Who gets paid from talking about the culture?

We have to figure out how to make space for culture reporting to thrive.

An early collage that designer Gina Barton made as we were thinking about the imagery for a podcast on Atlanta culture.

Here’s something most people don’t know: I spent most of 2022 moping. Good things were happening and I did not care because the thing I wanted to happen wasn’t happening.

I’d spent the second half of 2021 working on a limited-series podcast I conceptualized about Atlanta’s cultural impact only for the deal I’d worked for years to secure to be pulled after six months of work. For whatever reason (It wasn’t a good fit. Culture podcasts, especially ones about music, are expensive to make. Would a national audience even understand it?), this project I believed so much in and had hoped would open the door for me to finally do more of the work I really wanted to do, wasn’t going to happen. It felt still feels like the culmination of the conversations I’ve had with editors over the years. The editors who commission me to write about southern Black music but don’t trust their readers to comprehend a passing reference to Freaknik without an extensive explanatory comma.

It’s why I get so frustrated when TV shows and podcasts that are capturing Black culture with in-depth reporting and thoughtful analysis get cancelled. I have had small glimpses into how difficult it is to even get a project to air. I cannot imagine accomplishing that, against all odds and typically with limited resources, only to get shut down in the midst of trying to appeal to an audience that has been previously ignored.

The recent media layoffs. The insultingly low freelance rates. The lists that rank commentators who prioritize misinformation and misogyny above actual journalists. The constant sidelining or whitewashing of reporting that centers the Black people who are dominating pop culture and setting trends. It really does burn you out eventually.

We’re dealing with this while facing a tremendous amount of uncertainty in the industry right now. In a new essay for Esquire titled “The Unbearable Costs of Becoming a Writer,” Nicole Chung captures so much of the financial frustration many of us have been feeling. “As a full-time freelancer, I’m currently earning less than I have in years. I don’t kid myself that things would feel less tenuous had I stayed where I was, as the publisher I worked for recently laid off 40% of its workforce and closed the publications I edited,” she writes, before noting how disheartening it is that this type of instability in the industry pushes so many deserving voices out.

I think about who gets to be a writer or an editor, who can afford to wait for that livable salary or that higher advance. Who can choose to prioritize their creative goals, take potentially career-making risks, invest precious years in this work without the guarantee of financial stability. And I think about whose work we may be losing—whose stories we aren’t reading—because they, and perhaps their families, simply cannot afford for them to hang around and wait. - Nicole Chung

I don’t have any answers or optimism to offer in this issue, y’all. I just want to share that if you’re feeling disillusioned by the current state of things, you aren’t alone.

I’ve gotten a lot of new subscribers these past few months and most of them aren’t from Atlanta. (Hello new readers from Texas, New York, California and Maryland!!) Thank you for helping me reach more than 1000 subscribers. I want to learn more about you.

This newsletter will always have a southern lens. Specifically, it will always highlight the experiences of Black southerners. I will always center Atlanta and the entertainment, culture and media landscape here. But I want to know how to best serve you all with this space. Please leave a comment and let me know what your favorite type of newsletter content from me has been so far, as well as any potential content you’d like to see.

Recent Work

• Q&A: New editor-in-chief Leroy Chapman shares his vision for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution for Atlanta magazine

Shortly after the historic announcement, I hopped on Zoom with AJC’s new editor-in-chief Leroy Chapman to discuss his vision for the newspaper. Atlanta’s media landscape looks much different than it did in 2016 when I was a reporter at the AJC and it’s not secret that we’re facing a critical media literacy issue nationally. This is a crucial time, not only for the AJC, but for traditional media as a whole.

Current Favs.

• Journalism is struggling. In Atlanta, new indie outlets are finding ways to make it work—and bringing in important voices by Heather Buckner for Atlanta magazine

This is a great introduction to understanding how non-profit news organizations have helped give locals a more diverse media landscape over the past five years.

• Durand Bernarr on NPR’s Tiny Desk

Durand Bernarr dresses as Uncle Bobby and singing like only he can… What a gift.

• R. Kelly Victim Granted First Dibs to Singer’s Sony Music Royalty Funds in Court Ruling by Bill Donahue for Billboard

This answers an important question that I’m sure many of us have had: In the wake of his convictions, who is profiting from R. Kelly’s music catalog?

• Flo’s “Fly Girl” ft. Missy Elliott

We can have a conversation about the amount of sampling that’s in music right now, but I mostly feel like it’s futile. A new generation is inspired by the music of our youth and that’s OK. This time will pass. (And, yes, some of the samples are bad but I also think some of them are really fun.)

Anyway, I braved the mess that is Ticketmaster and overpaid to see Flo during their first U.S. tour next week. I have zero doubts, although I am also aware that I will be watching a group that literally just debuted one year ago. I suspect they’ll still be figuring out their stage presence for live shows and I know they sometimes overdo it in terms of vocal runs during performances but I am here for the ride.

• The Fight Over ‘Cop City’ with Sean Keenan for New York Times’ The Daily

Atlanta-based reporter Sean Keenan appeared on a recent episode of The Daily to discuss ‘Cop City’ and it’s a really great primer for anyone who is interested in the ongoing fight between activists and city officials. For those who aren’t aware, ‘Cop City’ is a term coined by activists who are against the building of a $90 million police and fire training center in the South River Forest.

Recently, Angela Davis returned an award she received from the City of Atlanta and released a video stating she stands in solidarity with protestors.

• When Did Our Personal Lives Get So Professional? by Madeleine Aggeler for New York Times

I fully recognize that people might think I’m crazy, but I LOVE using “professional tools” to plan my personal life. This article really captures why people do this and I especially loved how one source described planning her life so she could check off the necessary adulting tasks and make time for spontaneity. I think this is especially useful for people who might struggle with otherwise remembering mundane everyday tasks (*points at self*).

In general, if it’s not on my calendar, I won’t remember it. I keep track of my budget, migraines (so I can share the data with my neurologist and we can track the effectiveness of my medication), home chores and more in Notion. Last year, I was inspired by videos on TikTok to plan a “meeting”/“check-in” with my boyfriend to discuss our relationship goals for 2023, plan home renovations and prepare for a future vacation. He joked that I should put together a presentation for it and I did. It was mostly for fun – I just wanted to use Canva, I’m sorry – but I 1000 percent see how couples with shared finances, kids, etc. might benefit from something like this. (Note: The article stresses that this only works if you’re in a relationship, romantic or otherwise, with someone who also enjoyed this type of planning. If your partner or friend is stressed out by any of this, don’t do it. Duh.)

YSL Updates

As jury selection continues, and potential jurors continue to present hardships that would prevent them from serving on a case that is estimated to last for months, Judge Glanville is under an immense amount of pressure to make sure this process runs as fairly as possible.

Recently he sentenced a potential juror to three days in jail after she recorded video of the jury selection process on her phone. She was released after five hours.

Relevant reading: Young Thug case: Juror detained for hours after filming court proceedings [AJC]