Media Diversified Editor in Chief Marcus Daniel has some good news about our funding drive.
A big thanks to all who contributed to, or shared our Kickstarter on social media. 341 backers pledged £6,576, and Kickstarter themselves promoted it as a “project we love”. We were overwhelmed by the support and the funds will help us move to a more sustainable funding model for Media Diversified, so we can pay our writers, editors and our day-to-day costs, and continue to change the media conversation.
Just today, our comments about Diane Abbott’s treatment on the BBC’s Question Time were picked up by the London Evening Standard.
The panel debate focuses on what the concept of ‘free speech’ actually means for the marginalised vs. the privileged in today’s society. This follows the backlash to the panel event, initially titled: Is rising ethnic diversity a threat to the West?
The title was changed, but the fiasco underlines our troubling reality. We are living in a time where people of colour’s right to exist and enjoy basic freedoms is just another debate topic for the white media establishment.
The panel will examine the climate that enables such things to take place, and will explore the inequality of so-called “free speech” that suppresses writers and voices of colour at the expense of privileging the white mainstream media. We are taking this fraught debate offline and into real space.
We’re busy arranging a venue and panellists, so stay tuned for more details. Our Patreon supporters will have priority access to tickets.
As we move forward, we will be promoting our Patreon as a source of sustainable funding. If you don’t know about Patreon, it’s a space for creators such as Media Diversified to establish ongoing monthly revenue to sustain and expand our work.
By becoming a monthly patron, you get the following benefits.
Our Patreon has been given a new look and will be kept updated from now on, however our articles will always be free to read here on mediadiversified.org. So if you can, be a part of diversifying the media conversation with a monthly payment. Patreon pledges start from as little as $2 (US) a month.
In the last month we’ve launched our MD Reading Lists, featuring curated books from our favourite writers. Clicking on the links means we get a share of the income if you choose to buy, so it’s another valuable income source. In December 2018, we had our highest number of page views since August 2016 so thank you for all your support. Here’s to a great and exciting year for Media Diversified!