and Chair of Latino and Caribbean Studies at Rutgers University, and Jamiee Swift, the Founder and Executive Director of Black Women Radicals. Tune in to hear what the media got right — and wrong — about this story.Guests:Zaire Dinzey-Flores: Associate Professor & Chair of Latino and Caribbean Studies, Rutgers UniversityAmir Khafagy (Co-host): Journalist, Report for America Member, DocumentedJaimee Swift: Founder, Black Women Radicals; Professor of Black Politics   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, Sabrina Artel, David Neuman, Nat Needham, Rory O'Conner, Janet Hernandez, Sarah Miller and Jeannie Hopper, Nady Pina, Jordan Flaherty FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LFAndFriendsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Journalism in America was a highly profitable business for more than a century until the internet – and other factors – disrupted the traditional business model resulting in decades of declining advertising and subscription revenue. Last week, the Los Angeles Times cut about 20 percent of its staff, adding to a growing list of news organizations making cuts in the past few months: The Washington Post, Business Insider, Sports Illustrated and NBC News. Meanwhile, hedge funds and private equity firms buying up newspapers has also changed the industry – a trend Bay Area filmmaker Rick Goldsmith examines in his new documentary, “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink.” We'll talk about the demise of local newspapers, efforts to revive the news business, and what it means for democracy. Guests: Rick Goldsmith, documentary filmmaker; director, "Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink" (2023), "Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press" (1996) and "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" (2009) Julie Reynolds, freelance journalist; producer, Gray Area - a podcast about justice and redemption; part-time associate editor, The Imprint S. Mitra Kalita, CEO, URL Media - a network of Black and Brown community news outlets that share content and revenue; publisher, Epicenter-NYC; veteran journalist; media executive; prolific commentator and author Ramona Giwargis, co-founder and CEO, San Jose Spotlight

This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate  Thank you for your continued support!Dr. Claudine Gay, a widely esteemed scholar, made history as the first Black President of Harvard in the university's 387 years. Many saw her tenure as a step forward for diversity in higher education, but today, her resignation speaks volumes about the challenges Black women face in academia. Gay faced fierce backlash this winter over the school's statements on the Israel-Hamas War. A politically-motivated grilling in Congress followed by an organized campaign to attack Gay's credibility and intellect, led to her resignation on January 2. What does this all mean for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in education? In this timely installment of “Meet the BIPOC Press,” our monthly collaboration with URL Media, a network of independent media owned and operated by people of color, Laura is joined by co-host Amir Khafagy, labor and immigration reporter for Documented, which is a member of the URL Media network. We unpack the crusade against Gay, DEI and the lack of support that students and faculty of color, and especially women of color, receive from their universities. Also joining us are Zaire Dinzey-Flores, Professor and Chair of Latino and Caribbean Studies at Rutgers University, and Jamiee Swift, the Founder and Executive Director of Black Women Radicals. Tune in to hear what the media got right — and wrong — about this story.“Academia is not an inclusive space. Academia is a hard place for many people, and we have to decide if we want institutions that are diverse and inclusive of multiple viewpoints . . . We belong and we contribute.” - Zaire Dinzey-Flores“There's a new age of McCarthyism taking place not only in academic spaces, but also media spaces. We're seeing reporters losing their jobs or being forced to resign if they have a pro-Palestinian stance. In academia, we're seeing regulations on campuses that say that you have to support Israel, almost like in the McCarthy era where you had to denounce communism in order to get a job.” - Amir Khafagy“If the university is supposed to be the marketplace of ideas, why are Black people and people of color's ideas, advocacy and activism always targeted, surveilled and pushed out?” - Jamiee SwiftGuests:•  Zaire Dinzey-Flores: Associate Professor & Chair of Latino and Caribbean Studies, Rutgers University•  Amir Khafagy (Co-host): Journalist, Report for America Member, Documented•  Jaimee Swift: Founder, Black Women Radicals; Professor of Black Politics Full Episode Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more.Music In the Middle:  “Awakening” by Climbing PoeTree from their 2017 album INTRINSIC. And additional music included- "Steppin"  by Podington Bear.

Mitra Kalita is a storied journalist and media executive, author of two books, and a former Senior Vice President for News, Opinion and Programming at CNN Digital, where she oversaw a team of 200 employees. Mitra has also taught her craft at Columbia, UMass Amherst, CUNY Graduate School, and St. John's. And in November of 2020 she was asked to join the board of The Philadelphia Inquirer.During our chat, we talked about her tenure as a journalist and media executive, why she started a company called Epicenter NYC during Covid, how and why she co-founded her company URL Media, and why she believes that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are so important in today's news rooms.I was honored to have Mitra join me on the program, and I hope you learn as much from her as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

This month marks three years since the world watched as rioters violently stormed the capitol with the intent to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Since then, hundreds have been arrested and sentenced for their crimes on January 6th. And a congressional committee was formed to investigate how this could've happened. Last week, URL Media partner, “Our Body Politic”, released a six part podcast series exploring the inner workings of this committee. Today, we'll share highlights from the series, specifically focusing on the role of white supremacy in the insurrection. Listen to the full series: https://ourbodypolitic.com/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S. Mitra Kalita is the CEO & Founder of URL Media, a network of high-performing Black and Brown news media organizations that serve, support and center communities of color, and she has plans for 2024. Fresh off a $500 thousand grant from the MacArthur Foundation, Mitra has a mandate to expand URL Media's essential editorial work and reach — because 2024 is an election year, and Black and Brown communities need news and information they can trust. This has been Mitra's mission since founding URL Media during the pandemic, along with community newsletter EpicenterNYC:  to bring crucial information to her community in a way that would actually reach them, and be trusted by them. In this episode of "Your New Life Blend," host Shoshanna Hecht talks to Mitra about how she is is leveraging all the skills of her years in legacy media (CNN, LAT, WSJ, Quartz & more) in order to marry information with trust — all while recognizing that this will be an election year unlike any other, and we will all have a role in fighting for our democracy. Websiteshttp://mitrakalita.comhttps://url-media.comhttps://epicenter-nyc.comSocial LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/s-mitra-kalita-377738Twitter/Xhttps://twitter.com/mitrakalitaBooksSuburban Sahibs: Three immigrant families and their passage from India to Americahttps://www.amazon.com/Suburban-Sahibs-S-Mitra-Kalita/dp/0813536650My Two Indias: A journey to the ends of opportunity https://www.amazon.com/My-Two-Indias-Journey-Opportunities/dp/935029012X

For years, Epicenter-NYC has been a proud member of URL Media - a decentralized, multi-platform network that includes high-performing Black and Brown news media organizations. And this month, URL is celebrating three years of hard work. In this episode we'll share an excerpt from the Local News Matters podcast where URL co-founders, Sara Lomax and S. Mitra Kalita, discuss the network's mission to support and empower independent media serving Black and Brown communities with host Tim Regan-Porter. Listen to the full conversation: https://localnewsmatterspodcast.com/ URL Media: https://url-media.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The following full uncut conversation is from our recent episode "BIPOC Media on the Fight for Fair Wages — & Anti-racist Unions." It is available here as a podcast thanks to generous contributions from listeners like you. Thank you.  Become a member supporter at LauraFlanders.org/donateTake Our Survey: Vote for your favorite LF Show episodes Description: From auto plants to Amazon warehouses, to Hollywood studios, pharmacies and hospitals, almost half a million workers have gone on strike so far this year. Many are celebrating this revival of labor power, but what does it mean for workers of color — often hardest hit — and least well treated even by traditional labor organizations? Worker rights and racial justice are linked, but mainstream media often fails to make the connection. In this “Meet the BIPOC Press” episode co-hosted by Laura Flanders and Sara Lomax, Co-founder of URL Media, we explore the diversity of today's unionized workforce and their demands. What happens when media bring a race-smart angle to their reporting? Joining us are Queens, New York-based reporter Amir Khafagy, reporting on the intersection of labor and immigration at Documented; and News Editor Carolyn Copeland, who is tracking national labor coverage with her team at Prism.“Whenever you're talking about unions, you're always talking about people of color because people of color are more likely to belong to a union . . . Union issues are always a racial justice issue.” - Carolyn Copeland“We have this sense of the burly Trade Union white guy that sometimes votes Republican. But lately, what we've seen now is the trade unions have come to realize that the historical animosity they had, especially towards immigrant workers and Black and Latino workers, has actually hurt their movement.“ - Amir Khafagy“There has been a generational concern in Philadelphia about the racial gap in access to union participation . . . A lot of Black and BIPOC workers have not been able to join some of the unions in Philadelphia, skilled trades, et cetera. And it's really created a racial hierarchy in the unions.” - Sara LomaxGuests:Carolyn Copeland: News Editor, PrismAmir Khafagy:  Journalist, Report for America Member, DocumentedSara Lomax: Co-Founder, URL Media; President & CEO, WURD Radio Full Episode Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more.  

