Jemima McEvoy (advisor), Jack Brewster '18 (CEO), John Masella (COO), and Justin Cruz '17 (Chief Growth Officer)

From the Field to the Newsroom: Former Oberlin Athletes Launch Youth-Focused News App

6/27/2024 1:25:00 PM

In recent years, so many young people have turned away from the news that there’s now a phrase for it: news avoidance. Two former Oberlin athletes believe they have the solution to this growing problem.

Jack Brewster, a 2018 graduate of Oberlin College and former baseball player for the Yeomen, along with Justin Cruz, a 2017 Oberlin graduate and former baseball and football player, have recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for their news company, Newsreel.

Brewster conceived the idea for Newsreel as a senior at Oberlin in 2018.

During the Trump years, the news cycle moved at a torrid pace. My friends and teammates told me they felt lost and overwhelmed, and that their phones were making the problem worse.

Jack Brewster

Drawing from his Oberlin academic research and time as a Fulbright scholar in 2021, Brewster created Newsreel to address the changing news consumption habits of young people.

According to the Reuters Institute's 2024 Digital News Report, 40% of people aged 18-24 and 42% of those aged 25-34 often or sometimes actively avoid the news. Newsreel aims to help young people stay informed without feeling overwhelmed or lost by using the latest digital technologies to deliver news in a radically new way. Newsreel’s app, currently in testing, combines the principles of cognitive science with personalized content to make news more engaging and improve retention of key information. You can sign up to be the first to try Newsreel’s app by clicking here.

In a world where information overload leads to news avoidance, we aim to make staying informed easier and more engaging for the younger generation, said Brewster, who has worked as a politics reporter for Forbes, and written for Time, The Wall Street Journal, Vice, Newsweek, and Fortune.

In 2019, Brewster participated in Oberlin’s Launch U program, a startup accelerator that provided him with essential skills and mentorship to advance Newsreel. One of his key advisors is Ferd Protzman '75, former Chief of Staff in the president's office at Oberlin College, whose guidance has been instrumental in navigating the challenges of launching a media startup.

Joining Brewster in this venture is Cruz, who serves as Newsreel's Chief Growth Officer. Cruz brings his expertise and network to help expand the platform's reach and impact. “We’re committed to creating a news platform that not only informs but also engages and empowers young people,” said Cruz. “Our goal is to build a community of informed citizens who are excited about staying updated on current events.”

Both Brewster and Cruz were members Oberlin’s baseball team in 2015 that won the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship for the first and only time in program history with Cruz catching the final out of the game to send the Yeomen into the NCAA Tournament.

Newsreel recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $50,000 to further develop its platform and attract more young users. The campaign has already raised $23,000 within the first three weeks. The funds will be used to enhance the app's features, improve user experience, and create engaging content tailored to the preferences of young audiences. You can listen to a recent News Over Noise podcast with Brewster where he explains the importance of this issue.

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