About

Understated was launched in October 2024 by me, Sarah Alvarez. I'm a new Philadelphian. I'm the James B. Steele Chair of Journalism Innovation at Temple University and a reporter. I founded Detroit's Outlier Media in 2016 and led the newsroom until 2025.

This is a simple blog cataloging the research I'm doing, conversations I'm having, and ideas that feel exciting and relevant to increasing the utility of news for a wider public.

Why is it called understated?

There are a lot of assumptions made by news producers. I was completely shocked but both the number and significance of these assumptions when I started working in news.

There's an assumption that editors should use only their experience and intuition to decide what kind of information is important to deliver to their community. Reporters and editors agonize about how to craft a story that will create empathy in the reader, without understanding if that's necessary. We assume that news will always be central to helping people understand and navigate the world. The truth is, the news is a marginal player in the personal information landscapes of most people.

All of these understated assumptions have led to the news we have. If we want to create the news and information systems we want and need, we need to dig into these assumptions and replace them with better ideas.

What happens if I sign up?

You'll get access to the full archive of all posts and everything that's still to come. A new post will be delivered to your inbox on Mondays.

A few things you should know

Everyone needs an editor, and I don't have one on this project! I use an AI-assisted spell and grammar check called Language Tool. Expect copy errors anyway. I love an Oxford comma, but my use of them is inconsistent. When I find copy errors later, I'll go back and fix them but won't issue a correction. If you want to tell me about them, that's fine too, but don't feel compelled. I don't expect any factual errors, but mistakes happen. If you see one of these, please do tell me. I'll address it and add correction language.

Learning and working in public means an evolution in ideas is expected. I'll be learning many things other people already know. I might be entering conversations that have been going on for years. I won't always know when an idea is new, or just new to me. If you have context or information that can help me, I'd love to know.

How do I get in touch?

Email is best. Just reach out to sarah@understated.blog and I'll get back to you.