Wildlife and nature

Animal shelters and rescues

Theater and dance

Rivers, parks and trails

Hunger and food

Schools and learning

Housing and homelessness

Community health

Mental health

Mentoring and foster care

Legal help and rights

Jobs and money help

Atlanta

The Triangle

Everywhere

The Collective Workshop

Royal Animal Refuge

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Georgia Advancing Communities Together

Atlanta Writers Club

Jewish Fertility Foundation

Let's Keep Building: Reflections on trans election coverage & the path ahead

The Business of Freelancing: A virtual workshop

A City in the Forest

Backgrounding Like a Boss

Give

We have a lot to unpack after last Tuesday's elections. We're celebrating historic wins, like the first openly trans state lawmakers in Alabama and Georgia, while also contending with the passage of anti-trans ballot measures in four states. Let’s discuss which strategies, messages, and narratives worked and which ones didn’t this election news cycle as reporters and storytellers covered key issues for trans people. Join Press On and Transgender Law Center @translawcenter for our virtual training on November 19th, Let’s Keep Building: Reflections on trans election coverage and the path ahead. Register today at bit.ly/letskeepbuilding (link in bio). Participants will: - Examine how states with anti-trans ballot measures deployed strategic storytelling strategies to reach and move voters. - Assess how the media framed and shaped conversations about trans people and bodily autonomy. - Observe and discuss how public perceptions of gender and progressive policies have changed from 2024 to 2026. - Learn how to model the messages and narratives that are needed to continue building momentum and power among all marginalized communities. To ensure the future of our Level Up popular education program, we ask that each registrant make a sliding-scale contribution ($1-$125), but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. English live captioning & language interpretation provided by request. Please name your accessibility needs on the registration form. [Image description: Training event flyer featuring three people speaking on a panel about digital organizing strategies at Transgender Law Center’s 2026 Building Trans Power Conference. It says, “Let’s Keep Building: Reflections on trans election coverage & the path ahead. Thursday, November 19th. 11am-12:30pm PT // 1-2:30pm CT // 2-3:30pm ET. Sliding scale $0-$125. Register by November 12th: bit.ly/letskeepbuilding.”]

Content warning: death of a detained immigrant One Southern movement we’ve had our eye on is happening behind bars at the Folkston ICE Processing Center in south Georgia. A 48-year-old man from El Salvador, Luis Sandoval, died there last month in the midst of roughly 500 people at the facility observing a hunger strike. @shutdownfipc organizers are escalating their calls to shut down the facility for good, given the abuses that persist there. To learn more, read Sharon Zhang’s story for @truthout at bit.ly/shutdownfipc. Photo credit: Elijah Nouvelage @wanderingdrome [Image description from Truthout: “Buses are seen behind razor wire at the Folkston ICE Processing Center on September 9, 2025, in Folkston, Georgia.”]

Reposting good news from our friends at Transgender Law Center @translawcenter: “A victory for incarcerated trans people. The Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict access to gender-affirming health care in federal prisons, keeping critical protections in place as the legal fight continues. Health care is a human right, and incarceration does not erase anyone’s dignity or right to medically necessary care. We will keep fighting alongside our communities for the care, safety, and freedom we all deserve. Read more at transgenderlawcenter.org. [ID: Slide 1: A Transgender Law Center graphic with a soft white-to-peach gradient background and magenta text. The TLC logo appears at the top. Large text announces that the Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to deny gender-affirming health care to transgender people in federal prisons. Below is an illustration of pink flowers with teal leaves, outlined in pink, blue, and white. Smaller text emphasizes that trans people deserve access to necessary care wherever they are. Slide 2: A graphic with the same white-to-peach gradient background, magenta text, and TLC logo. The headline reads, ‘A win for our communities.’ Three paragraphs explain the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict gender-affirming care in federal custody, the lower court’s intervention, and the Supreme Court’s decision to deny the administration’s request while the case continues. Slide 3: A graphic with the same gradient background, magenta typography, and TLC logo. The headline reads, ‘Our communities deserve care, dignity, and freedom.’ The text affirms incarcerated trans people’s rights to health care and bodily autonomy, emphasizes TLC’s continued commitment to advocacy, and closes with the message, ‘Our care is essential. Our dignity is nonnegotiable.’ The TLC website appears at the bottom.]”

