Time and time again, it’s the same ol’ story.
A white man has a dream, investors support that dream, propel them to new heights, the press jumps in for the dance, and then either we all ride the rays into the sun or melt from getting too close. There have been so many busts, winters, and bears from these recurring events that it starts to feel like a requirement for the game. If anything, it makes for a good story.
When I started out in business and tech reporting, I realized quickly that there was a lack of intersectionality in coverage. I’m not talking about 2020, when every publication started backtracking to highlight minority communities. I mean that the natural way of business and technology reporting is generalized for the white understanding. Diversity is a separate article, if not separate expertise.
Diverse perspectives are rarely legitimized as sources for topics other than diversity, and said communities are often reported on once a year — or once a tragedy. It’s never routine, never guaranteed. This produces work without nuance, far from being as intersectional as the actual business and tech audiences are. Such reporting is more than just the numbers and the latest gear; rather, it’s the regular awareness of the past, present, and future of how classism, racism, and gender discrimination have economically intersected to shape the world we live in today.
This often means more scrutiny, more challenges, and more asking hard questions. It’s asking the top names at those big venture firms those big questions while they sit on on those big stages for their quarterly diversity investment reports. It’s covering Miami’s crypto boom alongside the increased housing challenges that result from it. It’s thinking more critically and doing more work; it is understanding how redlining in Silicon Valley contributes to an opportunity gap for aspiring Black entrepreneurs and connecting how a new era of startups could service the needs of the historically overlooked.
It’s more stories from the depths of #BlackTechTwitter. It’s the idea that business and tech verticals should look as intersectional as the audience they want reading them. Reporters need to be doing more work.
Next year, I want to see the hiring and retention of diverse staff reporters — and I don’t mean just white women — who are then given platforms to not only cover the news of business and tech but also give opinions and analysis. The key here is putting these reporters on staff and granting them the same rights, opportunities, and privileges as white business reporters. This is not just for the sake of their own communities but for the sake of these industries overall.
I believe this will help bring business moguls and tech barons to account more often. White business reporters tend to softball the white men in power, who make up most of the people they cover, and not until they’re forced to or it’s too late do they start to backtrack. It’s this benefit-of-a-doubt understanding that reinforces unchecked power. Furthermore, the same perspective is always chasing the same type of story.
At times, it feels as if there’s a lack of accountability; that issues minority communities point out are either not taken seriously or take too long to land on the radar of those who make of the mainstream. Opening up a bit more will inspire new audiences and reach new hopes and dreams.
It will also help us fight back more against the powers-in-Allbirds who constantly try to devalue the work we do. The power of the press is for the people, and we need not wait for bear markets to show the outliers and outward liars. Having more diverse reporters and editors will also help ensure adequate coverage of minorities in power, because staffers with knowledge of non-white and even non-American communities can better frame societal issues free of stereotypes.
There will be an increased need for such diverse reporting, if not just for the fact that it makes for good storytelling. Tech and entrepreneurial audiences have expanded, and as a result, the mystique of the industry is fading; people see through the smoke and want to keep those hiding in the shadows on their toes. There’s an appetite for more insights dedicated to helping diverse communities understand the way technology and businesses intersect with their lives, as there is for commentary reflecting the perspective many minorities hold.
Journalists are the craftspeople of power, politics, culture, and privilege. Changing the face of journalism starts by changing the tastemakers who curate our stories. Can you name, right now, five Black business and tech editors at any of the top publications? Ten names, right now. Then name five more Black reporters on staff covering the same thing.
Look at even the new media startups who claim to want to tell new stories, to reach new readers. Look at their masthead and then read their work. The lack of diverse insight, analysis, and segregated coverage seems intentional — like a form of editorial redlining. Next year, I’m hoping the next generation of business and tech reporters break through.
Dominic-Madori Davis is a senior reporter at TechCrunch covering venture capital and startups.
Time and time again, it’s the same ol’ story.
A white man has a dream, investors support that dream, propel them to new heights, the press jumps in for the dance, and then either we all ride the rays into the sun or melt from getting too close. There have been so many busts, winters, and bears from these recurring events that it starts to feel like a requirement for the game. If anything, it makes for a good story.
When I started out in business and tech reporting, I realized quickly that there was a lack of intersectionality in coverage. I’m not talking about 2020, when every publication started backtracking to highlight minority communities. I mean that the natural way of business and technology reporting is generalized for the white understanding. Diversity is a separate article, if not separate expertise.
Diverse perspectives are rarely legitimized as sources for topics other than diversity, and said communities are often reported on once a year — or once a tragedy. It’s never routine, never guaranteed. This produces work without nuance, far from being as intersectional as the actual business and tech audiences are. Such reporting is more than just the numbers and the latest gear; rather, it’s the regular awareness of the past, present, and future of how classism, racism, and gender discrimination have economically intersected to shape the world we live in today.
This often means more scrutiny, more challenges, and more asking hard questions. It’s asking the top names at those big venture firms those big questions while they sit on on those big stages for their quarterly diversity investment reports. It’s covering Miami’s crypto boom alongside the increased housing challenges that result from it. It’s thinking more critically and doing more work; it is understanding how redlining in Silicon Valley contributes to an opportunity gap for aspiring Black entrepreneurs and connecting how a new era of startups could service the needs of the historically overlooked.