Take Our Survey: Vote for your favorite LF Show episodes HERE From auto plants to Amazon warehouses, to Hollywood studios, pharmacies and hospitals, almost half a million workers have gone on strike so far this year. Many are celebrating this revival of labor power, but what does it mean for workers of color — often hardest hit — and least well treated even by traditional labor organizations? Worker rights and racial justice are linked, but mainstream media often fails to make the connection. In this “Meet the BIPOC Press” episode co-hosted by Laura Flanders and Sara Lomax, Co-founder of URL Media, we explore the diversity of today's unionized workforce and their demands. What happens when media bring a race-smart angle to their reporting? Joining us are Queens, New York-based reporter Amir Khafagy, reporting on the intersection of labor and immigration at Documented; and News Editor Carolyn Copeland, who is tracking national labor coverage with her team at Prism.“Whenever you're talking about unions, you're always talking about people of color because people of color are more likely to belong to a union . . . Union issues are always a racial justice issue.” - Carolyn Copeland“We have this sense of the burly Trade Union white guy that sometimes votes Republican. But lately, what we've seen now is the trade unions have come to realize that the historical animosity they had, especially towards immigrant workers and Black and Latino workers, has actually hurt their movement.“ - Amir Khafagy“There has been a generational concern in Philadelphia about the racial gap in access to union participation . . . A lot of Black and BIPOC workers have not been able to join some of the unions in Philadelphia, skilled trades, et cetera. And it's really created a racial hierarchy in the unions.” - Sara LomaxGuests:Carolyn Copeland: News Editor, PrismAmir Khafagy:  Journalist, Report for America Member, DocumentedSara Lomax: Co-Founder, URL Media; President & CEO, WURD Radio Full Episode Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more.Music In the Middle:  “The Surge” by Sandunes featuring Ramya Pathuri, from their full length album The Ground Beneath Her Feet, released on Tru Thoughts records. And additional music included- "Steppin," "Beachhead," and "Ocean Point" by Podington Bear. 

This show is made possible by you!  To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donateFrom the sinking lands of California's Central Valley to the depleting aquifers nationwide, we're at a critical point: Americans are running out of water. In this episode of Meet the BIPOC Press, a monthly collaboration between The Laura Flanders Show and URL Media, we take a closer look at the US water crisis that is affecting many Americans, and putting communities of color especially at risk. How are over-extraction and climate change impacting our water supply? BIPOC media outlets are bringing these stories to the forefront, debunking myths about climate change and uplifting solutions to this urgent issue. Joining us for this conversation are Warigia Bowman, Professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law, and Andrew Hazzard, Climate Reporter at Sahan Journal, which is dedicated to reporting on communities of color in Minnesota. Co-host S. Mitra Kalita is co-founder of URL Media, a national network of Black and Brown community news outlets. Kalita is also the publisher of Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter based in Queens, New York. How do we turn the tide on this crisis, before our water sources run dry?“We should change the food and the crops we grow, we should change what we eat. We should change how we view the role of agriculture in our society . . . Indigenous people are not well represented in academia or in industry for that matter, and they have already worked through some of these solutions.” - Warigia Bowman“As a climate reporter, I think it's my responsibility not only to raise the fact that there are major issues facing our society due to global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels, but also to highlight that there are people that are working on solutions . . .” - Andrew Hazzard“I think you cannot separate water from healthcare. You can't separate water from housing. You can't separate water from race and Indigenous communities . . . By centering people of color, instantly we're in solutions mode in terms of how we're presenting these issues.” - S. Mitra KalitaGuests:Warigia Bowman: Professor, College of Law, University of TulsaAndrew Hazzard:  Climate Reporter, Sahan JournalS. Mitra Kalita: Co-Founder, URL Media; CEO & Publisher, Epicenter-NYC Full Episode Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more.Music In the Middle:   ‘Yéla Mama' by  Eat My Butterfly featuring Lass & Sibu Manaï,  from the Climate Soundtrack album, produced by DJ's for Climate Action. And additional music included- "In and Out" and "Steppin" by Podington Bear 

This show is made possible by you!  To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donateAffirmative action's foes worked with conservative Chinese American organizations to sue two colleges over their admissions processes. The result was a victory for activists who have been trying to do away with affirmative action for years. What led to the June 29 decision by the Trump-packed Supreme Court finally to ban race-conscious affirmative action? In this month's “Meet the BIPOC Press” feature with URL Media, our guests fill in the blanks in the media coverage and correct some of the misconceptions about affirmative action, systemic racism, and how we got here. This time, Laura Flanders and co-host Sara Lomax of Philadelphia's WURD Radio are joined by Washington DC-based journalist Brandon Tensley, the National Politics Reporter at Capital B News, a nonprofit newsroom based in Atlanta, and Claire Jean Kim, a political scientist and Asian American studies professor at UC Irvine in Southern California. Kim is also the author of the forthcoming book “Asian Americans in an Anti-Black World”. How will the recent Supreme Court decision affect diversity and fairness in US institutions, and what does solidarity with African Americans specifically look like in the US today? “As someone who teaches about anti-Blackness and race, I can tell you how much that impacts the classroom to not have more diversity in the classroom . . . It affects the quality of education for everybody.” - Claire Jean Kim“One of the professors I spoke to  put it very clearly when I asked him, ‘What will the higher education landscape look like post affirmative action?' He was like, we don't need to theorize, we don't need to sort of imagine it. We can look to where this has already happened . . . “ - Brandon Tensley Guests:Claire Jean Kim: Professor of Political Science & Asian American Studies, UC Irvine; Author, Asian Americans in an Anti-Black World (Cambridge University Press, 2023)Sara Lomax: Co-Founder, URL Media; President & CEO, WURD RadioBrandon Tensley: National Politics Reporter, Capital B News Full Episode Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more.Music In the Middle:   “Sometimes I Wonder” by The Allergies from their full length album Tear The Place Up released on Jalapeno Records.  And additional music included- "In and Out" and "Steppin" by Podington Bear FOLLOW The Laura Flanders ShowTwitter: twitter.com/thelfshow Facebook: facebook.com/theLFshow Instagram: instagram.com/thelfshow/YouTube:  youtube.com/@thelfshow ACCESSIBILITY - This episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Over the past year, newsrooms across the country have experienced significant staff cuts, even leading to the shuttering of BuzzFeed News and bankruptcy of VICE Media. We're joined by S. Mitra Kalita, veteran journalist and co-founder of URL media, to learn more about why these layoffs are happening and its impact on local journalism.Show notes:URL Media - https://url-media.com/TIME: Looking Back on Three Years of Performative Diversity Efforts - https://time.com/charter/6290473/undoing-workplace-diversity-gains/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday 

This show is made possible by you!  To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate  Thank you for your continued support!As Pride Month continues, we explore the activism of drag queens and trans individuals who bore the brunt of the violence during the Stonewall Riots of 1969 and are still targets of violence and vitriol today. State legislators, so far this year, have proposed and in some cases passed, hundreds of bills that seek to restrict drag culture and queer self-expression. Proud Boys have harassed and threatened Drag Story Hour events across the country, even in the diverse borough of Queens, NY. In this episode of The Laura Flanders Show's monthly feature, Meet the BIPOC Press, Laura and co-host Mitra Kalita (co-founder of URL Media) are joined from North Carolina by Naomi Dix, an influential drag artist whose show in rural Moore County was disrupted by a sabotage attack on an energy substation — an attack that left 45,000 households and businesses in the dark for five days in December 2022. We're also joined by reporter Sam Zachar, the producer of a two-part podcast series for Epicenter-NYC on NYC's Drag Story Hours — what they are, and what they're up against.“We never thought in a million years, especially drag artists of my generation, that we would have to be facing the same things and issues that our parents were telling us that they were having to face in the 50s and the 60s and the 70s and the 80s.” - Naomi Dix“What we're seeing is an overlapping of the identities that our communities represent, and the approach to how we combat these forces. It's really powerful when we can say the counter protestors outnumber those who don't want us here.” - Mitra Kalita“I think that Drag Story Hour as a whole gives us a great look and a microcosm of drag trans and queer worlds, because it represents how they're being attacked in terms of losing rights to exist safely, and the Proud Boys, specifically digging their heels into inflammatory, destructive and untruthful accusations against these communities.” - Sam ZacharGuests:Naomi Dix: Drag Artist, Activist & Member of Durham NC BIPOC Operated House of Coxx; Co-Chair, Pride: Durham, NCS. Mitra Kalita: Co-Founder, URL MediaSam Zachar: Reporter, Podcast Producer, Epicenter-NYC  Full Show Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more to dive deeper.Music In the Middle:   “Knockin'” by Nickodemus and Bad Colours featuring The Illustrious Blacks from Nickodemus' Soul and Science Album, courtesy of Wonderwheel Recordings. 

