Dearest Readers,
After dedicating the past few years as Prism’s editorial director and managing our wonderful newsroom, I am thrilled to be stepping into the role of editor-in-chief. Our esteemed outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Ashton Lattimore, has been essential in building Prism into a newsroom committed to in-depth, thoughtful journalism reflecting the experiences of those most impacted by injustices and has established Prism as an organization where our external-facing values are lived by and honored internally.
Prism’s mission is to disrupt the status quo of the media landscape by elevating and platforming Black, Indigenous, and people of color’s voices and uncovering the hard truths of injustice through community-based storytelling. Our vision is collective liberation and justice for people and communities who are historically oppressed, and we put this into practice through rigorous reporting and honoring the core values of movement journalism. While mainstream media leaves out communities of color—or demands that we uphold racist, cis-heteropatriarchal ideas under the guise of objectivity—Prism puts journalism in the hands of those who have been left out of the traditional media landscape. Our work is in pursuit of collective power and justice, with stories that impact lasting social, culture, and systems change. These are the goals that first brought me to Prism, they guided my editorial strategy as the editorial director, and they are the grounding for my work as the new EIC.
To maintain our rigorous journalism and keep growing as a trusted source for our readers to return to and share with their communities, Prism brings you the news and the context of each event. Like any new or seasoned newsroom staffer will tell you, we always seek to answer the five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why? It’s the Why that we continue to deepen for our readers because understanding the world we live in and how to change it depends on us giving you the complete picture. That is the root of our mission. Journalism centered on the narratives of those most impacted by injustice deepens the answer to “Why?”
Nothing is more precious to me than the ability to create a narrative shift for a more equitable society and liberation for all. I also have the privilege of working alongside exceptional creative thinkers, editors, reporters, writers, movement organizers, and our very own community members to make that possible. And, following Ashton’s lead, it is my mission to ensure our reporters and editors have all the tools they need to excel and grow their skills to continue providing our readers with well-sourced reporting and analysis so that they, in turn, can become or continue being engaged community members in pursuit of a liberatory future.
Prism’s very existence and continued growth also shows the industry we exist in that our mission and vision are not just a great angle for a BIPOC-led publication, but can and should be the norm for every newsroom. Creating sustainable avenues and providing thoughtful, rigorous reporting that directly questions and threatens oppressive structures is the only way forward for a sustainable industry. There is no viable, equitable society without a thriving, justice and liberation-oriented press. As our industry has seen, diminished opportunities, layoffs, billionaire ownership, and venture-capitalist-fueled opportunism within journalism are disastrous for our movements and for the health of our communities. It is quite literally our responsibility to hold power to account, to grow and nurture the next generation of journalists, editors, storytellers, critical thinkers, and creatives. I believe that Prism, like other trusted movement media outlets, shows us that another way is possible, that a better world is possible.
I am so honored to take this role over as Ashton transitions from EIC to full-fledged novelist and storyteller. I can only thank her for trusting me with this beautiful, wonderful newsroom and organization. Her departure has brought along some other wonderful growth; our former News Editor, Carolyn Copeland—who has been with Prism since its founding year(!)—steps into the position of managing editor, and our former Editor-at-Large, Tina Vasquez, is now our features editor! I am so excited about what this next chapter here at Prism will bring.
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In solidarity,
When I first joined Prism in 2019, I was in the midst of many transitions all at once: I’d just walked away from my law career to chase my dreams of journalism and novel-writing, and I was a few weeks away from giving birth to my second child. At the time, adding a brand new leadership role to my already overflowing plate seemed like a wild idea. Still, I found Prism’s narrative change mission simply irresistible—here was a chance to help build the newsroom that I and so many journalists of color had been seeking throughout our lives, a place where our expertise and deep understanding of our communities wouldn’t be dismissed as “bias,” and where our work could prioritize speaking truth to power rather than upholding and comforting the status quo. Beginning as Prism’s managing editor, I had the privilege to learn from Prism’s visionary founder, Iara Peng, and then step into the role of editor-in-chief and lead an incredibly talented, dedicated, and justice-minded team to create space for stories that might otherwise go untold. After nearly five years, it’s now time for me to write the next chapter of my own story.
This spring, I’m stepping down from my position as editor-in-chief. My time at Prism gave me the chance to touch so much amazing work, from editing stories that exposed workers’ rights violations and drove accountability to articles that shone a light on communities of color throughout the pandemic and so much more. Sometimes, I even found time to write pieces, like my story highlighting the work of women of color in childcare, and my editorial speaking out for First Amendment rights in the face of threats. Over the years, it’s been wonderful overseeing Prism’s growth as a newsroom, from a small staff of just 4 to now 15 full-time employees. And, of course, I’m pleased to leave Prism on solid financial footing, as support for our award-winning journalism from both readers and major foundations has continued to grow.
Perhaps most importantly, my time at Prism has reoriented my relationship to work and to rest, and shown me (and hopefully other newsroom leaders across the industry!) what it’s possible for a workplace to do—especially our four-day workweek. I’m so grateful to have worked alongside colleagues who believe as strongly as I do that excellence and burnout need not walk hand-in-hand and that we can produce impactful journalism that meets readers’ needs without grinding reporters into dust in the process.
Over the next several weeks, I’m thrilled to be supporting Prism’s transition to new leadership. Prism will be in the wonderful hands of Lara Witt as editor-in-chief and Caitlin Gaffin as publisher. I couldn’t envision two more bold, smart, compassionate, and visionary people to lead this newsroom into the future, and I’m so excited to see where they’ll take this special organization next.
As for me, I expect I’ll always be a storyteller in one form or another. In the coming months, I look forward to sharing my first novel with readers, writing more, and taking a beat to reset before discovering my next adventure. I’ll remain on Prism’s board of directors, and—of course—I’ll be a Prism reader for life.
