Slingshot: Newsletters You Can Use!
It happened again.
The other day, I typed up a pandemic-related rant on Facebook when a voice in my head halted me from pressing "post."
"Don't feed the Blue God."
That mantra is why there's a Slingshot newsletter in the first place! At the beginning of the pandemic, I wrote an online screed that got a bunch of validating likes and whatnot when my compa Gustavo Arellano suggested I go the newsletter route, instead, with the prescribed mantra.
So I did and hoped that more polished rants delivered to subscribers' email inboxes would subvert Facebook's dominion--at least where it concerned me. A la chingada con algorithms!
Social media's impact on journalism can't be understated--and it ain't a good one, lemme tell ya!
Newsletters are an imperfect rebellion, but I have a deep appreciation for them, especially in that given context. The biggest snags come with deliveries to promotion and spam folders (check them, please!).
As I continue to pen the Slingshot, I subscribe to several other newsletters that I read religiously. Here's a few that everyone should subscribe while relaxing this Labor Day weekend!
Gustavo Arellano's Weekly
Before Gritale a Guti desmadre on Instagram, there was Gustavo Arellano's Weekly--the original babble-on. The L.A. Times columnist and podcast host delivers life lessons and journalism reflections with a conversational tone in his cantos. It's a great place to catch up on past stories that are linked at the bottom of his newsletter. But everybody here has already subscribed, right?
Indigenously
I first learned of Indigenously from seeing journalist Jenni Monet appear on Democracy Now! A Laguna Pueblo native based in New Mexico, Monet promises to "decolonize your newsfeed." Not only are her stories vital but the aesthetic of the newsletter is a work of art. Better yet, each edition comes with an awesome Indigenously Index!
TimesOC
Shameless plug!
My new home at the L.A. Times offers an array of newsletters to subscribe to. The TimesOC newsletter is where you'll reliably find my work as well as the great stories my colleagues pen. It arrives to inboxes twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays so as to keep readers up to date on all things OC as reported by the Daily Pilot and TimesOC!
Payday Report
A subscriber to the Slingshot suggested I sign up to receive journalist Mike Elk's Payday Report newsletter. I'm glad I did. As the labor beat is as withered as unions themselves, Payday Report is an essential read to keep tabs on working class happenings across the country. Elk's experiment provides original content through polished reporting that needs crowdsourcing to continue. The least we can do is subscribe!
What newsletters do you subscribe to that I should check out? Drop me a line and I'll sign up! Ok, off I go to post this Slingshot on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all that social media shit.
- Gabriel San Román
This independent newsletter in OC depends on readers like YOU! To keep the Slingshot! flinging the truth Venmo: @Gabriel-SanRoman-2. PayPal: @gabrielsanroman2
Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! Don't forget to tell your friends to join the San Roman syndicate by subscribing!
By the Bylines
Here's the run of stories I published in the past two weeks, ICYMI:
"‘Broken pieces of our lives’: A Laguna Beach gallery memorializes COVID-19 victims." When I first saw this artistic memorial, it hit me in the gut! (The Daily Pilot)
"A labor leader guides Orange County Democrats' quest to revamp county politics." I profile Ada Briceño, chair of the OC Dems, from her time as a kid in Nicaragua, to working as a front desk clerk at an Anaheim hotel to leading the party at its most pivotal moment. (LA Times / TimesOC)
"Disney’s hotels are back in business. A union fights for workers left behind." I'm back on the Mouse Muck beat and checked in on hotel workers stuck in purgatory. (TimesOC)
"Crear Studio hopes to give O.C. artists of color a home in Santa Ana." Sarah Rafael Garcia's latest creation is a gallery that seeks to promote local artists, especially the POC's of OC! (TimesOC)
"Orange County performing arts venues announce new vaccination, mask mandates." Don't let the Phantom of the Opera be the only one wearing a mask at OC's premiere cultural venues! (TimesOC)
Gracias for reading all the way to the end! Now, don't forget to tell your friends to join the San Roman syndicate by subscribing!