It’s more stories from the depths of #BlackTechTwitter. It’s the idea that business and tech verticals should look as intersectional as the audience they want reading them. Reporters need to be doing more work.
Next year, I want to see the hiring and retention of diverse staff reporters — and I don’t mean just white women — who are then given platforms to not only cover the news of business and tech but also give opinions and analysis. The key here is putting these reporters on staff and granting them the same rights, opportunities, and privileges as white business reporters. This is not just for the sake of their own communities but for the sake of these industries overall.
I believe this will help bring business moguls and tech barons to account more often. White business reporters tend to softball the white men in power, who make up most of the people they cover, and not until they’re forced to or it’s too late do they start to backtrack. It’s this benefit-of-a-doubt understanding that reinforces unchecked power. Furthermore, the same perspective is always chasing the same type of story.
At times, it feels as if there’s a lack of accountability; that issues minority communities point out are either not taken seriously or take too long to land on the radar of those who make of the mainstream. Opening up a bit more will inspire new audiences and reach new hopes and dreams.
It will also help us fight back more against the powers-in-Allbirds who constantly try to devalue the work we do. The power of the press is for the people, and we need not wait for bear markets to show the outliers and outward liars. Having more diverse reporters and editors will also help ensure adequate coverage of minorities in power, because staffers with knowledge of non-white and even non-American communities can better frame societal issues free of stereotypes.
There will be an increased need for such diverse reporting, if not just for the fact that it makes for good storytelling. Tech and entrepreneurial audiences have expanded, and as a result, the mystique of the industry is fading; people see through the smoke and want to keep those hiding in the shadows on their toes. There’s an appetite for more insights dedicated to helping diverse communities understand the way technology and businesses intersect with their lives, as there is for commentary reflecting the perspective many minorities hold.
Journalists are the craftspeople of power, politics, culture, and privilege. Changing the face of journalism starts by changing the tastemakers who curate our stories. Can you name, right now, five Black business and tech editors at any of the top publications? Ten names, right now. Then name five more Black reporters on staff covering the same thing.
Look at even the new media startups who claim to want to tell new stories, to reach new readers. Look at their masthead and then read their work. The lack of diverse insight, analysis, and segregated coverage seems intentional — like a form of editorial redlining. Next year, I’m hoping the next generation of business and tech reporters break through.
Dominic-Madori Davis is a senior reporter at TechCrunch covering venture capital and startups.
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Anthony Nadler Confronting media gerrymandering
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Rachel Glickhouse Humanizing newsrooms will be a badge of honor
Jim Friedlich Local journalism steps up to the challenge of civic coverage
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Joni Deutsch Podcast collaboration — not competition — breeds excellence
Jakob Moll Journalism startups will think beyond English
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Michael Schudson Journalism gets more and more difficult
J. Siguru Wahutu American journalism reckons with its colonialist tendencies
Richard Tofel The press might get better at vetting presidential candidates
Sam Gregory Synthetic media forces us to understand how media gets made
Julia Angwin Democracies will get serious about saving journalism
Khushbu Shah Global reporting will suffer
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Joanne McNeil Facebook and the media kiss and make up
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Nicholas Jackson There will be launches — and we’ll keep doing the work
Sarah Marshall A web channel strategy won’t be enough
Surya Mattu Data journalists learn from photojournalists
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Sarah Alvarez Dream bigger or lose out
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Jonas Kaiser Rejecting the “free speech” frame
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Alan Henry A reckoning with why trust in news is so low
Alexandra Borchardt The year of the climate journalism strategy
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Brian Stelter Finding new ways to reach news avoiders
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Tim Carmody Newsletter writers need a new ethics
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David Skok Renewed interest in human-powered reporting
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Alex Sujong Laughlin Credit where it’s due
Stefanie Murray The year U.S. media stops screwing around and becomes pro-democracy
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Cassandra Etienne Local news fellowships will help fight newsroom inequities
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Sarah Stonbely Growth in public funding for news and information at the state and local levels
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Ryan Gantz “I’m sorry, but I’m a large language model”
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S. Mitra Kalita “Everything sucks. Good luck to you.”
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Doris Truong Workers demand to be paid what the job is worth
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Valérie Bélair-Gagnon Well-being will become a core tenet of journalism
Jody Brannon We’ll embrace policy remedies
Jim VandeHei There is no “peak newsletter”
Ryan Kellett Airline-like loyalty programs try to tie down news readers
Taylor Lorenz The “creator economy” will be astroturfed
A.J. Bauer Covering the right wrong
Basile Simon Towards supporting criminal accountability
Dana Lacey Tech will screw publishers over
Andrew Losowsky Journalism realizes the replacement for Twitter is not a new Twitter
Jessica Clark Open discourse retrenches
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Eric Holthaus As social media fragments, marginalized voices gain more power
Gina Chua The traditional story structure gets deconstructed
Peter Bale Rising costs force more digital innovation
Josh Schwartz The AI spammers are coming
Brian Moritz Rebuilding the news bundle
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Simon Galperin Philanthropy stops investing in corporate media
Wilson Liévano Diaspora journalism takes the next step
Laxmi Parthasarathy Unlocking the silent demand for international journalism
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