It's our May membership drive when we move the mic to you!  By becoming a member your voice of support amplifies our coverage of forward thinking movement movers and shakers.     Go to LauraFlanders.org/donate  Thank you for your continued support!What is causing the Black maternal mortality epidemic, and what can be done to save Black lives? The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income nation in the world — and it is Black mothers who are dying at the highest rates. Black birthing people are three times more likely to die in childbirth, but about 84% of those deaths are preventable. For this episode of Meet the BIPOC Press with our partner URL Media, a network of Black and Brown owned and operated news outlets, Laura Flanders is joined again by co-host Sara Lomax of Philadelphia's WURD Radio. They invite Marianne Fray, the CEO of Maternity Care Coalition and Kenya Hunter, the Atlanta Health Reporter for Capital B News, to discuss how Black women and birthing people are taking control of their pregnancies. Explore the community-centered responses that may lead to better pregnancy outcomes and a more equitable healthcare system.“We all came into this world through some person and it is a miraculous thing. If we could spend a little time reflecting on that, and then set up ourselves or whomever chooses to have children with the best possible outcome.” - Marianne Fray“There was a researcher from the University of Colorado, Boulder, who predicted a 21% jump in pregnancy-related deaths in the country if Roe v Wade was overturned. But that number then jumps to 33% when you're talking about Black women.” - Kenya Hunter“. . . Birth was a business practice in many ways. Children were ripped from us. Black women were experimented on by the ‘father of gynecology,' Marion Sims in the 1840s . . .  I do think Black women are carrying a lot of historical trauma related to birthing and childbearing.”Guests:Marianne Fray: CEO, Maternity Care CoalitionKenya Hunter: Atlanta Health Reporter, Capital B NewsSara Lomax: Co-Founder, URL Media; President & CEO, WURD RadioFull Show Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more to dive deeper.Music In the Middle:   “Time Shlime” by Rithma courtesy of Om Records.

The police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis generated a significant amount of conversation and coverage, while the killing of environmental activist Manuel Esteban Paez Terán in a Georgia state police raid just weeks later has gotten considerably less attention. This time in our monthly feature, Meet the BIPOC Press, Laura Flanders and Sara Lomax of URL Media talk with two journalists who have been reporting on these stories for local Black-led outlets. Is there anything in their response that might deepen how we think about power and race, racism, police and public safety? Our guests are Gavin Godfrey, Atlanta editor at Capital B, and Report for America corps member Brittany Brown, a reporter at MLK50: Justice Through Journalism where she covers criminal justice and labor in Memphis.“. . . We saw national media parachute into Memphis really covering the flashpoint moment that this was for the city . . . At MLK50, we're really focused on highlighting the continuing efforts that are going on every week.” - Brittany Brown“I think what separates our coverage from local coverage in the city is that we are trying to find out how this affects the people that are the most affected. Most of [the] local news is talking to officials, law enforcement officials, and then getting a couple of quotes and clips from protestors without a lot of context.” - Gavin Godfrey“Our communities need to have outlets . . . that are coming from the ground up and from our people. I'm really grateful that there is a new wave of Black media outlets that are doing the work in Atlanta, in Memphis, in Philadelphia, all over the country . . .” - Sara LomaxGuests:Brittany Brown: Criminal Justice & Labor Reporter, MLK50: Justice Through JournalismGavin Godfrey: Atlanta Editor, Capital BSara Lomax: Co-Founder, URL Media; President & CEO, WURD Radio The Show is listener and viewer supported.  That's thanks to you!  Please donate and become a member.Full conversation & show notes are available at Patreon.com/theLFShow Chapters: (0:00:00) - Covering Police Killings in the US(0:09:51) - Self-Care in Trauma Reporting(0:20:52) - The Legacy of Systemic Police Violence Chapter Summaries: (0:00:00) - Covering Police Killings in the US (10 Minutes)This episode of Meet The BiPOC Press with URL media focuses on two events that occurred weeks apart in different parts of the US and how they connect. The first is the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis after a traffic stop, and the second is the killing of queer environmental activist Manuel Esteban Paez Terán in Atlanta during a police raid. The conversation covers the quantity of coverage these stories have received, the proposed ninety million dollar police training complex in the Walloni forest, the response of the public and the ongoing efforts of activists and community organizers. (0:09:51) - Self-Care in Trauma Reporting (11 Minutes)This episode of the Laura Flanders show focuses on the two recent police-involved killings of Tyre Nichols in Memphis and Manuel Esteban Paez Terán in Atlanta. The conversation addresses the calls for more training and how the proposed police training center in Atlanta has sparked fear in the predominantly black community. The roundtable also discusses the power dynamics of police brutality when officers are black as well as the importance of trauma-informed reporting and setting boundaries for self-care. (0:20:52) - The Legacy of Systemic Police Violence (9 Minutes)This discussion focused on the events in Memphis over the past year, including the election of the first Democratic District Attorney in decades and the swift response to the misconduct of police officers. Questions were raised about the role of democracy and consent in this response, in addition to the issue of public safety. The conversation then shifted to the survey conducted by the mayor on the proposed COPC City training center, in which 69% of the population were against it. The participants discussed the need to ask better questions, and to listen to the people in order to facilitate a dialogue towards a solution. 

Monthly sustaining supporters receive early access to listen and download the full uncut conversation from our weekly episode release.  Flex your media muscles by signing up at LauraFlanders.org/donateIn this podcast episode, I discuss how Black and Brown-owned media outlets are growing with Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL and publisher of Epicenter NYC, Alexandra Martinez, senior news reporter at Prism, and Malak Silmi of Outlier Media. We also explore the federal impact on local communities and how access to the morning-after pill, the pandemic, and small business have been affected. Additionally, we discuss the rise of right-wing extremism and the complexities of the migrant influx into New York City. We also touch on the importance of coming together for collaboration and using the language of the impacted communities for reporting. Lastly, we thank the participants for their contributions and collaboration to this podcast.Guests:S. Mitra Kalita: Co-Founder, URL Media; CEO & Publisher, Epicenter-NYCAlexandra Martinez: Senior News Reporter, PrismMalak Silmi: Reporter, Outlier Media Chapters:(0:00:01) - BiPOC Media Outlets(0:14:53) - Federal Impact on Local Communities(0:30:03) - Siloing and the Right-Wing Red Wave(0:41:59) - Coming Together for Collaboration Chapter Summaries:(0:00:01) - BiPOC Media Outlets (15 Minutes)Meet the BiPOC Press' focuses on the growth of URL Media, a national network of black and brown-owned media outlets. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL and publisher of Epicenter NYC, Alexandra Martinez, senior news reporter at Prism, and Malak Silmi of Outlier Media each shared their perspectives on the stories that will be driving news coverage in the coming year. Topics discussed included the economy, housing, finance, politics, reproductive justice, voting rights, public health and more. The conversation also focused on the use of the term 'BiPOC' (0:14:53) - Federal Impact on Local Communities (15 Minutes)This conversation examines how the current climate of emergency and lack of federal funding has impacted local communities across the US. Topics discussed include the FDA's recent approval of the abortion pill, the unequal access to the morning-after pill among different states, and how the pandemic has impacted small businesses and public health. The participants also discussed how different methods of reporting are being used to capture local meetings and to disrupt false narratives, as well as the anti-gay protests that have been occurring in cities across the country. They emphasize the importance of centering the solutions from the impacted communities and using the language they want to use. (0:30:03) - Siloing and the Right-Wing Red Wave (12 Minutes)This conversation focuses on the growing number of anti-trans bills, anti-abortion bills, and the rise of right-wing extremism across the United States. The participants discuss how they are covering these issues in their reporting and how they are reaching new audiences in an age where social media algorithms are increasingly limiting visibility. They also explore the complexities of the migrant influx into New York City and how the public services are struggling to provide support. It is discussed how media must be cautious when covering these stories and how trust and honest reporting is key to connecting with the communities affected by these issues' (0:41:59) - Coming Together for Collaboration (0 Minutes)This conversation focused on the mayor's visit to El Paso at the New Year and his announcement that eight thousand people have come into New in the past year. The participants discussed the significance of this influx of people and the collaboration between them in the monthly round table. The conversation ended with the speaker thanking the participants for their contribution and collaboration to the podcast' Key Words:BiPOC Media, URL Media, Mitra Kalita, Epicenter NYC, Alexandra Martinez, Prism, Malak Silmi, Outlier Media, Federal Impact, Local Communities, Morning-After Pill, Pandemic, Small Business, Right-Wing Extremism, Migrant Influx, New York City, Collaboration, Language of Impacted Communities, Economy, Housing, Finance, Politics, Reproductive Justice, Voting Rights, Public Health, Abortion Pill, Anti-Trans Bills, Anti-Abortion Bills, Social Media Algorithms, El Paso, Round Table 

