What is we the free?

Production peaked my interest as a child. Theater was my introduction. Then—as a preteen I met video production, which made my aspirations of architectural engineering vanish into thin air. As a teenager, I hauled a camera everywhere I went. I had dreams of making movies that would change the world. I learned to say yes to every opportunity, which I saw as a chance to learn and try new things. I went to college and learned all that I could about media. I ran a freelance business while studying the media and television industries. After graduating, I was hired as a full-time Media Director—overseeing the production of a weekly television program, a nightly radio broadcast, live production, podcasting, social media, etc.

Despite my generation—radio, television, and the newspaper have been an ever present source of news and information. I listened to the legends of talk radio on distant car rides home from school. The newspaper was a staple item on the coffee table or the kitchen counter. The days started and ended with local and national television news. It was everywhere, all the time, and we were witnessing the best of the best.

Sports and other extracurriculars consumed some of my adolescence, but most of my interest, time, and community was housed within the domain of the church. I was dedicated to the church as an infant. I found stability in the church as a child. I devoted myself to the ministry of the church as a teenager. I was hired by the church for full-time ministry. But now I seek to serve the church in a way that, perhaps, no person has ventured.

Confidence in the news is at an all-time low. As viewership declines, the majority of Americans are either searching for alternative news sources or have given up on mainstream media altogether. This is due, in part, to breathless sensationalism, fear stoking, and the politically driven, bias stricken, relativistic, propagation of opinions disguised as reporting.

Regardless of our nation’s founding principles and values—virtually all news media is devoid of Judeo-Christian representation as an adherence to the misunderstood “separation of church and state.” In fact, in the business of media, a Christian must suppress their convictions as they leave their religion leather-bound in the privacy of their home.

News and cultural commentary are much the same. There are a minority of radio hosts and podcast personalities who don the Christian cap at home and church on the weekends, but behind the microphone, their religious reasoning is scarce. However, these talk show talents are greatly outnumbered by their atheistic or agnostic compatriots.

With my knowledge and experience of the media business, my lifelong involvement with the church, and my seasoned journey with the Lord—I’m daring to go where no person has gone. We The Free will serve as a weekly audio and video podcast of Christian cultural commentary. The show will feature offerings of pertinent news and information and their Biblical responses. Every Thursday morning at 11am—you can watch or listen to an hour of social, political, and religious commentary from yours truly. The real news, finally.

The dream for what would become We The Free began in 2019. The relentless brainstorming and note scribbling finally formulated the program before us. Together—we can be the salt and light we’re meant to be. With your support, we can become the actual ministry of truth, and a pioneer in media ministry.

Blake

Blake and his wife Kate live with their two sons in East Tennessee.