Let’s discuss which strategies, messages, and narratives worked and which ones didn’t this election news cycle as reporters and storytellers covered key issues for trans people, like anti-trans ballot measures. Join Press On and Transgender Law Center @translawcenter for our virtual training on November 19th, Let’s Keep Building: Reflections on trans election coverage and the path ahead. Register today at bit.ly/letskeepbuilding (link in bio). Watch this space—we’ll be announcing our presenters over the next few weeks! 🏳️‍⚧️ Participants will: - Examine how states with anti-trans ballot measures deployed strategic storytelling strategies to reach and move voters. - Assess how the media framed and shaped conversations about trans people and bodily autonomy. - Observe and discuss how public perceptions of gender and progressive policies have changed from 2024 to 2026. - Learn how to model the messages and narratives that are needed to continue building momentum and power among all marginalized communities. To ensure the future of our Level Up popular education program, we ask that each registrant make a sliding-scale contribution ($1-$125), but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. English live captioning & language interpretation provided by request. Please name your accessibility needs on the registration form. [Image description: Training event flyer featuring three people speaking on a panel about digital organizing strategies at Transgender Law Center’s 2026 Building Trans Power Conference. It says, “Let’s Keep Building: Reflections on trans election coverage & the path ahead. Thursday, November 19th. 11am-12:30pm PT // 1-2:30pm CT // 2-3:30pm ET. Sliding scale $0-$125. Register by November 12th: bit.ly/letskeepbuilding.”]

Free Des Revol, free them all! Des Revol is currently serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for simply transporting political zines in his car. Zines are an essential tool for movement journalists to self-publish and disseminate critical information without relying on newsrooms or social media, which so often censor movements. Des’s imprisonment is an affront to both freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Follow @free.des.revol & @dfwsupportcommittee, and visit freedes.net & prairielanddefendants.com to learn how to be in solidarity with Des and the rest of the Prairieland defendants. All we have is each other. Art credit: Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative @justseeds [Image description: Drawing of Des—a person with a beard wearing a hoodie—smiling while holding a book of his own sketches amidst blue skies, grass, flowers, a possum, and a rabbit. It says, “Free Des Revol. Free the Prairieland defendants. Free them all.”]

We can’t wait to read our co-founder Lewis Raven Wallace’s @lewispants latest book on one of our favorite topics: movement journalism! “Journalism as Resistance: How to Fight Authoritarianism with Movement Media and Grassroots Reporting” is available for pre-order now from @penguinrandomhouse—order your copy today at bit.ly/journalismasresistance. “Journalism as Resistance” is a first-of-its-kind guidebook to movement journalism. Readers can expect practical guidance, tools, and strategies for transforming journalism beyond simply telling true stories. Congrats, Lewis, on this achievement! [Image description: The cover of Lewis’s book with a red and cream design.]

Last month, our co-director, Nadeen, gathered with fellow BIPOC journalists and media makers at @borealisphilanthropy’s Kaleidoscope Live! event, “Policy x Power x Pathways,” in Chicago to connect, collaborate, and vision toward a more sustainable BIPOC journalism ecosystem. The three days of food, fun, and fellowship included making a collaborative piñata mural, learning about Indigenous organizing for editorial independence & reporting justice, watching the documentary “BARRIO TELEVISION,” going sailing on Lake Michigan, and much more. We’re grateful to be part of such a dynamic community and for Borealis Philanthropy’s continued support! [Image 1: Nadeen (far right) and fellow Kaleidoscope Live! attendees smile and pose next to a piñata mural that says, “People rooted media.” Image 2: Nadeen and fellow Kaleidoscope Live! attendees sit, smile, and pose with a Kaleidoscope Live sign in the background. Image 3: Nadeen and Tre’vell from the Trans Journalists Association smile and pose next to the piñata mural. Image 4: Nadeen and Press On advisor Uyiosa smile and pose while holding up a piece of paper about collective giving models. Image 5: Nadeen standing behind a podium introducing a panel on reporting justice.]

Freelance journalism rates have barely changed since 2020—now that’s scary! For The Objective @objectivejournalism, Elena Novak and Jen Byers of @thenationalwriterunion’s Freelance Solidarity Project write about their findings after reviewing data from their organization’s Rate Sharing Database: accounting for inflation, freelance journalists are making less now than they did in the year 2000. Freelancers earning low wages are part of a systemic problem, not an individual one, and joining together to organize is one of the best ways to solve it. Read the story at bit.ly/scaryjournostat. [Image description: Graphic decorated with bats that says, “A scary journalism statistic! Rates for freelance journalists have barely changed since 2020, according to the National Writers Union’s Freelance Solidarity Project. Freelancers reported earning $1/word on average. Read more about these horrors on The Objective at bit.ly/scaryjournostat.”]

Last month, we co-sponsored and attended the Atlanta premiere of “A City in the Forest” @acityintheforest, an emotionally stirring documentary co-directed by Lev Omelchenko @lev.omel and Nolan Huber @revsouthnolan chronicling the Stop Cop City movement from its inception. Afterwards, we tabled at the afterparty at the @supermarket.atl and got a chance to view the art exhibition accompanying the film. Being surrounded by so many people who believe that another world is possible—a world without cages—filled us with much-needed optimism. The moving images and art moved us deeply. If this film comes to your city, we highly encourage you to see it! #VivaTortuguita [Image 1: Marquee at the Plaza Theatre that reads, “A City in the Forest.” Image 2: Inside the theater before the documentary began. There’s a title slide on the screen with a QR code and the logos of film sponsors, including Press On. Image 3: Press On board chair Sam Hamilton & communications contractor Neesha Powell pose behind Press On’s table at the afterparty. Image 4: An installation of greenery, multicolored pieces of cloth, and images hanging from clothespins at the entrance of the art exhibition. Image 5: An altar in the art exhibition featuring art and photos of Tortuguita and others murdered by police. Image 6: An altar in the art exhibition featuring art and photos of Tortuguita and others murdered by police. A banner hanging above it says, “Drop all Cop City charges.” Image 7: Video of the art exhibition. Image 8: Video of the art exhibition.]

Only three more days to register for our 10/29 virtual workshop, The Business of Freelancing, led by University of California, Berkeley journalism professor & outgoing Press On board member Lisa Armstrong (she/her) @lisaarmstrong_journalist. Register today at bit.ly/thefreelancingbiz! #LinkInBio If you’re ready to level up your movement journalism career, you don’t want to miss this! Sliding scale, $0-$125. English live captioning & language interpretation provided by request. Please name your accessibility needs on the registration form. Workshop participants will learn how to: - Find funding, paid opportunities, and potential partners for movement journalism projects. - Determine what their time is worth. - Evaluate and negotiate contracts. - Develop a work schedule that reflects when and how they work best. - Approach pitching more strategically. - Build professional relationships that can lead to sustained work and future opportunities. Hope to see y’all at the workshop! [Image description: Flyer featuring a photo of workshop facilitator Lisa Armstrong, a black and white image of a woman with long box braids. It says, “The Business of Freelancing: A virtual workshop. Thursday, October 29. 1:00-2:15pm ET / 12:00-1:15pm CT / 10:00-11:15am PT. Sliding scale, $0-$125. Register by October 22 @ bit.ly/thefreelancingbiz.”]

Last month, our co-director, Nadeen, reconnected with old friends and forged new connections at Durham Dreams, a worker and community convening held by the @durhamrising coalition in Durham, N.C. Workers, community members, and students built collective power to demand that Duke University & Health System—the city’s largest employer and landowner—do better by local residents. Durhamites dream of living wages, union jobs, affordable housing, and fully funded schools, and they won’t stop organizing until they get what they deserve. #DurhamRising #OrganizeTheSouth Photo credit: Julian Wilson [Image 1: Nadeen in conversation with fellow convening participants. Image 2: Two people talk on stage in front of a “Durham Dreams” sign. Image 3: Convening participants gather around to read information on pieces of butcher paper taped to the walls. Image 4: African dancers and drummers perform on stage.]

Repost from @theiwmf: “Applications are officially open for our 2027 Safety Ambassador Fellowship! This singular offering from the IWMF – supported by Press Forward and The Knight Foundation – provides journalists virtual classroom and practical training to become journalism safety resources in their communities. As we build a national infrastructure of journalism safety, our Safety Ambassadors become boots on the ground support for local newsrooms and freelancers working to mitigate their physical, digital, and psychosocial risk. 🔗 Apply by October 19 at https://bit.ly/IWMF_SafetyAmbassadors27” Image credit: the IWMF [Image description: Graphic with photo of a smiling group of people that says, “International Women’s Media Foundation. Applications for the Safety Ambassadors Fellowship 2027. Apply before October 2019. bit.ly/IWMF_SafetyAmbassadors27.”]

For Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we’re lifting up Honor the Earth’s movement to keep hyperscale data centers off of Indigenous lands, a continuation of their ancestors’ struggle for land sovereignty. Their Data Center Tracker helps them provide more accurate news, information, and resources to their communities. Repost from @honortheearth: “🚨📢 INDIAN COUNTRY WE NEED YOUR HELP! As hyper scale Data Centers expand at alarming rates, we need your help tracking all their locations where they are targeting Native lands 🚫 We have created a hyper scale Data Center Tracker for Indian Country , to insure [sic] we are all informed. If you do not see the Data Center in your community that is either being built or proposed, please visit our website and fill out our doc so that we can add it. honorearth.org/datacentertracker ‼️Either on or within a 30 mile radius of a Reservation‼️ We keep us safe! Together we can protect Mother Earth and each other 🌱♥️ #WaterIsLife #YouCantDrinkData #IndigenousSovereignty” [Image 1: Graphic with images of the input survey for hyperscale data centers and the data center tracker, which features a map of the U.S., that says, “Help us track hyperscale data centers either on or within a 30 mile radius of a reservation. Fill out this form if you are tracking a data center in your community. Our team will then add this information to our tracker!” Image 2: Graphic with an image of the tracker that says, “No hyperscale data centers on Native land!! Visit honorearth.org/datacentertracker. Help us track the attacks on our Land and Water.”]