What are the stories that will be driving news coverage in the coming year for communities of color and our network partners in the media that serve them? In this 2023 preview for our monthly Meet the BIPOC Press roundtable with URL Media, we consider issues involving the economy, community investment, reproductive justice, local government, environmental justice, LGBTQ+ rights, the aftermath of COVID, and more. How will our partners be reporting the stories — and angles — that matter most? Laura is joined by Mitra Kalita, the publisher of Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter based in Queens, New York, and the co-founder of URL Media, a network of Black and Brown community news outlets; Alexandra Martinez, Senior Reporter with Prism, whose reporting on such topics as immigration and the affordable housing crisis also appears in VICE, CNN, and other outlets; and Malak Silmi, the local government reporter for Outlier Media, a Detroit-based service journalism organization with a mission to empower Detroit residents to hold landlords, municipal government, and elected officials accountable for longstanding problems. What are some of their stories?“I think this is the year that much of mainstream America is accepting that we are either in or about to enter our recession. I think for communities of color, we've been there for the last year. You're seeing this with demand at food pantries, utilities, housing. One of the things I'm proudest of is that we covered the explosion of food insecurity.” - S. Mitra Kalita“[At] Prism, we are a BIPOC-led newsroom . . . So that allows us to bring nuance to the reporting that we do. Without that nuance, you really can't have honest, truthful storytelling.” - Alexandra Martinez“With our Documenters program, we employ citizens from across the city and the state to go into these local meetings, whether virtually or in person, and simply document . . . This has helped serve a lot of reporters as well as a lot of citizens.” - Malak SilmiGuests:S. Mitra Kalita: Co-Founder, URL Media; CEO & Publisher, Epicenter-NYCAlexandra Martinez: Senior News Reporter, PrismMalak Silmi: Reporter, Outlier MediaThe Show is listener and viewer supported.  That's thanks to you!  Please donate and become a member.Full conversation & show notes are available at Patreon.com/theLFShow

Enjoy the full uncut conversation from our episode 'Meet the BIPOC Press Roundtable:  Abbott Elementary Teaches Us All' featuring co-hosts from URL Media S. Mitra Kalita & Sara Lomax-Reese; and guests Joyce M. Abbott, Educator & Climate Manager Philadelphia School District ducator & Abbott Elementary Namesake; Sheryl Lee Ralph, Leading Actor for ABC Comedy Series ‘Abbott Elementary' & ActivistDescription:  Can you remember the last time when the challenges that inner city public school teachers face were the subject of a popular TV series? Abbott Elementary — which has just been renewed for a second season on ABC — does just that. The Philadelphia school on TV is fictional, but the challenges it faces are all too real. Closely based on the school that series creator (and star) Quinta Brunson attended, and especially her experiences with Ms. Abbott, her 6th grade teacher, the show combines art, education and activism. On this month's Meet The BIPOC Press with URL Media, real-life educator Joyce Abbott joins acclaimed actress and activist Sheryl Lee Ralph from the series, to discuss what the show's success shows us about this moment, when educators, especially teachers of color, are leaving the profession in droves. Can a TV show help stem the tide, shift the culture and change policy? Among her many accolades, Ralph starred in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls. Is quality education for all, a dream? Laura Flanders and co-hosts Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax-Reese don't think it should be.Full research and reading list to further delve into the conversation is available at Patreon.com/theLFShow Guests:Joyce M. Abbott: Educator & Abbott Elementary NamesakeSheryl Lee Ralph: Actress & ActivistS. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host): CEO & Co-Founder, URL MediaSara Lomax-Reese (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL Media Become a member! We are forward thinking, ad free, independent media thanks to you, our members! Become a member at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

"What makes the obsession with polling so problematic is that it ignores the way that polls, even when they're right, are bad for our politics. Polls shrink our options, over-determine policy, and distract us from real life." The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Flex your media muscles, become a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Independent Media! Advertising free!

(full episode notes are at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow)  When it came to the midterms, mainstream white pundits got a lot wrong that local, Black, Brown and BIPOC media got right, and they're still missing many important stories. That's the message from this roundtable of journalists we call Meet the BIPOC Press, a monthly feature of the Laura Flanders Show.  What do the money media's hits and misses tell us about what journalists need to be doing better — or differently — in the weeks and months ahead? For this conversation, Laura is joined by S. Mitra Kalita, the publisher of Epicenter-NYC and co-founder of URL Media, a network of Black and Brown community news outlets that partners with the Laura Flanders Show every month; Habib Rahman, the cofounder of TBN24, the first Bangladeshi 24/7 live television channel in the US, and Stephanie Williams, the executive editor of the IE Voice and Black Voice News serving Southern California. How did their outlets meet the needs of their constituents and voters? Some of the answers are pretty surprising."Mainstream media is covering misinformation and they're covering the polls. They're not really covering abortion, climate change, your garbage pickup, your kid's PTA.” - S. Mitra Kalita“We have a small network, TBN24. Compared to MSNBC or CNN or Fox we are minute, but they don't understand the power of local journalism, local stations and the influence that we have on the local people.” - Habib Rahman“Looking within our communities we should be reading the pulse of what's happening there, and if it's contrary to the polls, we should use our voices and speak up and say, that's not what we're seeing in my community, regardless of what the polls say.” - Stephanie WilliamsGuests:S. Mitra Kalita: Co-Founder, URL Media; CEO & Publisher, Epicenter-NYCHabib Rahman: Co-Founder, TBN24, Bangladeshi Global Digital TVStephanie Williams: Executive Editor, IE Voice & Black Voice News Help us kick off this holiday season with your good vibrations!  Here at the Laura Flanders Show we rely on you, our hive of listeners, to buzz about the show!  Hit the subscribe button for this podcast, if you haven't already,  and if you're subscribed via apple podcasts, please rate us and write a review.   Thanks in advance to all you busy bees for buzzing about the show and helping us grow!  We are listener supported media, become a member today! https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Episode Description (Full Episode Notes)- Can a predominantly white state legislature overturn the votes of a predominantly Black city? Larry Krasner, Philadelphia's District Attorney was elected in 2017 on a reform agenda and has been targeted by a GOP backlash ever since. This October, on the last day of business before the 2022 midterms, Republican State Rep. Martina White filed articles for impeachment. If the initiative wins a majority in the GOP-dominated state house, Krasner will have to stand trial in the Senate. To discuss the effort to impeach Krasner, the threat posed to democracy, and how, despite the news reporting, Krasner's reform initiatives work, Laura is joined by the D.A. himself, along with Sara Lomax-Reese of URL Media and Charles Ellison, host of WURD Radio's ‘Reality Check' program. How has the GOP weaponized the issue of violence to smear criminal justice reform and the Democrats pushing for change? And what is being done about the disregard being shown to Black voters who voted heavily for the DA and largely continue to support Krasner's work? And Laura's closing commentary on how the story's being covered — or not.“This is a direct effort by Republicans and the rest of the state to erase the vote of Philadelphians. If they get away with the district attorney, then that means they can erase the votes for mayor, and they can erase the votes for president, or city council or for any other elected official.” - Larry Krasner"What we need to look out for here is that when the party that cannot win in a particular place is finding ways to erase its votes, this is the end of democracy." - Larry KrasnerGuests:Charles D. Ellison (Co-Host): Executive Producer/Host, “Reality Check” on WURDLarry Krasner: District Attorney, Philadelphia, PASara Lomax-Reese (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL Media The show is made possible by listeners like you. Become a member today at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Members Receive early access to the full uncut conversation and more.   

S. Mitra Kalita is 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. Mitra is also the co-founder and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter to help New Yorkers get through the pandemic, and an inaugural member of the URL Media network.We discuss the impetus for launching URL Media, how Jackson Heights (her hometown) became ground zero during the pandemic,  what she realized about national news outlets, and how first serving her community led to the launching a company.I ask Mitra if people are truly interested in Black and Brown stories, why she would love to work with Byron Allen, and what she would put up on her very own billboard.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners about the large number of people in their 20s and 30s moving back in with their parents amid rising costs of living. Michelle Singletary shared her advice off of her latest personal finance columns, focusing on the looming deadline for public service loan forgiveness. Singletary is a personal finance columnist for the Washington Post. She writes the nationally syndicated column, "The Color of Money,"  which provides insight into the world of personal finance. Her latest book is: What To Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide. Mitra Kalita and Levi Rickert talked about covering politics and this year's midterm elections, as well as Indigenous Peoples' Day. Kalita is co-founder/ CEO of URL Media, a network of Black and Brown community news outlets that share content. She was most recently Senior Vice President at CNN Digital, overseeing the national news, breaking news, programming, opinion and features teams. Rickert is founder, publisher, and editor of Native News Online. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. Retired Federal Judge Nancy Gertner discussed mounting criticism over the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, and previewed the Court's 2022-2023 session. Gertner is a retired federal judge and a senior lecturer at Harvard Law School. Mayor Kim Driscoll shared this month's Halloween happenings in Salem. Driscoll is the mayor of Salem, and is the 2022 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Mass. Corby Kummer talked about rising costs at restaurants, and the latest “hot girl food”: deviled eggs. Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. We ended the show by asking listeners whether they're still dining out amid rising food costs.

