Media is a gateway to provide information to the public. Often times, when it comes to news pertaining to the African American community, it's not always portrayed correctly. The Black Detour is an advocate for sharing and providing news information for the African American community; the good, bad and everything in between.
Created from scratch, they are a media company that is changing the narrative and telling stories that go untold or don't get the attention they deserve. The Black Detour saw a need and instead of being upset, they moved to action and created the platform that was needed to tell our stories, our way, truthfully. This month, we're highlighting The Black Detour for their drive, storytelling, and for being a media company that is a #GoGetter in every sense.
What is your definition of a #GoGetter?
A go getter is someone who doesn’t take no for an answer and strives for greatness in everything they do.
Describe The Black Detour and its importance to black culture?
The Black Detour is an independent media outlet that advocates for Black people to not only be empowered but informed on issues in the Black community. We’re part of a growing movement in America to empower Black people all across the United States. At our core, we stand with Black people and want our voices, opinions, and thoughts heard. The Black Detour is vital to Black culture because it's a space that provides our culture to be unfiltered and unapologetic to our plight in America.
What is the inspiration behind starting The Black Detour?
The Black Detour was created to change the negative perception of Black people and teach people about Black history that they often don’t teach in school.
What would you say is the hardest part about starting an independent media outlet?
Creating multiple revenue streams outside of the traditional ad dollars many mainstream outlets are tied to.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start some type of outlet (media, magazine, etc.) but doesn’t know where to start or have the resources? Any tips on what has worked for you all?
Go ahead and get started. The Black Detour was started on a shoestring budget. Use what you have if you don’t have capital to invest, utilize what you do have. For example, The Black Detour didn’t have a lot of monetary resources but we did have time. Therefore, we took the time to create a detailed plan on how we would build an audience and create something that would be interesting to our target audience. Research and always be willing to learn and shift your business model.
What is your biggest dream for The Black Detour?
The Black Detour has many plans and goals for the future. One of those goals are to get 1 million people to visit our publication a month. We’re currently averaging around 220,000 visitors a month.
What is one setback The Black Detour has experienced and how did you overcome it?
In June 2018, The Black Detour was about 6 months old when an article was published that was shared over 500,000 times. This caused our publication to crash and brought multiple issues with our website. The obstacle caused various issues that led to our publication being offline for about two weeks. We overcame this issue by staying the course and not letting the moment cause us to forget our end goal.
With all that’s going on in the world, what keeps you all motivated to keep going and sharing news, even if it’s not the best?
The need for our people to know what’s going on in the world and remembering how imperative information is to move forward.
How can people keep up with The Black Detour?
Visit us at theblackdetour.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @theblackdetour
In today's time, it's important to be informed and know what's going on. Head over to the Black Detour and subscribe to stay informed on all things for our culture!