Freelancing can feel like an uphill battle, particularly for movement journalists because we must consider an outlet’s ethics and values before working with them. Join us for our virtual October 29 workshop, The Business of Freelancing, facilitated by Lisa Armstrong (she/her) @lisaarmstrong_journalist, assistant professor at University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism & Press On board member. Register today at bit.ly/thefreelancingbiz! #LinkInBio Lisa will demystify the business of freelancing and how to make it financially and personally sustainable. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: - Identify funding sources, paid opportunities, and potential partners for movement journalism projects. - Determine a baseline hourly rate and use it to assess whether a project’s compensation is worth the time and labor involved. - Evaluate and negotiate important contract terms, including compensation, scope of work, deadlines, payment schedules, expenses, and rights. - Approach pitching more strategically by knowing what to include, when to follow up, and when to take an idea elsewhere. - Build professional relationships that can lead to sustained work and future opportunities. To ensure the future of our Level Up popular education program, we ask that each registrant make a sliding-scale contribution ($1-125), but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. English live captioning & language interpretation provided by request. Please name your accessibility needs on the registration form. [Image description: Event flyer for our “The Business of Freelancing” workshop featuring a photo of workshop facilitator Lisa Armstrong, a black and white image of a woman with long box braids.]

As movement journalists, we can’t and won’t forget the more than 260 journalists killed during the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza since October 7, 2023. We continue our commitment to truth-telling and liberation in their memories. Bear witness to their stories by visiting “THE LIVING RECORD,” an oral archive published by The New York War Crimes, a project of Writers Against the War on Gaza @wawog_now, at bit.ly/livingrecord. Image credit: Writers Against the War on Gaza [Image description: A graphic with a keffiyeh pattern that says, “THE LIVING RECORD. Gaza’s journalists remember their martyred colleagues. Published by The New York War Crimes, a project of Writers Against the War on Gaza. bit.ly/livingrecord.”]

Carlos Vargas Moreno, a migrant farmworker and father in North Carolina, became permanently disabled after suffering a heat stroke in 2022 while picking watermelons for his employer, Florida Orange Gold. Two years earlier, another one of their workers with an H-2A agricultural visa died of the same condition while on the job. For Prism @prismreports, the Guardian US @guardian_us & Enlace Latino @enlacelatinonc, our fellowship coordinator, Tina Vasquez, investigated Florida Orange Gold’s disregard for the health of their H-2A temporary agricultural workers in North Carolina and Florida. Read the story at tinyurl.om/farmworkersheat. 📸: Kaoly Gutierrez @kaolygtz [Image description from Prism: “Daysi Romero Arellano and Carlos Vargas Moreno inside their home, in Raleigh, N.C., on Sept. 18, 2026. Vargas Moreno, a former farmworker on an H-2A temporary visa, experienced heat stroke while working in a field in 2022 that caused permanent injuries. He relies entirely on his wife for care.”]

For Hammer & Hope @readhammerandhope, our board member, Lisa Armstrong @lisaarmstrong_journalist, writes about a movement in one rural middle Georgia town to protect Black ancestral land and resting places from being desecrated by a new railroad—a consequence of the systemic dismantling of Black voting rights. Read the story at bit.ly/gavotingrights. Photo credit: Ray Spears [Image description from Hammer & Hope: “Ida Lowe Blocker at her home in Sparta, Ga., April 18, 2026.”]

The news about trans people in mainstream journalism is depressing at best and so often centers dehumanizing narratives. We love the storytellers who are spotlighting the ways that trans people are finding connection and belonging in the face of hostility. Our grantees, Salgu Wissmath (they/them) @salguwissmath and Nicky Yeager, (they/she) @bogusnic, collaborated on a story for the @guardian_us about a queer & trans youth summer camp in Texas (read @ tinyurl.com/summertranscamp). * Salgu (they/them) is a nonbinary Korean American documentary photographer based in San Antonio, Texas and Sacramento, Calif. Their photo essays and videos explore the intersections of mental health, queer identity & faith from a conceptual documentary approach. They specialize in documenting the LGBTQIA+ community from a decolonialized lens. They are currently a 2026 Press On Freedomways Reporting Fellow. They were a 2022-2024 Hearst Photo Fellow at the San Antonio Express-News & The San Francisco Chronicle, and their work has been published in the New York Times, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Texas Tribune, and San Antonio Magazine, among others. They were recognized as AAJA’s 2022 Emerging Journalist of the Year and received the 2023 Curve Award for Emerging Journalists. * Nicky is a journalist, poet & artist from Austin, Texas, currently based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Nicky has been a contributing writer at the Cleveland Review of Books, and their criticism & reporting have appeared in Dissent, The Brooklyn Rail, The Indypendent, Scalawag, Texas Monthly, and elsewhere. As culture writer at the Texas Observer, Nicky wrote about art, film, books, and music from Texas from a critical and decolonial perspective. Nicky is a Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Brooklyn Poets alum and recently facilitated a reading group on David Wojnarowicz at the literary organization Wendy’s Subway. They have been featured in the Movement Journalism Network (MJN) Listserv newsletter and facilitated a caucus for arts and culture journalists as part of a MJN gathering. Nicky is currently pursuing a master’s degree from NYU Gallatin in film, writing, and American studies. [Image descriptions in comments.]

