Journalism Today, 'Love Is Blind' Chaos, and Megan’s Path to Power

Happy Chronically Online Day :)

Welcome to Chronically Online,

It seems so weird to tap on my keys again. I can’t lie, after experiencing my first layoff, my drive dwindled as I figured out the next phase of my career. This chapter showed me that writing will always be what I’m great at, no matter what’s going on in my career. I’m excited to start this journey and build this community. I'm still trying to figure out if this will be weekly, biweekly, or monthly, but we’ll rip off the bandaid and have fun, so let’s get into it.

Talk of the Timeline: Are Media Conversations Truly Evolving?

There’s a lot to unpack about journalism. As I get older, I understand the importance of protecting the craft, but it’s hard to ignore that the resources to provide quality work are changing. Philip Lewis, Deputy Editor at the HuffPost, says that though journalism feels like a “dumpster fire,” he sees the bright spots as long as they are fueled with productive and truthful dialogue.

“I think that there is a fundamental distrust that readers have with media now, and as you can see with the Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times deciding not to endorse a presidential candidate when people see things like that, it helps erode trust,” Lewis said. 

Though sharing new information is everyone's primary goal in media, the lines are blurred by how people verify their news consumption, adding anxiety to readers and writers. Finding your footing in the industry is more complex than ever, specifically if you want to enter entertainment journalism. Many curveballs are thrown at you to find sustainable work when battling between content creators, podcasters and celebrity-based platforms.  

Read Phil’s Newsletter: What I’m Reading

“It’s tough out here,” said Wongo Okon, SEO manager and Writer at UPROXX. “Journalism as a whole has been conflated with bloggers [and] content creators, so it’s hard to stand out for the work in the eyes of the everyday reader because they value the blogger and what they have to say.”

This apparent overlap continues to create more misconceptions and opinions about journalists. Rapper Russ took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share why artists no longer see the value of participating in journalist interviews. “Nobody cares about READING interviews on magazine outlets anymore,” he shared. “Video interviews are king and video interviews cost [money].”

Rightfully so, it caused a frenzy online. Watching my peers making various points online inspired this newsletter entry. Let’s face it: Finding purpose in the industry can be daunting. "So many people have taken it upon themselves to build their own brands, platforms, and podcasts, and they don't feel like they need us anymore,” said HuffPost culture reporter Njera Perkins.

Between billion-dollar companies, artists, and the general public pushing for more visual-based content, it’s hard for a writer not to fall into wanting to ride the wave to receive more recognition. Yes, interviews are fun and showcase a vital aspect of storytelling, but that’s not the sole purpose of journalism. “I can be perfectly successful in journalism without any of the interviews I've done, [which] I'm grateful for them, but it's just this measurement or bar for success that people use,” Okon tells me. 

Read Wongo’s Newsletter: Where’s Wongo?

We saw that again once Terrence Louis Henderson Jr., better known as Punch, the president of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), tweeted his opinions on the state of hip-hop journalism. “I respect Hip Hop Journalism and feel it’s needed in its truest form,” Henderson tweeted. “It helps keep the culture alive. But it’s only a few real ones left. Most of you guys are trash. Just my opinion. That’s why artists don’t want to talk to you.”

Honestly, reading that felt so left-field for several reasons. Still, the blatant “Most of you guys are trash” does cut deep when it feels like you’re already fighting to be seen as a writer and putting in time and energy to produce stories, especially in the music space as a Black journalist when there are already little opportunities to begin with.

“It was weird when people diminished our work to that and then said we're doing trash work on top of that,” Perkins emphasized. “It's like, are you not paying attention? Do you not know what else is going on? Do you not read anybody else? Because plenty of us out here are doing good work.”

Read Njera’s Work

Though many of us enter the industry, understanding journalism can be a thankless job; it can be mentally taxing, especially on social media.  While we continue to discuss the state of media, it’s essential to go beyond the surface-level dialogue and name-dropping lists of journalists. We must continue supporting journalists, including worker-owned outlets, and enforce newsroom leads to offer more transparency when providing sustainable opportunities. There shouldn’t be a pool of journalists fighting for poor freelance rates, email responses and overall, feeling valued.

TV Hot Takes I’m Losing Sleep Over: Love Is Blind DC

As a hardcore Love Is Blind stan, I go beyond the average watcher. I’m on TikTok, reading interviews and watching commentary, so naturally, when this new season premiered, I was ready. Before the season aired, fans were excited that this season would focus on the Washington, D.C., dating scene. Little did we know, this season might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Spoilers Ahead: On Wednesday, the reunion aired, and the chapter finally closed for this season’s pod squad. Now it’s time to share my final thoughts with a trainwreck ranking, where I’ll rank all these problematic couples. Sorry to any Taylor and Garrett stans, but we’re ranking mess.

5. Nick & Hannah: When The Coddled Meets The Mean Girl

We can all agree that we knew Nick and Hannah were a trainwreck ready to happen from the start. These two are last on the trainwreck ranking because they were incompatible and needed some serious time to grow and mature. Did I know how bad things would go? Well, no, but it was worse than I could have imagined. Immediately when Hannah and Nick stepped out of the pods, we saw a true ego struggle and immediate red flags. 

From Nick’s coddled behavior and charismatic defense mechanisms to Hannah’s unbearable jabs and verbal abuse, it became clear that these two were not meant to be together.

4. Ramses & Marissa: Take Off The Rose Colored Glasses

When this couple formed initially, they were surprisingly my favorite couple. They seemed to fit well together and had the chemistry of people who were madly in love, but alas, the reason they made the trainwreck list for a reason. I appreciated Rams and Marissa having tough conversations with each other, but the more I paid attention to their dialogue, the more it showcased the conditional love on Rams' side. When speaking to Marissa, he had a very “my way or the highway” attitude, which was alarming. 

Now, I felt these two wouldn’t make it down the aisle. Between Marissa’s naiveness and Rams’ masking his selfishness with progressive language, I knew something was off. So, when Rams’ decided a couple of days before their wedding to break things off without a concrete reason other than “their energies,” the mask was entirely removed and I knew this was a marriage that didn’t need to happen.

3. Stephen & Monica: Who’s In Charge Of Background Checks?

I don’t know where to start with this couple, and I’m not joking. From the moment Monica and Stephen began bonding over their mixed ancestry, and I heard, “You’re a mutt,” following an agreeance, “I’m a f-cking mutt,” I knew a headache was about to ensue. It feels like in every season, we get the most outlandish couple and ask ourselves, “Why are you on this show?” With Monica and Stephen, it was clear that they were not going down the aisle from day one. 

From Monica’s nagging about wanting flowers to Stephen’s cheating text messages, marriage was not in the cards for this couple. I left their relationship with too many questions: Why was Stephen sending text messages about kinks during a sleep test? Why does Monica hate Kate Spade bags? It seemed like they were a surface-level couple and needed to break up for all of us to keep our sanity. 

2. Tyler & Ashley: Cut The Cameras…

In the beginning, as a viewer, I was so excited to see Tyler and Ashley's love story. As I went to TikTok to get my secondary entertainment from the LIB fandom, I was quickly reminded not to get attached to couples because the internet can and will burst your bubble. If you’ve kept up with #tylergate, you know it was revealed early in the season that Tyler has three children and did not reveal it to Ashley until after the pods.

Now, the story he shared on the show was that he was a sperm donor for a friend and her wife and that the kids probably did not even know what he looked like. Of course, the internet investigators did some digging, showed that Francis was an active father, and revealed photos of his presence around them. I don’t have enough time to break down all of the receipts on Tyler, but they were enough to break the fourth wall.

Though we know Tyler and Ashley got married and stayed together, their responses at the reunion showed us everything we needed to know. Despite Tyler not being present in his children’s lives, Ashley remains at the forefront with Tyler, and there’s nothing we can do about it. 

1. Tim & Alex: Therapy > Marriage

After the reveal, I knew this unit was not going to last. Alex seemed to get the ick immediately, and Tim couldn’t stop telling us how he had “that dog in him” and how he was “immovable.” By the time we got to the honeymoon portion, where the two got into a heated spat that was off-camera (Tim would not let Alex get her point across during an argument, so she called him a little a— b-tch), the secondhand embarrassment couldn’t get to me faster.

Tim was another example of “my way or the highway” personified, and Alex didn’t like Tim the second he stepped out of the pods. Both parties' highly passive-aggressive nature showcased their lack of respect for each other. Despite trying to butter me up (and it almost worked) with a heartfelt scene of Tim asking Alex’s dad for her blessing, that facade came crumbling down after Alex met Tim’s parents and soon took a quick nap leading into an unexpected breakup where Tim said he never wanted to see Alex again. Overall, this couple desperately needed individual healing because it was a horror I couldn't look away from. Was it a quality mess? Absolutely, but at what cost?

Musical Moodboard: What’s In My Ears?

Megan Thee Stallion’s Megan: Act II marks a compelling comeback era for the 29-year-old. Of course, Megan has been in our faces this entire year; I just finished her documentary, which allowed me to understand this new sound even more.

With all that the femcee experienced in the industry, it feels like she’s genuinely taking her power back and doing what she does best: rap.

This second batch of songs features Megan Pete at the forefront. Highlighting the revival of her fierce persona and an unapologetic embrace of her signature charisma, the project's Act II feels like we’re seeing the raptress take ownership of her sound and narrative.

Known for blending raw lyricism with self-confidence, Megan channels a version of herself that captivates listeners with a blend of her Southern rap roots and an experimental palette.

Act II goes beyond being a mere sequel. In her distinct Houston style, she owns the duality of being powerful and playful, balancing gritty, rapid-fire verses with infectious hooks.

Favorite Songs & Bar:

• Bigger In Texas: “Always itchin' for a motherf-ckin' problem, b-tch, h-, please, go get tested”

• TYG: “Can't let a b-tch play me, this ain't a biopic”

• Roc Steady featuring Flo Milli: “Only b-tch I'm in a competition with is me/ H-es takin' shots so I came out with a drink”

Twenty-Something Truths: Self-Advocacy

I’ve been reflecting a great deal this year. So much has happened, from moving out alone to caring for myself, losing my job, and now figuring out what’s next for me. When you go through extreme life changes, you start to dissect every part of your life to connect the dots. One of the main things I kept landing on was how I felt about self-advocacy. I always advocated for myself to be heard and to remove barriers. Though I’m still actively working through my relationship with self-advocacy, I think it’s become a practice that helped me the most.

I created this newsletter to showcase my writing voice, even when I felt discouraged from pitching and filling out job applications. As I enter my late 20s this December, I realize that you must continue to fight for what you want out of life and create your own impact. I’m happy I can continue to be vocal and find other outlets to express myself, and I thank you all for being on this journey with me.

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