Christiana ‘Chris’ Opoku, is a freelance journalist and journalism student, currently completing her final year of the NCTJ and BCTJ accredited Multimedia Journalism course at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Earlier this year, she founded and launched her own publication The Chritical – a print and online publication looking to nurture and empower through diversity of thought across culture, arts and films, opinion, and socio-political issues – for which she received praise and was invited to speak at Magazine Street, an event organised by the International Magazine Centre, last autumn.
Here, we chat with Chris about setting up her own publication, her challenges and milestones while doing so, and carving your own space in journalism.
What is The Chritical?
The Chriticial is a bi-annual print and online publication that provides a platform for conversation, for a society where intellectual independence and freedom of speech are strengthened. We are committed to scrutinising, empowering and comforting society’s true diversity that goes beyond labels – beyond skin colour, sex, and beyond social classes. We want to empower people to think the way they think without people pointing a finger at them or judging them or pitying them because you look this way or come from this place. We are rebelling against these societal norms.
We don’t just want to give a platform to diverse voices and experiences. We want to do it in a way that champions compassion instead of condemnation. So many publications when they are expressing criticism over a certain perspective they do it from a place of hate; a place of condemnation and putting down the other side. We are trying to lift an opinion while maybe scrutinising another in an ethical manner and saying why we think this way; not just ‘because we think this way.’
I feel like in society we are becoming increasingly more non-tolerant towards conversation and compromise. We champion the freedom to think to express nuanced ideas, nuanced opinions, nuanced perspectives – refreshing perspectives. The kind of conversations that sustain a democracy in my opinion.
How did the idea come about and what did you do to get started?
Since I decided that journalism was the career I wanted to pursue and I enrolled in my Multimedia Journalism study course, I quickly realised that print media was my kind of world. Then I realised that synonymous with print media was newspapers, and I quickly realised that that was not my thing at all. I wanted to delve deeper into stories.
After I did a module in feature writing and magazine journalism at uni, I realised ‘oh my god, magazines are actually so interesting.’ I liked this idea of crafting this publication like a package of memories – a packaged sample of a time in history to keep on your kitchen table. That idea was fascinating to me.
The vision of the Chritical was kind of an explosion of years of frustration of not being sure about what kind of social or political group I should affiliate myself with. There was growing uncertainty how people perceive my colour and how they associate my gender, my colour, my sex to the idea of how I should think. The Chritical is basically my rebellion towards these boxes that others wanted to put me in.
I conceived the idea of starting my own publication in December 2021, and by the end of January 2022 I launched the Chritical. I started promoting the magazine on social media, created an instagram page, started promoting roles and got a team involved, and then we were just pouring over ideas and trying to set it up.
What are some of the biggest milestones so far, or anything you are particularly proud of?
Some of the milestones have been being invited to speak at Magazine Street, an event organised by the International Magazine Centre in Edinburgh. It was so enlightening and it honestly was a turning point for the Chritical. When I am making decisions, I know why I am making the decision now.
Another milestone was setting up a collaboration with Migrant Women Press [a migrant women-led, independent media platform focused on women’s experiences with migration]. We have been working with them for a project and I never thought I would be collaborating with other independent media. It’s been great receiving emails from other independent media organisations that are interested. Just the overall positive reception and feedback I have had so far has been very encouraging.
What were some of the challenges or things you didn’t expect?
I want to be honest and say that going into this, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had no idea of setting up a publication. I didn’t know anything, had no background whatsoever. I just knew how to write and how to edit and my formal training from uni.
I am still learning. Some of the challenges were that I knew nothing about publicity or marketing and essentially letting people know what the Chritical is. Things I’ve learned include how important it is to build up a brand and a vision of the product, so that people know you are being consistent with the messaging, as well that it is visually appealing and attractive as well as being efficient in conveying the mission that you want to.
What are your top tips to anyone looking to set up their own publication?
#1 Spend time thinking about what you want to achieve
My first bit of advice would be: Do not rush at all. Even if you think the momentum is going and you do not have time – you do have time. Spend plenty of time thinking about how you want your publication to be like, to look like, to feel like, what you want to achieve, what you want to contribute to society, what makes your publication stand out, how you will make it stand out. Think about what your target audience is.
Spend plenty of time thinking, and thinking, and thinking about what you want to achieve.
#2 Build a support network
The second bit of advice I would give is build a support network. Honestly if it weren’t for team Chritical, that’s what I call my group of volunteers working with me, I think the Chritical would have ended a long time ago.
If you’re able to maybe encourage yourself and do things, certainly you can do it by yourself, but for me, I knew who I was, and I knew my weaknesses. So, I knew I needed a support system. SoI built one with people who are passionate about writing, about designing, editing, leading, and taking photos. They’re the ones that keep me going. When I am feeling really weak and unmotivated.
#3 Grow your skills to support your team
Grow your own skills. If you are passionate about writing, write more, so that if a writer needs help you can give them that advice. If you like designing, grow your own skills to support your team members. Grow your multimedia skills, so that none of your team members will ever feel overwhelmed and so that they feel more at ease for you to be reliable. So that you can be a knowledgeable leader for them.
Any other advice for anyone looking to create their own space in journalism?
Starting the Christincal has made me realise things about myself I never would have realised. Not just because of the feedback I gained, but because of people trusting me as a leader and just the overall complete trust in me to do it, has made me realise I am capable of things I never knew.
If you have a dream or a vision, there is always space for your mission to be accomplished; to be fulfilled. Never think you’re too little or too insignificant in the grand scheme of things to place your name on things. Start it, and as you go through this journey, the feedback of the people around you and the overall product out there will build you up so strongly because of your decision to put your name on it. Whatever you have on your mind, start it now and see it grow as you are growing yourself.
