TOMO Mags Launches News Reading Club in Austin
In partnership with The Trust Project, the new community program aims to help people find trustworthy news and discuss current issues
TOMO Mags, a restored school bus turned independent magazine shop with a passion for print, recently announced the launch of its News Reading Club, a recurring community event designed to help readers consume news in a healthy and enjoyable way. The club grew out of a partnership with The Trust Project, an international initiative founded by Sally Lehrman that helps people identify trustworthy information online. The first meeting is Sept. 19 at the Thompson Austin, and those interested can find more details on the News Reading Club website. Vico Tadeo Puentes, founder of TOMO Mags, discussed the inspiration behind the club, its mission and why he believes people should attend.
Q: What initially sparked the idea for a News Reading Club?
Vico Tadeo Puentes: What I’ve started capturing anecdotally is that people are wanting to slow down. They want to experience life away from the digital world. They also want more valuable information and content. And the best place that I can box that in is the news. There is some good journalism out there, but it’s hard to get. So that observation led me to start going to people that were coming in to the shop and asking them, ‘Hey, where are you getting your news?’ And a lot of really smart people were saying, ‘The news is too much. It stresses me out,’ or, ‘I don’t like the state of journalism today.’
The idea of a club comes from the fact that I, from watching running clubs, saw that people are willing to spend time and money for something that they feel is proven to work. (Through a news reading club,) you gain media literacy, practice better conversations with others and find new sources that are valid and trustworthy. I thought ‘Let’s go for it. Let’s create something that makes people feel that way.’
Q: What does a typical session look like, from start to finish?
Vico Tadeo Puentes: It begins before attendees come to the event. We share five articles, all focused on a theme every time–one that’s very relevant to what’s happening in our lives. The articles are vetted through the Trust Project, ensuring they are trustworthy. We also share the standards of conversation that we hope to uphold together: making a commitment to look for the most factual version of the conversation and being curious about where others are coming from to create a dialogue. We get everyone to commit from the get-go to promote productive and supportive conversations. Then, people break into groups of two or three to talk about the articles that they read. Then we wrap up in the last 15 or 20 minutes with a broader Q&A and share resources, including making recommendations for different publications and outlets.
We’re hoping that the spirit of it all becomes very solution-driven rather than turning into venting sessions. Lehrman, a few other journalists and I are going to be facilitating. Anything that’s gonna be strong, long term, it has to build upon friction and things that are challenging. Also, when it comes to news, louder and more pointed voices have been taking over for such a long time. The smarter voice sometimes is not the loudest, and I feel like we’re creating space for that.
Q: How does the News Reading Club connect to TOMO Mags’ broader mission?
Vico Tadeo Puentes: Slowing down and focusing is the heart that connects to it. At TOMO Mags, people are coming in and finding a publication that otherwise they wouldn’t have found. They are able to physically take it with them and create another moment at home, where they’re able to disconnect from algorithms and different agendas that may be more concerning with making money.
The News Reading Club is such a natural thing for us to create and put out there, simply because it’s building on this exercise that was already happening at TOMO Mags with fashion and design magazines. It’s the same spirit, it’s the same goal. However, it has more weight, and I feel very excited about it.
Learn more about this project and how you can get involved at tomomags.com/newsreadingclub.