December 10, 2024 • 37 mins
There are lots of stereotypes that come with being a member of Gen Z, but few are truer than the idea of us having a poor attention span, being obsessed with TikTok, and hating to consume media if it’s not in a short-form package.
On her way to solve this crisis of media illiteracy that has consumed our generation is self-proclaimed “media literate hottie,” and today’s guest, Kelsey Russell. Kelsey is an entrepreneur, influencer, and podcaster with a goal of using print media as the vehicle for promoting better emotional regulation when interacting with news. This mantra comes to life on her TikTok page of nearly 100K followers, where she dynamically reads different newspapers and magazines to her audience.
In our conversation today, Kelsey and I discussed how to peep which news outlets are credible and which ones aren’t, why it’s important to continue to engage with print media as opposed to all digital, and why it may not be wise to get all your news from TikTok.
Where to Find Kelsey
HOMEWORK
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Locate the nearest library to your house and consider registering for a library card! They’re free and a great way to begin re-engaging with physical media.
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Discover what’s important to you when it comes to what makes a good source. Consider making a list of these characteristics and using them to field any outlet you read moving forward.
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The next time a friend or family member posts some shady news, brainstorm how you might guide them into uplifting something more credible.
Make sure to follow us on social media:
Interested in being a part of a future TBG U episode or suggesting a topic for us to discuss, send us a note HERE.
Order a copy of Sisterhood Heals for you and your girls HERE.
Our Production Team
Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Maya Cole Howard
Producer: Ellice Ellis
Associate Producer: Zariah Taylor
TBG University Host: Jayna Ellis
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Get ready because class is almost in session. Welcome to
the Therapy for Black Girls University podcast taylored for the
twenty something who's packing for a new year on campus,
thinking through their gap year, enrolling in community college, grabbing
your souls for graduation, and everything in between. I'm your
host and tvgu coordinator Jana Ellis.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hi, I'm sorrya Taylor. We'll return to Jana right after
the break.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
There are lots of stereotypes that come with being a
member of gen Z, but few are truer than the
idea of us having a poor attention span, make obsess
with TikTok, and hating to consume media if it's not
in a short form package. On her way to solve
this crisis of media literacy that has consumed our generation
is self proclaimed media literate hottie in Today's Guest, Kelsey Russell.
(01:04):
Kelsey Russell is an entrepreneur, influencer, and podcaster with the
goal of using print media as a vehicle for promoting
better emotional regulation when interacting with the news. This mantra
comes to life on her TikTok page of nearly one
hundred thousand followers, where she dynamically reads different newspapers and
magazines to her audience. In our conversation today, Kelsey and
(01:25):
I discuss how to peep which news outlets are credible
and which ones aren't, why it's important to continue to
engage with print media as opposed to all digital, and
why may not be wise to get all your news
from TikTok.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Here's our conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Thank you so much Kelsey for being here with us.
I am so excited to talk all things media literacy
with you. For starters, for those in our audience who
aren't familiar with your content, can you tell us a
little bit about what you do on TikTok?
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Sure? So, I have a TikTok page that has about
two thousand followers, and I read different forms of print
media almost every day, specifically magazines and newspapers, and I
use print media as a vehicle to help gen Z
and also other generations understand that it's helpful for media literacy,
(02:17):
promoting a natural sense of curiosity and also to ease anxiety.
So that's what my page is mainly about.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
And you've definitely have educated me vastly on in all
things MADA literacy, and since educating your audience on the
appointance of media literacy. What has been your most enjoyable experience?
Speaker 4 (02:37):
Oh, that is a great question. I think my favorite
experience so far has to be the intergenerational audience that
I have built because I am using print media. Pretty
much anybody who is I kind of like to estimate
over eighteen or in their early twenties has had an
experience with the newspaper, either somebody reading it in front
(02:59):
of them or maybe reading it themselves growing up. And
then everybody older than us has an experience with the
newspaper because at one point it was pretty much the
very common form of consuming media and households. So because
of that, I'm able to create an audience that spans
across generations and also realizes that media, as divisive as
(03:22):
it has been, can actually be a sense of community
when you realize like the nostalgia of newspapers. So I'll
have to say my intergenerational audience is my favorite experience,
but I do have some more like tangible in person
ones that have been really cool too.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yeah, And in your own words, what does it mean
to be media literate and why is this so important
for gen Z.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Oh yeah, So there's actually like a whole graph and
a whole two system of how to be media literate.
But I like to start with being media literate is
being more comfortable asking the question why why am I
what am I reading? Why is this website? Why is
this corporation? Why is this local newspaper writing this story? Why?
(04:08):
And how have my biases that I have shaped the
information I'm consuming shape the information that I'm not consuming.
So I believe media literacy is really the ability to
critically think about why you are reading what you are reading.
And it's very important for gen Z because, like we're
in some crazily like divisive times right now, where a
(04:29):
lot of times the media you read comes along with
these assumptions like what you believe, who you are when
a reality media should be a springboard for us to
have in person conversations. So I think media literacy is
really important for Generation ZE because as much as we
are technologically technologically technically I don't know whatever, we can
(04:50):
use technology real well, right, we could be on social
media all day, but ultimately the changes that we want
to see in the world will require us to meet
in person, will require us to be part of communities
and use collective action. And media literacy is important because
it's a step in that, and it also I think
helps take away a lot of the barriers that keep
(05:10):
us from communicating because of your political thoughts or what
you view around the world. So that's why i'd say
it's important.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Thank you for walking us through that.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
And what are some like green flags that can mean
a news outlet is a credible one?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Yes, that's a good question. So my favorite thing is
how do you handle mistakes? Like, girl, how you making
mistakes all the time? We all do. And a good
credible source is always going to have a section that
addresses errors that they've made. And it'll be as small
as we wrote this author's name, or we credited this
person as mister when it should have been doctor one.
(05:47):
Are they acknowledging their mistakes? Because regardless of how credible
the news source is going to be, it's going to
make mistakes. So are they acknowledging those mistakes? Also, using
like a quick Google search is always good. Right, who's
sponsoring this company? I always like to look up who
owns the company? What do they even look like? Is important?
Not that if you look a certain way, you're less credible.
(06:09):
But that also speaks to media bias. I recommend that
people there's a media bias chart that is Google. It's
like really all across Google, and it'll show you in
a chart. It's like one of those four charts of one,
how right and how left the media you're consuming is,
and also how credible it is. So I oftentimes refer
to that chart, and also whose voices are they using? Right,
(06:32):
if it's a local community and you're only seeing a
couple of people appear each time, probably not that credible.
And then more importantly, like I said, bring it in person.
If you read something in your concern, ask your friends
have they seen this? What did they see on their
channels on their algorithm? In person? And that's usually how
(06:53):
I decipher credible or not credible.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
And on the other hand, what are some red flags
that can mean a news outlet is not credible we
should stay away from it.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Yeah, like no sorts of supporting evidence, which requires us
to read like the actual article, right, but how are
they supporting the claims that they're making. So, for example,
the New York Post is like very right leaning and
they have some very interesting information in there. However, something
I noticed that they'll do is they'll take a very
outlandish comment from somebody and use it to support the
(07:26):
whole entire claim, which is okay if you use another
extreme thought from the other side. So another way to
look is if you only are giving me voices from
one side not that credible to me, or looking for
things that aren't credible, right, yeah, so that's not credible.
And also I just brought up spelling errors, but certain
spelling errors must be unavoidable, right, Like it's on your
(07:48):
front page, the names of politicians, like the names of
states and countries. These are things that any quick spell
check would realize. So red flag for me as well.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Like you could definitely I put that in chat GPT
and that would have fixed all theirs.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Yeah, because let's not act like we're not. First of all,
you can even tell how many of these articles are
being written by AI in the newspaper, which is really interesting.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Right yeah, So thank you for walking us through the
red flags and the green flags of these news outlets.
And you may have seen some of the memes around
people believing any headline if it's written like a shade
room post. How can visual presentation of news influence how
people interact with it.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Oh my gosh, that is a great question. I'll give
an example USA today. They were one of the first
newspapers to print in color, and also like use certain
colors for certain sections, so like the Business and Finance
being green, living in arts being purple. So I think
the colors in the fonts that we use are very
(08:53):
very important and communicating in headline. And there are certain
fonts that are just taken more seriously, like Times. I
don't know if you've seen that TikTok where it was
like all of the fonts fighting with each other. It's
it was funny, it was cute. I was like, as
someone who writes that, I was like, this is funny.
Talking about comic sands like no one takes them seriously.
Times New Roman aerial, like everyone is going to take
(09:16):
you seriously. So I think fond colors, the images all
evoke something differently in US. And so when I think
about how to communicate news on social media, the purpose
of social media news is to get clicks. It's not
to be credible. So I always so people be cautious.
So like, once again, why do the shade rooms post
(09:36):
look the way they look compared to maybe like a
associated press that is dedicated to giving you like unbiased news.
And oftentimes those sponts are a little more boring. They're
not as inviting to the eye, not as clickable. But
once again, their purpose isn't to simply just get.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Clicked, right, and the clicks they do get.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
They do I follow them up.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
I did too, I did too.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Yeah, it was negative. The only thing I felt like
I got was knowing when black people died faster. That
was it.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I had to protect my piece. It was just negative.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Consistently, it was very negative, and I was like, I'll
be the black person and I was like, ten minutes later,
after this person passes, it will not change my day.
So that is all love to the readers of the Shapers, right, Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
So you talked a little bit earlier about AI. How
do you foresee AI impacting the news in the future.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
Ooh, that's a great question that I've actually talked to
a lot of journalists and people who work in news
organizations about. It's about for them finding ways to integrate
it into their newspapers, but still their journalists and their
paper has integrity. So for example, if there's like a
quick information that needs to be looked up. AI is
(10:49):
a tool they're using. I see it in the future
as I hope that what newspapers would do is be
more transparent amongst when we are using AI. However, i'm
a student myself, I would just ask for more transparency
because we're all using it. However, is slowly becoming the norm,
which means we won't have to acknowledge it in the future.
(11:11):
So I see it being a disruptor if we allow
it to in a tool, if we fight for it
to be one. So that's how I see it playing
out in news.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I love how you phrased that. That's a great point.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I didn't realize I guess before you said it, how
normal AI is becoming, especially in how we write and
how we communicate on a day to day and especially
in the world journalism.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
So that was a great perspective.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Thank you, Thank you. Yeah. Even my professor I was
in the theory class yesterday, we were talking about AI
and she was like, at a certain point, it has
become normalized. Like the way I'm emailing people is with AI,
Like the way I'm literally planning trips with aiiilleries so Ryeah,
it's happening.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
We know many members of gen Z get their news
from platforms like TikTok and ig. I definitely fall into
this group. Tell me what are the pros and cons
to this?
Speaker 4 (12:05):
Well, one, that's where we are. So the pro is convenience, Like,
what do you mean? You know, I'm on Instagram all
the time, I'm on TikTok, I'm on Twitter, I'm on snapchats,
so consuming my news there is convenient. However, the con
with convenience comes is that you get in a cycle
where you stop questioning things, and that's when the world
(12:26):
becomes scary. So I'd say a pro is convenience. I
would say a con is that it's divisive and it
also creates a huge amount of anxiety that I think
is hard to work through. So I give the example
of You'll be scrolling on Instagram and in one picture
you'll see your friend on like a trip that you
couldn't make for whatever reason, and you're like, oh, I'm
(12:48):
kind of pissed, kind of sad, a little jealous that
I couldn't make the trip. Then on the next roll,
I'm seeing something about genocide and that one hundred thousand
people have died in this amount of weeks, and then
on the next scroll, it's like Fashion Bomb Daily telling
me what Nicki Minaj wore. All of these are like
really three different things that your brain and body respond to,
(13:11):
like jealousy, anger, and excitement in really different ways. But
the one thing that's the same is you have a
serotonin increase. And the issue is when you consume those
news on your phone. The way that you are going
to dispel and get rid of the anxiety is to
distract yourself, and your phone is the easiest way to
distract yourself. So you end up in this cycle of
(13:33):
just receiving more and more anxious things compared to where
I can tell like the way you're.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Doing, I'm like right this morning, right.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Yeah, right right, and it's like, okay, I don't know
if I can curse on your bro I'm like, damn it,
it's like eleven am and I've already consumed this much
compared to where you know, if you sit down and say, hey,
I want to consume majority in my news on the
newspaper and magazines, I sit down for however long you
want to, if it wants to be thirty minutes.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
If you want to be two hours of your day,
you let your phone be and that's where you consume
your news. And when things make you angry, you're like,
oh my god, this really made me angry. I just
want to go read something that might make me happy.
So I'm going to go read about a new art
show in the art section or today's paper. Made me
really mad, I'm gonna rip it up and go on
a walk. You're forcing your body to get back into
(14:24):
like it's normal cadence without electronics, which can be really
just anxiety prone for our generation point B period. So
to separate yourself from that is so good for your
mental health, and you actually end up consuming and reading
the news versus just the headlines.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Great analysis on that, I definitely relate, and I never
saw it on Instagram.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
It was it's more so a TikTok.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
It's more so I see a cute puppy and then like,
to your point, the next video is about genocide. Then
the next one is about Zendaia's hair and outfit for
her Red Carpet premiere, and it's like all in three seconds,
and it's just a lot.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
It's a lot to process. It's a lot to process. Hi,
I'm sorry, Taylor. We'll return to Jana right after the break.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I want to follow up on your point about anxiety.
Tell me more about how you are managing your mental
health while being a digital creator, while in grad school,
but also while processing a lot of crazy stuff going
on in the world.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Well, girl, I'm in therapy for two years, so that's
a big help. I really say, if you want to
be a content creator, if you want to be in
this digital world, I suggest fighting a therapist before you
even start that journey, because you are putting a little
bit of your control in the hands of others. Their
perception of you is important to a certain point, right
(15:57):
because it affects the opportunities you're going to get. It
affects me even being on this podcast. However, if you're
not consistently working on your inner confidence and sense of
self those can be like really two destructive things to
be happening at the same time. It's like a low
level of self confidence and then having to care about
people's perceptions, like you're doom for disaster. And that's what
(16:19):
ended up happening to me and why I started reading
the newspaper. Finished my first year of grad school, I
had like a really anxiety prone summer, and a lot
of that had to do with me just really caring
about too many people's perceptions. And my therapist was like, well,
maybe if you put that damn phone down, like do something,
(16:39):
And I was like, well, what am I going to
do about I't on my phone? Well, why don't you
do things that made you happy as a child? And
I loved almanacs, like I just used to love collecting
random facts of information. So it's like, let me just
ask for a newspaper subscription for my birthday. And I
say that to say, yes, it's part of my job
anxiety prone because I have it on the internet and
(17:01):
like share what I'm doing. However, I encourage people to
capitalize on something that makes you happy and it's not
based off the perception of other people. Thank goodness, we
have content creators that do makeup, that do hair. It's
just like a little too much for me. So that's
the way I take care of myself. I'm not gonna
do my makeup, I'm not gonna do my hair. I'm
(17:21):
not gonna do those things on TikTok because it's not
good for me to know what other people are saying.
I also would say I've tried not to get on TikTok,
but twice a day. I really only try to get
on there at ten am and ten pm because something
I've learned is you're gonna look for that positive reinforcement
on TikTok, like I'm gonna look for the comments. I'm
gonna look for the likes. So it's almost cheating myself, like, well,
(17:43):
if I look at ten am and I look at
ten pm, there will be likes, there will be comments,
there will be new followers. So I would say setting
like boundaries for social media that work for you, if
it's being on there five times a day that works
for you. And I would say therapy is great, and
also talking to people, like it sounds corny, but if
you're going through something, saying to people, hey, I'm going
(18:06):
through something, I might not even want to talk about it.
I just appreciate if you check in on me. This
month has really gone a long way for me.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I love that and thank you for your vulnerability. I
also think it's such a niche space as well, because
you're still navigating your early twenties on top of being
a content Crider.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Yeah, girl, that part is weird and like I forgot
about grats was like, man, I just be doing that.
Like I feel like that's that's a whole other thing
to talk about, like black women and like higher education,
and I feel like how sometimes we might even use
it as a coping thing.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
That's a whole other one.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
I believe that that's a whole other.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
I believe that. I believe that's whole thing.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
But thank you for sharing all those amazing vulnerable points.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I've noticed in your TikTok content you make an emphasis
on print media as opposed to digital media. In the
journalism industry, media has been on the decline. Why do
you think it's important to engage with print media.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Well, narrative is everything. Right, If people in print media
keep saying print media is dead, then it's dead. So
a part of me creating excitement around it is changing
that narrative that people actually have been buying print right.
Have the numbers increase in totality in the past couple
of years. No, But we've seen people go back to
(19:26):
record players and CDs. We've seen them go back to
digital cameras. We've seen people are yearning for a sense
of normalacy, of breaking down all of the rigid assumptions
of like how you're supposed to look, how you're supposed
to act on social media. So I do it because
there's obviously a trend going on and even though physical
(19:50):
newspaper sales might have been on the decline, they're missing
a market of people who are yearning for these old
nostalgic experiences that they realize connect them human beings. So
that's what I say is as long as we say
printice dead, print is dead. If you have a relative,
if you keep saying they're dead, they're dead. If you
keep saying like they are, living spirit is here, their
(20:11):
living spirit is here. So that's why I do what
I do. And I think that print media needs to
know there's a group of people who want them to
come back, but their voice has to be included. If
they want like younger voices, groups of color, black folk
squeer folks like they have to be included in the process.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Going back to the digital camera, a cam quarter takeover
that Genzy's doing right now. In college, I would collect
newspapers on very important days. I remember the first day
I was on campus, I collected Welcome Class to twenty
twenty three to Carolina, and I saved it in the
mindset of like in thirty years, this will be like
(20:51):
a vintage piece. But to your point, people are wanting
to get back into collecting print media outside of the
vintage aesthetic, but more so to collect and keep for
their time keeping.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
I guess.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
So it's like really interesting, like me and a group
of friends are like all about collecting newspapers.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
It's so it's cute, Like I love you, it's real cute.
And I'm actually happy you mentioned colleges because if somebody
who works for college sees this podcast, I'm always surprised
that colleges don't use their newspapers for more promotion. If
you have people who are interested in your school sending
them the paper when people come for visits, like oh
you can't make a visit, we love to send you
(21:32):
our paper. And I tell young people that's a great
way to see if this is a campus you'd actually
like to be on, what is their school newspaper covering?
That kind of gives you insight onto like what clubs
are even getting coveras versus the ones that exist. So
it's a very powerful tool that I think a lot
of people are struggling to realize how to capitalize on it.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
I'm curious, why do you think traditional news outlets don't
resonate with people in our age group.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Well, my simple answer is, nobody in our age group
is up there. I feel like if somebody arguing on
CNN or Fox or whatever was our age I think
that that would one really move people. I remember coming
home and the news would be on. I grew up
in Atlanta, so it was like WSBTV was on, or
(22:20):
my parents would probably watch CNN, or if we went
somewhere to eat, Fox would be on. That was just
what happened, and over time, the older I got and
the closer I got to those news sources, whether it
was being able to follow them on Instagram or follow
some of their reporters. It was at the same time
that we saw this lack of transparency, like this misinformation,
(22:40):
a lot of news sources becoming news commentary more than
news itself. So I think there is a narrative that
frustrates me of like gen Z not being interested in
traditional news, when the reality is we watched decline of
traditional news based on it turning into comments Harry based
on all of these off the beatn path enclaves, like
(23:05):
the buzzfeeds, and like the newsletters and the substacks. Right,
So I don't think we watch it one because nobody looks, talks,
and acts like us. That's on there too. We have
literally watched the decline of these institutions, so it's hard
to rebuild trust. And then we all, as were brains developed,
we all went into like these little different There was
(23:27):
not pixinn or Fox or MSNBC. It was like, you
don't even have to pick one. You can pick my
friends substack, or you can pick this random person on
Twitter that I follow. So I just think all of
those combined is why we are not interested in the tradition.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I was talking to some of my friends and we
all remember that twenty sixteen era of news and genuinely
thinking about it. I have not been interested to watch
or motivated as much as I was at fifteen to
turn and on CNN and just get my daily recap
(24:03):
of the day or of the week, because it burned
me out in high school. The back and forth, the lies,
the misinformation, the skewed perspectives. It burned me out and
so now I'm having to redefine how to digest news.
But I just remember that being so significant to me,
(24:24):
like every day, it was so constant, and that was
just exhausting and I didn't want anything to do with it.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
I love the perspective you bring because I feel like
something you reminded me of is too, like watching Trayvon
Martin's case when we were in elementary, middle school, like
beginning high school, like this generation, I mean from a
very young age of when we had the vocabulary and
the emotions and the thoughts to be like this is wrong,
(24:52):
and you have new sources saying no, this is the law,
this is what's supposed to happen. So it's interesting when
I hear people talk about our generation, I like, there's
not interested. But if we look historically, news for older
generations was something that you consume when you got older.
It was a part of adulthood. And for us, we
saw the adults consuming news that was terrible. Like to us,
(25:17):
I think that there is a lot of grace and
history that also needs to be looked at in gen
z and are just really bad relationship with traditional news.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
So why shouldn't we only seek out news sources that
are catering to gen z.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
Oh, that's a great question. I mean, listen. I always
like to give a silly answer and an interview answer,
so I'll give my silly answer. First. Don't you want
to be able to talk to anybody? And if you're
an introvert, don't you want to be able to check
people up like one of the best, like whichever one
you are. Listen. It is knowledge is such a pleasure
(25:54):
to have, and knowledge does not mean I know how
to multiply this well, part of it, you know, But
it's not that I know what Socrates did. It's collecting
things that naturally interest you. And the more you read
outside of what you're comfortable with, the more you learn
about interest that you didn't even know you had. And
then that is when you really start to develop a
(26:17):
sense of self and you start to, like I said,
become more confident in that little niche, weird thing that
you like because you find out that there's actually a
bunch of sixty year olds who care about this too,
And now you're realizing you have community outside of your
age group, outside of people that look like you, walk
like you, talk like you, live like you. So I
(26:37):
say that it's important to read outside of what we're
comfortable with. One so you can find people that represent
your story that you wouldn't expect, and also so you
can just gain insight into what other people are thinking.
I mean, think strategy. Like if you're going to interview
for a job and everybody in there is like in
their fifties and you read a source that they might
be reading, do you know how I'm like, oh, yeah,
(26:58):
I read the Wall Street Journal. They're like, what now
they want to hire me and they don't even know
what I do who I am. So look at it
as an opportunity to grow personally, professionally and just find
what your natural.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Interest knowledge is. That's fun too, fun, get fun.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
And it's the one thing no one can literally take
away what you know, like nobody, and that's that's so
important the black community too. That is something that is
ingrained in us from a very young age, but no
one can take that away from you at all.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
So what are some of your favorite weird, niche things
that you've come across since reading more news in print media.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Yeah, oh, this is a great question, man. I have
this probably is a very niche interest, but I have
become way more fascinated with its is sad with the
relationship between pharmaceuticals and food, Like I've always know what
it is, but like all of these small things, the
company that makes I don't want to be fully quoted
on this, but for example, like a company that makes
(28:00):
one of the most popular drugs for depression owns a
data company that has all the data for poultry across
the United States. Why would they need to know how
chickens are feeling? Why would they need to know that?
So I want to say, like my niche interests have
to do. I come from a family of entrepreneurship, so
I think, like my mind is business oriented, and like,
(28:21):
what does it actually mean that this company is owned
by this parent company and this parent company owns a
subsidiary completely opposite. How are they communicating with each other?
And man? Like, I also would just say I've become
a little fascinated with the way hospitals work. I've been
reading a lot more about hospitals, how those work, Like
they're extreme private and public. So now I can talk about.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
So many No I love like tell me more, like
tell me walking back through. I love it, I love it,
I love.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
It Hi, I'm sorry, Taylor. We'll return to Jana right
after the break.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
So several publications have made headlines over the past few
years for laying off their editorial departments, with news such
as this causing concern. What do you hope is the
future for the journalism industry?
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Great question. I mean, I hope that the journalism and
newspaper industry has more faith in itself. That's the first thing.
I think that both some of the best people, best journalists,
best editors, best anything that I've talked to, have faith
in the newspaper. They believe and they believe in a cause,
which is the one thing. And I also hope the
(29:38):
future of newspapers really looks at We're watching a very
traditional form of media lose its population as they age.
So I hope newspapers could figure out a way to
continuously invigorate the youngest generation, which will be jin alpha
right now. I think newspapers should think more about the
(29:59):
future of how are we included the youngest of youngest
voices in this Are they a part of our readership?
Should they be reading to see? Does this word make sense?
Can we bring them in for summer camps like in
some way, how can we make sure they're always involved.
And also I would love for newspapers to think more
strategically about how they can be involved in the schools,
(30:19):
like newspapers are an amazing way to get around curriculum
bands right, Like it's not a book, it's literally freedom
of the press. You can't take that away. So I
would love for newspapers to become more creative and not
think of themselves as Hey, we are a trusted source
to give you information. We are a source to help
your curiosity. We're a source to help you on your
(30:40):
ever going learning journey and want to be a part
of your life.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
What you just mentioned reminding me of I can't remember
the name of it, but it was like a CNN
ten minute rundown of the world when we were in
school and my teacher I forgot what they were like. Well,
those were so much fun as a child, like I
remember loving it and getting so much information about what's
(31:06):
going on.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
I don't know what happened to them, you're right.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
And then there was the other one on YouTube. I
don't know if what was like the animated people that
would do like the yearly round up wrap up. I
can't remember what that one.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Was, but did me either, But they were great.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I don't know if we're still doing those those educational
ways of connecting young people to the media, but we
need to bring that back.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
You need to bring it back.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
Yeah, yeah, bring the kids into toward the studio. Kids
are like, they love experiences, so they're kind of easy.
So like just make it like this sounds bad if
you get I'm excited, they're awesome. So just like ring
them bit, give them some candy and let them have
a day.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
So what are some of your favorite publications, podcasts, or
social media pages where people can find good, accurate news.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
God is a great question. I crazy enough, even those
owned by Bezos. I love the Washington Post, like I
really do. I just praise not in those meetings like that.
They never pray anything negative about Amazon though, so maybe
that's all he hears about. But love the Washington Post.
Let me think. In terms of magazines, Mother Jones is
a fantastic nonprofit run magazine, one of the first nonprofit magazines.
(32:21):
High Country News. Never thought I'd be interested in what's
going out in the western part of America, but it's
very interesting because you have many people who live in
rural Western America that they might not agree with what
their state is agreeing with, and they might not be
super liberal per se. And it's affecting how they're getting healthcare.
(32:43):
So all of those things. And I would have to say,
I'm a bad podcaster. I'm a bad podcaster, so I
typically listen when people send me, but I don't quite know.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
So really recommendation I love. I will have to get
into those media outlets.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
They sound great. But yeah, thank you so much for sharing.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
You're fine, I.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Have two more. I'm sorry I forgot about what was it? Oh?
San Quentin News is a really good one, and they
are actually completely written and run by folks who are
incarcerated at the San Quentin prisons. So it's all about
folks in prisons, prison reform, what's going on, So to
ever get a peek into probably life some have never
(33:25):
seen or had a family member experience.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Thank you so much for sharing that, Kelsey.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Are there any essential texts you think Black women stories
tellers should read.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
That's a great question. I would recommend they read push
Out and it is by Monique W. Morris and it's
the criminalization of Black girls in school. And I think
that it is important as somebody who is an educational advocate,
a lifelong learner. It's all about, essentially, how black girls,
instead of being reprimanded in school, they are pushed out
of the school system and into situations that might lead
(34:00):
them into incarceration or trafficking because of a school system
that does not pull them in and set pushes them out.
And I say it's important because as somebody who's committed
to learning, I think it's important we think about non
traditional ways for our young black girls to learn because
many of the structures that they're within are not conducive
to them. So how does that change our relationship with learning?
(34:24):
What does it teach us about coping? When we are
good at school, we're not good at school? And so
I also like to recommend this book because I tell
non black people and some and just in general, being
a black woman is like the most hyper visible and
hyper invisible experience ever. You walk in a room and
people will act like you're not there, But as soon
(34:45):
as you open your mouth or as soon as you
do something against the status quo, all eyes are on you.
And I feel like this is a great book that
shows how detrimental that can.
Speaker 6 (34:56):
Actually be thank you for this sounds great of course,
of course, so I'm curious where do you see your
platform going in the next five years?
Speaker 4 (35:09):
Oh fine, you sound like my dad too, So I
really I'd say long term and then five years I
would love to own my own media company that makes
I say, education, entertaining, entertainment, educational. I want to create
something where it's like Sesame Street for all ages, right,
like you need to know you can learn and it
(35:31):
can be fun. And that's long term. So the next
five years look like working on that in any way
that I can so more content for me coming out.
As much as I am a bad podcaster, I will
have a podcast coming out by summary, Kay, expect long
form content for me of me reading full newspapers. And
I would also say a lot more public speaking in
(35:52):
terms of invigorating like youth and just older audiences fall
in love with learning, how can we use print media?
And I also we'll see it by the next five years, definitely,
I'll be in a PhD program either for something in
terms of like educational tools or media or communications learning
and then hopefully on someone's TV screen. Honestly, in the
(36:13):
next five years, I've always wanted to be like if Jens,
if Wendy Williamson, Oprah had a baby. So hopefully somewhere
on that path of delivering the news I.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Love and I'm so excited to see all these plans unfold,
so excited for you.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
So tell me where can we keep up with you?
What are your social media handles?
Speaker 4 (36:33):
Sure? All my social media handles are the same k
E L s c r U s kelscress, It's Kelse
rust but people all whatever, and you can find me
there on Instagram, on LinkedIn, on YouTube soon. You can
also check out my link tree and TikTok of course,
and I'm private on Twitter and we'll stay that. So
(36:53):
I guess no, literally, I need a job.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Thank you so much Kelsey for talking with me today.
I really enjoyed it so much.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
It was amazing and shout out.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
I want to thank Kelsey once again for joining us
for this episode. Classes over for now, but before we dismiss,
here's some homework to take home with you. Locate the
nearest library to your house and consider registering for a
library card. They're free and a great way to begin
re engaging with physical media. Discover what's important to you
when it comes to what makes a good source. Consider
(37:30):
making a list of these characteristics and using them to
field any outlet you read. Moving forward, the next time
a friend or family member post some shady news, brainstorm
how you might guide them into uplifting something more credible.
To learn more about the work Kelsey is doing, or
to do more research on this topic, be sure to
visit Therapy for Black Girls dot com slash tvgu This
(37:52):
episode was produced by Elise Ellis and Zaria Taylor.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Editing is by Dennis and L. Bradford.
Get ready because class is almost in session. Welcome to
the Therapy for Black Girls University podcast taylored for the
twenty something who's packing for a new year on campus,
thinking through their gap year, enrolling in community college, grabbing
your souls for graduation, and everything in between. I'm your
host and tvgu coordinator Jana Ellis.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hi, I'm sorrya Taylor. We'll return to Jana right after
the break.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
There are lots of stereotypes that come with being a
member of gen Z, but few are truer than the
idea of us having a poor attention span, make obsess
with TikTok, and hating to consume media if it's not
in a short form package. On her way to solve
this crisis of media literacy that has consumed our generation
is self proclaimed media literate hottie in Today's Guest, Kelsey Russell.
(01:04):
Kelsey Russell is an entrepreneur, influencer, and podcaster with the
goal of using print media as a vehicle for promoting
better emotional regulation when interacting with the news. This mantra
comes to life on her TikTok page of nearly one
hundred thousand followers, where she dynamically reads different newspapers and
magazines to her audience. In our conversation today, Kelsey and
(01:25):
I discuss how to peep which news outlets are credible
and which ones aren't, why it's important to continue to
engage with print media as opposed to all digital, and
why may not be wise to get all your news
from TikTok.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Here's our conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Thank you so much Kelsey for being here with us.
I am so excited to talk all things media literacy
with you. For starters, for those in our audience who
aren't familiar with your content, can you tell us a
little bit about what you do on TikTok?
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Sure? So, I have a TikTok page that has about
two thousand followers, and I read different forms of print
media almost every day, specifically magazines and newspapers, and I
use print media as a vehicle to help gen Z
and also other generations understand that it's helpful for media literacy,
(02:17):
promoting a natural sense of curiosity and also to ease anxiety.
So that's what my page is mainly about.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
And you've definitely have educated me vastly on in all
things MADA literacy, and since educating your audience on the
appointance of media literacy. What has been your most enjoyable experience?
Speaker 4 (02:37):
Oh, that is a great question. I think my favorite
experience so far has to be the intergenerational audience that
I have built because I am using print media. Pretty
much anybody who is I kind of like to estimate
over eighteen or in their early twenties has had an
experience with the newspaper, either somebody reading it in front
(02:59):
of them or maybe reading it themselves growing up. And
then everybody older than us has an experience with the
newspaper because at one point it was pretty much the
very common form of consuming media and households. So because
of that, I'm able to create an audience that spans
across generations and also realizes that media, as divisive as
(03:22):
it has been, can actually be a sense of community
when you realize like the nostalgia of newspapers. So I'll
have to say my intergenerational audience is my favorite experience,
but I do have some more like tangible in person
ones that have been really cool too.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yeah, And in your own words, what does it mean
to be media literate and why is this so important
for gen Z.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Oh yeah, So there's actually like a whole graph and
a whole two system of how to be media literate.
But I like to start with being media literate is
being more comfortable asking the question why why am I
what am I reading? Why is this website? Why is
this corporation? Why is this local newspaper writing this story? Why?
(04:08):
And how have my biases that I have shaped the
information I'm consuming shape the information that I'm not consuming.
So I believe media literacy is really the ability to
critically think about why you are reading what you are reading.
And it's very important for gen Z because, like we're
in some crazily like divisive times right now, where a
(04:29):
lot of times the media you read comes along with
these assumptions like what you believe, who you are when
a reality media should be a springboard for us to
have in person conversations. So I think media literacy is
really important for Generation ZE because as much as we
are technologically technologically technically I don't know whatever, we can
(04:50):
use technology real well, right, we could be on social
media all day, but ultimately the changes that we want
to see in the world will require us to meet
in person, will require us to be part of communities
and use collective action. And media literacy is important because
it's a step in that, and it also I think
helps take away a lot of the barriers that keep
(05:10):
us from communicating because of your political thoughts or what
you view around the world. So that's why i'd say
it's important.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Thank you for walking us through that.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
And what are some like green flags that can mean
a news outlet is a credible one?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Yes, that's a good question. So my favorite thing is
how do you handle mistakes? Like, girl, how you making
mistakes all the time? We all do. And a good
credible source is always going to have a section that
addresses errors that they've made. And it'll be as small
as we wrote this author's name, or we credited this
person as mister when it should have been doctor one.
(05:47):
Are they acknowledging their mistakes? Because regardless of how credible
the news source is going to be, it's going to
make mistakes. So are they acknowledging those mistakes? Also, using
like a quick Google search is always good. Right, who's
sponsoring this company? I always like to look up who
owns the company? What do they even look like? Is important?
Not that if you look a certain way, you're less credible.
(06:09):
But that also speaks to media bias. I recommend that
people there's a media bias chart that is Google. It's
like really all across Google, and it'll show you in
a chart. It's like one of those four charts of one,
how right and how left the media you're consuming is,
and also how credible it is. So I oftentimes refer
to that chart, and also whose voices are they using? Right,
(06:32):
if it's a local community and you're only seeing a
couple of people appear each time, probably not that credible.
And then more importantly, like I said, bring it in person.
If you read something in your concern, ask your friends
have they seen this? What did they see on their
channels on their algorithm? In person? And that's usually how
(06:53):
I decipher credible or not credible.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
And on the other hand, what are some red flags
that can mean a news outlet is not credible we
should stay away from it.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Yeah, like no sorts of supporting evidence, which requires us
to read like the actual article, right, but how are
they supporting the claims that they're making. So, for example,
the New York Post is like very right leaning and
they have some very interesting information in there. However, something
I noticed that they'll do is they'll take a very
outlandish comment from somebody and use it to support the
(07:26):
whole entire claim, which is okay if you use another
extreme thought from the other side. So another way to
look is if you only are giving me voices from
one side not that credible to me, or looking for
things that aren't credible, right, yeah, so that's not credible.
And also I just brought up spelling errors, but certain
spelling errors must be unavoidable, right, Like it's on your
(07:48):
front page, the names of politicians, like the names of
states and countries. These are things that any quick spell
check would realize. So red flag for me as well.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Like you could definitely I put that in chat GPT
and that would have fixed all theirs.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Yeah, because let's not act like we're not. First of all,
you can even tell how many of these articles are
being written by AI in the newspaper, which is really interesting.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Right yeah, So thank you for walking us through the
red flags and the green flags of these news outlets.
And you may have seen some of the memes around
people believing any headline if it's written like a shade
room post. How can visual presentation of news influence how
people interact with it.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Oh my gosh, that is a great question. I'll give
an example USA today. They were one of the first
newspapers to print in color, and also like use certain
colors for certain sections, so like the Business and Finance
being green, living in arts being purple. So I think
the colors in the fonts that we use are very
(08:53):
very important and communicating in headline. And there are certain
fonts that are just taken more seriously, like Times. I
don't know if you've seen that TikTok where it was
like all of the fonts fighting with each other. It's
it was funny, it was cute. I was like, as
someone who writes that, I was like, this is funny.
Talking about comic sands like no one takes them seriously.
Times New Roman aerial, like everyone is going to take
(09:16):
you seriously. So I think fond colors, the images all
evoke something differently in US. And so when I think
about how to communicate news on social media, the purpose
of social media news is to get clicks. It's not
to be credible. So I always so people be cautious.
So like, once again, why do the shade rooms post
(09:36):
look the way they look compared to maybe like a
associated press that is dedicated to giving you like unbiased news.
And oftentimes those sponts are a little more boring. They're
not as inviting to the eye, not as clickable. But
once again, their purpose isn't to simply just get.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Clicked, right, and the clicks they do get.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
They do I follow them up.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
I did too, I did too.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Yeah, it was negative. The only thing I felt like
I got was knowing when black people died faster. That
was it.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I had to protect my piece. It was just negative.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Consistently, it was very negative, and I was like, I'll
be the black person and I was like, ten minutes later,
after this person passes, it will not change my day.
So that is all love to the readers of the Shapers, right, Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
So you talked a little bit earlier about AI. How
do you foresee AI impacting the news in the future.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
Ooh, that's a great question that I've actually talked to
a lot of journalists and people who work in news
organizations about. It's about for them finding ways to integrate
it into their newspapers, but still their journalists and their
paper has integrity. So for example, if there's like a
quick information that needs to be looked up. AI is
(10:49):
a tool they're using. I see it in the future
as I hope that what newspapers would do is be
more transparent amongst when we are using AI. However, i'm
a student myself, I would just ask for more transparency
because we're all using it. However, is slowly becoming the norm,
which means we won't have to acknowledge it in the future.
(11:11):
So I see it being a disruptor if we allow
it to in a tool, if we fight for it
to be one. So that's how I see it playing
out in news.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I love how you phrased that. That's a great point.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I didn't realize I guess before you said it, how
normal AI is becoming, especially in how we write and
how we communicate on a day to day and especially
in the world journalism.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
So that was a great perspective.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Thank you, Thank you. Yeah. Even my professor I was
in the theory class yesterday, we were talking about AI
and she was like, at a certain point, it has
become normalized. Like the way I'm emailing people is with AI,
Like the way I'm literally planning trips with aiiilleries so Ryeah,
it's happening.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
We know many members of gen Z get their news
from platforms like TikTok and ig. I definitely fall into
this group. Tell me what are the pros and cons
to this?
Speaker 4 (12:05):
Well, one, that's where we are. So the pro is convenience, Like,
what do you mean? You know, I'm on Instagram all
the time, I'm on TikTok, I'm on Twitter, I'm on snapchats,
so consuming my news there is convenient. However, the con
with convenience comes is that you get in a cycle
where you stop questioning things, and that's when the world
(12:26):
becomes scary. So I'd say a pro is convenience. I
would say a con is that it's divisive and it
also creates a huge amount of anxiety that I think
is hard to work through. So I give the example
of You'll be scrolling on Instagram and in one picture
you'll see your friend on like a trip that you
couldn't make for whatever reason, and you're like, oh, I'm
(12:48):
kind of pissed, kind of sad, a little jealous that
I couldn't make the trip. Then on the next roll,
I'm seeing something about genocide and that one hundred thousand
people have died in this amount of weeks, and then
on the next scroll, it's like Fashion Bomb Daily telling
me what Nicki Minaj wore. All of these are like
really three different things that your brain and body respond to,
(13:11):
like jealousy, anger, and excitement in really different ways. But
the one thing that's the same is you have a
serotonin increase. And the issue is when you consume those
news on your phone. The way that you are going
to dispel and get rid of the anxiety is to
distract yourself, and your phone is the easiest way to
distract yourself. So you end up in this cycle of
(13:33):
just receiving more and more anxious things compared to where
I can tell like the way you're.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Doing, I'm like right this morning, right.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Yeah, right right, and it's like, okay, I don't know
if I can curse on your bro I'm like, damn it,
it's like eleven am and I've already consumed this much
compared to where you know, if you sit down and say, hey,
I want to consume majority in my news on the
newspaper and magazines, I sit down for however long you
want to, if it wants to be thirty minutes.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
If you want to be two hours of your day,
you let your phone be and that's where you consume
your news. And when things make you angry, you're like,
oh my god, this really made me angry. I just
want to go read something that might make me happy.
So I'm going to go read about a new art
show in the art section or today's paper. Made me
really mad, I'm gonna rip it up and go on
a walk. You're forcing your body to get back into
(14:24):
like it's normal cadence without electronics, which can be really
just anxiety prone for our generation point B period. So
to separate yourself from that is so good for your
mental health, and you actually end up consuming and reading
the news versus just the headlines.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Great analysis on that, I definitely relate, and I never
saw it on Instagram.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
It was it's more so a TikTok.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
It's more so I see a cute puppy and then like,
to your point, the next video is about genocide. Then
the next one is about Zendaia's hair and outfit for
her Red Carpet premiere, and it's like all in three seconds,
and it's just a lot.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
It's a lot to process. It's a lot to process. Hi,
I'm sorry, Taylor. We'll return to Jana right after the break.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I want to follow up on your point about anxiety.
Tell me more about how you are managing your mental
health while being a digital creator, while in grad school,
but also while processing a lot of crazy stuff going
on in the world.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Well, girl, I'm in therapy for two years, so that's
a big help. I really say, if you want to
be a content creator, if you want to be in
this digital world, I suggest fighting a therapist before you
even start that journey, because you are putting a little
bit of your control in the hands of others. Their
perception of you is important to a certain point, right
(15:57):
because it affects the opportunities you're going to get. It
affects me even being on this podcast. However, if you're
not consistently working on your inner confidence and sense of
self those can be like really two destructive things to
be happening at the same time. It's like a low
level of self confidence and then having to care about
people's perceptions, like you're doom for disaster. And that's what
(16:19):
ended up happening to me and why I started reading
the newspaper. Finished my first year of grad school, I
had like a really anxiety prone summer, and a lot
of that had to do with me just really caring
about too many people's perceptions. And my therapist was like, well,
maybe if you put that damn phone down, like do something,
(16:39):
And I was like, well, what am I going to
do about I't on my phone? Well, why don't you
do things that made you happy as a child? And
I loved almanacs, like I just used to love collecting
random facts of information. So it's like, let me just
ask for a newspaper subscription for my birthday. And I
say that to say, yes, it's part of my job
anxiety prone because I have it on the internet and
(17:01):
like share what I'm doing. However, I encourage people to
capitalize on something that makes you happy and it's not
based off the perception of other people. Thank goodness, we
have content creators that do makeup, that do hair. It's
just like a little too much for me. So that's
the way I take care of myself. I'm not gonna
do my makeup, I'm not gonna do my hair. I'm
(17:21):
not gonna do those things on TikTok because it's not
good for me to know what other people are saying.
I also would say I've tried not to get on TikTok,
but twice a day. I really only try to get
on there at ten am and ten pm because something
I've learned is you're gonna look for that positive reinforcement
on TikTok, like I'm gonna look for the comments. I'm
gonna look for the likes. So it's almost cheating myself, like, well,
(17:43):
if I look at ten am and I look at
ten pm, there will be likes, there will be comments,
there will be new followers. So I would say setting
like boundaries for social media that work for you, if
it's being on there five times a day that works
for you. And I would say therapy is great, and
also talking to people, like it sounds corny, but if
you're going through something, saying to people, hey, I'm going
(18:06):
through something, I might not even want to talk about it.
I just appreciate if you check in on me. This
month has really gone a long way for me.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I love that and thank you for your vulnerability. I
also think it's such a niche space as well, because
you're still navigating your early twenties on top of being
a content Crider.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Yeah, girl, that part is weird and like I forgot
about grats was like, man, I just be doing that.
Like I feel like that's that's a whole other thing
to talk about, like black women and like higher education,
and I feel like how sometimes we might even use
it as a coping thing.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
That's a whole other one.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
I believe that that's a whole other.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
I believe that. I believe that's whole thing.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
But thank you for sharing all those amazing vulnerable points.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I've noticed in your TikTok content you make an emphasis
on print media as opposed to digital media. In the
journalism industry, media has been on the decline. Why do
you think it's important to engage with print media.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Well, narrative is everything. Right, If people in print media
keep saying print media is dead, then it's dead. So
a part of me creating excitement around it is changing
that narrative that people actually have been buying print right.
Have the numbers increase in totality in the past couple
of years. No, But we've seen people go back to
(19:26):
record players and CDs. We've seen them go back to
digital cameras. We've seen people are yearning for a sense
of normalacy, of breaking down all of the rigid assumptions
of like how you're supposed to look, how you're supposed
to act on social media. So I do it because
there's obviously a trend going on and even though physical
(19:50):
newspaper sales might have been on the decline, they're missing
a market of people who are yearning for these old
nostalgic experiences that they realize connect them human beings. So
that's what I say is as long as we say
printice dead, print is dead. If you have a relative,
if you keep saying they're dead, they're dead. If you
keep saying like they are, living spirit is here, their
(20:11):
living spirit is here. So that's why I do what
I do. And I think that print media needs to
know there's a group of people who want them to
come back, but their voice has to be included. If
they want like younger voices, groups of color, black folk
squeer folks like they have to be included in the process.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Going back to the digital camera, a cam quarter takeover
that Genzy's doing right now. In college, I would collect
newspapers on very important days. I remember the first day
I was on campus, I collected Welcome Class to twenty
twenty three to Carolina, and I saved it in the
mindset of like in thirty years, this will be like
(20:51):
a vintage piece. But to your point, people are wanting
to get back into collecting print media outside of the
vintage aesthetic, but more so to collect and keep for
their time keeping.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
I guess.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
So it's like really interesting, like me and a group
of friends are like all about collecting newspapers.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
It's so it's cute, Like I love you, it's real cute.
And I'm actually happy you mentioned colleges because if somebody
who works for college sees this podcast, I'm always surprised
that colleges don't use their newspapers for more promotion. If
you have people who are interested in your school sending
them the paper when people come for visits, like oh
you can't make a visit, we love to send you
(21:32):
our paper. And I tell young people that's a great
way to see if this is a campus you'd actually
like to be on, what is their school newspaper covering?
That kind of gives you insight onto like what clubs
are even getting coveras versus the ones that exist. So
it's a very powerful tool that I think a lot
of people are struggling to realize how to capitalize on it.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
I'm curious, why do you think traditional news outlets don't
resonate with people in our age group.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Well, my simple answer is, nobody in our age group
is up there. I feel like if somebody arguing on
CNN or Fox or whatever was our age I think
that that would one really move people. I remember coming
home and the news would be on. I grew up
in Atlanta, so it was like WSBTV was on, or
(22:20):
my parents would probably watch CNN, or if we went
somewhere to eat, Fox would be on. That was just
what happened, and over time, the older I got and
the closer I got to those news sources, whether it
was being able to follow them on Instagram or follow
some of their reporters. It was at the same time
that we saw this lack of transparency, like this misinformation,
(22:40):
a lot of news sources becoming news commentary more than
news itself. So I think there is a narrative that
frustrates me of like gen Z not being interested in
traditional news, when the reality is we watched decline of
traditional news based on it turning into comments Harry based
on all of these off the beatn path enclaves, like
(23:05):
the buzzfeeds, and like the newsletters and the substacks. Right,
So I don't think we watch it one because nobody looks, talks,
and acts like us. That's on there too. We have
literally watched the decline of these institutions, so it's hard
to rebuild trust. And then we all, as were brains developed,
we all went into like these little different There was
(23:27):
not pixinn or Fox or MSNBC. It was like, you
don't even have to pick one. You can pick my
friends substack, or you can pick this random person on
Twitter that I follow. So I just think all of
those combined is why we are not interested in the tradition.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I was talking to some of my friends and we
all remember that twenty sixteen era of news and genuinely
thinking about it. I have not been interested to watch
or motivated as much as I was at fifteen to
turn and on CNN and just get my daily recap
(24:03):
of the day or of the week, because it burned
me out in high school. The back and forth, the lies,
the misinformation, the skewed perspectives. It burned me out and
so now I'm having to redefine how to digest news.
But I just remember that being so significant to me,
(24:24):
like every day, it was so constant, and that was
just exhausting and I didn't want anything to do with it.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
I love the perspective you bring because I feel like
something you reminded me of is too, like watching Trayvon
Martin's case when we were in elementary, middle school, like
beginning high school, like this generation, I mean from a
very young age of when we had the vocabulary and
the emotions and the thoughts to be like this is wrong,
(24:52):
and you have new sources saying no, this is the law,
this is what's supposed to happen. So it's interesting when
I hear people talk about our generation, I like, there's
not interested. But if we look historically, news for older
generations was something that you consume when you got older.
It was a part of adulthood. And for us, we
saw the adults consuming news that was terrible. Like to us,
(25:17):
I think that there is a lot of grace and
history that also needs to be looked at in gen
z and are just really bad relationship with traditional news.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
So why shouldn't we only seek out news sources that
are catering to gen z.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
Oh, that's a great question. I mean, listen. I always
like to give a silly answer and an interview answer,
so I'll give my silly answer. First. Don't you want
to be able to talk to anybody? And if you're
an introvert, don't you want to be able to check
people up like one of the best, like whichever one
you are. Listen. It is knowledge is such a pleasure
(25:54):
to have, and knowledge does not mean I know how
to multiply this well, part of it, you know, But
it's not that I know what Socrates did. It's collecting
things that naturally interest you. And the more you read
outside of what you're comfortable with, the more you learn
about interest that you didn't even know you had. And
then that is when you really start to develop a
(26:17):
sense of self and you start to, like I said,
become more confident in that little niche, weird thing that
you like because you find out that there's actually a
bunch of sixty year olds who care about this too,
And now you're realizing you have community outside of your
age group, outside of people that look like you, walk
like you, talk like you, live like you. So I
(26:37):
say that it's important to read outside of what we're
comfortable with. One so you can find people that represent
your story that you wouldn't expect, and also so you
can just gain insight into what other people are thinking.
I mean, think strategy. Like if you're going to interview
for a job and everybody in there is like in
their fifties and you read a source that they might
be reading, do you know how I'm like, oh, yeah,
(26:58):
I read the Wall Street Journal. They're like, what now
they want to hire me and they don't even know
what I do who I am. So look at it
as an opportunity to grow personally, professionally and just find
what your natural.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Interest knowledge is. That's fun too, fun, get fun.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
And it's the one thing no one can literally take
away what you know, like nobody, and that's that's so
important the black community too. That is something that is
ingrained in us from a very young age, but no
one can take that away from you at all.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
So what are some of your favorite weird, niche things
that you've come across since reading more news in print media.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Yeah, oh, this is a great question, man. I have
this probably is a very niche interest, but I have
become way more fascinated with its is sad with the
relationship between pharmaceuticals and food, Like I've always know what
it is, but like all of these small things, the
company that makes I don't want to be fully quoted
on this, but for example, like a company that makes
(28:00):
one of the most popular drugs for depression owns a
data company that has all the data for poultry across
the United States. Why would they need to know how
chickens are feeling? Why would they need to know that?
So I want to say, like my niche interests have
to do. I come from a family of entrepreneurship, so
I think, like my mind is business oriented, and like,
(28:21):
what does it actually mean that this company is owned
by this parent company and this parent company owns a
subsidiary completely opposite. How are they communicating with each other?
And man? Like, I also would just say I've become
a little fascinated with the way hospitals work. I've been
reading a lot more about hospitals, how those work, Like
they're extreme private and public. So now I can talk about.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
So many No I love like tell me more, like
tell me walking back through. I love it, I love it,
I love.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
It Hi, I'm sorry, Taylor. We'll return to Jana right
after the break.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
So several publications have made headlines over the past few
years for laying off their editorial departments, with news such
as this causing concern. What do you hope is the
future for the journalism industry?
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Great question. I mean, I hope that the journalism and
newspaper industry has more faith in itself. That's the first thing.
I think that both some of the best people, best journalists,
best editors, best anything that I've talked to, have faith
in the newspaper. They believe and they believe in a cause,
which is the one thing. And I also hope the
(29:38):
future of newspapers really looks at We're watching a very
traditional form of media lose its population as they age.
So I hope newspapers could figure out a way to
continuously invigorate the youngest generation, which will be jin alpha
right now. I think newspapers should think more about the
(29:59):
future of how are we included the youngest of youngest
voices in this Are they a part of our readership?
Should they be reading to see? Does this word make sense?
Can we bring them in for summer camps like in
some way, how can we make sure they're always involved.
And also I would love for newspapers to think more
strategically about how they can be involved in the schools,
(30:19):
like newspapers are an amazing way to get around curriculum
bands right, Like it's not a book, it's literally freedom
of the press. You can't take that away. So I
would love for newspapers to become more creative and not
think of themselves as Hey, we are a trusted source
to give you information. We are a source to help
your curiosity. We're a source to help you on your
(30:40):
ever going learning journey and want to be a part
of your life.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
What you just mentioned reminding me of I can't remember
the name of it, but it was like a CNN
ten minute rundown of the world when we were in
school and my teacher I forgot what they were like. Well,
those were so much fun as a child, like I
remember loving it and getting so much information about what's
(31:06):
going on.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
I don't know what happened to them, you're right.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
And then there was the other one on YouTube. I
don't know if what was like the animated people that
would do like the yearly round up wrap up. I
can't remember what that one.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Was, but did me either, But they were great.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I don't know if we're still doing those those educational
ways of connecting young people to the media, but we
need to bring that back.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
You need to bring it back.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
Yeah, yeah, bring the kids into toward the studio. Kids
are like, they love experiences, so they're kind of easy.
So like just make it like this sounds bad if
you get I'm excited, they're awesome. So just like ring
them bit, give them some candy and let them have
a day.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
So what are some of your favorite publications, podcasts, or
social media pages where people can find good, accurate news.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
God is a great question. I crazy enough, even those
owned by Bezos. I love the Washington Post, like I
really do. I just praise not in those meetings like that.
They never pray anything negative about Amazon though, so maybe
that's all he hears about. But love the Washington Post.
Let me think. In terms of magazines, Mother Jones is
a fantastic nonprofit run magazine, one of the first nonprofit magazines.
(32:21):
High Country News. Never thought I'd be interested in what's
going out in the western part of America, but it's
very interesting because you have many people who live in
rural Western America that they might not agree with what
their state is agreeing with, and they might not be
super liberal per se. And it's affecting how they're getting healthcare.
(32:43):
So all of those things. And I would have to say,
I'm a bad podcaster. I'm a bad podcaster, so I
typically listen when people send me, but I don't quite know.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
So really recommendation I love. I will have to get
into those media outlets.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
They sound great. But yeah, thank you so much for sharing.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
You're fine, I.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Have two more. I'm sorry I forgot about what was it? Oh?
San Quentin News is a really good one, and they
are actually completely written and run by folks who are
incarcerated at the San Quentin prisons. So it's all about
folks in prisons, prison reform, what's going on, So to
ever get a peek into probably life some have never
(33:25):
seen or had a family member experience.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Thank you so much for sharing that, Kelsey.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Are there any essential texts you think Black women stories
tellers should read.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
That's a great question. I would recommend they read push
Out and it is by Monique W. Morris and it's
the criminalization of Black girls in school. And I think
that it is important as somebody who is an educational advocate,
a lifelong learner. It's all about, essentially, how black girls,
instead of being reprimanded in school, they are pushed out
of the school system and into situations that might lead
(34:00):
them into incarceration or trafficking because of a school system
that does not pull them in and set pushes them out.
And I say it's important because as somebody who's committed
to learning, I think it's important we think about non
traditional ways for our young black girls to learn because
many of the structures that they're within are not conducive
to them. So how does that change our relationship with learning?
(34:24):
What does it teach us about coping? When we are
good at school, we're not good at school? And so
I also like to recommend this book because I tell
non black people and some and just in general, being
a black woman is like the most hyper visible and
hyper invisible experience ever. You walk in a room and
people will act like you're not there, But as soon
(34:45):
as you open your mouth or as soon as you
do something against the status quo, all eyes are on you.
And I feel like this is a great book that
shows how detrimental that can.
Speaker 6 (34:56):
Actually be thank you for this sounds great of course,
of course, so I'm curious where do you see your
platform going in the next five years?
Speaker 4 (35:09):
Oh fine, you sound like my dad too, So I
really I'd say long term and then five years I
would love to own my own media company that makes
I say, education, entertaining, entertainment, educational. I want to create
something where it's like Sesame Street for all ages, right,
like you need to know you can learn and it
(35:31):
can be fun. And that's long term. So the next
five years look like working on that in any way
that I can so more content for me coming out.
As much as I am a bad podcaster, I will
have a podcast coming out by summary, Kay, expect long
form content for me of me reading full newspapers. And
I would also say a lot more public speaking in
(35:52):
terms of invigorating like youth and just older audiences fall
in love with learning, how can we use print media?
And I also we'll see it by the next five years, definitely,
I'll be in a PhD program either for something in
terms of like educational tools or media or communications learning
and then hopefully on someone's TV screen. Honestly, in the
(36:13):
next five years, I've always wanted to be like if Jens,
if Wendy Williamson, Oprah had a baby. So hopefully somewhere
on that path of delivering the news I.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Love and I'm so excited to see all these plans unfold,
so excited for you.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
So tell me where can we keep up with you?
What are your social media handles?
Speaker 4 (36:33):
Sure? All my social media handles are the same k
E L s c r U s kelscress, It's Kelse
rust but people all whatever, and you can find me
there on Instagram, on LinkedIn, on YouTube soon. You can
also check out my link tree and TikTok of course,
and I'm private on Twitter and we'll stay that. So
(36:53):
I guess no, literally, I need a job.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Thank you so much Kelsey for talking with me today.
I really enjoyed it so much.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
It was amazing and shout out.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
I want to thank Kelsey once again for joining us
for this episode. Classes over for now, but before we dismiss,
here's some homework to take home with you. Locate the
nearest library to your house and consider registering for a
library card. They're free and a great way to begin
re engaging with physical media. Discover what's important to you
when it comes to what makes a good source. Consider
(37:30):
making a list of these characteristics and using them to
field any outlet you read. Moving forward, the next time
a friend or family member post some shady news, brainstorm
how you might guide them into uplifting something more credible.
To learn more about the work Kelsey is doing, or
to do more research on this topic, be sure to
visit Therapy for Black Girls dot com slash tvgu This
(37:52):
episode was produced by Elise Ellis and Zaria Taylor.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Editing is by Dennis and L. Bradford.
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