"How do you spark alarm, inform the public, prod people to act, if the media aren't covering the news, political fundraisers griped to the press this week....It's a problem social movements in the US have faced for decades, of course, and met none of the same sympathy from the press."For independent reporting on grassroots change makers around the world and right here in the US, every week, catch the Laura Flanders Show on a public television station near you, or subscribe to the free podcast. This week, Sara Lomax Reese and S Mitra Kalita, co-founders of URL Media, report on the intersections between Black and Indigenous power movements. You can watch, listen and subscribe, at lauraflanders.org.The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Flex your media muscles, become a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow  Independent Media! Advertising free!

How do Black and Indigenous communities intersect? This special feature for Indigenous People's day explores the forces that have both facilitated and thwarted collaboration and movement-making among Black and Indigenous people in the United States. Exploitation of Black and Indigenous people was integral to the founding of this country, but the nature of that exploitation wasn't exactly the same. Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax Reese of URL Media return for this month's “Meet the BIPOC Press”. Their guests are Levi Rickert, a citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, founder and publisher, Native News Online and Dr. Kyle T. Mays from the Saginaw Chippewa Nations, Afro-Indigenous scholar and author of An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States. Mays asks: “How can we imagine and put into praxis a world in the aftermath of settler colonialism and white supremacy?”“It's imperative to not only center blackness, but also to center Indigenous peoples because upon whose land were African Americans exploited? This is Indigenous land.” - Dr. Kyle T. Mays“We need to keep the gas pedal on getting Congress to appropriate the proper level of funding. We still have some of the highest levels of disparity when it comes to health disparity and lack of housing. A third of the people on the Navajo nation do not have running water or electricity. These are Third World living conditions, and this is what our native people are still living with.” - Levi RickertGuests:Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) Publisher & Editor, Native News Online;  Author of Visions for a Better Indian Country: One Potawatomi Editor's OpinionsKyle T. Mays, Ph.D. (Saginaw Chippewa Nation) Associate Professor UCLA,  Departments of African American Studies, American Indian Studies & History;  Author, An Afro-Indigenous History of the United StatesS. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL MediaSara Lomax-Reese (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL MediaTickets are on sale now for our first in-person fundraiser! Show your support for the LF Show in Sullivan County, NY, where the show is produced. Plus, environmentalist Bill McKibben will be there for a live Q&A and book signing! Find more information and tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/419711015947 

Forty percent of those who get abortion services in the U.S. are African Americans. Would you know it from the media coverage of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe vs Wade? S. Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax-Reese of URL Media join Laura for this month's “Meet the BIPOC Press” to consider what has changed in the coverage — and the organizing — around reproductive justice in the years since Roe. Are abortion seekers of color still a sidebar in reporting or has journalism finally reached a tipping point on inclusion? What difference are BIPOC-owned-and-operated media making in this moment, to our understanding of what's been lost, and to the debate over what is needed now? Our hosts are joined by Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, from Queens, NY, and La'Tasha D. Mayes, Democratic Nominee for the Pennsylvania Statehouse from Pittsburgh.“Abortion is not about life. It is about power and control over our bodies.” - Jessica González-Rojas“The strategy to protect abortion access in our nation was misguided. We were not protecting Roe to the degree that it needed and that while it provided basic constitutional protections it was always the floor for basic human rights . . . Black women, folks of color and poor abortion seekers have been living in a post-Roe world for years.” - La'Tasha D. MayesGuestsJessica González-Rojas: Assemblymember, District 34 in Queens, NY; Former Leader, National Latina Institute for Reproductive JusticeLa'Tasha D. Mayes: Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania House of Representatives; Founder & Former CEO, New Voices for Reproductive JusticeS. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL MediaSara Lomax-Reese (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL MediaYour support makes it possible for us to continue uplifting the hard work of community organizers like you heard today who's work benefits us all. It takes a lot to keep this reporting available to millions on public television, community radio and as a podcast. Go to Patreon.com/theLFShow and join today as a monthly contributor, or go to LauraFlanders.org/donate for more options. Thanks for listening!

Whether it's Buffalo, NY, Uvalde, TX or Philadelphia, PA — we are witnessing an unprecedented wave of terror at the muzzle of a gun. But all mass shootings are not covered in the same way. What determines the nature of the coverage? And what is the media getting wrong — or right — on gun violence reporting? In this episode, Laura Flanders welcomes back Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax-Reese of URL Media, a network of independently owned and operated Black and Brown media outlets, for this month's “Meet the BIPOC Press.” Our returning guest Michelle García is a Texas-based journalist whose searing reporting in the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting honed in on the structures of militarization that devalue the lives of local residents.“I'm not here to humanize anybody. I'm here to understand what forces are dehumanizing people and to look that in the face.” - Michelle García“When you are surrounded by people, the adults, the politicians describing your home as a war zone, as unlivable and peddling images of violence —  does it not potentially normalize violence itself?” - Michelle GarcíaGuests:Michelle García, Journalist & AuthorS. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host), Co-Founder, URL MediaSara Lomax-Reese (Co-Host), Co-Founder, URL Media We are listener & viewer sponsored. Full episode notes including related articles and LFShow episodes to watch and/or listen to are posted at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow. Patreon Members receive access to the FULL UNCUT CONVERSATION. The show airs on 300+ Public Television households across the U.S., on over 40 community radio stations and as a podcast.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about rising costs amid inflation. Art Caplan discusses the World Health Organization's (WHO) upcoming assessment of monkeypox as a potential global health emergency. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Shirley Leung talks about efforts to build greenspace in Boston's Seaport neighborhood, and the potential for safe consumption sites in Mass. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Miles Howard shares his 25-mile Boston trail map, which connects green spaces across more than a dozen neighborhoods. Howard is a Boston-based journalist and author of the “Mind the Moss,” a newsletter about hiking. Then, we talk with listeners about their favorite hiking trails in the Boston area. Mitra Kalita discusses the role of the diversity officer in corporate spaces, and the transition of diversity, equity, and inclusion from human resources to the C-suite. Kalita is the co-founder and CEO of URL Media, a network of Black and Brown news and information outlets. Andy Ihnatko updates us on the latest tech headlines, focusing on the Google engineer claiming that Google's AI language model is sentient. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. We wrap up the show by asking listeners about the regional fascination with Market Basket.

This week, we are revisiting some of OBP's most joyous interviews starting with Farai's conversation with two publishers of color, Elizabeth Méndez Berry, vice president and executive editor at One World, an imprint at Penguin Random House, and Lisa Lucas, senior vice president and publisher at Pantheon and Schocken Books on celebrating the work of BIPOC authors and critics. Then public health professionals and sisters Nilufar Kayhani and Nazineen Kandahari share the inspiration and beauty behind starting the Afghan Clinic, an online space that serves the health needs of fellow Afghans. Farai then speaks with Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro, about finding joy in the great outdoors and encouraging others to do the same. And in the weekly roundtable Sippin' the Political Tea, Farai talks with fellow women of color journalists, S. Mitra Kalita, founder and publisher of Epicenter NYC, and Jenni Monet, CEO of URL Media and author of newsletter Indigenously about what it means to identify as women of color and why identifying as one can evoke both personally powerful and political implications.