Content warning: mention of fatal police violence From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month. We remember Ruben Salazar (1928-1970), a Mexican American movement journalism ancestor killed by a Los Angeles sheriff deputy while covering the Chicano Moratorium, a demonstration against the Vietnam War. Salazar was one of the first journalists to shine a light on the systemic oppression of Chicanos and Mexican Americans, giving them representation in major newsrooms like the Los Angeles Times. He boldly pushed back on the myth of objectivity. We are grateful for Salazar’s courage and wisdom, as well as the Latine movement journalists upholding his legacy. Art credit: Billy Dee [Image description: Black and white linocut illustration of Ruben Salazar on the phone with a paper in his hand alongside his quote, “Newsroom objectivity may result in an absence of truth.”]

Dear friends: So… do y’all want Press On swag? Let us know in the comments if you would be excited to buy Press On merchandise if we offered it and what you would like to see! 👀 [Image description: Graphic that asks, “Should we sell Press On merch?” with a picture of a T-shirt, tote bag, and mug in the center.]

There’s been an increase in deportations of Marshallese people from northwest Arkansas, and the organization Chikin Melele is making sure this crisis doesn’t go uncovered. Our Southern Movement Media Fund recently awarded a collaborative reporting grant to Chikin Melele members (Melanie Carbine, Michael Mapa & Thomas Tulensa) and Arkansas journalist Olivia Paschal to continue amplifying this critical issue. * Chikin Melele is a bilingual, community-centered media platform serving Marshallese communities in Arkansas, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and across the Micronesian diaspora. They produce culturally responsive journalism in English and Marshallese through articles, translation, audio, video, and collaborative reporting, documenting the stories, relationships, and lived experiences that shape Marshallese communities. Their reporting is rooted in cultural context, community trust, and the belief that Marshallese voices should tell Marshallese stories while strengthening understanding across communities. * Melanie (she/her) @thefelanie is an editor, translator, and community journalist who works alongside Marshallese reporters to produce bilingual, community-centered journalism serving Marshallese communities in Arkansas, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and across the diaspora. She is the founder, editor, and publisher of Chikin Melele and a doctoral student in Multilingual Education at the University of Iowa, where her research focuses on heritage language education for Marshallese and Chuukese students. Through journalism, translation, and collaborative reporting, she works to strengthen access to culturally responsive information while amplifying Marshallese voices and stories. [Please find bios for the rest of the grantees and image descriptions in the comments.]

ATL: Support this important piece of movement media—buy your ticket at bit.ly/cityinforest! Learn truths about the Stop Cop City movement that have been left out by corporate media. We’re pleased to have co-sponsored tonight’s sold out premiere of A City in the Forest. Repost from @acityintheforest: “ATLANTA - The premiere sold out in less than 24 hours, but we got y’all! Tickets are now available for an encore screening of A City in the Forest. Saturday, September 26th || 2:30 PM @thetaraatlanta” [Video description: Begins with a rotating green balaclava on a black background and ends with the following information on screen: A City in the Forest. Atlanta encore screening. September 26. Tara Theater. 2:30pm.]

The term “movement journalism” was born at Project South @projectsouthatl, an Atlanta-based leadership development org that creates movement-building spaces, in 2017. Press On emerged a year later to help advance movement journalism in the South—the birthplace of some of the most effective, strategic, and visionary organizing in the country. We continue to look to Project South for guidance on how movement storytellers can best center communities fighting for Black liberation and social and economic justice. Their senior narrative strategist, Desiree Evans (she/her), reminds us that our journalism is inextricably linked to systems of power and oppression; therefore, we must challenge these systems so we don’t uphold and reproduce them. [Image descriptions in comments.]

Movement journalism is a tool to ensure that systematically oppressed communities can access accurate, trustworthy news and information in the aftermath of natural disasters. Our new Southern Movement Media Fund partners, Sara Murphy, PhD (she/her) @smurphyphd and Deana Lytle (she/her) @lilrayzofsunshine, are reporting out a series on how the people of Swannanoa, N.C. are still dealing with the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene two years later. * Deana is a fifth-generation Swannanoa native and serves as Vice Chair of the Swannanoa Resilience Hub. Following Hurricane Helene, she became deeply involved in recovery efforts after recognizing that community recovery is not linear and must include opportunities for connection, healing, and joy. With deep roots in Swannanoa, Deana is committed to helping build a stronger, more resilient future for the community. Her work focuses on supporting equitable recovery, strengthening local connections, and ensuring that future generations inherit a community they are proud to call home. She hopes Swannanoa will be known not for the disaster it endured, but for the resilience, beauty, and spirit of the people who call it home. * Sara is a writer and editor living outside of Asheville, N.C. She has written for The Guardian US, the New York Times, National Geographic, and elsewhere. [Image description: Photos of Deana and Sara. Deana’s photo shows a smiling woman with dark, curly hair highlighted with blonde down to her shoulders, wearing a pink button down over a yellow top with a flower pattern and three necklaces. She is standing in the center of a street lined with trees, with a large building in the background, the Swannanoa Resilience Hub. Sara’s photo depicts a woman with olive skin smiling, her head tilted to one side. Her hair is slightly less than shoulder length and is dark and curled. She wears a black tank top made of slightly shiny fabric. Behind her is a honey-colored wooden pillar, with furniture of various colors—a dark wood table, artwork of reds, beiges, and whites —behind her.]

