(53 mins) | This week I brought on culture, food, and climate writer Alicia Kennedy to talk about what it’s like to be a semi-public figure (and receive public criticism), how to get yourself to write when you’re not in the mood, and what it’s like to make subscriber-funded work. This conversation is in response to my last newsletter, #29: On shit-talking, clickbait, and politics (in bed). Remember adding “in bed” to the end of fortunes? Thinking about bringing that back. Anyway, Alicia and I have actually never met! Or spoken anywhere other than via Twitter replies. So it was nice to finally talk face to face, even though we didn’t actually do that because there’s a pandemic and she lives in Puerto Rico.
Public-funded media would be great, especially when it comes to news. It's a sticky issue since a lot of more 'left-leaning' news is subscriber only and this really forces political alliance to be at the forefront of what one decides to pay to read or not read altogether. I find my own ways to get (what I hope is) multiple perspectives on an issue, but this isn't easy as I find many of the news outlets, media and journals to increasingly be subscriber only (and I understand this is because there is not a lot of government financial support for these outlets... to keep them free that is). I make do with my 'five free articles a month', or find my news on social media (which I know can also have it's issues... sigh).
In Canada, I am personally grateful for the CBC, since it's publicly funded and has radio, television and news content. I know the CBC has its own pitfalls (what doesn't?) and it would be great if there were many other (different) publicly funded media outlets like it in Canada.
I want to also say thank you to Haley for giving me this one year's subscription to your newsletter- that is very generous and I appreciate it as I just graduated this year and have been out of work since May (it's quite the slog out here trying to find any work relevant to my field: architecture). When I am able to find adequately paid work (fingers crossed!), I look forward to paying you back for your generosity :) THANK YOU
Yes I totally agree! I think a variety of models need to be tested, maybe in conjunction with each other. Obviously there are pitfalls with public-funded media (for example the way NPR's funding has gotten tied up in partisan politics) so it's not cut and dry, but I'm excited to see people better understanding the problems with corporate media and becoming more willing to spend on journalism the way they spend on other goods and services (myself included).
Thank you so much for reading and listening! Happy you're enjoying the paid perks.
I appreciate how intimately you share your feelings when you write, and I so relate to so much of what you feel, although I'm not by any means a public figure. When you said 'every one could unsubscribe from the newsletter' it made me think about voting. Like how one person can't change anything, but all of us are made up of so many 'one persons'. Does that make sense? It opens my eyes to how powerful a community can be when we vote, when we support each other's art/work, etc. In case this post wasn't enough to clarify, I'm not a writer, so forgive my lack of finesse. Your writing has provoked so much thought and wonder. So much so I've created an 'interesting reads' folder in my gmail account so I can go back and comb through stuff you've written that I know has more meat on the bone and I'm not done with. Thanks for that. Hope you're having a great week, and I can't wait to read more about literally anything.
Sydney thank you for this comment! :') Also, I actually touch a bit on the power of collective action in my newsletter coming out on Sunday. Hope you're having a great day week too
Had to eagerly comment as I have so many thoughts about this podcast which I will eventually get to but first!!!! Haley lol when you said “do you ever have arguments in your head?” (with these people) resonates so hard because maybe it’s the Taurus in me , but I have arguments in my head with others all the time that won’t necessarily transpire but my god I’ll be prepared for my speech when they do and should they arise. I one time had an abusive ex-Boss say to me that he figured I was the type of person who went home and had “shower arguments with myself” - aka when you hash out the whole thing while you’re in the shower. It was supposed to be obviously an insult that landed (I suppose it did amongst the myriad of other things) because I hadn’t truly identified it as a characteristic of myself prior to this. Funny enough - we worked in Music and were in this perceived public sphere with its own set of injustices for those who put themselves out there. Anyways this podcast ruled! I love Alicia’s newsletter and am a subscriber already and love Jenn Agg as the fellow boss “bitch” (a nod to her book) that she is and fellow Canadian / Toronto resident. Thanks for the stellar content!!! Loved all this crossover into the ways that the Internet makes it so much so, a small world.
Re: free content vs. subscriptions --- just wanted to add that I would MUCH rather pay $5 for quality content and not try to be manipulated into purchasing things I don't need be either overt of covert advertising by websites/influencers (which always, at least on some level, feels insincere to me and a waste of my time and energy, especially because I'm trying to consume less!). But I do think it becomes an issue when everyone you used to tune in to has a subscription model and all of a sudden you have to consciously narrow it down so you're not paying some [random large amount] to keep up with all your favorites. The some free/some pay-for content model seems to strike a good compromise, imo.
