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Traditional journalism training often treats a reporter’s personal identity as something that must be put aside to achieve objectivity. How can an intersectional background actually enhance, rather than compromise, a reporter’s journalistic accuracy and rigor?
Lewis: When I applied to be an intern at HuffPost, I was competing against people from Ivy League schools who pursued journalism through traditional paths. But bringing in people with different backgrounds introduces a range of perspectives that others aren’t looking for. As a Black man from Detroit, there were stories I searched for and found that weren’t even on the radar and, if I hadn’t been in the newsroom, wouldn’t have been told.
When covering highly contested or sensitive community beats, how do you utilize your identity to build authentic rapport with sources who are normally deeply distrustful of mainstream media
Lewis: When entering these communities, it is essential to identify the established figures that residents already turn to for information. These aren’t necessarily journalists, but they might be local pastors or the guy at the barber shop who knows everything happening in the neighborhood. I think that reaching out to those trusted community pillars is a critical step to writing a story. You don’t have to belong to a specific ethnic or cultural background to report on a community, but you do need to connect with the people those communities already trust so you can build your own trusted networks.
What practical advice do you have for an editor who wants to support an intersectional reporter on a tough beat without accidentally siloing them or tokenizing their identity?
Lewis: Make sure those journalists are engaged with affinity groups like the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and others. Those organizations exist specifically to provide community and support.
At the same time, it shouldn’t fall solely on the reporter to figure out how to navigate the industry; editors need to participate in ongoing training through organizations like the Institute or Poynter. Newsroom leaders, including editors of all backgrounds, have to stay actively involved in these affinity groups, professional organizations, and training programs.
Lived experience can give a reporter deep empathy, but it can also make covering identity-targeted news cycles emotionally taxing. What boundaries or practices do you use to protect your mental health while maintaining professional excellence?
Lewis: During the very violent summer of 2016, when Philando Castile and Alton Sterling were shot and killed, I was trying really hard to keep up with the stream of police brutality in the news because there were people at the time relying on my page for stories they felt mainstream media was ignoring. It wasn’t until later that I realized that you cannot cover every single story without feeling some sort of weight on you, that you will pay for eventually. I think obviously, we want to make sure that we’re telling important stories, but I think it’s just as important to amplify others as well. What I can’t do is write about every single thing that’s happening, but what I can do is uplift other reporters covering their communities by resharing and reposting.
What risks are involved in leaning on your identity when working as a journalist?
Lewis: The main risk is assuming that any identity group is a monolith. In a newsroom that is predominantly white, a journalist can easily be treated as a sort of “oracle” for their entire demographic, which is so dangerous because every community is so different. A Black person in Detroit doesn’t exactly share the same perspective as a Black person in Los Angeles. Leaning on identity becomes a risk when you stop having conversations and start making assumptions instead of staying open to different perspectives.
Social media threats are just a part of life now. What I’ve done to deal with it is I just don’t really read my mentions anymore; I just post and go. If I get something wrong on a post, usually somebody that I already know and trust will reach out and let me know.
Your social media presence and newsletter, What I’m Reading, have made you a highly trusted, go-to-curator for breaking news, particularly for Black readers navigating a chaotic media landscape. What has curating in public taught you about what marginalized audiences actually need from digital media?
Lewis: It has taught me that it’s super important for journalists to build independent creation skills. In today’s world, journalists have to be a little bit more entrepreneurial in a lot of different ways because the path of journalism is so unpredictable. Creating a newsletter has been me dipping my toe into that kind of world, and I encourage others to consider that.
I created the newsletter in 2023 when Elon Musk acquired Twitter and many people reached out with concerns for the platform’s reliability as a place for breaking news. I wanted people to be able to come to a place that was “algorithmless,” where they could just click on the newsletter and find what they’re looking for: curated, credible news that is untouched by algorithms.
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