July 3, 2019
The Voqal Fellowship is an investment in a new generation of social entrepreneurs interested in launching the next “big idea” aimed at increasing equity for those who are least well off politically, economically and/or socially. In this month’s 2019 Voqal Fellowship spotlight, we take a look at Fellow Kevon Paynter and his project Bloc by Block News.
Paynter’s project provides individuals a neighborhood news portal and one-stop-shop for the best news sources about their state, county and neighborhood. Paynter envisions reporters meeting community information needs by producing thoughtful, original, local, utility reporting in areas where trustworthy news has gone missing. Paynter’s pioneering a financial model, a media co-operative, which he believes can save community journalism and help local news ecosystems thrive at a time when they struggle to adapt in the digital age.
Currently residing in Washington D.C., Paynter is a futuristic thinker, a journalist and comes to the Voqal Fellowship from a community organizing and solutions reporting background. He is sharply aware that a justice-oriented and financially-viable media system fuels American democracy.
Most recently, as a journalist at Yes! Magazine, Paynter wrote insightful commentary and fact-based reporting about solutions to the country’s most pressing social issues, and he’s bringing this belief about journalism’s role and impact to Bloc by Block.
Paynter also worked as the client-facing Community Manager inside two Impact Hub co-working spaces, where he designed and implemented strategies for the satisfaction, retention and growth of a vast membership and alumni network.
Interested in learning more about the Voqal Fellowship and planning on being at Netroots Nation next week in Philadelphia? Join us for Happy Hour!