Can you remember the last time when the challenges that inner city public school teachers face were the subject of a popular TV series? Abbott Elementary — which has just been renewed for a second season on ABC — does just that. The Philadelphia school on TV is fictional, but the challenges it faces are all too real. Closely based on the school that series creator (and star) Quinta Brunson attended, and especially her experiences with Ms. Abbott, her 6th grade teacher, the show combines art, education and activism. On this month's Meet The BIPOC Press with URL Media, real-life educator Joyce Abbott joins acclaimed actress and activist Sheryl Lee Ralph from the series, to discuss what the show's success shows us about this moment, when educators, especially teachers of color, are leaving the profession in droves. Can a TV show help stem the tide, shift the culture and change policy? Among her many accolades, Ralph starred in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls. Is quality education for all, a dream? Laura Flanders and co-hosts Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax-Reese don't think it should be.“The teachers, even though they get the school training, the college training, I don't think anything can prepare you for when you go into the classroom. We're still in the pandemic, all the trauma with the civil unrest — it's a lot, and you have to be willing to invest a lot of time and a lot of energy.” - Joyce M. Abbott, Educator & Abbott Elementary Namesake“There is something going on in the psyche of America when we would rather preach injustice, when we would rather tell our children a skewed view of the world. Something is going on in America and the good people, the wise people, must rise up and do better for each other, for all of us to keep the dream of the great United States of America alive.” - Sheryl Lee Ralph, Actress & ActivistGuests:Joyce M. Abbott: Educator & Abbott Elementary NamesakeSheryl Lee Ralph: Actress & ActivistS. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host): CEO & Co-Founder, URL MediaSara Lomax-Reese (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL Media Full episode notes including related articles and LFShow episodes to watch and/or listen to are posted at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow. Patreon Members receive access to the FULL UNCUT CONVERSATION. We are listener & viewer sponsored. The show airs on 300+ Public Television households across the U.S., on over 40 community radio stations and as a podcast. Become a member at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

May 1st is when college students make decisions on which schools they will be attending in the fall. High school seniors, and their parents, share their choices and S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, shares her story of not getting into her top picks and offers some advice for those who didn't get into the schools of their dreams.

At a time when we are constantly bombarded with hateful and polarized media and social media commentary and when it is becoming increasingly difficulty to sort out the real news from the fake, Meghan and Harry have issued a couple of new charitable grants, re-committing themselves "to convening, bridging, and accelerating leaders, ideas, and solutions for an online community rooted in equity, safety, participation, and belonging."In the statement released on their Archewell website Meghan and Harry admit that technology has changed how we all experience everyday life: connecting us and at times making our lives more productive. Meghan and Harry also point out the down side of increased use of social media and other technologies, including our "lack of trust in the information we read and view, the safety and health of our kids being placed at risk, civil rights and human rights being threatened, and marginalized communities being targeted by a barrage of hate and vitriol."Meghan and Harry write that they feel that many of the underlying societal issues created by technology remain unaddressed. Hence their existing work with various organizations and academics working in the field such as the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2), Color Of Change and URL Media and now the new grants that Meghan and Harry announced this week to Cortico's Local Voices Network  https://cortico.ai/  and the Institute for Rebooting Social Media at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society https://cyber.harvard.edu/programs/institute-rebooting-social-mediaCortico Community Local Voices Network is an initiative that is working in cooperation with the MIT Center for Constructive Communication. What they do is record small-group conversations in various communities when the participants discuss their lives and experiences.  Think of what they do as a lot of separate interviews and discussions, say with local government or community groups and non-profits, similar to what you might have heard in the past on a local radio or TV show. Cortico collect and store these conversations on a searchable library using artificial intelligence (AI) tools that allow search by topic or key words or even by speaker. The second new grant announced by Meghan and Harry is to the Institute for Rebooting Social Media at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Meghan and Harry are helping to fund a new three-year initiative, in work that is addressing urgent concerns surrounding social media, including hate speech and harassment,  misinformation and privacy. Meghan and Harry are also supporting what is called the Rebooting Social Media Assembly Fellowship during the 2022-2023 academic year. The fellowship will bring together renowned experts and new innovators from diverse backgrounds to address the challenges and opportunities of social media. Meghan and Harry have said before and they reiterate in this week's statement, that they believe new innovations in technology and media "should strengthen our communities, empower families, restore trust in information, and ensure that all of us can experience a better and safer world online."Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili. Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Last summer, thanks to a grant from the Knight Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund, we spoke to award winning actor April Matthis about how she coped with the changes brought on by COVID-19 and what she thinks the future of theater in New York City looks like. Now, Nearly a year later, a lot has changed. For starters, April is back on the stage, currently starring in “Help” a The Shed. “Help” is a new play by author and poet Claudia Rankine. The work follows a Black woman who moves in spaces where she frequently encounters white people. April explains that the play turns the lens on race toward white people instead of pathologizing Blackness. In this episode Epicenter’s S. Mitra Kalita talks to April about “Help”, what it’s like working in an all-white cast, and how she feels about performing in person while COVID restrictions across the city begin to lift. April Matthis: https://www.broadway.com/buzz/stars/april-matthis/profile/ https://twitter.com/april_matthis?s=20 "Help" at The Shed: https://theshed.org/program/225-help-a-new-play-by-claudia-rankine Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund announces support for URL Media: https://www.lenfestinstitute.org/diverse-growing-audiences/pursing-accountability-while-recognizing-humanity-knight-lenfest-local-news-transformation-fund-announces-support-for-url-media/ URL Media: https://url-media.com/ Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/ Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to be Black media? And how can media that targets Black audiences be culturally competent?The Pivot Fund and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press hosted this conversation on Feb. 23, 2022, about Black media ownership and the support systems they need to be successful and serve the Black community.Tracie Powell, The Pivot Fund's CEO, moderated the discussion with Kamesha Laurry, an attorney and fellow at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.Panelists included:  Joseph A. Torres, co-author of "News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media"  Sara Lomax-Reese, co-founder of URL Media and president and CEO of WURD Radio Cheryl Thompson-Morton, director of the Black Media Initiative at the Center for Community Media at City University of New York Hiram Jackson, the CEO of Real Times Media Resources:  Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press hotline: 1-800-336-4243. rcfp.org  The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting.For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit thepivotfund.org.

More than 20 Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) received bomb threats at the start of Black History Month — including a threat on Valentine's Day at Howard University. While the FBI is calling it a high priority investigation and threats are spreading to high schools, there is comparatively little media coverage of this assault on civil rights and education. On this month's “Meet the BIPOC Press” with URL Media, our guests explore the unequal media treatment of domestic terrorist threats on African American spaces and consider the racist stereotyping of Black and white youth.  We also explore the significance of HBCUs in Black History and the connections with the greater African Diaspora. How can BIPOC media lead the way to spread awareness and protect the legacy, diversity, and innovations at HBCUs?Co-hostSara Lomax-Reese, Co-Founder, URL MediaGuestsEric Grimes/Brother Shomari, Host, Groundings Evolutions Elevations, WURD RadioKrista Johnson, Director, Center for African Studies, Howard University Full episode notes are posted at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow. Patreon Members receive early access to the FULL UNCUT CONVERSATION from last week's episode 'Democratizing Democracy: Redistricting by the People'.

“Mainstream media” (whatever that is) might be struggling, but you know who's leading the revolution to do better? “Women, and especially women of color,” says host Brittany Packnett Cunningham. She sits down with Sara Lomax-Reese of URL Media and Akoto Ofori-Atta of Capital B, two media organizations run by Black and brown women. They talk about why they do what they do, how to get beyond a “scarcity mentality,” and last week's “crack pipe” debacle. Plus, Brittany breaks down this weeks' UnTrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Mainstream media” (whatever that is) might be struggling, but you know who's leading the revolution to do better? “Women, and especially women of color,” says host Brittany Packnett Cunningham. She sits down with Sara Lomax-Reese of URL Media and Akoto Ofori-Atta of Capital B, two media organizations run by Black and brown women. They talk about why they do what they do, how to get beyond a “scarcity mentality,” and last week's “crack pipe” debacle. Plus, Brittany breaks down this weeks' UnTrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Laura Flanders' full uncut conversation with Black abolitionist feminist Beth Richie and Queer southern feminist Suzanne Pharr where they discuss their work as organizers spanning 40 years fighting for an inclusive women's movement. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn Roe v Wade, imperiling all women's freedoms, and creating a new pipeline to prison for the vulnerable just as the world is learning how counterproductive most incarceration - solutions are. Today's guests argue that things could have been very different. If the white dominated “choice” movement had paid closer attention to all women's choices, or lack thereof; If anti-violence advocates had rejected criminalization and incarceration as a solution to the violence in women's lives. Things could have been different, our guests argue, if a different part of the US women's movement had gained more attention - attention it is beginning to get now. There has always been such a movement, they know, because they were there. Today we talk to Black abolitionist feminist Beth Richie and Queer southern feminist Suzanne Pharr have worked together, for abolition, feminism, and a systemicly different world for forty years.  What have they learned? And what is their message for us now, when so much hangs in the balance? Full episode notes are posted at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow   Patreon Members have early access to the FULL UNCUT Meet the BIPOC Press Roundtable with URL Media on Voting Rights.

