A new chapter for The Objective  

In June 2020, Gabe Schneider published a post on Medium responding to news outlets’ coverage of George Floyd’s murder and the resulting protests with a question: Who exactly is telling this story? 

“Who is writing the story, and who is editing the story, determines its frame,” Gabe wrote. “It is an editorial decision. A choice. And one based on the personal experiences of reporters, as well as their understanding of history.“

At that point, as a college student poised to graduate, I was having doubts about a career in journalism. The field largely seemed to ostracize those who considered lived experience an asset, instead of a smear on “objectivity.” Government crackdowns on grassroots movements, including the pushback against Black Lives Matter both in and outside newsrooms, made me feel even more alienated from the mainstream press. But when I read that piece and saw Gabe call for writers, I saw my view of journalism mirrored. I pitched him a piece about the lack of coverage around how the shutdown of the Philippines’ major news TV network, ABS-CBN, affected Filipinos abroad. 

The Objective published that piece — the 9th piece ever published by the site. Gabe asked me to keep writing. That turned into helping with the newsletter (subscribe here!), taking on edits, and eventually helming the publication’s editorial operations. 

Now we’re here, four years later. Conversations about how to better support those marginalized in journalism are again becoming relegated to the margins. Many of those discussions now seem like lip service — take CNN disbanding its Race and Equality team in July.  

The understanding that promises can’t be a panacea for systemic harm has guided The Objective from being a home for the Harper’s letter counter-response to a newsroom focused on how systemic power imbalances continue to manifest in newsrooms’ demographics, coverage, and standards. Since my piece, we’ve published hundreds of stories and newsletters about mainstream media’s failings on race, gender, and class, along with how some newsrooms and reporters are working to better the field. 

Our goal for The Objective as a newsroom is to follow the promises made in the summer of 2020 to their end. Last year, The Objective reported that after pledging “accountability,” Reveal laid off all Black unionized staff; that Black newsrooms are no longer seeing the support promised in 2020; and that despite a shift in newsroom opinion toward reporters being vocal about Black Lives Matter, U.S. journalists have faced censorship and retaliation for supporting Palestinian human rights. Investigative journalists of color surveyed by IRE’s diversity and inclusion team say they still lack structural support and empowerment to pursue long-form work. 

Since our inception, our publishing has been limited — not because we don’t care, but because the people we’ve had on staff worked full-time jobs elsewhere in journalism. Holly Rosewood produced The Objective’s newsletter for years as a volunteer. Marlee Baldridge, in between working as a science communicator, helped manage our finances. We’ve been reporters, editors, program managers, and copy editors at media organizations throughout the United States volunteering our time to support The Objective’s mission. 

But we’ve never had enough time or capacity to focus on The Objective. That changes this year, and we couldn’t have done it without our dedicated members. 

And thanks to our first major grant of $50,000 from the Borealis Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, we’re now able to fund part-time salaries for our co-directors, Gabe and myself. Over four years after The Objective began, this support from Borealis is critical: After years of doing this work without pay, burnout, and unsustainability became real concerns for our newsroom’s longevity. We are still a long way to go toward sustainably growing The Objective, but we’re proud of the work we’ve done so far and are excited for the future. 

That said, for us, paying our freelancers before ourselves has always been a major priority: In 2021, we began paying freelance reporters, and last year, due to support from readers, funders, and the Community Info Coop, we were able to hire two part-time Democracy Correspondents to cover how the news media and democracy coexist. But we need more support to pay writers what their work is worth — at least $1 per word. And we want to grow beyond just two people: investment in audience, revenue, and most importantly, accountability stories and newsroom profiles, will be key. 

Gabe’s focus will primarily be expanding The Objective’s financial sustainability, while I’ll continue to focus on the newsroom’s editorial arm, including partnerships and commissioned pieces, along with audience development. I’m also working with The Objective’s deputy editor, Omar Rashad, who stepped into the role earlier this year, and copy editor Jen Ramos (both are working with The Objective on a volunteer basis).

Every single bit of support helps. We want to pay our contributors more. We want to pay all the volunteers that keep the ship running. And we want to both hold the journalism industry accountable and highlight folks who are doing it right to show a different field is possible.