Kirsten West Savali And Dr. Stacey Patton Define The Purpose Of The Bison ONE Newsroom

December 19, 2025

The Bison ONE Newsroom represents a groundbreaking partnership between Howard University and NewsOne that trains student journalists amid widespread newsroom contractions and declining Black representation in media leadership. Led by journalism professor Dr. Stacey Patton and content executive Kirsten West Savali, the initiative emerged from successful student coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris's 2024 election night event and has since expanded to publish community-focused stories on topics like SNAP benefits and immigrant experiences. The collaboration positions itself as part of the historic Black press tradition, providing students with professional editing and a platform while mainstream media institutions retreat from racial equity commitments.

Who is affected

Howard University journalism students participating in the Bison ONE Newsroom
Black journalists being removed from high-profile positions in mainstream newsrooms
Dr. Stacey Patton (Howard journalism professor overseeing the program)
Kirsten West Savali (Vice President of Content at iOne Digital leading the initiative)
D.C.'s Ethiopian immigrant community (featured in student reporting)
Communities underserved by mainstream media coverage
The student journalist who authored this article

What action is being taken

The Bison ONE Newsroom is training student reporters under professional editors
Students are publishing stories on issues including SNAP benefits and D.C.'s Ethiopian immigrant community
Dr. Patton and Kirsten West Savali are leading the collaborative newsroom operation
Students are working with rigor and producing newsroom-quality reporting at scale
The newsroom is teaching students to investigate, verify, and publish truth

Why it matters

This partnership matters because it preserves and extends the tradition of Black press journalism during a period when mainstream newsrooms are eliminating Black journalists from leadership positions and retreating from diversity commitments. The initiative addresses a critical gap in journalism by ensuring that perspectives historically excluded from mainstream narratives continue shaping public discourse and holding power accountable. By training students within an HBCU context connected to the lineage from Ida B. Wells to the Chicago Defender, the newsroom ensures future journalists understand journalism as public service rather than merely profession, particularly vital when truth itself faces contestation in political and educational institutions.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint