Freelancer Kareem McMichael offers his take on Connect’s end

Editorial by Kareeem McMichael

Aug. 20, 2024 – It is key that people understand that those of us currently at Connect Savannah have a love and a passion for journalism. We also have a love and passion for telling local stories about people and things in our community that needed to be told and sometimes didn’t have a space for their story to be told. During my time it was a joy watching readers return to Connect or hopefully bring in new readers because we were connecting with the community again.

It is no laughing matter for a multitude of reasons but with the loss of this publication there will be a lack of coverage when it comes to certain things in Savannah. It is an unfortunate telling sign of the future as well as many publications and media outlets have been struggling for years now.

While people have a lot to say about Connect Savannah, its past, and the transitions over time, the group of journalists and freelancers were doing our best to connect with the public and our different communities to tell their stories while also still making sure that government accountability, civic engagement, and trustworthiness were intact. All while making sure diverse voices were at the table.

For a while, in my years of media and communications, I have found that many groups still feel like their voices are not well represented in some publications. I hear from people all the time that the media only focuses on the negative or is pushing some agenda. For some, that might be the case, but there are others with a different focus. The beauty over the years has been that more diverse people are in certain spaces now to help share those stories, but also, thanks to blogging and similar things, people can create their own platform as well.

I think the beauty of something like Connect Savannah was that, overall, it used to be a break away from the hard stuff sometimes. It was a place where people could find out the unique scene of Savannah and the people living here. The hip alternative scene here, thriving with music, art, film, and more, may have lost one space that was created for stories like that to thrive.

Outside of the scope of art and entertainment, the loss of local media can make it difficult for investigative pieces to be created. How will the government be held accountable? The better question is: as local media dies, who will hold them accountable? These outlets are significant advertisers for small businesses, contributing to job creation and community growth. The loss of local news outlets will have some economic effects.

I think about my hometown of Macon, GA, and when I was in high school, the Macon Telegraph had a part of the newspaper called “Teen Board,” where teenagers got to write and have articles published. I was happy my mom found this opportunity because, as an aspiring writer, it gave me the opportunity to work with professional journalists and get some experience. I was also thrilled because, at the time, they said it was fitting to find a space for teenagers to have a voice and write about things that pertain to them. Having multiple media outlets with a range of voices is important because it helps share what different things are happening and the effects on different groups.

Kareem McMichael is a filmmaker, documentarian, writer, and multimedia content creator. The Macon native enjoys entertainment, and sharing with locals and visitors’ stories about Savannah’s art and culture scene. When he is not working, he enjoys relaxing at the beach, grabbing a beverage, hitting a fun art event. You can find his work at https://kmcmichael.weebly.com/

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