The importance of Black media: why it is important, why does it need to survive and the challenges

Written by Ella Desewu

The Black Ballad Instagram live event on the 23rd June 2021 was a conversation between Tobi - @iamtobioredein the founder of Black Ballad and Blvck Canvas founder Tope - @Sincerelytops. They discussed how hard it is to create and manage Black publications and media platforms and mentioned past and existing ones, such as ‘The Voice’ and ‘New Nation’, the last online issue of ‘New Nation’ was February 2016. Tope gave some very good suggestions of black media publications including Black Ballad itself, gal-dem, Bkchat, Blvck CanvasAbout Race Podcast with Reni Eddo-Lodge and the Black Gals Livin’ Podcast.

The pair spoke about the roles and responsibilities of Black media in the UK. Authenticity is key to represent and target a Black audience successfully; therefore having these platforms to share relatable and understandable experiences is essential in comparison to morning television where lived experiences seem to be the topic of debate rather than being treated as educational. It is also important to show an accurate representation of the Black community in Britain, not everyone fits into the stereotypes fed in the media. A lot of mainstream media outlets also know what is popular and gets views so they may seem interested in amplifying Black voices but in reality, are performative and disingenuous in their approach according to the pair.

Tobi and Tope discussed prioritising the work of first-time writers and opening the door for young creatives into the industry as part of their roles, rather than overlooking young talent. They express Black media as a space to learn and improve and to create a ripple effect when you make it to help someone else to succeed. They gave high praise to Ariatu PR founder Ronke Lawal and how much she opens the door for small publications and is the reason why Blvck Canvas is featured on some PR lists that they may not have been before.

Ronke has previously written about the value of Black media outlets and whether they can survive in the UK from her perspective as an experienced PR. Watch the full conversation below: