Q: What is the goal of this project?
This project is focused on raising awareness on the Continent and throughout the Diaspora to the struggles that still exists and how they are linked. The intent is also to show the progress that is being made and help our readers to see that we are the solution to all of our problems. Our goal is to keep our readers informed, engaged and enlightened regarding the world around them and how black people are being affected.
How is this different from other newsletters?
Many newsletters being distributed now are intended for a broad audience and, similar to mainstream media, overlook stories specific to black people. Many of the newsletters focused on black people are tied to a specific sector (ex: tech, art) and/or are a compilation of lengthy articles from around the web. TWG is weekly rather than daily to provide our readers with a recap of the important stories that we feel are not being covered by the mainstream media but still very relevant for black people.
Q: Why is there a fee?
As the saying goes, " When something online is free, you’re not the customer, you’re the product". While this is not always the case there is much truth to it, especially when it comes to news services. Many of the mainstream news publications are switching to paid models online while traditionally free platforms are starting to request donations to offset costs. Other platforms (ex: newsletters and social media) rely heavily on advertisers and using their readers' data to help advertisers sell products. We chose not to use an advertising model because we only want to serve our readers and felt that having a nominal fee would allow us to dedicate ourselves to educating our people without "serving two masters".
Q: How do you determine which stories to highlight?
We have experienced journalists on the team who assess what is being highlighted in the news and what is not being said. Our priority is keeping our people informed so we focus on the stories that have the greatest likelihood of doing that. We will typically avoid stories on celebrities, sports, etc unless there is a social context.
Q: Do you accept guest submissions?
We are not accepting guest submissions at this time but if you are interested in writing for TWG, please send us an email at twg@phoenixglobalinitiative.com with your area of interest/expertise.
Q: Do you plan to introduce other products and services in the future?
We envision TWG as a full-fledged multinational media conglomerate similar to Al Jazeera, Fox, CNN, etc. Every venture has a start. This is ours.
