Who Says Media Is Dead? 5 Takeaways From Progressive Journalists and Activists at the Allied Media Conference

In the hullabaloo about the demise of traditional media, some have taken to denigrating a future penned by untrained bloggers who lack formal credentials and “average folks” who meticulously document life through social media. While some of the media’s old guard uncomfortably squirm in their seats at the notion that we are all experts on our own experience, many tech-savvy activists are taking advantage of this historical opportunity to forge a new structure of citizen-powered communications.

Now in its 13th year, the Allied Media Conference (AMC) is an annual assembly of hundreds of progressive “people and organizations that are developing long-term solutions based on the immediate confrontation of our most pressing problems.” Anyone lamenting conventional media’s expiration would do well to attend the summer conference and experience firsthand the excitement of a metaphorical phoenix rising from the ash.

For those who couldn’t attend this year, here are several interesting take-aways from the gathering.

1. Detroit Is Not a Dead City

If you believe what you hear from Forbes and The Daily Show, once-venerable Detroit is currently taking its last gasps. The Detroiters who organize and attend AMC will happily tell you why that’s wrong. Conference organizers point out the city’s contribution to AMC in the conference program by writing, “Place is important. For the AMC, Detroit is important as a source of innovative, collaborative, low-resource solutions.”

Location was ubiquitous in each workshop block. For example, on the “Environmental Justice Tour of Detroit,” youth leader Siwatu Salaama Ra (of the East Michigan Environmental Action Council) led a guided expedition through the most polluted zip code in Michigan, focusing on the success of the neighborhood’s creative organizing efforts rather than its dilapidated buildings.

During the “Decolonizing Journalism” workshop, a Detroit native said of contemporary media, “I am not afraid to watch the house burn down. Change brings opportunity” -- a statement that aptly summarizes the gathering’s optimistic attitude about and actions toward sustainable social, political, and economic justice.

2. Young People Are Powerful Agents of Change

More than simply providing childcare to attending parents, the AMC values young people’s contributions. To encourage meaningful participation, conference organizers intellectually engage pre-adolescents through play and hands-on stimulation, such as science fairs and storytelling. In addition to attending workshops developed with their needs and interests in mind, teenagers were the ones leading many of them. They educated their peers and adults on the strategies they’re using in their own communities to make a more just and equitable world.

Some of these strategies include participatory action research, film, community mapping and good old-fashioned zine making. Also presented were models of leadership development and best practices for working with youth organizers as well as workshops like "Street Youth Rise Up!" by the Young Women’s Empowerment Project and “Palestinian Youth Envision Their Future Through Media.” The AMC provides a laudable example of how young people nationwide are using various forms of media to challenge mainstream publications, enact a DIY ethic and use community media as a tool for uplifting marginalized voices and movement building.

3. Self-Care Is Not a Luxury

The day before leaving for AMC, I read Yashna Maya Padamsee’s “Communities of Care, Organizations for Liberation.” The essay examines the concept of self-care and advocates it be repositioned as “healing justice” -- a stance that unifies personal responsibility with community accountability for meeting individuals’ needs. This sentiment was echoed throughout the AMC conference and was especially prominent in the first workshop I attended.