Gene Demby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Hofstra University |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, Podcast Host |
| Employer | NPR |
| Known for | Code Switch PostBourgie |
Gene Demby is an American journalist and podcast host. He is cohost of the podcastCode Switch, created by National Public Radio (NPR). He's also the lead blogger covering race, ethnicity and culture on the blog of the same name.[1]
Demby previously founded the blog and podcastPostBourgie. He started his media career atThe New York Times andHuffington Post.
Demby grew up in South Philadelphia,[2] and attendedHofstra University.[3]
Prior to joining NPR, Demby worked forThe New York Times and then as managing editor forHuffington Post'sBlackVoices vertical.[4]
Demby debuted theNPR project Code Switch on April 7, 2013 with an introductory essay that met with immediate acclaim; writing atComplex,Jason Parham said that if the essay "'HowCode-Switching Explains The World' is any indication of the content to come, we couldn't be more excited."[5]
In 2016, Demby and cohostShereen Marisol Meraji debuted what Harvard'sNeiman Lab called "the long-awaited podcast" from Code Switch.[6]
Demby began blogging in 2004. Speaking toColorLines in 2012, Demby said he'd been motivated by frustration with media conversations about race, mentioning in particular an occasion aCNN reporter approached him on a basketball court to ask for comment onBill Cosby'sPound Cake speech at the 2004NAACP Image Awards. Demby recalled, "I pushed back on him pretty hard...There are people who think black people's condition in the world would be better if we just looked better. 'Pull up your pants.' It seemed so petty that we were having these conversations." In search of an alternative, in 2007 Demby founded a collective blog on race, culture, politics and media called PostBourgie, inviting friends to collaborate who shared his desire "to have conversations that assumed that black people were human beings who were complicated and imperfect, a space that wasn't super didactic."[7]
Speaking toNew York Magazine,Jamil Smith cited PostBourgie as one of the blogs that "really set the bar for...spaces that were made available to [African-Americans and other people of color]. Even if you were working for traditional media, you didn’t have the opportunity to offer your perspective, to tell the unvarnished version of the truth that you see every day...it really hearkens back to the tradition of the black press."[8] InThe Washington Post, Alyssa Rosenberg praised PostBourgie's accomplishments in "building a ladder for all its participants. The blog gave the people who wrote there a chance to workshop their voices and refine their ideas for a smart audience, even when they didn’t have paying assignments for an idea. When one PostBourgie writer got a new job, he or she encouraged others to freelance for that new outlet and to apply for fellowships and jobs there."[9] PostBourgie alums have includedShani O. Hilton, now executive editor of news forBuzzFeed, and BuzzFeed writersJoel Anderson andTracy Clayton.
Demby hosts an accompanying podcast also called PostBourgie.
In 2009, Demby's PostBourgie won aBlack Weblog Award for Best News/Politics Site.[10]
In 2013 and again in 2014, Demby was named toThe Root 100's list of the 100 most important black influencers.[11][12]
In 2014, Demby and the Code Switch team won theOnline News Association's award for Best Online Commentary.[13]
Demby is married to fellow journalist Kainaz Amaria, aZoroastrian American[14] who is currently a visuals editor forVox Media.[15][16] The couple live in Washington.