Welcome to the Forest City Post
When I first had the vision for a new media outlet, I looked at the landscape locally and nationally and I saw several things that are lacking. If you are a regular news consumer, you probably already know what those issues are. So instead of spending much of my time in this first article talking about what they are not doing, I’m going to focus on what we are going to do here.
First, we will always tell the truth as we see it. You may not always agree with our perspective, but you can count on the fact that we will always share with you our genuine thoughts and feelings on the news of the day. No gaslighting. No grifting.
Second, we are not going to insult your intelligence by pretending that we don’t have a point of view on the topics and issues that we cover. I wonder if the media has ever truly been disinterested observers of the world around them, but regardless, they are definitely engaged today. It’s silly to pretend that we are emotionless robots without a perspective, opinion or point of view. We will always share with you what that perspective is, and we’ll never pretend like we don’t have one.
Third, we are going to represent (and elevate the voices of those who represent) people who are often not being heard in today’s media landscape. In Cleveland, where this outlet is based, much of the media has a singular, progressive point of view, and they block out anybody who deviates from that point of view. I have personally seen how even traditional liberals are silenced by this. So we will be an outlet where centrists, conservatives and old school liberals can break through the noise and be heard. Even progressives who are sincere and challenge the progressive conventional wisdom can have a home here.
Representing those who are being underserved stretches beyond politics, but in race, class and geography as well. As a black man in a city where the largest population is black, it has been shocking for me to see how often white progressive oriented outlets in this city crowd black people out. If you challenge people to actually do what they say they are doing to their friends and donors at cocktail parties, you will be silenced. Not anymore. If you say on Monday that “black lives matter” but on Tuesday you’re using your power to stop the advancement of black people, you will be called out on it. The Hispanic community here and elsewhere also still fight to be heard. They will have a voice here.
There is also a class underrepresentation in the media, locally and nationally. In Cleveland, there has not been a voice that represented the working class since the Cleveland Press closed in 1982. Their perspectives, hopes, dreams and aspirations are often dismissed and treated as relics of a bygone era. Their voice is an important one and they will have a place here.
Also, geographic diversity. The coastal bias of the media drives me nuts. We can write about New York and Los Angeles all day but when there are stories from our backyards that have national implications, the media loses interest. Cities, suburbs and towns in the overlooked Midwest and the south matter too, and when there are stories from those places that have national implications, we hope to highlight them.
It won’t be all politics, all the time either. We will talk about culture, sports and other things that interest us, always sharing our perspective with you.
Finally, the name. “Forest City” is the oldest nickname for Cleveland. It was given to us by the legendary philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, who marveled at a “highly sophisticated society amid a heavily forested environment” when he visited Cleveland in the 1830s. “Post” is a symbol of our goal to be an outlet that impacts the national conversation.
Thank you for going on this journey with us. I know that there are many other outlets looking for your attention. We appreciate you choosing to spend time with us. Let’s have some fun.
Darvio Morrow
Founder, Forest City Post