Interview with Treye Green, Founder of Black in Media

TREYE GREEN IS A MULTI-TALENTED EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, JOURNALIST, REPORTER, AND DIGITAL STORYTELLER who has written for several publications. His work has been featured in BuzzFeed, Group Nine Media, International Business Times, Okmagazine.com, Bleu Magazine, and now the New York Post. He also has experience in public strategy, commentary, event production, and on-air commentary. Green’s editorial background is profound but, he is not afraid to speak on issues that affects black media professionals.

Green has achieved great things in journalism but is heavily concerned with the lack of black content in mainstream media. He also knows black media professionals are not always recognized in mediums which causes further division in the field. These notions prompted Green to launch Black in Media. He wanted blacks to be honored and celebrated in news and did not want to wait for anyone’s approval.

I chatted with the multi-faceted editorial director about his latest project, mission, and black editorial content.

Dominique M. Carson: Why did you decide to launch Black in Media?                                                                  

Treye Green: I started thinking about racism in the workplace and how other journalists have been affected by this matter. Then, I started thinking what happened to Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in less than two months. Their shooting affected everyone across the country and saw all the mainstream outlets advocating Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter have been around for a while, but it was brought to the forefront after their shooting. It became support black owned businesses, or anything associated black. It became a trend while we were quarantined, and it was quite annoying.  And I know prior to these shootings, Black Lives Matter is not always the case for mainstream publications.  I know what goes on behind closed doors internally. Other black journalists started posted on their social media about this false image and started writing op-eds about this trend. It was performed and the outlets should be exposed. A lot of the mainstream outlets are predominantly white, and they do not really cover black content. And so, I wanted to prove our value in media by creating Black in Media. I started thinking about what I can do behind the scenes to make it more special and meaningful for us.

DMC: What are your sentiments about the lack of black content in media?                                                         

TG: It is frustrating because there have been black creators for decades. There are black creators in PR and advertising agencies in addition to news and media and they are not recognized. We have value as well. I want people to know with Black in Media that our stories matter. I want us to start recognizing the value of black content. As blacks, we can empower and uplift people with our stories but, we have to find the empowerment within us.

DMC: Let’s talk about Black in Media Day that took place on July 16^th.   

TG: Black in Media Day was a day where can we celebrate black professionals in media and their stories. I knew black content was going to slow down by the summer from these mainstream outlets.  The black trauma trend was dying down and we should not wait any longer on people to celebrate our culture. And so, I wanted to create this day despite racism and anti-Blackness in the industry. On social media, people posted their previous works pertaining to black culture and it was a way for them to celebrate the Black experience. I started reaching out to folks in the business and posted the day on social media. After Black in Media Day, Black in Media grew after that day. It was a sharp strategy for black media professionals to get together and bring the mission forward. There are so many missing stories about black culture and want to do original reporting on those topics and interacting with black content creators.

DMC: What are your plans for Black in Media?       

TG: Currently, I am looking into programming and historical archives. We already have the Newsletter but the content in Black in Media will speak to black culture.  On Instagram and Twitter, I already started posting historical information on black professionals in media. We want to highlight black figures in media and different milestones that took place in black culture. We also want to concentrate the behind the scenes when competing an article or an event, create a Black in Media podcast, and introduce a video component in the mix. We want to know more about black professionals’ creativity for stories and their research process. I also bouncing ideas from friends to learn more about funding, content, and just figuring out ways to make Black in Media more effective.  I want Black in Media to be impactful and enriching for our people. I want to expand the brand while keeping the mission.  I know several black media professionals can share their personal experiences about the disadvantages of working in the newsroom or media. They can also point out that black content was not always included in mainstream publications or publications will stray away from the content due to a lack of knowledge and ignorance.

Hiring managers do not value or respect black media professionals because the mainstream publications are not included on their resume.  It is quite pathetic because blacks’ resume is passed, and they are extremely talented. And with Black in Media, I want the next generation of black media professionals to know that they matter and their work. I will always be an advocate for this cause and worship for black media professionals. And I am talking about all black media professionals, not just newswriting. This platform is for public relations officers, advertisers, video editors, podcasters, social media managers, or anyone else that is heavily involved in media. This message affects others in the entire media landscape.

For more information visit, www.blackinmedia.com