‘Pick your hard’: Black independent journalism isn’t as simple as Substack

While on vacation, Amber Ferguson received a generic email that would alter the trajectory of her journalism career. She had worked at The Washington Post for nine years as a senior video journalist for the watchdog publication’s Metro section before covering online trends as a rapid response culture reporter. 

The message said Ferguson’s role had been eliminated, with information about how to proceed with her pending unemployment. She was among the over 300 employees laid off by the Post on Feb. 4. 

“I felt like I had my dream job. I finally got the salary that I felt like I deserved. Then, it was all gone,” Ferguson said. “I gave up a lot of emotional agency to tell stories [at the Post], and I feel like that wasn’t properly acknowledged [when I was laid off].”

The email, reviewed by The Objective, didn’t include her name. 

Deepening the blow was that the news happened during Black History Month, and Ferguson was the chair of PostInColor, the Post‘s Black Inclusion Network.

“I had events planned, and I had only been in my new role for about six months,” she told The Objective. 

Before the February layoffs, The Post endured a tough summer marked by a round of voluntary buyouts for veteran staff with over 10 years of experience amid what Post executive editor Matt Murray called “disruptive and even uncomfortable” newsroom restructurings. Many senior Black editors and journalists left as a result of the publication’s buyout program, Ferguson added. 

“I was actually one of the only senior Black journalists left [at the Post],” she said. “So, the grief began before the actual layoffs started.”  

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Related: Washington Post lays off race and ethnicity reporters

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Ferguson’s story represents the current industry landscape for many Black journalists: countless experiences enveloped in uncertainty amid a shifting media climate. In light of the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs beginning in January 2025, several legacy media organizations eliminated their identity-focused verticals and DEI initiatives, resulting in numerous layoffs among BIPOC journalists and newsroom workers.

After the success of some Black journalists, like Don Lemon or Joy Reid, who have gone independent, it might be simple to suggest that reporters launch a Substack or an independent newsroom when laid off from corporate media. However, those career pivots cost more than just money, and most independent journalists have to start from scratch — particularly Black independent journalists. 

Running a newsroom requires more than financial support

After his departure from CNN in April 2023, veteran journalist Don Lemon pivoted to independent media and launched his digital talk show, The Don Lemon Show, in 2024. Similarly, in 2025, political analyst and national correspondent Joy Reid launched The Joy Reid Show following the cancellation of The ReidOut on MSNBC. 

In an honoree speech at the 2025 The Root 100 awards ceremony, Lemon spoke about the importance of supporting independent media: “We don’t hand our platforms to people whose purpose is only to distort, distract, and demean. That is a luxury that legacy media might still indulge but we will not.” 

However, many working-class Black journalists lack the public support, extensive work history, and accumulated wealth like Lemon or Reid to fully transition into independent journalism and establish their own newsroom. 

Beyond compensating reporters and providing employee benefits, there’s behind-the-scenes logistics of running a news organization that most non-journalists, or those not in newsroom leadership, aren’t privy to. 

Adrienne Johnson Martin is the co-executive director of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, and said last year, the newsroom navigated added costs, including personal protective equipment, satellite work phones, and a mental health fund for investigative reporters. 

“We mainly survive on donations and funding, and have been in a unique position due to the financial demographics of the city,” Johnson Martin told The Objective. The publication is based in Memphis, Tennessee, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the U.S. “Running a newsroom is not cheap. It’s in the millions, even for a small news organization like us.” 

Most independent newsrooms are primarily funded through foundation grants, audience donations, or ad revenue. For Black newsrooms, systemic barriers further complicate these hybrid financing models.

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Related: After 2020, Black-led newsrooms ask: Where is the long-term support?

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“Black folks have always been at the bottom of the economic ladder,” Dr. Linda Loubert, an associate professor of economics at Morgan State University, said. One systemic collapse she pointed to was the demise of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company. 

Signed into law by then-President Abraham Lincoln a month before the Civil War ended, the bank was intended to help formerly enslaved African Americans achieve economic freedom. But after economic panic in 1873, the bank folded after mismanagement and records of embezzlement by white trustees. Over 61,000 Black depositors lost over $3 million in savings — almost $90 million in 2026 dollars — and most didn’t get anything back. This inequity has continued to grow over time.

“Institutions will look at a Black person and call us ‘risky,’” Loubert said. “Despite your history, ZIP code, or education level, skin color has always been a factor.” 

