The Defender Handbook
INTRODUCTION
Primarily crafted for Black media workers, this handbook holds value for any media worker dedicated to using narrative and media for liberation.
We will begin with tactical strategies and implementable frameworks, covering everything from language guides to shifts in framing philosophy.
Our hope is that this will be a resource demonstrating that alternative, fugitive paths have always been the revolutionary core of Black cultural production.
Reporting on Policing
& Public Safety
This guide provides key principles for journalists to critically engage with abolitionist reporting. It emphasizes resisting police narratives and using thoughtful language to promote a just discourse in community safety.
Social-First
& Digital Innovation
Our unique strategies work across platforms to connect with a younger audience and amplify our message in creative ways. We offer a step-by-step kit to help implement these tools for your newsroom or organization.
Building
Community
The core structures and subcommittees that fuel our community initiatives are Mutual Aid, Political Education, and Arts & Culture. We share why they constitute 50% of our organizational structure and how to build these programs in a sustainable, community-focused way in your newsroom.
Organizational
Structure
We share how to build a culture where journalists are organizers first and where youth voices are considered with seriousness. Each team member works through the real impact of journalism and recognizes the broader ramifications of storytelling and advocacy work.
An Introspective: From the Radical Roots to the Future of Black Media
We examine the past of the radical black press, key figures in history and its influence on the KC Defender’s creation.
Defender’s Actionable
Templates, Resources
& Guides
Comprehensive guides, actionable templates, scripts, and how-tos, all of which are found in our handbook.
Sylvia Wynter
“The psychological subjugation of the conquered peoples would be ensured by the pen and the printing press as their physical subjugation had been assured by the gun.”
COMMUNITY + POWER-BUILD
Our Vision
Birthed from the ashes of the 2020 George Floyd Rebellions, and rooted in the tradiation of the radical Black press, The Kansas City Defender’s writers employ a social-first mindset to reach our community and power-build together.
We hope this handbook will be a resource for emerging media workers to customize for their organizations. We seek to be a catalyzing and supportive force for all engaging in movement work, understanding the links between all pushes for liberation.
RADICAL ROOTS + SOCIAL-FIRST
Our Commitment
At The Kansas City Defender, we are committed to reimagining and returning to our roots, recognizing that our role is not merely to report but to rebuild—to co-create an organization and community that unapologetically speaks truth to power, amplifes the voices of the oppressed, and engages in grassroots mobilization and community-building, especially among the youth.
Our aim is not to persuade anyone of our viewpoint, but to liberate other Black media workers who have felt alienated and enraged by the hegemonic professionalized journalism we’ve been indoctrinated into believing was the only possibility.
TACTICAL STRATEGIES
Defender’s Actionable Templates, Resources & Guides
These resources are designed to help you implement the best practices of The Kansas City Defender, whether your goal is to create compelling stories, engage with your audience more effectively, or foster strong community connections.
This includes comprehensive guides, actionable templates, scripts, and how-tos, all of which are found in our handbook.
KC x RJI Partnership
Support Radical
Black Press
The Kansas City Defender and the Reynolds Journalism Institute are proud to partner in creating a toolkit that will include the rich history of the radical Black press, its vital contributions to the future of the field, and a template for a media landscape that genuinely caters to the needs of our communities.