Host Farai Chideya talks with former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner about the pros and cons of being a progressive within the Democratic Party. Doctors Uché and Oni Blackstock share their family's history with healthcare, and what we know and don't know about the new Covid-19 variant. Dana Coester of 100 Days in Appalachia explains why she was not surprised by the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict after years studying rising, armed extremism among white youth. On Sippin' the Political Tea, Farai and two fellow journalists and media trailblazers—S. Mitra Kalita of URL Media and Jenni Monet of Indigenously—examine what it really means to consider themselves women of color.EPISODE RUNDOWN0:28 Progressive Democrat Nina Turner on whether the party can deliver for voters12:50 Doctors Uché and Oni Blackstock on their sense of purpose in medicine21:15 Journalist Dana Coester on extremist recruitment of white youth in the U.S.31:20 Sippin' the Political Tea: journalists S. Mitra Kalita and Jenni Monet join Farai to discuss what it means to be a woman of color, especially in media

Will you help us meet our goal to raise $5,000 that will be matched, but only if we meet our goal?  Donate at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate  We do not accept advertisements or government funding.  We are media for the people!From the contest for governor of Virginia to school board races across the country, opposition to Critical Race Theory proved an effective tactic for Republican candidates to defeat Democrats in this November's election. Does that justify the conclusions drawn by many in the media that Democrats need to stop talking so much about racism, history, and structural inequality? Must progressives face electoral reality, as many editorials have recently suggested, and tone down the so-called woke agenda? Or are there other ways to report the CRT story, and different conclusions to draw from November's elections? Can the media go beyond the horserace? In this month's “Meet the BIPOC Press” episode of The Laura Flanders Show, Laura leads a roundtable conversation exploring all of the above with URL Media co-founders Sara Lomax-Reese and Mitra Kalita and Editor-in-Chief at The Real News Network, Maximillian Alvarez.  Music in the Middle:  Jacques Renault's remix of “Keep It Working” by The Pendeltons from the collection '20 Years of Bastard Jazz' courtesy of DJ DRM's own Bastard Jazz Records.  Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow for members and non-members.  Support the show by becoming a member as a monthly supporter at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow We do not accept corporate or government funding. We rely on you! 

Support the show by becoming a member as a monthly supporter at Patreon.com/theLFShow  We do not accept corporate or government funding.  We rely on you!  Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow for members and non-members.Could a city reduce violent crime by planting more trees? How will the culture of work adapt to the climate crisis? What will increased flooding in the Global South do to U.S. immigration patterns? In this month's edition of Meet the BIPOC Press, guest hosts Sara Lomax Reese and Mitra Kalita from URL Media are back with a panel of journalists whose reporting explores these questions and more. They center Black and Brown people in their reporting on the environment and the climate crisis. From Philadelphia, to Haiti, to Bangladesh, to the American Gulf Coast, their conversation draws connections among a vast array of frontline communities, the crises they face, and the tools they're using to respond. Then, Laura joins Sara and Mitra to reflect on how integrating the environment into policy could give us better solutions to society's biggest challenges. Guests:S. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host), CEO & Co-Founder, URL Media; CEO and Publisher of Epicenter, NYCSara Loma-Reese (Co-Host), Co-Founder, URL Media;  President and CEO of WURD RadioKo Bragg, Race & Place Editor, ScalawagGarry Pierre-Pierre, Founder and Publisher of The Haitian TimesCharles Ellison, Managing Editor of ecoWURD and Executive Producer/Host of “Reality Check” on WURD

Julio and guest co-host Jenni Monet, independent investigative journalist and founder of the newsletter Indigenously, are joined by S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, and Justin Worland, senior correspondent for Time Magazine covering climate change and policy. They reflect on the 2021 election results and unpack the latest with infrastructure spending and Biden's Build Back Better plan. They also talk about the COP26 climate summit, and the latest on vaccine outreach.Staff Picks:On the language around climate change, Mary Annaïse Heglar writes “as we look for new words and slogans, it should be for the purpose of galvanizing those who want to be on the right side of history,” for The Nation. Leaders in developing countries have faced hurdles in attending the COP26 climate conference, yet they are the most vulnerable to climate change, reports Justin Worland for Time Magazine. The 19th's Washington correspondent Amanda Becker spoke with Arizona voters about what they are hoping to see from Biden's Build Back Better plan, including a paid leave program. Photo credit: AP Photo/Alastair Grant See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S. Mitra Kalita, the publisher of Epicenter-NYC, talks about leaving behind a high-profile job at CNN and a guaranteed paycheck to launch her own brand.Kalita joined The Pivot Fund on Oct. 27, 2021, to discuss how she's part of the movement to reimagine community-centered journalism and how Epicenter-NYC grew newsletters into an empire. This conversation is co-moderated by The Pivot Fund's chief executive officer Tracie Powell and Liz Alarcón, the founder and executive director of Pulso, a nonprofit media start-up that shares news, history, and culture stories by and for Latinos.

Today we sit down with S. Mitra Kalita and she shares her thoughts on how the pandemic shaped lives,  the importance of diversifying media content, and the subtle but important differences between local and community media

You'll find a link to watch this episode, check out the episode notes posted along with an invitation to join guests and Laura for a live premiere and chat event to view this week's episode via our YouTube channel, Sunday's 11:30am, at Patreon.com/theLFShow  A national uprising in the wake of the murder of George Floyd pressured corporations and big banks to acknowledge their own roles in systemic racism. Many made sweeping promises to support Black-owned businesses, but now, over one year later, have they kept those promises? In this episode, a co-production of The Laura Flanders Show and URL Media, co-hosts Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax-Reese interview guests to discuss the widening racial wealth gap in America, the role banks play in perpetuating systemic racism, and how community development financial institutions (CDFIs) can help communities of color build wealth and prosperity. Laura chimes in with her closing thoughts on the importance of media that follows up on critical stories.  Music in the Middle:  “Masters of Greed” by Rebel Tumbao featuring Ruben Rodriguez and Anthony Carrillo, released on Sacred Rhythm Music.GuestsS. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host), CEO & Co-Founder, URL MediaSara Loma-Reese (Co-Host), Co-Founder, URL MediaMadhusmita Bora, Freelance Writer, Co-Director Sattriya Dance CompanyNicole Ndumele, Vice President of Racial Equity and Justice at the Center for American ProgressWayne W. Williams, Assistant Professor of Accounting, Temple University Fox School of Business If you're a listener or a viewer, you spend time with us. Many of you have for years. So how about taking a few minutes to give us the support we need to keep doing what we do… Only a few minutes from you, pledging $3 or $5 or $11 a month, will keep us going all year. Go to Patreon.com/theLFShow and join our media team and support movement building.  Thanks!

You'll find a link to watch this episode, check out the episode notes posted along with an invitation to join guests and Laura for a live premiere and chat event to view this week's episode via our YouTube channel, Sunday's 11:30am, at Patreon.com/theLFShow   If Black Lives Matter, how are journalists and media organizations considering Black pain in their coverage? And how are journalists and editors across the full spectrum of our media thinking about this? This week, we're introducing some new colleagues, Sara Lomax Reese and S. Mitra Kalita as the founders of URL Media, a new network of Black and Brown-owned and led community media organizations. Their members covered the murder of George Floyd and the trial of Derek Chauvin differently, and they're covering different stories, as far as possible “from a place of triumph.” Cierra Hinton, Executive Director-Publisher of Scalawag, a publication covering the south. She says Scalawag's reporting comes from a “place of triumph.” Lomax Reese is the owner of WURD Radio in Philadelphia - one of the few Black family-owned talk radio stations in the US. Kalita is the co-founder and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter innovating new models of journalism founded to support New Yorkers navigate vaccine registration during the worst of the COVID pandemic.Music in the Middle of the Podcast:  “Breathe Through the Pain” featuring Connie Stevie by the Guitars Over Guns Organization, or GOGO, from their premiere album “The Rain May Be Pouring”. GOGO is a non-profit based in Miami and Chicago, that delivers unique after-school, arts-based youth mentorship programs designed to creatively engage and empower vulnerable youth to take control of their life paths.  

With delta infections on the rise, employers and local governments are deploying both carrot and stick approaches to incentivize people to get the shot.  S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, takes calls from listeners if this was the week they finally got shot, and what made the difference.

