Stories of The Many

Our Facebook group for women of all political stripes
is going strong — and getting press!

The Many is a closed, moderated Facebook group for women of all political views to talk about politics, social issues — and anything else they like. In her piece, "Relax, Civility is Alive and Well," Spaceship reporter and moderator Kristine Villanueva writes about how the women of The Many are engaging in conversations across difference. “In The Many, I see meaningful engagement between women of different backgrounds and political affiliations who talk deeply about polarizing issues like abortion, race, healthcare, and more. They take a step back and understand people’s experiences and how those experiences inform their choices,” she writes. Read the whole article here.

"From deep red to light pink, post-election maps of America tell you how vast stretches of the country vote. But the maps don't tell you how they think," reporter Anahita Mukherji writes in her story about the nuanced views of the women in The Many. Read the story here on Alabama Media Group's Al.com.

Staten Island Advance, another news partner, ran this a story by Sydney Kashiwagi about how women from Staten Island are engaging in The Many.

If you’re interested in joining The Many — or know someone who might be — please fill out or share this short questionnaire.

An Ear to the Door of The Many

Spaceship Media launched a new podcast featuring women in The Many. In our first episode Brittany Walker Pettigrew and Tricia Nociti talk about race. In one exchange, Nociti and Walker Pettigrew drew similarities between how they felt about their white and black identities, respectively. “There is zero identity with whiteness, it’s a blank,” said Nociti. Walker Pettigrew responded, “there’s no black identity, either, just stereotypes.” Check out the rest of their conversation on Soundcloud.

Where We're Featured

Spaceship Media was featured by Nieman Journalism Lab in an article by Mark Frankel, Social Media Editor for BBC News and 2018 Visiting Harvard Nieman Fellow, about reporting within semi-open platforms. “I witnessed a fascinating ongoing conversation between 135 courteous and well-intentioned participants from a variety of backgrounds and points of view,” Frankel wrote about our project (conducted in partnership with TIME, Advance Local and Essential Partners) Guns: An American Conversation. “It’s undeniable that the public we serve is spending more of its time in chat apps, social media groups and other peer-to-peer environments. We’d be foolish to ignore the opportunity to engage with them where they feel most at ease.”

Where We've Been

Project Manager Adriana Garcia, right, presented at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in Miami on how publishers are utilizing Facebook groups. Here she's interviewed by Facebook's Silvana Ordonez. “While the marriage of social media and traditional media is still evolving, it’s important that we as journalists continue to report on and be involved in the communities that are important to consumers. Spaceship Media is pioneering a new kind of journalism to create and nurture community where people ‘live’ their life now, online,” said García.

Lead moderator Alyxaundra Sanford attended the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Detroit where she ran into one of her favorite podcasters, Gene Demby, of NPR's Code Switch.

A Look at Our Partners

Congratulations to our partners at the Alabama Media Group for winning first place for best local education coverage for their project Tackling the Gap! We are proud to have collaborated with them on this project that brought teachers together to examine the achievement gap. It's always great to partner with the always remarkable Trish Crain and Shauna Stuart.

Joining our Mission!

Jess Weaver recently joined Spaceship Media as a part-time moderator. Her day job is as Assistant Director of Civic Engagement and Social Innovation at a college outside Chicago where, among other things, she hosts a speaker series that offers opportunities for learning about the most polarizing topics of our time. Fun fact: last year, she won a grant from the National Organization of Women to distribute a game she designed to encourage young women to consider running for office. We're excited she's on board!

A New Group for Dialogue Across Difference

In July, we launched another all-women group that focuses on how we talk about ... talking. Faced with a backlog of liberal-leaning women waiting to join The Many, we decided to give them a space to have discussion about polarization, dialogue and democracy. If you or someone you know would like to join, request access here.

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