According to the National Urban League, Black press lost 80% of its revenue following DEI rollbacks. Since MLK50 centers on working-class people, Johnson Martin said, the organization received a lot of philanthropic support in the past. However, since the Trump administration was reelected in 2025, some funders have been reluctant to support the newsroom. 

“We’re the kind of organization that the [Trump] administration is very clear that they don’t agree with,” she said.

Local news fosters connection, but struggles in revenue

Some Black journalists thrive in nonprofit newsrooms by filling in certain gaps that corporate media fail to address. For Michael Butler, minority business reporter at the Miami Herald, local journalism is a necessity to the community. 

Research has shown that local news is crucial to a healthy democracy, increasing civic engagement and holding government officials accountable. Additionally, local news fosters social cohesion through building a foundation of trust with community members. 

However, the journalism industry is changing, and different tools can be used to erode public trust — with many readers in the U.S. skeptical about how generative AI may impact journalism. “As a reporter, now, you frequently wonder how you can do your work without having to chop it into a million pieces that can be replicated by AI,” Butler said.

In a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, Americans preferred digital pathways over local news, with 41% saying that local news is ‘somewhat important’ to their community. 

“Sometimes I go out into the field and the public isn’t familiar with our brand,” Butler said. 

This is largely due to an increasing number of residents getting their news mostly through social media rather than directly from news organizations, along with the decline of print newspapers. Around the mid-2000s, traditional print ads accounted for about 80% of newspaper revenue, but now digital platforms like Google, Facebook, and Craigslist earn the majority of those advertising dollars.  

Although journalism layoffs are affecting multiple demographics, BIPOC and women have been disproportionately affected. However, Black reporters already represent a small portion in the industry. A recent Pew Research survey found just 6% of reporting journalists in the U.S. are Black. 

“The ideal vision that we can hope for is that we see more people that look like us in the ranks,” Butler said. “That’s what we need more of.” 

The realities of freelance, independent journalism  

Nearly ten years ago, JaJuan Malachi discovered journalism as a potential career after spending a semester at Morehouse College as an exchange student. Upon returning to his home state of New York, Malachi began his freelance career at The Knockturnal where he covered entertainment news and wrote music features. In 2022, he joined Blavity as a staff writer and was laid off in 2025. 

Although he had the autonomy to act as his own boss and pursue assignments of his choice, Malachi mentioned the biggest downside of his freelancing career — the rates. 

Freelance journalism is a white-dominated industry, and Black freelance journalists are potentially reaping fewer benefits from it. One report suggests they earn up to seven times less than their white counterparts, and in a 2025 Peak Freelance survey of 213 freelance writers, 55% reported their income as less than $30K. 

“Freelancing is tough to make a living wage. You have to have a strong network, earn solid rates, and a good portfolio,” Malachi said. Between January and August 2025, he faced unemployment and tried to make ends meet by freelancing while also working at a restaurant. 

On average, freelance journalists are paid between $0.20 and $1.00 per word, but many standard newsroom rates have remained unchanged for years amid inflation largely due to budgetary constraints. Press freedom organization Free Press Unlimited has attributed this increased strain in part to the expansion of internet channels, increased costs for covering international issues, and government agencies failing to allocate sufficient funding to news organizations.

“I had to find multiple streams of income to make sure my bills were paid,” Malachi said. “I just hope the industry becomes more equitable for us, so we’re paid our worth.”

After being laid off, Ferguson, the veteran former Post reporter, waited a week before posting an update to her social media accounts for strategic purposes. 

“I don’t think journalism is only under attack by the administration, but also by consumers and audiences [who are now distrustful of traditional media],” Ferguson said, adding that her layoff video was similar to a digital portfolio. 

However, Ferguson is not letting that stop her from telling stories. The former Post reporter has been interviewing with various publications while taking on freelance assignments in the meantime. But does Ferguson’s future involve becoming independent? 

“I don’t think it’s sustainable for every journalist to go independent. I still believe in building your brand while having a full-time job,” she said. “The industry is unstable, but you have to pick your hard.”

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Fallon Brannon is an independent journalist and writer based in Los Angeles, CA who specializes in solutions-oriented journalism, covering topics in identity, government, and African American history.

This story was edited by James Salanga. Copy edits by Jen Ramos Eisen and Marlee Baldridge.