By Naomi Hofferber
In a time in which major news outlets are called into question, one website, Midwest Telegraph, aims to promote independent and local news and encourage social activism across the Midwest.
Damita Brown, one of the website creators, said one of the purposes behind its conception is to provide independent news about local issues.“The website represents one of our priorities, which is taking on some of the misinformation and disinformation that goes on with corporate media,” Brown said. “We know that there’s a lot of independent outlets giving people an opportunity to understand what’s really going on in their communities and to reflect back what’s important to them. When that’s not happening, when you have a situation where hundreds and thousands of people stood up in solidarity with Standing Rock, and for months on end it was neglected by all the major news outlets, that’s a travesty.”
Brown said the website will provide the best in independent news and promote ongoing awareness of issues to encourage activism.
“After the election, a lot of people were looking around with dismay and a little bit of shock and surprise, and some of us were kind of looking around and going, ‘Well, this is what happens when we don’t stick together, we don’t stay active, we don’t keep our elected officials accountable for what’s important,’” she said. “People are making an effort to come together in a way that’s maybe never been done before. And the reality is that doing that kind of work cannot be something we do in emergencies; it has to be a way of life.”
The mission of the Midwest Telegraph, which was stated on a poster at a launch-party event on March 3, is to “advance the social-justice work in the Midwestern United States and strengthen constructive dialogue among diverse communities by providing access to independent media alternatives and creating community-based education forums which link social justice issues.”
Audrey Keith, one of the developers for the website, said that another goal of the website is to connect organizations.
“Midwest Telegraph right now exists as a website which is meant to be like a digital bulletin board,” she said. “We’re really trying to create a way for different progressive organizations to collaborate and work together. I feel like sometimes organizations aren’t aware of each other.”
Christine Nobiss of Indigenous Iowa said the website was useful because it helped connect local activists to create a larger community.
“One day [Damita] approached me and said, ‘Hey, I’m starting this organization, and it’s supposed to be a hub for all these other organizations’, I was like ‘Thank God,’ ” Nobiss said. “How I picture the revolution happening is we start in small circles, but then we get bigger and bigger and bigger until there’s just one massive circle here in the States, and we resist. [Damita] has a vision, and she’s a strong leader and very determined.”
Currently, Indigenous Iowa has developed its camp, Little Creek camp, which is meant to serve as a haven.
“As a Marine Corps veteran, I’ve suffered from [post-traumatic stress disorder]. From Standing Rock, I was able to witness the PTSD instantly to a lot of people on the frontlines,” Lakasha Yooxot Likipt of Indigenous Iowa said. “One other portion of Little Creek establishment is to allow for a safe and calm atmosphere for people to come and regroup. Anybody suffering from PTSD from Standing Rock, which is thousands, come out and just sit around the campfire. It’s a different feel from up there, however to be with people who suffered in the same struggle will allow for that healing.”