What LION Publishers has learned about the unique struggles and success of BIPOC news leaders

We, at LION Publishers, know that the path to successfully launch, build and grow an independent news organization is far from easy. 

We also know that individuals with specific and intersectional identities face significant institutional barriers to access the capital, networks and other resources to run a successful startup. 

Nearly one-third of our membership has a leader(s) who identifies as Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, Latine or a Person of Color, and/or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, or as a member of broader gender and sexually diverse communities. 

In an effort to better understand the successes and struggles of BIPOC leaders and to, ultimately, better support them, LION’s former Community Manager Christian Monterrosa conducted 13 one-on-one interviews in late 2022 and early 2023. What we learned from these interviews, combined with our growing breadth of experience supporting members in our programs, has helped inform who we plan to serve, and how. More details on that are below; but first, an overview of what we learned from this listening project.

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