Episode 11 - No New Media Friends with Katie Way

Diversity Hire

Hello and welcome to Episode 11 of Diversity Hire.

Today we talked to Katie Way, a staff writer at Vice, who covers health, culture, and the police. Our conversation looked at Katie’s experiences working at Babe.net, a content blog mill aimed at millennial women, media precarity, what it’s like to be the “main character” in a Twitter conflagration, and why you shouldn’t be friends with media people. Kevin and Arjun also talk about their very low serotonin levels and the end of summer. Thanks for listening and enjoy the episode!

* The end of summer, traditions we miss like the MOMA PS1 book fair, shorts inseam discourse, and our low energy :/ (0:00)

* Katie Way leads us through her career timeline (8:00)

* Katie on being “the queen of job precarity” (12:30)

* The workplace at Babe.net and media workplaces more generally (15:00)

* Image rehab-post Babe.net and Katie’s work at Vice (19:22)

* The representational politics beat (re: “Despite Racist Asian Tropes, YA Novel’s Film Adaptation Moves Ahead,” Vice) (24:59)

* The posting and blogging rat race and how it influenced Babe.net (re: “The Wild Ride at Babe.Net,” New York Magazine) (32:50)

* Why the social life of NYC media sucks (34:41)

* The pressure of always having a take (36:40)

* What it feels like to be the “main character” of a Twitter controversy (40:10)

* The cop social media world (re: “Cops Love to Falsely Claim People Have Messed With Their Food,” Vice) (43:00)

* The time Nicki Minaj fans came after Katie for making a joke about the Harper’s letter (46:35)

* Can you trust media to be a supportive industry ever again? (48:50)

* What happens when trolls think you’re a white journalist (50:15)

* Arjun’s Feelings Don’t Care About Facts Corner (55:15)

* The Diversity Tribunal (1:05:00)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com