Creating Customized Business Content for Underserved Communities

”Exchange aims to support local, diverse-owned publishers financially, bring specialized business content to their audiences, and establish a new model of collaboration among the participants.

"As the name implies, this project is a true exchange," said Kwasi Mitchell, chief purpose officer at Deloitte. "We are providing support to amplify diverse voices, which can help drive equity in the media landscape in these communities. In doing so, we are also learning from our publishing collaborators what issues are most critical to their readers, expanding our connection to those communities, and growing awareness of our business."

“There are literally hundreds of micro and small businesses in our local markets that will benefit greatly from the stories created through and by this collaboration,” said Dr. Frances Toni Draper, CEO and publisher of The AFRO. (source: Deloitte.com).

Five publishers from the Word In Black collaborative – The Atlanta Voice, New York Amsterdam News, Houston Defender Network, AFRO-American Newspapers (Baltimore and D.C.), and The Seattle Medium – will work directly with Deloitte on the content during the six-month pilot project.

Additional Black-owned media companies, including Black Voice News, will distribute the content to audiences. The Michigan Chronicle, The New Pittsburgh Courier, The Chicago

Defender, The Charlotte Post, The Sacramento Observer, The Washington Informer, The Dallas Weekly, The St. Louis American, and The Precinct Reporter will also contribute to extending the reach of the project through the Local Media Association (LMA) and the Local Media Consortium (LMC).

Financial and Business Impact

The Exchange is being managed by LMA