I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE convinced that we must tell our own stories. That the lens that is our brown eyes—and journalistically well-trained, skilled and contextualized—provides not bias, but incredible insight. Enables us to produce stories that are more complexed, nuanced and more balanced, and, in some ways, fairer and more accurate because they are told not by outsiders looking in, but by insiders looking in—and out.
And yet, FountainWorks—in as much as it seeks to tell the stories of us for us by us as Black Americans—it seeks to capture the voices and stories of all people regardless of race, religion, gender or socioeconomic class in an effort to reflect a portrait of journalism that is more inclusive, more representative of the rich diversity of American life.
Our stories at FountainWorks—as conventional journalistic narratives, special topics projects, diverse commentary culture and social issues from crime and violence to faith, politics, culture and policy and multimedia storytelling—will appear across our online platforms. We intend to cover an array of topics and are dedicated to capturing the stories and voices of those underrepresented or whose stories are under-told or untold and altogether missing from mainstream news media.
Our focus, in particular, is on stories that necessitate a more investigative, more intimate journalistic project approach, which has waned in recent years amid industry-wide cutbacks.
The Unforgotten Bureau will also feature commentary and essays from a wide range of perspectives, including the work of young emerging writers who tackle an array of topics in interesting, unique and compelling storytelling. They are new voices we think you’d love to hear.
I invite you to join us in our journey at the Unforgotten Bureau. To share our work and platform with others. To become a paid subscriber or donate to our reader-supported independent platforms so that we will not only have sustainability, but grow by leaps and bounds in our pursuit of filling the void of many of those stories missing from the daily platter of mainstream American journalism: Our Stories.
– John W. Fountain, Founder/Editor
The Unforgotten Bureau - Why We Must Tell Our Stories