Full episode notes are at https://Patreon.com/theLFShowNew York City will likely elect its second African American mayor in November. Eric Adams, currently the Brooklyn Borough President, was declared the winner of the Democratic primary in July. A former police officer who was himself beaten by the cops as a teenager, Adams campaigned against police brutality while positioning himself as a law and order candidate. Though much of the mainstream media has attempted to simplify Adams' story, he's a complex candidate who isn't easily boxed in. What are the national implications of all this? In this episode, a co-production of The Laura Flanders Show and URL Media, co-hosts Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax-Reese interview guests about covering Black candidates as Black and Brown media. Plus: reflections from Laura on the January 6th Capitol insurrection hearings and why it matters whom we hear from in the media.  Music in the Middle:  “Negro Sobre Blanco” by Grammy nominated Latinx artist Sofia Rei from her album Umbral. Guest hosts:Sara Lomax-Reese, co-founder of URL Media, a new network of Black and Brown-owned and led community media organizations.   And President and CEO of WURD, Philadelphia's black owned radio stationMitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media, and CEO and Publisher of Epicenter, NYCGuests:Charles D. Ellision, is the executive producer and Host of WURD Radio's “Reality Check”;  and he's the publisher of The BeNote covering politics and policies and a Contributing editor at The Root and The Philadelphia CitizenJulissa Ferreras-Copeland, is the founder and Partner at Hollis Public Affairs.  She held office as a New York City Councilwoman from 2009 to 2017.Felipe De La Hoz, Independent Journalist, co creator of Border Lines, a immigration policy newsletter.  He's contributed as a independent journalist to The Intercept, The Washington Post, and The Nation to name a few. While mainstream media or money media keeps you in a bubble, we're committed to popping that bubble by continuing to bring you radical, intersectional media! Can we depend on you to chip in? Go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate and join our team by making a donation today. Thanks

S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, and Harlem Gunness, the director of public health at St. John's University, talk about the latest news and statistics of New York City's vaccination rates.

Full episode notes are at https://Patreon.com/theLFShowThe subversive, healing, and celebratory powers of music and media are at the heart of this week's conversation, featuring Saida Pagán, a contributor to Palabra, a journalism site run by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and Dr. Guthrie Ramsey, a music historian, jazz musician and composer recently interviewed on WURD radio in Philadelphia. Pagán shares her take on the new hit movie In the Heights and the progress Latinx media is making in Hollywood; Guthrie reflects on Black joy as expressed through Black music.  “Meet the BIPOC Press” is a monthly feature of the Laura Flanders Show. This celebration for Black Music Month is hosted by Sara Lomax-Reese and Mitra Kalita, founder/directors of URL Media, a network of Black and Brown community news outlets that share content and revenue. The panel also addresses concerns about colorism in Latinx movie casting — and more! “Music, and the arts, has always been a way to express our full humanity and it's always been our safety valve.” - Dr. Guthrie RamseyWhile mainstream media or money media keeps you in a bubble, we're committed to popping that bubble by continuing to bring you radical, intersectional media! Can we depend on you to chip in? Go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate and join our team by making a donation today. Thanks

S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, and Emily Rauhala, foreign affairs reporter at The Washington Post, talk about the role the United States is playing in global vaccine distribution.

Now that vaccines are more accessible, the approach to convincing the last individuals needs to be reimagined. S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, and Ayrenne Adams, M.D. M.P.H., primary care doctor and Clinical Leadership Fellow with NYC Health + Hospitals, shares what they are seeing and give advice to listeners.

Maria Peterson ,  Montgomery County, Maryland high school teacher and member of the group, the Vaccine Hunters, and S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, talk about how vaccine outreach volunteers across the country are banding together to trade tips on how best to reach unvaccinated communities and people and get more shots in arms.   For more information on #VaxFest2021, check out their website.

Full episode notes are at https://Patreon.com/theLFShowBIPOC journalists reflect on what it is to be veterans of two of the most devastating wars in recent history: the coronavirus pandemic and the centuries-long war on Black bodies through systemic racism and police brutality. In this media roundtable—a collaboration between The Laura Flanders Show and URL Media—we take a different approach to Memorial Day. One that centers the work of BIPOC journalists from the front lines. How are they responding to the needs of their communities, and where do we go from here?  Music in the Middle features “Prosper” by Inez Barlatier feat. St. James Valsin and produced by the Guitars Over Guns Organization.Our monthly media roundtable is hosted by URL Media co-founders Sara Lomax-Reese and S. Mitra Kalita and features Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder and publisher of The Haitian Times, and Mukhtar Ibrahim, editor and executive director of Sahan Journal. We are coming to the finish line of our May Day to Memorial Day fund drive to raise $25,000. While mainstream media or money media keeps you in a bubble, we're committed to popping that bubble by continuing to bring you radical, intersectional media! Can we depend on you to chip in? Go to LauraFlanders.org/donate and join our team by making a donation today. Thanks

Despite last week's vaccine expansion and CDC mask guideline updates, there are several more obstacles to overcome before the United States can reach herd immunity. S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, joins to explain how we can overcome them as a society.

Ages 12 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the FDA and the CDC say. S. Mitra Kalita , co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, and Dr. Victor Peralta, a private practice pediatrician in Jackson Heights and a member of SOMOS Community Care, answer questions about where to get your child vaccinated and address concerns about health and safety.

If there's people in your life who still don't want to get vaccinated, you might be wondering how to convince them. Turns out, it's a combo of sticks & carrots, and not being judgemental. On Today's Show:Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, talks about Biden's new vaccine messaging, local outreach and how to strike a less judgmental tone with those questioning the vaccine.

The tri-state region is opening up and yet many New Yorkers are still not vaccinated. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, talks about Biden's new vaccine messaging, local outreach and how to strike a less judgmental tone with those questioning the vaccine. 

The Los Angeles Times on Monday said that Kevin Merida, who built ESPN’s The Undefeated into a multi-media presence and spent a lengthy career in newspapers before that, will be its new executive editor. Merida, 64, is being challenged by the newspaper’s owners, Patrick and Michele Soon-Shiong, to speed its transition into a digital news leader. Merida is moving to Los Angeles from Washington, where he spent 22 years at the Washington Post before joining ESPN in 2015. He also worked at the Dallas Morning News and Milwaukee Journal. The Post is searching for its own new leader following the retirement of Marty Baron. Merida replaces Norman Pearlstine, who stepped down late last year. The Times chose a Black editor as its leader following a period where the newspaper and other journalistic institutions have taken tough looks at their own diversity in both staffing and in who and what they cover. Last September, the newspaper published a lengthy apology for having “a blind spot, at worst an outright hostility” toward Los Angeles’ nonwhite population. The newspaper said then that 38% of its editorial journalists were journalists of color, and that “we know that is not nearly good enough.” Today on AirTalk, we contextualize the Times’ history with coverage on race among other topics and how bringing in the new editor will impact the paper’s attempt to improve. Do you have thoughts? Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.  With files from the Associated Press  Guests: David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent; he tweets @davidfolkenflik S. Mitra Kalita, veteran journalist and CEO of URL Media, a network of Black and brown community news outlets. She also publishes the newsletter Epicenter-NYC; she tweets @mitrakalita Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicana/o Latina/o studies and director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University; emeritus member of the KPCC Board of Trustees

Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, associate editor at Scroll, an Indian Hindi and English language digital news publication, and S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, talk about the growing coronavirus crisis inside India, and take calls from listeners with connections to the region.

"Independent Media bring issues to the boil, mainstream media inhale the steam." Listen / Download the podcast "Black Pain White Media: Introducing URL Media, a new, BIPOC network" to hear about URL Media, Scalawag Magazine and more. Or watch it on your local PBS TV station, or on our YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/lauraflanders

"IndependentMedia bring issues to the boil, mainstream media inhale the steam."Listen / Download the podcast "Black Pain White Media: Introducing URL Media, a new, BIPOC network" to hear about URL Media, Scalawag Magazine and more.  Or watch it on your local PBS TV station, or on our YouTube channel.The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support theLFShow with your media muscles by becoming a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or more, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

You'll find a link to watch this episode, check out the episode notes posted along with an invitation to join guests and Laura for a live premiere and chat event to view this week's episode via our YouTube channel, Sunday's 11:30am, at Patreon.com/theLFShow   If Black Lives Matter, how are journalists and media organizations considering Black pain in their coverage? And how are journalists and editors across the full spectrum of our media thinking about this? This week, we're introducing some new colleagues, Sara Lomax Reese and S. Mitra Kalita as the founders of URL Media, a new network of Black and Brown-owned and led community media organizations. Their members covered the murder of George Floyd and the trial of Derek Chauvin differently, and they're covering different stories, as far as possible “from a place of triumph.” Cierra Hinton, Executive Director-Publisher of Scalawag, a publication covering the south. She says Scalawag's reporting comes from a “place of triumph.” Lomax Reese is the owner of WURD Radio in Philadelphia - one of the few Black family-owned talk radio stations in the US. Kalita is the co-founder and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter innovating new models of journalism founded to support New Yorkers navigate vaccine registration during the worst of the COVID pandemic.Music in the Middle of the Podcast:  “Breathe Through the Pain” featuring Connie Stevie by the Guitars Over Guns Organization, or GOGO, from their premiere album “The Rain May Be Pouring”. GOGO is a non-profit based in Miami and Chicago, that delivers unique after-school, arts-based youth mentorship programs designed to creatively engage and empower vulnerable youth to take control of their life paths.  

More than half the nation’s adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Now it’s going to take some hard work to reach and convince the rest. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, and Elena Tate, volunteer for Epicenter-NYC, talk about volunteering to sign people up for vaccinations, and how that work is shifting to door knocking and community outreach.