RE: getting content for free
Public-funded media would be great, especially when it comes to news. It's a sticky issue since a lot of more 'left-leaning' news is subscriber only and this really forces political alliance to be at the forefront of what one decides to pay to read or not read altogether. I find my own ways to get (what I hope is) multiple perspectives on an issue, but this isn't easy as I find many of the news outlets, media and journals to increasingly be subscriber only (and I understand this is because there is not a lot of government financial support for these outlets... to keep them free that is). I make do with my 'five free articles a month', or find my news on social media (which I know can also have it's issues... sigh).
In Canada, I am personally grateful for the CBC, since it's publicly funded and has radio, television and news content. I know the CBC has its own pitfalls (what doesn't?) and it would be great if there were many other (different) publicly funded media outlets like it in Canada.
I want to also say thank you to Haley for giving me this one year's subscription to your newsletter- that is very generous and I appreciate it as I just graduated this year and have been out of work since May (it's quite the slog out here trying to find any work relevant to my field: architecture). When I am able to find adequately paid work (fingers crossed!), I look forward to paying you back for your generosity :) THANK YOU
Yes I totally agree! I think a variety of models need to be tested, maybe in conjunction with each other. Obviously there are pitfalls with public-funded media (for example the way NPR's funding has gotten tied up in partisan politics) so it's not cut and dry, but I'm excited to see people better understanding the problems with corporate media and becoming more willing to spend on journalism the way they spend on other goods and services (myself included).
Thank you so much for reading and listening! Happy you're enjoying the paid perks.
I appreciate how intimately you share your feelings when you write, and I so relate to so much of what you feel, although I'm not by any means a public figure. When you said 'every one could unsubscribe from the newsletter' it made me think about voting. Like how one person can't change anything, but all of us are made up of so many 'one persons'. Does that make sense? It opens my eyes to how powerful a community can be when we vote, when we support each other's art/work, etc. In case this post wasn't enough to clarify, I'm not a writer, so forgive my lack of finesse. Your writing has provoked so much thought and wonder. So much so I've created an 'interesting reads' folder in my gmail account so I can go back and comb through stuff you've written that I know has more meat on the bone and I'm not done with. Thanks for that. Hope you're having a great week, and I can't wait to read more about literally anything.
Sydney thank you for this comment! :') Also, I actually touch a bit on the power of collective action in my newsletter coming out on Sunday. Hope you're having a great day week too
Oh I can't wait for that. And so timely with The Big Day happening next Tues. May we all decompress and exhale a bit this weekend.
Had to eagerly comment as I have so many thoughts about this podcast which I will eventually get to but first!!!! Haley lol when you said “do you ever have arguments in your head?” (with these people) resonates so hard because maybe it’s the Taurus in me , but I have arguments in my head with others all the time that won’t necessarily transpire but my god I’ll be prepared for my speech when they do and should they arise. I one time had an abusive ex-Boss say to me that he figured I was the type of person who went home and had “shower arguments with myself” - aka when you hash out the whole thing while you’re in the shower. It was supposed to be obviously an insult that landed (I suppose it did amongst the myriad of other things) because I hadn’t truly identified it as a characteristic of myself prior to this. Funny enough - we worked in Music and were in this perceived public sphere with its own set of injustices for those who put themselves out there. Anyways this podcast ruled! I love Alicia’s newsletter and am a subscriber already and love Jenn Agg as the fellow boss “bitch” (a nod to her book) that she is and fellow Canadian / Toronto resident. Thanks for the stellar content!!! Loved all this crossover into the ways that the Internet makes it so much so, a small world.
Omg shower arguments, yes. I'm also prone to 3am in bed arguments.
Thank you for listening!!
Re: free content vs. subscriptions --- just wanted to add that I would MUCH rather pay $5 for quality content and not try to be manipulated into purchasing things I don't need be either overt of covert advertising by websites/influencers (which always, at least on some level, feels insincere to me and a waste of my time and energy, especially because I'm trying to consume less!). But I do think it becomes an issue when everyone you used to tune in to has a subscription model and all of a sudden you have to consciously narrow it down so you're not paying some [random large amount] to keep up with all your favorites. The some free/some pay-for content model seems to strike a good compromise, imo.