News veteran re-launches Black in Jersey, a digital storytelling platform
It’s a full circle moment for Tennyson Donyéa with the re-launch of his digital storytelling outlet Black in Jersey last fall. Donyéa, a seasoned and gifted storyteller, wanted to amplify his platform, which is known for spotlighting the culture and unique tapestry of Black communities across New Jersey.
Donyéa got his start in broadcast news in 2016 at KRCR-TV in Redding California, and decided to leave television to pursue a type of storytelling that could highlight the voices often overlooked by mainstream media.
“Over time, I realized I wanted to make more of a difference, and I didn’t feel like I could do that in the role that I was in, so I shifted to print, which allowed me to dive a little bit deeper into stories,” said Donyéa.
Donyéa’s journey landed him a job at NJ.com, where he’d spend the next few years reporting on culture, identity, and diversity. There, he was open about his struggles as a Black journalist working for a predominantly white-led news organization that focused on wealthy white readers. And, in 2021 he decided to create his own publication, Black in Jersey. The platform started as a social media page where he shared most of his freelance work, but Donyéa wanted to re-brand it into a full-blown publication that could give a voice to those lacking media coverage.
“The work resonated, and I knew how to tell stories that would resonate with Black folk. I just wanted a place where our stories were mainstream… Sometimes people just want to know what’s happening in their community, it doesn’t have to be exceptional.” said Donyéa.
Black in Jersey focused heavily on arts and culture to start but eventually grew its local news coverage, highlighting how local events and legislative decisions could impact the Black community. With its relaunch in October, Donyéa wanted the platform to reflect exactly what he saw around him and what his generation cares about.
“When I started it, I was still taking the practices and formatting from legacy media. I had to really think about what it could look like outside of that: what would it look like if an artist worked as a journalist? I try to find a healthy balance between the two,” said Donyéa.
As part of the relaunch, Black in Jersey hosted a brunch mixer to provide local journalists and creatives with an opportunity to network and celebrate community reporting. Donyéa hopes this spirit of connection and collaboration will be reflected throughout Black in Jersey’s work.
“I would love it to become a conversation space where we allow people to be transparent and honest about what they’re feeling and going through, but also having conversations with experts in certain fields for folks that want to learn about the world around them,” said Donyéa.
The relaunch wasn’t Donyéa’s only successful project this year. He also produced a documentary in partnership with CamdenFireworks. “A Deeper Bond: The Neighborhood Collaborative Community Gardens Story” premiered in October, and explores the deep connections supporting urban agriculture and other youth-led initiatives in Camden.
“It turned into a bigger story about not just gardening, but it also talked about the social bonds and emotional ties that community members made,” said Donyéa. In a city that’s constantly in the news for negative things, this was a way to share a positive side of Camden.”
Over the years Donyéa has supported the Black journalism infrastructure in New Jersey, which he views as critical for our local news ecosystem. He’s committed to supporting Black-led newsrooms and creating opportunities for others to receive training in this work, just as he did.
Amanda Alicea is a freelance feature reporter and writer who serves as the data entry and membership coordinator at the Center. She can be reached at aliceaa@montclair.edu.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism and support an informed society in New Jersey and beyond. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, the Independence Public Media Foundation, Rita Allen Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