Repost from @durhamrising & @raiseupthe south: “We know Durham can do better and we know we have the power to make it better. If you believe a better Durham is possible, join us September 19 for Durham Dreams, a convening of workers and community members imagining and organizing for the city we deserve. RSVP: bit.ly/durhamdreams26 or at the link in our bio! #DurhamDreams #DurhamRising #OrganizeTheSouth” [Video description: A person talking into a fuzzy mic and sitting outside, inviting workers and community members in Durham, N.C. to join the Durham Rising coalition for the Durham Dreams: Worker and Community Convening on September 19. Includes clips of Durham Rising organizers marching in the streets with a banner and signs. Image description: Event flyer for the Durham Dreams Worker and Community Convening, September 19, 2026, 10am-2pm at the WG Pearson Center, 600 E. Umstead St., Durham, NC 27701. Register: bit.ly/durhamdreams26. Includes image of protesters holding signs that say, “Duke stand up,” “My dreams are not illegal,” and “Protect Duke students” and organizational logos for Durham For All, Durham Association of Educators, Duke Graduate Students Union-SEIU Southern Region Local 21, Duke Respect Durham, Duke AAUP Chapter, Union of Southern Service Workers, NC State AFL-CIO, UE Local 150, NC State AFL-CIO, Siembra NC, Sunrise Duke & Labor South: Center for Working Class Studies.]

Dania Betún Warhol (elle) @daniawarhol of the transfeminist network EspicyNipples @espicynipplez is a Puerto Rican media maker who’s calling much-needed attention to the water crisis on the island. Over 500,000 people are experiencing severe water shortages caused by historic drought and the government’s neglect of the water infrastructure, in addition to long power outages. A few quick ways to show your solidarity are to follow @espicynipplez and donate towards their work to document the stories of Black, trans, queer & other marginalized communities in Puerto Rico at bit.ly/donate2espicy. 🇵🇷 We were fortunate to have Dania share thoughts with us on how journalists can be accountable to grassroots justice movements by centering communities, keeping them safe, and engaging in decolonization, popular education, redistribution, and repair: “As journalists, we are accountable to the people and to community-based movements, not to corporations, institutions, or powerful interests—and certainly not to the ‘like’ economy. Especially in these times we are living in with artificial intelligence and with all these narratives surrounding the issue of legality, that is a language and a discourse in itself that journalism has the ability to demystify and put the power (knowledge) in the hands of the people. Therefore, a crucial first step for every journalist is to undertake the internal work of decolonizing themselves because possessing strong narrative techniques is insufficient if your practices and discourse reproduce the very same forms of violence you denounce. Furthermore, journalists must put their knowledge at the service of these movements through popular education, thereby ensuring that people from the most marginalized communities can continue this work. Accountability also requires returning resources and visibility to communities, correcting mistakes, protecting vulnerable sources, refusing to provide coverage based solely on suffering, and remaining answerable to people and movements beyond publication.” [Image description in comments.]

Our Southern Movement Media Fund supports Southern media makers who are disproportionately impacted by systemic oppression to tell the stories of their own communities. Movement storyteller Zaira Campos (she/her) @adopteescrossinglines, one of our new grantee partners, is drawing on their lived experience to report on the intersection between abortion surveillance and child welfare investigation systems, and their negative impacts on Black, queer, disabled, and low-income families. Zaira is a Black and Puerto Rican adoptee, former foster youth, and movement storyteller based in Florida. She is the creator and host of Adoptees Crossing Lines, a podcast challenging dominant narratives about adoption and the family policing system. Her writing explores family separation, reproductive justice, disability justice, and belonging through the lens of lived experience. Through journalism, storytelling, and community building, she works to preserve memory, challenge dominant narratives, and create space for impacted people to tell their own stories. [Image description: Headshot photo of a Black woman with locs sitting down smiling. She is wearing a bright green shirt and bright green earrings. There is a bookshelf in the back with books on it.]

