- The Publisher Newsletter
- Posts
- Monday 3rd April: gal-dem to close after eight years
Monday 3rd April: gal-dem to close after eight years
Good morning! Today's newsletter is brought to you by Peter.
User needs are at the heart of building a true bond with your audience - one that is based on trust and value. The new User Needs Model shows that it pays off to make fewer ‘Update me’ articles and seek a better balance of coverage across all needs, preferences and pain points of your website visitors.
In this whitepaper, we provide tools, techniques and examples, showing you how the model can work for you. Download it here.
Today's Media Roundup is brought to you by Smartocto. (Book this ad slot)
In a statement shared on Friday, staff at the print and online magazine gal-dem said: “We are incredibly sad to announce that after eight years, gal-dem is closing." The independent media business dedicated to 'centring people of colour from marginalised genders' had been struggling against the impacts of the pandemic, brand budget reductions and the economic downturn.
In their 'Goodbye' staff said: "It meant so much for gal-dem to exist in the world, to tell the stories that mattered to us and our lived experiences, and to do it with authenticity, care, and heart … While this chapter is ending, we hope that the spirit of what gal-dem proved possible over eight years will live on with you all."
gal-dem has shared a list of 17 independent media and creative organisations based in the UK and urged readers to support them to 'keep the spirit of underrepresented storytelling and independent media alive'. As Joshi Herrman at the Manchester Mill wrote on the news breaking: "If you value a media outlet, don't just tweet about it. Take out a subscription."
Big payouts have turned Snap into a preferred platform for many high-profile creators. The company is hoping improved revenue shares could be a powerful equalizer in its competition against larger social media rivals like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. But before you head over to Snap to cash in, the Snap Stars scheme is only for 'public figures with mass appeal' to encourage them to invest in making specialised content just for Snap.
I almost feel sorry for Elmo at this point; it seems like everything he does to try to make money at Twitter is doomed to failure. His latest money-making ruse, charging institutions to swap their blue ticks for gold ticks, looks to be blowing up in his smug face as organisations from the New York Times to the White House say they won't be paying. The problem is that verification on the platform is now just proof that the account is a paid user. Just one more example of the beancounters putting a price on everything and knowing the value of nothing.
More than three dozen top editors at news organisations around the world have signed a letter to the Russian ambassador to the U.S. condemning the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and calling for his immediate release. He was arrested on Wednesday for alleged espionage while on a reporting trip to the provincial city of Yekaterinburg. “Gershkovich’s unwarranted and unjust arrest is a significant escalation in your government’s anti-press actions,” the letter said.
More from Media Voices
Shado is one of the 17 outlets that gal-dem staff urged people to support. Back in March 2021, co-founder Hannah Robathan told us about giving people the space to tell their own stories, her frustrations with the mainstream media, what activism means and what success looks like for Shado.
