The Pomonan: Redefining Local Journalism Through Inclusive Storytelling
News sites like the Pomonan provide a unique point of view on news. In today’s world, media consumption is diverse and broad. However, the Pomonan provides a detailed narrative of the stories in the city of Pomona. The site tells stories of homelessness and sex education, which are prominent in Pomona. It tackles these subjects in depth and cultivates a deeper understanding. This approach to the storytelling of the articles on the website produces an interesting point of view about living in Pomona.
The difference between the Pomonan and traditional news outlets is how they tackle topics such as prostitution. While news stations take a systematic and algorithmic approach using statistics and broad opinions, the Pomonan offers a deeper real-world perspective. News stations can oversimplify topics, which can take away a sense of urgency and have a more robotic approach. The Pomonan uses different perspectives from different people who all have their unique approaches to writing experiences. All these different articles and authors allow for a more immersive experience when opening the website and reading from the countless articles with the visual storytelling of Pomona that news outlets could not cover, which allows for this deeper connection to the site and readings.
The inclusivity of the Pomonan is a defining feature that allows the reader to further immerse and incorporate deeper thinking into the articles. The Pomonan allows groups with little voice to be heard louder by the majority of people. This diversity can invoke feelings within readers, differentiating itself from traditional news outlets. Journalism can be defined within the Pomonan as the reporting of current events happening around the journalist. This inclusivity is why the Pomonan is reaching more and more people because of the new defining voices on subjects that not many people were informed of before, empowering more people to seek out this media, which journalists can supply, about topics that can be gritty.
Similar platforms can take inspiration from the Pomonan’s approach to media reporting/journalism, tackling various social issues such as prostitution and the stigma following mental health. Similar platforms can focus on these issues by writing articles discussing the prevalence of these issues in Pomona and how to proceed as a community. Art pieces, written articles, and opinions by professionals can help give a discerning opinion on issues surrounding communities, which can help readers develop a better understanding of their own city. Open discussions and input from the community can help other websites write/describe issues in the community that could not have been tackled previously, offering a distinct sense of exclusivity.
In conclusion, platforms like the Pomonan illustrate how forms of media can change and how this change can be more impactful for readers to learn about the community. They provide a better understanding than traditional forms of media, which may not delve into topics that the Pomonan and others do. The future of journalism is in the hands of these websites that provide this media, as they are the most engaging and impactful.
Students in Pomona High School's AP Economics and Government class have showcased their understanding of real-world issues by writing insightful op-eds for The Pomonan. Combining critical analysis with a touch of journalism, these submissions explore topics at the intersection of economics and government while fostering meaningful engagement with their community. Encouraged by their teacher to think deeply and articulate their perspectives, these young writers have demonstrated creativity, civic awareness, and a growing appreciation for the power of the written word in shaping public discourse.