Denzel Washington recently made a remark at a movie premiere that summed up the state of what is called the “news” perfectly. ‘If you don’t watch the news, you’re uninformed; if you watch the news you’re misinformed. . .’ In the midst of this Information Age, there have been countless revelations that should have killed nearly all credibility of the popular news sources. From the report that exposed Facebook for manipulating the trending news, to the overwhelming support of Killary <typo Clinton by cable news networks during the 2016 election cycle, it is no secret that Americans must be leery of the news. Educator and author of, The Miseducation of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson once noted, “What is commonly called ‘the news’ is primarily the exploits of White people. Non-white people appear mostly in the context, never as the progenitors…“ And that was in 1933. Fast forward 80 years later, and the portrayal of non-white people have gotten worse in the news. So what are we to do? Continue to tune in to programming that doesn’t have our interests in mind? Or do it for ourselves? This isn’t 1933 anymore. Today, when it comes to the media, we have options. If media is meant to inform, then it doesn’t get any more resourceful than the sites and/or people below. Ladies and gentlemen, meet our new Media.
Possibly the most informative news channel out there is the Underground Railroad. Black Magik 363. The station, founded by ghostface Brother Rich, has some of the most profound, prolific legendary speakers of our time chiming in daily about current events, history, entertainment, culture, metaphysics, and more. The station is diverse and forward, with only one rule. You have to speak the real! Anchored by twin brothers, Red and Blue Bill, and weekly appearances by Professor Griff of Public Enemy, BlackMagik363 caters to all demographics except progenitors of falsehood. A standout on the channel is Red Pill. Red Pill is a son of the late great, Dr. Sebi (the healer who had a cure for HIV) who dabbled in the streets, then ventured into the music industry, before reclaiming his conscious crown. If you have ever been on 125th Street in Harlem and seen someone filming a brother spitting that hot fire, then it was probably BlackMagik363. Brother Rich recently invested in a studio for his brand so expect this platform to expand.
Mainstream media has Dr. Phil and Dr. Drew, our media has Zo Williams, and his ZoWhat Morning Show. Anchored by show regulars, Dr. Mark Goulston and comedian Geoff Brown, the ZoWhat Morning Show has a mission to go deeper on a range of topics from relationships to the effects of Trump becoming president. In addition to the regulars, the show features a carousel of special guests chiming in on the topics of today. Most admirably, Zo starts out every show with a segment called community empowerment where he highlights small businesses to his audience. It would be hard to categorize this platform because the impact and broad scope of the show cannot be quantified in words. Zo’s latest venture is seeking crowdfunding for his own network where he intends to showcase other shows in the same vein of his.
Even though Tariq Nasheed is no stranger to any informed Black person in America, due to the huge success of his Hidden Colors franchise, Tariq Nasheed is continuing to develop new media content to get his message out. His message? Black empowerment. Simple and plain. Probably the only man in America unafraid to go on a racist network like Fox and call them out on their White Supremacist views, Tariq Nasheed is on a mission to inform the people of what’s really going on – and he does things his way. Cool under pressure, and too knowledgeable (and crafty) to take lightly in any debate, Tariq boldly and unapologetically delivers the news to his audiences via his THREE ultra-popular radio shows. He is also very active on social media, where you can catch him giving white supremacists that work. Tariq Nasheed is probably the best example of our new media maven. Intelligent, witty, versatile, and resourceful enough to be independently empowered, he also has crossover appeal to get his message and OUR message across to people who may be otherwise uninterested.
In this new America where a president was elected on the platform of White Supremacy – and mainstream media supported him by running his rhetoric on their channels – we can no longer depend on the talking heads to tell our story or deliver the news to us. We need to support our own platforms that deliver our perspective of “news.” We need to listen to different views from people who aren’t beholden to their advertisers’ objectives. We need to support platforms that know, show and care about what goes on in the ghetto (and beyond.)
Always remember: the hunter will be a hero until the lion writes his own history.
Well, in 2016, the lion has picked up his pen.