Howdy! This is Neesha, Press On’s resident comms person, and I had a time at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention @nabjofficial last month in my very own backyard, ATL! The convention theme, “OUR REVOLUTION: Truth, Power and Black Journalism,” set the tone for five fulfilling days of connecting, reconnecting, learning, witnessing, and visioning. I got to hug friends I hadn’t seen since college, meet internet inspirations in real life, hear about the Trans News Initiative, rub shoulders with the LGBTQ+ Task Force, and much more. Thank you, NABJ, for bringing over 4,000 Black journalists together during a time when we need to have each other’s backs to stay safe, informed, empowered, and employed. I hope y’all enjoyed our Southern hospitality. What were your favorite parts of #NABJ26? Let me know in the comments! [Image 1: Press On board member Lisa and Neesha smile and pose for a photo at the LGBTQ+ Task Force reception. Image 2: Neesha smiles and poses by a large sign that says, “Welcome. #NABJ26. August 12-16, 2026. Atlanta, GA. Our Revolution: Truth, Power and Black Journalism.” Image 3: Photo of a booklet that says, “The Trans News Initiative: for journalists, media researchers, community organizers & more. transnewsinitiative.org.”]

Have you enjoyed a deliciously juicy slice of watermelon this summer? If so, take a few minutes this Labor Day to read Tonya Abari’s @iamtabari story for Offrange @offrangeag about how climate change is threatening farmers’ ability to grow watermelons at bit.ly/melonfarmers. 🍉 Due to our warming climate, watermelon farmers are reckoning with the effects of flooding, drought, increased bugs and pests, inflated pricing, and more. Abari writes about how farmers, gardeners, and agricultural workers are looking for solutions through education, research, and investigation. Power to the farmworkers who make it possible for us all to sustain ourselves! Press On is proud to have supported this reporting with a Southern Movement Media Fund grant. Art credit: Adam Dixon @helloimadam [Image description: Depiction of a watermelon on fire.]

Level up your investigative journalism skills: learn how to background like a boss with Laura Kurtzberg (she/her), training director at Investigative Reporters and Editors @ire_nicar! Laura teaches journalists how to use data analysis, code, and spreadsheet techniques in their investigations. Registration for this virtual training ends next week on September 9—sign up now at bit.ly/backgroundingire! #LinkInBio 🕵️ Why is backgrounding so important? Because doing background research helps tailor your reporting to create the strongest investigative intervention into your movement story. In this session, participants will: - Learn methods used to verify information drawn from social media and other online sources. - Learn recommended protocols for deep backgrounding every source, every time. - Review case studies of stories supported by advanced backgrounding techniques using open-source intelligence and free online tools. To ensure the future of our Level Up popular education program, we ask that each registrant make a sliding-scale contribution ($1-$125), but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. English live captioning & language interpretation provided by request. Please name your accessibility needs on the registration form. [Image description: Event flyer that says, “Backgrounding Like a Boss: a virtual training. Wednesday, September 16. 12:00-1:30pm ET / 11:00am-12:30pm / 9:00-10:30am. Come learn this crucial investigative journalism skill to level up your reporting! In this session led by Laura Kurtzberg (she/her), training director at Investigative Reporters and Editors, journalists will learn how to use digital resources to vet sources and find important information online. Learn more, and sign up! bit.ly/backgroundingire. Register by September 9th!” Includes headshot photo of Laura, who is smiling and wearing a bright blue button-down shirt, earrings, and two necklaces. She has curly brown hair down to her shoulders.]

Press On’s advisory circle, a group of Southern movement media leaders, selected our latest round of impressive Southern Movement Media Fund grantees. We are proud to support six individual and collaborative reporting projects by movement journalists across the South! Our new grantee partner, Brittany Brown @_brittanymbrown, will report on deaths in Memphis, Tenn. jails. Brittany is a writer and reporter from Mississippi and currently based in Memphis, Tenn. She covers public safety and community survival for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. When she’s not working, Brittany enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, reading a good book, and enjoying the food, arts, and culture of Memphis. [Image description: The image is a headshot of Brittany Brown. She is wearing a black shirt, a denim jacket, and her dark, curly hair falls at her shoulders. Brittany is smiling in the photo.]

Movement journalism has been around since Ida B. Wells-Barnett condemned racial terror lynchings in the Black Press at the turn of the century, since Claudia Jones wrote about the struggles of Black women workers in the 1940s and 1950s, and since Monica Roberts corrected narratives about trans people in the aughts. Kinda chic for us to follow their examples by advancing justice and liberation through the practice of movement journalism. 😎 [Image 1: Graphic with purple background that says, “Kinda chic to be a movement journalist” and features photos of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Monica Roberts, and Claudia Jones. Image 2: Graphic with purple background that says, “Kinda chic to be a movement journalist” and features a group photo of six movement media makers smiling and posing at a recent movement journalism meetup in Asheville, N.C.]

Movement journalists are making sure that Black people aren’t erased in migrant narratives. This June, the Supreme Court made a ruling that opened the door for the presidential administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians. TPS allows people from countries that are experiencing natural disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions to stay in the U.S. until it’s deemed safe to return. For Prism @prismreports, Alexandra Martinez @alex___mar writes about how Haitians are mobilizing to keep their communities safe and advocating for a permanent pathway to citizenship for TPS holders—read the story at bit.ly/tpsruling. Photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images [Image description from Prism: “People hold posters during a news conference and rally on June 25, 2026, at a Manhattan, New York, union headquarters to support the Haitian and Syrian communities after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could end Temporary Protected Status for potentially millions of foreign nationals from countries such as Haiti and Syria.”]

Aspiring and current investigative journalists: Are you ready to background like a boss? Learn the art and science of backgrounding—how to research sources before interviewing them, how to verify information, images, and videos online, and more—with Laura Kurtzberg (she/her), training director at Investigative Reporters and Editors @ire_nicar! Register today for our September 16 virtual training at bit.ly/backgroundingire. #LinkInBio 🔍 Laura teaches journalists how to use data analysis, code, and spreadsheet techniques in their investigations and also focuses on creating interactive maps, data visualizations, and web applications for news and storytelling. In this session, participants will: - Learn methods used to verify information drawn from social media and other online sources. - Learn recommended protocols for deep backgrounding every source, every time. - Study case studies of stories supported by advanced backgrounding techniques using open-source intelligence and free online tools. To ensure the future of our Level Up popular education program, we ask that each registrant make a sliding-scale contribution ($1-$125), but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. English live captioning & language interpretation provided by request. Please name your accessibility needs on the registration form. [Image description: Event flyer that says, “Backgrounding Like a Boss: a virtual training. Wednesday, September 16. 12:00-1:30pm ET / 11:00am-12:30pm CT / 9:00-10:30am PT. Come learn this crucial investigative journalism skill to level up your reporting! In this session led by Laura Kurtzberg (she/her), training director at Investigative Reporters and Editors, journalists will learn how to use digital resources to vet sources and find important information online. Learn more, and sign up! bit.ly/backgroundingire. Register by September 9th!” Includes headshot photo of Laura, who is smiling and wearing a bright blue button-down shirt, earrings, and two necklaces. She has curly brown hair down to her shoulders.]

We are pleased to begin announcing this year’s grantee partners for our Southern Movement Media Fund! Since 2020, our fund has resourced and built the capacity of Southern movement journalism projects across the U.S. South. In response to several members of our Movement Journalism Network naming lack of funding as an obstacle to their reporting work, we dedicated our latest round of funding to them. Our new grantee partner, Tonya Abari, will be reporting on how Southern watermelon farmers are confronting climate change. 🍉 Tonya (she/her) is a Nashville-based independent journalist, author, and memory keeper. As seen in Essence, Offrange, Prism, Economic Hardship Reporting Project, The Bump, USA Today, and many more, Abari's work lives at the intersection of care, culture, and community. From Black maternal health to food, environment, and everyday life in the South, Tonya brings a deeply relational approach to journalism—one that centers trust, lived experience, and the voices most impacted. You can find out more by following her on Instagram @iamtabari. [Image description: Headshot photo of a brown-skinned woman with glasses, earrings, two-strand twists, and a purple sweater.]

In honor of Black August, we’re sharing advice for movement journalists from legendary Black lesbian feminist writer Barbara Smith, co-founder of the Combahee River Collective. We hosted an intergenerational conversation with her about Black feminist media past, present, and future in 2023. Photo credit: Marilyn Humphries/Alamy [Image description: Graphic with black and white photo of Barbara Smith with her hand on her chin and a quote that she shared during our 2023 event: “The way that Black journalists should function under capitalism ideally is to do work that undermines capitalism and that also illuminates how that system operates so that people can be more ready to seek alternatives to a system that only serves a tiny, microscopic proportion of humans on Earth.”]

Content warning: Fatal violence against missing and murdered Indigenous people The National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) is tomorrow (May 5). Press On, Indi/visible, and @womenadvance collaborated last year to create a guide to help journalists, media makers, storytellers, cultural workers, and community organizers make media and art that amplifies, uplifts, and encases in love all stories of missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives (read the guide at bit.ly/mmiwjustice). Movement media makers have a critical role to play in moving the needle from awareness to action towards ending the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people—not just in May but all-year-round. We see producing movement journalism about missing and murdered Indigenous people as a way to achieve: - A path toward an accurate database of missing and murdered Indigenous people cases across the country. - Each case being thoroughly investigated and reported on to the best of one's ability. - Victims’ memories being honored and remembered respectfully. A movement journalism approach to making media about missing and murdered Indigenous people: 1. Try your best to keep interviewees safe. 2. Don’t retraumatize families. 3. Families of missing and murdered people relive trauma when their loved ones' cases are reported on repeatedly with no new information. If you’re planning on broadcasting or publishing a story on missing and murdered Indigenous people, please ask yourself these questions: - Am I sharing any new information? (Be sure to alert the family of new information before you report it.) - Is what I’m writing helpful to the victim or the victim’s family? (Raising awareness is not always helpful.) - Have I asked the family how I can be helpful instead of assuming what’s helpful to them? 4. Build trust by seeking permission to cover cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people from impacted family and community members. 5. Be mindful of the language you use. 5. Use caution when reporting out new information. 6. Center the humanity of directly impacted folks. 7. Prioritize your well-being.

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